Snow Day, part 2

Today's snow day was a bit quieter than yesterday's. Some people couldn't hack it and left this morning, saying something about "work" and "responsibilities." Two of us hung in there, though, and although it was a little more laid back, it was awesome nonetheless. 

It was so bright out we couldn't even tell if this picture took or not!

This kid is awesome. 

We tried a little experiment in our two days of winter. It wasn't entirely successful, but we did end up with one really-cool-looking dinosaur egg ice ball! 

It's cold!!

Boom. School on a snow day.

And this video is a little tear jerker made by Nick. Someone should pay him for this skill...

Check that off

There are a few things that make a kid's year complete. Finding the golden egg in the egg hunt, jumping off the high dive, and eating pumpkin pie with mounds of whipped cream are all important things to check off in the yearly bucket list. But topping that list is something every kid wishes for and waits for and plans for. A thing they have no control over but the very mention of the word brings excitement and promise. A thing that southern kids may have only heard of from their older siblings....

A real snow day.

Not the day the town shut down at the forecast of flurries but the day they really do wake up to white powder covering every blade of grass and not a sidewalk or porch step is showing. 

Today was a real snow day. Yesterday it was looking like it might be another bust, but nope-we woke up to the satisfaction that the boots and gloves and ski pants by the door weren't waiting in vain! 

The post was shut down, too, of course, so Dad got in on the fun. Here is our day in pictures: 

This was yesterday and those poor kids were waiting at the park with their sleds in tow. They had a long wait.

It was worth the wait.

Lunch was these delicious little yummies. Because every snow day needs mini meatball subs.

Photo credit-Nick Gercken

There was a lot of hot chocolate drinking, and an epic game of War.

For dinner I made a repeat of this yummy soup I made a few weeks ago. It has been pronounced Nick's favorite meal that I make. And guess what! I used the chicken stock I just made last week for the base. Soooo warm and delicious and healthy. I may have some for breakfast; it's that good. Want the recipe? You can find it here:  http://www.againstallgrain.com/2013/01/30/leftover-roast-chicken-soup-with-roasted-vegetables/

The only thing I did differently than the recipe was that I just cooked up some chicken breasts and used whatever veggies I had on hand. I used a different squash and not as much sweet potato the first time. And this time I used only sweet potato as I didn't have any squash at all. Also, I used the Tastefully Simple rustic herb seasoning on both the roasted veggies and the chicken instead of the seasoning the recipe calls for, although the rustic herb has a lot of the same seasonings in it. 

Photo: Nick again

I found a recipe for 30-minute yeast rolls, which would go perfectly with the soup. The recipe is here: http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/30-minute-rolls/

And it really did take just 30 minutes. They turned out beautifully and who doesn't love a warm yeast roll with melted butter? The only advice I would give you would be to flour up your hands generously before you shape the rolls so you don't end up with this problem: 

I don't actually have a picture of the finished meal-when it was ready we scarfed it down almost before we sat down! 

Then there was Clue and tea and possibly Nutella....

And the word that the fun continues tomorrow with the coveted second snow day! Stay tuned.....

This Day.....

There is an old Steven Curtis Chapman song called "This Day." The chorus goes like this: 

This day, all His mercies are new.

This day, every promise is true.

Father, help me to believe,

Give me faith I need to know You

And trust you more...

My prayer as I enter this year is that I will welcome each new day looking for the promises the Lord has given us and accepting the grace He bestows on me. This year is going to bring change. Lots of it. And it will have heartaches and celebrations, as every year does. I want to approach each and every circumstance filled with the peace of my God and a heart looking for His hand in the situation. I trust that He knows best and He will be with me and those I love all along the way. 

I usually try to memorize a Bible verse for the year. Last year it was Colossians 3:1-2.  "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

This year I am continuing in that passage and focusng on and memorizing verses 12-15. "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christrule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful."

The first verses were doctrinal and this year's passage is more of a practical application for living out that doctrine, in fellowship with other believers. And not just fellow Christians, but, as one of God's children, the love of Christ should be my driving force in relationships and dealing with unbelievers as well. I will meet new people and make new friends this year, wherever we are. How I desire to reflect Christ's gentle spirit to those I encounter. 

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We didn't so very much this week as I am still not back to 100% after my fall last week so I'll share some pictures from earlier this month that didn't make it on here yet.

What a great day this was. I miss that girl very much now that she's gone back to school.

More of our fun day in Chapel Hill.

This happens every time I loan out my phone...

A warm fire on a cold morning 

The Pioneer Woman knows how to make a cold day feel good. And since I bought this free-range, hormone-free chicken last fall at the farmer's market, it felt even better when I made 6 quarts of stock from the bones to put in the freezer! 

 'Cause You are the same yesterday and today and forever 

Through every season Your truth and Your grace never change"-Steven Curtis Chapman

Hiding and seeking

Today both of the men here had the day off! That has become a pretty rare thing lately and we took advantage of that and the gorgeous sunshine to head out and do a little geocaching. 

We went up to Campbell University because 1) Nick is a CU student at the satellite campus here and 2) they have some awesome caches, including a series that took us on a little tour of campus. 

We looked for about 47 hours for the first cache. It was a nano, meaning a tiny container with only a log book, or paper inside. We knew we were in the right area, but just could NOT find it. 

                         This is the famous Campbell Fighting Camel. 

We decided to take a break and look around the student store (picked up a couple t-shirts for the college kid) and got some refreshment at Chick-fil-a. Then we headed out to find the multi-location cache. 

The clues took us to three different fountains on campus. 

                                                             I love these boys. 

And finally, success!

We signed the log book, took some swag and left some swag and then felt some satisfaction.

But.....

That first unfound cache kept nagging at us. We headed back, talked it over, re-looked at the clues.....

And not only did Dad find the one, we found a second one nearby!! 

Now THAT was satisfaction. 

And THAT was a good day. 

Today's Joy Dare was 3 Gifts Only Seen Close Up. 

I'm pretty sure these count. :)

(Do you know about the Joy Dare?)

Facebook recap

Facebook steals all of my energy for posting! One of the things I want to do this upcoming year is be more faithful to this blog. I love looking back at old posts and seeing what was going on and what The Lord had on my heart at different times. But Facebook is here and now and fast and easy. Not much thought has to go into it and I can take the picture and -BAM!-post it the very next instant. 

Blogging takes more time but it's so much nicer reading later. 

Here is what I posted on Facebook the last week, with some added commentary for an added bonus. And this week I will recap our Christmas and New Year's Eve and share some thoughts about the upcoming year....

We went to see the second Hobbit movie once the new soldier got home on leave. The "old" soldier came with us, too-he just didn't make it in time for the picture. 

Movie verdict: we all loved it! 

Here's all the girls at the theater! My mom finally made it here after several plane delays so we had time to make up!

We visited the Airborne museum downtown and Joshua did some negotiating with the Afghan "locals."

It was 70 degrees outside so we all went ice skating to make it feel a little more Christmas-y!

Dad had to work but he stopped by to visit. 

What a cute photo-bomber. :)

Danna still has the skills...

Frosting gingerbread people is a gbattery tradition. 

Here are some of the finished products: 

We had lunch at the famous S&T's Soda Shop in Pittsboro...

And we went over to the other crunchy pickles' to watch some Carolina basketball.

(Wondering if Carolina will make their free throws...)

Danna got to meet Jane, the one-toothed wonder cat.

We started figuring out how to geocache. More on that soon!

Antique shopping in downtown Fayetteville....

And lastly, my Christmas Eve cuties. 

This year things were different. Some traditions changed, some were left out. Some new ones may have been started. 

This mama is learning that the gift is not always packaged the same. That tradition can be an idol. That life goes forward and that's a good thing. And that new can be nice, too.....

Merry Christmas and may you know Peace in 2014....