The Warm Spot

The house became quite cool last night, and I know that I had reached down and pulled the heavy quilt up over us sometime in the early hours. Snowie snuggled close to me until early morning, when I heard the jingle of his bell as he jumped off the bed, headed for the downstairs. There must not have been any little stuffed mice on the stairwell because I did not hear him scampering around on the wooden steps after he left.

The next time I opened my eyes, the windows were letting in the soft glow of early morning, telling me it would soon be time to rise. I rolled over, and much to my delight, I discovered there was a warm spot in the bed—the kind of spot that makes you pull your arms and legs up to be certain that you do not have them outside that comfort zone. It reminded me of childhood.

It is such simple things as this that makes winter my favorite season. A wood stove, a cozy down coat, a warm spot—all these things are simple pleasures that bring delight.

Blessings.

Click on the photo to enlarge this and see the detail of this beautiful tombstone in our church cemetery. What a work of art! 

I took this photo when I was standing in front of my church. We have to travel several miles to get to the closest town. We are celebrating our 150th anniversary this year. 

My church 

The First Sunday in Advent

I love Advent. Each week we light another candle on the Advent wreath. We celebrate with special music and remember friends and family with little gifts to tell them that we love them. We decorate our homes with greens and crèche. Added to the list of fun is the candy and baked goods—temptation, anticipation, and celebration. Advent.

For those of us who are Christian, however, this season is more than a celebration. It is the time when we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Christ; this is the celebration of The One who makes peace between God and man, bringing it to all creation.

Take time with me to prepare our hearts as well as our homes this Advent season.

Blessings.

Always looking for a comfortable spot...

Shivering at the dinner table 

It is snowing again tonight. 

I love the way the farm on the horizon meets the clouds in this photo. 

Giving Thanks

We celebrated Christ the King Sunday last weekend. I love this day—the hymns and the theme of Christ’s glory. I guess you could call it the New Year’s Eve of the church year; next Sunday is the beginning of Advent, the first Sunday of our church year. Sandwiched in between is the day we set aside to give thanks to Him who has given us all good things.

Today my sisters will be here; one is from North Dakota and the other, Florida. We are going to sort through the things in my mother’s house that she did not take to her new apartment. This evening we will celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, and my mother’s birthday all rolled together into one. Today is my wedding anniversary as well—it is now 27 years.

God is faithful; He is Lord.

I am thankful for many things: Our Father, family, friends, farm, and you who visit my blog so faithfully as well. Blessings.

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Catching up

O.K. Donna. If I am going to participate in a photo contest, what do I do? I wouldn’t know where to go to find a photo contest. LOL!

I’d like to welcome those who are new here. I enjoy reading all of your comments. For those who have linked to my blog, all friendly linkers are welcome to do so. And Dy, I took the picture of the snow-covered landscape from my deck one snowy evening last week. It has all but melted, so we are waiting for the next dusting. I would find it hard to live somewhere that did not have snow--winter is my favorite season. Janie, you have a cute little addition to your family. Kittens are such a sweet blessing!

I have something new. Now when someone posts I get an email telling me that you have posted. I like this because I wonder if I have missed comments when someone posts on blogs I posted several days past. Maybe it will allow me to answer posts in the comments box a little easier, too.

I wish you all a very blessed Thanksgiving. May God continue to show his grace to you and your families throughout the coming New Year. Blessings.



This caught us by surprise! Usually India and Snowflake do not curl up together. I guess they both wanted to catch a few sun rays in the bay window.