More Wintertime Fun

I feel so abundantly blessed to get to live the life I do. We live in a beautiful area surrounded by family and friends and many other beautiful people that I haven't even met yet. God provides for us so abundantly and I have work that I truly enjoy. There are opportunities to serve God and use the different talents He has given me and I truly am grateful. 

Here are just a few of the beautiful times from my life lately....

In January a bunch of us from church got together to go skating. It was a fun time! Keren and Lilly stood on the edge and watched. Keren has a baby due in April and didn't think skating would be good right now.

But Martha and I had fun skating.

And Gracie and Heidi (dressed as something... I don't remember what) did.

Ephraim and some of the other younger ones tried pushing a chair to help stand up.

Beatrix found it easier to just ride on the chair while Bella pushed.

Hold on to Dad if you are feeling unsteady!!

Miss Megan!

Aaron enjoyed practicing his hockey skills.

This was an arrangement that I had fun creating recently at the flower shop. The couple that ordered this arrangement for a funeral had requested something very colorful and with some unique flowers and butterflies to go to a young woman's funeral. I guess she had a fun and colorful personality so they wanted something to match that. I love getting to work with flowers all the time and I enjoy the interaction with customers and created just want they want as well.

Two weeks ago Megan and I took a trip to Des Moines, Iowa to visit some friends. The weather was warm down there that weekend (in the 40's) which was so lovely but we also were able to visit the botanical garden there and that was so much fun. It felt like summer or visiting the tropics. I loved seeing all the different plants and just basking in the warmth and sunshine.

I really enjoyed getting to spend time with my friend (from babyhood) Jessica and her husband, James. I am so grateful for good friends. It was so fun to be able to catch up and to visit about spiritual things and share testimonies of how God has been working in our lives. 

We walked around a sculpture garden on that lovely day.

On our way back from Des Moines we stayed with my sister and her family in the cities. It was fun to catch up with them as well. 

This past Wednesday night we had a pancakes supper where the kids did the cooking, decorating, serving and entertaining for the adults. (A couple of other adults worked with me to help that happen). I didn't get any good pictures but it was a fun (and slightly chaotic) evening.

My niece Molly (who is nearly 20) headed up the cooking of the food. I had made pancake mixes ahead of time but they had to mix things up the rest of the way and fry them, fry sausages, prepared beverages, prepare toppings and fruit. 

We also had a decorating and serving group. This is a portion of them. It was an eager and excited group of kids. My voice was gone by the end of the night as I had been giving them instructions all evening. They did a great job and I am proud of them.

These girls were singing a special number. We had a couple of those and some readings.

This weekend my sister Anna and part of her family came up to visit and so our family all got together at my parents. We had a fun time together. 

Mara was tired today so I brought Malcolm out with me. We had a fun time hanging out. Here he was having fun taking care of a baby doll. I guess he is practicing up for being a big brother.

We went on a long walk which we thoroughly enjoyed for the fresh air and fun companionship. We a;sp were wanting to get some exercise and I think we succeeded.

The kids found the train tracks very interesting.

Grandma's Matryoshka dolls were also enjoyed today. The kids and I also had a great game of hide and seek. By the way it is quite fun to hide and listen to them talk about you as they look for you. They decided I was such a good hider because I had grown up in that house and I knew it really well. I had my 2 year old niece hiding with me and she was remarkably quiet. I love that I have lots of nieces and nephews. God made each one of them so different for the others. He is an amazing Creator!

Anyway, that is just a bit of the fun that I have been having lately. Sometimes I struggle with contentedness as my dream for life was/is to be happily married with a husband to serve God with. But that is not God's plan for me right now and that is okay. He absolutely knows what is best for me and He has placed me in a place where I can serve and love on others and be very fulfilled by the relationships that I have with others and with Him. This time of a little more aloneness (it isn't a lot as I am still blessed to have 2 kids at home and I do have a lot going on with others as well) has prompted me to spend more time just visiting with God as I go about my day. That is so wonderful. I wish I would have made that a bigger part of my life a long, long time ago. God is always there listening. He wants to hear from you about everything - every struggle, every excitement, every sorrow and every joy. He wants our praise and He deserves it. We are blessed with things that we can be thankful for every moment of our day. I highly recommend praying through your day and just really sharing it all with Him!