Early Winter Weekending

I am a winter girl. I love January. I love the clean, crisp house. I love the space that taking down December decorations seems to create. But most of all (you know what I'm about to say) I love the cozy that only January brings. Everything feels so much easier in January. Everything seems so much easier in winter.

Often there are days when we are wonderfully "snow~bounded" (Abigail created that phrase when she was three and we've used it ever since)

The best part of being snow~bounded is that you never know when it's coming. It's certainly not scheduled, and I think that's the best part. It can be on a weekend (like this one, snowing like crazy while I type) or it can be during a full and busy week. One thing I know is that whenever it comes, us New Englanders stop, and lock ourselves inside.

"A little house ~ a house of my own ~ out of the winds and the rains way."  ~Padrax Colum 



And the world out there... it just has to wait.

It's like time is at a standstill, a bonus. And I get to do what I love to do so much in this little life of mine.

"In all my days I'd never considered anything to be more important than home. In a chaotic world, it was sanctuary; it was where love grew." Susan Branch



I play with my girls. I organize. I drink tea, a lot of tea. We cook, we eat, play games. I take pictures. And write my feelings here so that I won't forget how much I love a good storm.



Right now snow is piling up out there. And if you've never lived where there are whoppers of storms it's hard to describe, but it's so so so so quiet. I imagine everyone in their homes having just as cozy a day/night/weekend as I am. Maybe they're not. Maybe they wish they could go to the mall. Maybe they have to drive to work. But I never do. I chose teaching with these days in mind. I knew waaaay back then how wonderful days like these would be.

I sill wake up so so early. It's magical then. The house still sleeping. I wrap up in all of my warmest 'over the jammies' clothes, make my tea, and head to my Bible table to pray, journal, read, study, and see what God has in store for me. One hour goes by in what feels like 6 minutes.

Pretty soon I have to put on (the not prettiest) work out clothes. I head out for my walk. And I have the whole neighborhood for myself.



"I discovered the morning and fell in love with dawn." Susan Branch

And by the time I'm back everyone is waking up and I am ready for the day.

The best is when it snows slowly allllll day. Dark and quiet.



This year we kept the candles in the windows. I think even though Christmas is down the little lights are so welcoming, especially in the snow. I even love the way it softly lights up a room inside our house.

Friday ~ was relaxing, cold, and cozy













(oh, and I opened up the sweetest presents from my girls and my husband)







Saturday ~ was regional auditions for Anna and her viola (schools from all over the state arrived and competed, hence the buses and buses and buses), date night and a low sugar yummy treat prepared by my husband who kept celebrating my birthday all weekend, lucky me, lucky us), and a snow storm, tidying up and rearranging the playroom,









The darker the storm, the cozier the fire.









Sunday ~ church, birthday celebration with my parents











It was a happy, happy, winter weekend.