coldness!

One degree. (-17c) That's what it was when I sent my two little princesses out the door to the bus this morning. brr. The sun is trying to peek out now, but more snow is coming, just some light flurries, an inch or two or three.

And, I have to go to the Dome. The Dome...the college basketball venue in the city. Syracuse has lost their last three games, bringing them down from #1 in the nation to #7. Our church works at one of the concession stands there for all the home games, and this is the last one. phew. It isn't hard work, but it means leaving house and home and trekking out into the cold, up the steps and hill of the Dome, and standing on my feet for several hours, meaning my knees will ache extra tomorrow. But. It does also mean being with my friends, and as I usually run a register, getting to "meet" lots of people. I enjoy people. I think every movie star has a look-alike, and several of them go to the Dome. I like working with the church youth, too. They are much more fun than the older people:)

This morning I had to drive to town to pick up Mirielle from dropping her car off to have the oil changed. Yeah, it's cold out there. The new snow is still clean and sparkly, so it certainly is pretty. The fields and trees are covered, it looks like a Christmas card. The Great Lakes are more than 90% frozen over, which is monumental. It has been a cold harsh winter. I know I talk about it all the time, but...it is my little reality. Yesterday we had a second delivery of oil, it is the first winter since we have been in this house that we have had to have a second delivery, and we have been here 21 years. We have not burned any wood this year at all, since Paul was gone so much in the fall. Our old wood supplier stopped selling, and we haven't found another. Anyway. Spring cannot come fast enough for me.

And we get by. Jonathan and I picked the little girls up from school yesterday and went into town to pay the house insurance, then to the Dollar General to get a new fan for Kathryn (our family has a slight white noise addiction, the lady in the store thought I was cray cray for requesting a fan when it was like four degrees out). And Jon "needed" triple A batteries. That boy always needs batteries. Buy him a package of batteries, and he is in hog heaven, making all of his stuff come back to life. Yesterday, it was the walkie-talkies. He put one near Suri and had a blast talking to her, I should have videoed her, she was so puzzled. Anyway. I let them pick out some candy too, then we stopped into the grocery store for a few things, then home. I try to keep them busy when it's too cold to go outside.

The little girls are fun. The other night we played with Aqua sand, which doesn't get wet in water. We played Jenga, meaning we built houses out of the blocks. We made bracelets. Since we got an additional couch, we moved out one of the big tables from our living room, and moved the last desktop computer out, to Evelyn's room. There is much extra room for the girls to play over there, so they are going to set up "house" there when they get home from school. I told them they could move the couch across for a wall if they want to. I want to stay home from the Dome and play with them:)

Oh, my life! So interesting, huh?

Lately I have felt rather sad. Sam, winter, missing my mother, having my only grandchild so far away, my sister works and I never talk to her anymore, my sis-in-law is always driving her kids everywhere and can never go anywhere anymore...Paul is pretty busy too, and was sick last week...so I have felt rather lonely. Lonely in the midst of the noise and confusion. Whenever I start on the pity-party-path, lots of thoughts come along that fuel the Poor Me fire. I realized last night that those thoughts have to STOP. AS a man thinks, so he is. It is a waste of time, and no good comes of it. It is the wrong spirit to be in. To get back on the right path, the first step is to be thankful. When one is thankful for each and every thing, there is no room for anything else to thrive. Also, those thoughts come - I can't help that they come. But I CAN help how I react to them. God gives grace to overcome sin, I don't have to agree with every thought that comes into my head. It isn't what goes into a man which defiles him, but what comes out. Tried faith is worth more than gold.

Mirielle and I reasoned this out this morning: God created Samuel just the way He wanted him. God knew Sam had his one-track mind to be in the Army. Sam trusts God, prays, lives a good life...God will not forsake Sam. Sam is where he is supposed to be. Perhaps God will use him as a light there, in the Army. I know that those who trust in Him will not be put to shame. I know that. And Sam trusts in Him. So I still miss Sammers, as Mirielle always calls him, but I will work more to have peace about his decisions.

So...there are hopefully some trips coming up in my future. Besides being thankful for each and every thing that God lovingly sends my way, nothing cheers me up like going on a trip. I love the planning and the going, seeing new things....Emily and I might just take a little trip out to Washington state to see Ben and Ashley and my sweet little grand-baby, Anya. Then there is the trip to Georgia when Sam graduates from boot camp. Beyond that, I don't know. I did find some real deals on trips to the Dominican...for under $800, five days, all-inclusive, including airfare from central New York. Oh the sand and sun. Anyway.:)

A girl can dream.

And, a girl can get off of her lazy one and get busy around the house.....