A Cozy Winter's Chat

Just as if we'd settle around my kitchen island for a cozy winter's chat to talk about "just life," here are a few little things that would likely come up over tea.  

What I'm reading:
Parenting is Heart Work by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller.  It's technically a reread for me, but I'm generally on board with rereading a good book.  I tend to glean so much the second time around.  This has really encouraged me to slow down my parenting, to be willing to delve deeper than the annoying behaviors that disrupt a peaceful family life, truly getting to the heart of the matter.  The Lord is working in my heart and I'm confident He is using that work to do good things in the Blossoms as well.

What I'm snacking:
Mmmmm, I'm enjoying sliced bananas, sprinkled with peanut butter powder, loaded with whipped cream, and doused with a smattering of mini chocolate chips.  I'm also enjoying Quaker Mini Rice Crisps as well!  Oh, and the Honeycrisp apples that Blossom2 snagged while she was out and about the other day have been delicious as well.  I feel so much better when I grab better snacks when I feel like munching!

What I'm sipping:
Irish Cream Black Tea has been my cup of choice in the mornings lately.  Although, there's a cup of chai beside my laptop right now.  For something cold and tasty, I steep 4 green tea bags, 2 fruit herbal tea bags in a gallon of boiling water.  I love a glass of it over ice with a splash of good lemon juice!  Refreshing!  I did hear that my favorite coffee shop is releasing their St. Patty's Day drink menu soon, so I'm excited about that!

What I'm enjoying:
Reading Anne of the Island aloud to the Younger Blossoms.  As always, our lunchtime read-aloud is such a time of happy togetherness for us, even if the Blossoms do have to do a little simultaneous lunch cleanup.  When we tackled chapter 14, in which Anne walks through the death of one of her chums, I did manage to read the whole chapter without crying.  It took a lot of effort.  That probably seems like a tough topic to deal with in a light-hearted read-aloud and it is.  However, it's actually one of my favorite chapters.  Anne comes away from the whole experience, challenged to live for Heaven, rather than for the empty, temporal things here.  How beautiful that a fictional character we love and respect can help teach us about a bigger, eternity-minded life than the deceptive vanity of this world.

What I'm growing in:
How I respond to my family members is an area that always needs work.  Yes, it's true that I have a million decisions and logistics going through my head at any given moment, but the Lord has called me to kind and gentle words.  This seems especially important when my family asks for my help.  I'm finding that often when I weigh my response, I CAN actually take a minute or two to help them out.  A willing attitude and a servant's heart make such a difference in my response.  I feel like the Lord is working this in me, helping me to stop, to find a way to say yes, instead of snapping out a nasty no and letting frustration and stress snowball.  

Hoping you are doing well, dear friends!  

PS - Photos from the Younger Blossoms recent road trip down south with their grandparents.

A New Kid on the Block

There's a new kid on this block!

Two of the three kittens the girls rescued went to their forever homes with fabulous family friends.  The Blossoms are thrilled because they can visit!

Toulouse has joined life here in the Hollow.

("Toulouse" comes from the Aristocats movie!)

Of course, he already has many nicknames.

Tully is probably the most common, but Tiny Tim, T-Bone, and Baby Kitty will do too.

King Thomas O'Malley is slowly adjusting... by doing lots of emotional eating,

And overall taking a cat-like attitude toward this tiny feline... 

He disdainfully believes Tully is a PEASANT.

Miss Bianca doesn't seem to mind much at all.

Clearly, Thomas is still living his best life, with plenty of love to go around for all the critters.

PS - Don't you just love genius brewing in Blossom3's new dedicated art space?

How the Thankful Tree Grew

 This is how the Thankful Tree grew!

A Few January Notes from the Hollow

Chilly mornings have been lovely here on our Micro Farm in the Hollow.  Yes, frigid temps mean more time-consuming farm work, but the Blossoms are handling it!  Being that I don't love January farm chores, I have great respect watching the Blossoms soldier through their homestead work each morning.  

We enjoy our morning cups of tea scattered about the living room, quiet time with cozy blankets, a morning pow-wow, and then the chores, just like clockwork.

There are a few new faces around here.  

Duchess, Toulouse, and Edgar were rescued from the side of the road a few days ago by some very compassionate Blossoms.  They are gaining strength, recovering from starvation, and soaking in the abundance of critter love and attention here.  

Miss Bianca is even doing her part.  

I would heartily prescribe kittens for anyone's winter "meh."

We did some coffee-shop-schooling the other day.  

At the end of the day, the younger Blossoms always list this as their favorite thing. We manage to make it there about once a month.  I keep it on my calendar and adjust the date accordingly based on budget and schedule.  What a treat for all of us!

And who can argue with good coffee, soul-filling background music, focused work, (NO DISHES IN A SINK THAT I CAN SEE), yummy goodies, and a delightful audio book for the drive.  

Hello Karen Savage's Librivox version of Anne of the Island!  

Seeing the bright things this January is a beautiful way for me to embrace the wintry season.

The Thankful Tree

Long ago, we visited Canada for an old friend's wedding.  Our host family had a lovely little Thankful Tree posted near the supper table.  Since we spent several days there, we loved getting on board with their moments of gratitude.  Written on each leaf were things like "my dog" or "Timbits," the Canadian equivalent of Munchkins!  

I was delighted with the idea and so were the Blossoms!  

This year, I printed off some cute free printable scrapbook paper and Blossom4 and I started working on the pieces.  She was intrigued.  We've done our own version a few times throughout the years, but I didn't realize how long it's been until she asked me, 

"What's a Thankful Tree?"

We hang a tree trunk somewhere near our kitchen table and each evening, each family member writes one thing they're thankful for on a paper leaf.  

I love that sometimes it's light-hearted, small things and sometimes it's deeper, bigger things.  

After a few weeks, we will have a full tree of beautiful things and we will have revelled in small moments of gratitude together all month long!

Dominique

PS - The antique wicked-looking redneck self defense device hanging in this picture is actually the tool my grandmother used to mash potatoes for her family of twelve.  It reminds me that love and hard work can go hand in hand.