For Today…December 15, 2008
Outside my Window…it is oh-so-cold for the temperate Pacific Northwest: 18 degrees Fahrenheit, winds ENE at 26 miles per hour. It’s not snowy, surprisingly, but snow is predicted for tomorrow evening. In the mean time, I’m thankful for clear roads today. All of our pets are safely inside with us, because this weather is far too cold for our kitties. I haven’t been going for my usual walks in all this wind, since it’s cold enough to cause frostbite to exposed skin!
I am thinking…that I am thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ’s incarnation, sinless life, and atonement for man’s sin, all year ’round. Nowhere in the Bible did He establish Christmas as a ‘high holy day.’ One of the local pastors puts clever sayings up on the church sign. Recently his message was something like: Now open between Easter and Christmas. We need to invite folks to church year-round (and attend ourselves as well), to hear the preaching of God’s Word, that they may believe and be reconciled with God.
From the learning rooms…I’ve been reading some historical fiction set in the early 1900s, the World War I years, as well as the time of the Spanish Flu. This was a flu pandemic which lasted from March 1918 until June 1920, and caused an estimated 50 to 100 million deaths, more than double the number of deaths caused by the war itself. It is thought that advances in travel, and massive troop movements contributed to the spread of this disease which mainly affected healthy young adults. A person could be healthy one day, and dead the next. Very terrible, and very sad.
I am thankful for…the Lord’s providential care, so that we need not be terrified of sicknesses such as the Spanish Flu. Psalm 4:8, I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.
From the kitchen…I baked three more loaves of Gramma’s Plain Light Fruitcake tonight, to give to coworkers at the middle school. Our family ate the three loaves I baked Saturday! That tells you this is a good recipe! Barbara of The Great Fruitcake Recycling Project
left a funny comment when I posted my recipe. ‘All fruitcakes are not created equal’ is all I have to say about that, Barbara!
I am wearing…jeans with long underwear, and warm layers, including a hooded sweater on top. This is serious winter weather we have going on here!
I am reading…The Quilter’s Legacy by Jennifer Chiaverini. There are two main characters in this multigenerational story. One is well-developed and likeable, the other not so much. The author is not afraid to admit that some people are downright bad and will never be sorry for the trouble they cause, but she is still tasteful in the tale she tells.
I am hoping…the children get to enjoy some snow without me having to drive in it much. Ha!
I am creating…this blog post at the end of a very busy day.
I am hearing…my tummy rumble. I must resist … I must not eat any fruitcake!
Around the house…it is quiet. Most of the children are in bed, and that’s where I’m headed soon, too. I just noticed: The roaring wind, which sounds like a freight train going by, has slowed way down. It is actually quiet!
One of my favorite things…is the companionable silence I’m enjoying as I compose this entry. My husband is quietly typing at his computer, and every so often we talk about this or that.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week…Well, the children and I are all wishing for heavy snowfall, just prior to or during our days off from school. Today, it was so cold at the middle school and high school that we all had to wear our jackets all day. I think the high winds had something to do with that. I guess snow isn’t something you plan for, though.
Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you…
Hostess Peggy says this about The Simple Woman’s Daybook:
Are you content to linger on the simple things of life…then join me in taking a little look into the day plans and thoughts of those of us who are focusing on simplicity…the beauty of the everyday moments around us. That is my vision for this idea!