We Don't See This Much!

Some strange things are happening around here!

We are seeing things we've never seen while living in this small town of ours!

Here is a picture of one:

Yes, there is a fire in our fireplace!

I know those of you in warmer, more northern climates are asking yourselves, "what's the big deal?" Here's the big deal: We have lived in this wonderful blessing of a house for six and a half years, and this year is the first that we have used the fireplace.

As you are aware, it just doesn't get very cold here in southeast Alabama, so I never really had any desire to do the necessary work (haul in firewood, clean the ashes afterward, etc) to have a fire. I also had babies to care for and worry about and a fire just didn't fit into the picture.

But, as babies do, mine grew up and wonder of wonders, we are actually having a cold winter (for a couple of weeks, maybe)! So we have been enjoying our fire. Sitting in front of it with a nice blanket and a cup of coffee has become my favorite past time.

And while I am talking about wonders, let me show you this picture:

This is the fountain on our town square. I love this fountain and have taken many pictures of it during the time we have lived here. But, I have NEVER seen it like this! These two weeks of winter have provided a beautiful icy display.

The Magic of Snowflakes

As you've probably heard me lament before, we don't have traditional winters way down here in the South. That means we rarely (and by rarely I mean 'once in a blue moon') see any snowflakes and if there are snowflakes, they never stick together and accumulate on the ground.

So why not make our own snowflakes?


Making paper snowflakes is a fun activity that all school children partake in at one time or another.


This home school teacher wanted to take it to the next level, however.


When I saw THIS VIDEO I knew its what we would be doing!


I thought it might be a little difficult for the kiddos and would require a lot of help on my part, but they surprised me and were able to do most of it on their own.


They were proud of their accomplishment, and I was proud of the pretty decoration it made!


(I found this idea through a link on one of my favorite blogs: The Holy Experience.)

A Welcome Reprieve

Yesterday was absolutely beautiful in our 'neck of the woods.' The humidity level was drastically lower than usual, creating a quite mild and pleasant day. Since that kind of weather is such a rarity around here, I could not stand to stay inside all day. So, I packed up the school books and headed to a friend's house.

These friends own a horse stable across the pond from their home. With their permission, we sat at a table outside the stable and did our school work.


It was a great location. There were horses grazing nearby,


cats to pet,


and a pond to gaze into.


Add to that a gentle, cool breeze and it was perfect (except for the scary looking spiders nearby).


After both children did their math lessons, the oldest read a Bible story to the youngest and we discussed Christopher Columbus's voyages, it was time for some exploring. We wandered around the pond and then went on an adventure on the four wheeler.

I was struck by how gracious God is to allow us to enjoy such beauty. I am grateful for fluffy clouds, the sound of birds praising God and the innocent joy of children.

April Showers - in March!

To say we've had a lot of rain lately would be an understatement! Last week, it rained for 3 days straight. Not only were we watching it rain, but we were ducking for cover. The tornado sirens went off on all three days, which always sends my kiddos into panic mode. I am proud to report, though, that they are getting better about controlling their fear, and have begun to ask me to pray for God to take care of us as we wait out the storm.

We have seen a couple of tropical storms come through since living here. But neither of them dumped as much rain as quickly as the storms of last week did.


I couldn't resist taking some pictures of our yard as the water began to puddle. Our house is on high ground, so these pictures show minor flooding compared to our neighbors in our town and nearby towns.



Two nearby counties declared local states of emergency due to flooding. Forecasters say there is more rain on the way, but we're not sure we can handle much more.

P.S. Have you ever seen the fear on the face of a 5 year old during a tornado warning? (thanks to a tip from a friend, we have begun to wear our bicycle helmets when we seek shelter)

Rainy Day

It is a rainy day here in the Southeast!


And by rainy, I mean VERY rainy. Check out the puddles in our front yard!


As a result, we've had day at home and inside...and it's been nice. I like those days when we can slow down, get caught up on chores, work on a project or two and have an overall quiet day.


It's a rain day here in the Southeast....kind of wish it were a snow day, though!

How We Survived Tropical Storm Fay

We were recently visited by Tropical Storm Fay. What that meant for us was a rainy, windy, stay at home day! So what's a family to do when they can't leave the house for twenty-four hours?

Have fun, of course! There's nothing like a rainy day for some family togetherness!

So, for those of you who've never experienced it, here are some tips for "surviving" the next tropical storm that comes your way:

*make pancakes for breakfast.


*spend lots of time on the computer: photoshop, blogging, facebook, twitter, swagbucks, etc.


*have plenty of iced coffee on hand.

*use the time to blanch and freeze zipper peas.

*play with playdough and watch t.v.


*stay calm when you discover that the wind is blowing so hard that water has pooled in the window sills.

*use micro-fiber cloths to solve the water on sills problem.



*dress up in your rain gear and check on the outside of the house. This will provide much needed exercise and entertainment for overly energetic young boys.

* make a big train track in the living room (I don't know why our son doesn't have his shirt on)

It's really not that hard to survive a tropical storm. All you need is your family and a fun attitude.

Where in the World Is....Destin, Florida!

Kelley's guess was the closest...Panama City. You were on the right track choosing a beach location.

We spent our three day anniversary celebration in Destin, Florida. As I wrote in my previous post, two of the three days were stormy and very wet. So we were THRILLED when the sun came out! It was gloriously beautiful and we couldn't wait to get out in it! After two days of eating and shopping we were in dire need of the outdoors and physical exercise.

We walked on the beach.....


We ate at a YUMMY seafood restaurant that was right on the beach....

We took in an ice cream shop. Because after all, a wonderful seafood meal MUST be toppped off with ice cream. Right?

And believe it or not, we even did some more shopping.

Then, we drove over to Seaside Beach and got our bikes out. We took our time riding through this beautiful seaside community. If it looks familiar to you, it's because this was the site of the filming of the Truman Show. It is one of those places that looks like what you would imagine the perfect town to look like.


A community event was taking place with a live band. Do you see the pond in front of the stage?

That may look like it is supposed to be there, but it's not. It was created by the two days of downpour that I think I've mentioned a couple of times. If you were having any doubt about the rain, I think I've presented enough enough evidence to prove I'm not exaggerating.

We were blessed to have the opportunity to get away and to have fun being together. I am so grateful for the husband with which God has blessed me. I am also grateful that God has given us twelve great years together.

"Where In The World Is...."

(Sing the title to the tune of the Today Show's "Where in the World is Matt Lauer?")

My Hubby and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary recently (It was the same week as my hubby's birthday). It has been a long time since we've done something extra special for our anniversary. Before having children, we used to go snow skiing on the weekend of our anniversary. But (as I've blogged about before), being pregnant and having small children kind of put a halt to that.

So, this year we set off to have a weekend to ourselves. We booked a hotel, got some friends to agree to care for our children and started getting excited about a getaway! I had visions of romantic out-of-door walks and evening breezes, etc.

Unfortunately, the weather had different ideas. This is what the view from the hotel room looked like for two days:


No romantic out-of-door walks here! We had to revamp our plans and since the only activities not out doors are eating and shopping, we did a lot of both. Here is a self-portrait on our way out to eat and shop:


Here is a picture I took at one of the shopping/eating areas we frequented. Notice the puddles of water? When I say it rained for two days, I don't mean some sweet, measly pitter-patter of water....I mean the kind where you get the bottom six inches of your jeans wet just getting from the car to the door.

It did finally quit raining, and day three of our trip boasted beautiful weather! I'll tell you more about that later. In the meantime, can you guess where we spent our three day anniversary get-away?

(P.S.) It wasn't anywhere exotic nor did it include islands.

(P.S.S.) If you know me IRL and you know the answer, don't give it away!

(P.S.S.) Here is a picture I took at one of the places we ate:

Yeehaw!

We are visiting North Carolina. We lived here for 7 years before we moved to SE Alabama. It is so fun to see old friends and visit all the places that were our home for so long! But best of all.......its SNOWING! We haven't seen snow falling since we left here 4 years ago. Our son has NEVER had that pleasure. But today, they've not only watched it snow, they played in it! We are so excited and grateful!

Snowfall Blankets Portions of Southeast Alabama!

Yeah, in my dreams!

And sometimes courtesy of this:

That's right! Our nearby large town held its Christmas Festival this weekend. One of the highlights was snow in the downtown area. Since that's a VERY unlikely occurrence around here, we have to satisfy ourselves with the manmade kind. We joined our neighbors for an early (for Saturday) morning excursion. The kids threw snowballs at each other then enjoyed watching the snowblower.



I guess we had the best of both worlds today: 55 degrees, sunny and SNOW at 8:00 AM!


All in all, a real nice way to start the month of December!

HOT! HOT! HOT!

The sweltering heat of the deep south has arrived! The last several days have been near 100 degrees in temperature compounded by waaaaaay too much humidity. I dread this time of year for several reasons: really high electricity bill, because the air conditioner runs practically non-stop; you can't step outside for any length of time before there is sweat dripping off every part of your body; and tiny gnats swarm sweaty people. Those are just 3 of the several reasons.So, what's the best way to spend these summers? In the pool or at the beach. And the beach is where we are headed tomorrow! I'm packing up stuff and straightening up the house so we can leave tomorrow afternoon for San Destin, Fl. Yes, on sunny beaches you can stand the heat and humidity, cuz you just jump in the water when you can't take it anymore. And if you get a little tired of the surf and sand (which I never do, by the way), you can move over to the pool to stay cool. Then you go take a long, refreshing shower, sit on the screened-in porch with a good book, grill some seafood, lounge in front of the t.v., go to bed and start over the next day. Can you tell I can't wait? Yep, those hot and muggy deep south summers ARE redeemable, and we do manage to have a good time. The photos featured in this post were taken at a local historical park last weekend. They hosted an old-fashioned ice cream social with games and music and of course, ice cream. Oh! Ice cream is another really good way to survive these summers! Need a recipe for homemade ice cream? Here is one of our favorites.