michael: i want to learn how to decipher hieroglyphics when i grow up. last year, he wanted to be an ice cream man with an ice cream truck so i suppose this is a step up in his career path!!!
michael and i started reading the bible together at the beginning of the year. we are using karyn henley's (i love her and have good memories of our interviews during my icrs marathon interview days!!!), God's Story and it's been so nice to end his day with the bible! i was sick last weekend and lost my voice so michael had to read for me. i really enjoyed listening to his little voice as he read for us!
this winter has been such a bane... and a blessing, too (i love it when the kids get to stay home from school!!!). in fact, it's been a real eye opener! here are some lessons i've picked up so far...
1. optimum warmth in bed requires preheating the electric blanket a little after 4pm so making it to bed after 11:30pm thaws me out nicely.
2. wear high boots when trying to reach the the recycling bin that's on top of a snow plowed hill in your yard.
3. you can get calluses on your fingers from zippering up your boots every day.
4. layers are your friend... and enemy (adds an instant additional 5 lbs to you). but freezing is not an option so i'm happy to walk around feeling like the abominable snowman :o)
5. snow looks prettier on top of the tree branches than on the roads where it turns to a disgusting gray blob.
6. 30 degrees feels downright tropical these days.
7. note to self: the seat warmer-heater-thingy that everyone else has in their cars (except for us) is a must-have for the next car purchase.
8. the oversized hood on my coat is a potential health/life hazard. when i pull over my hood, the only thing i can see is straight ahead which makes it dangerous when crossing a parking lot; however, it does a very effective job of blocking out the wind from my face.... which will be pointless if i get run over while crossing in front of an oncoming car...
9. beware of huge icicles hanging off the roof by the entrance of any building. look up before you go in!!! death by impalement is, ah, painful, i'm sure.
10. i battle coveting issues every time i look at pretty, sunny weather pictures posted by my socal friends on facebook!!! sigh.
11. hot pot dinners with friends is one of the best ways to stay warm :o)
the biggest thing i've learned this winter is the importance of being content. even when the weather gets colder or windier, i'm trying to fight the urge to complain (hello! these roads are terrible! where are the snow plows and salt trucks?!? or i'm so sick of putting on my scarf, coat, boots, etc. every time i leave the house every single stinkin' day! or why couldn't we be in cali right now?!? this weather is killin' my skin!!!)!!!
instead, i want to be grateful. i'm grateful that when it's cold outside, we have a home with great windows that doesn't leak air like the ones we had in our first home in nj. * i'm grateful our pipes haven't burst... yet. * i'm grateful we have an electric kettle that heats up water pretty fast so we can drink something warm anytime of the day or night. * i'm grateful the car has a good heater. * i'm grateful that we can still communicate through cell phones, skype/face time, facebook, etc. when we're staying indoors because of the weather. * i'm grateful for the multiple silk undershirts & underpants my mom forced on me the last time she was here. * i'm grateful we have warm blankets and comfy beds to sleep in every night. * i'm grateful we're so close to costco and a ton of other grocery stores! * i'm grateful for our washer & dryer---they can hold soooo much clothing so i end up doing less loads than most people i know! * i'm grateful jacob orders our kleenexes by the bulk --- i went through 6 boxes of kleenexes when i was sick and we still have more :o) * i'm grateful for beautiful snowy days which make me feel like i'm on the inside of a snow globe. * i'm grateful that Jesus doesn't give up on me even when i forget to be grateful :o)
i love how the message version & the amplified bible puts the apostle paul's words in philippians 4:11-13 (thank you, biblegateway.com!!!)...
"Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. " (the message)
"I know how to be abased and live humbly in straitened circumstances, and I know also how to enjoy plenty and live in abundance. I have learned in any and all circumstances the secret of facing every situation, whether well-fed or going hungry, having a sufficiency and enough to spare or going without andbeing in want.I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who[b]infuses inner strength into me; I am [c]self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency]." (the amplified bible)
so, how about you??? got contentment???
