TreasuresInTerraCotta

Except for the books, that was poor planning on my part! Strawberries planted yesterday.  Basil planted on Monday.   But here's what it looks like when there is a little snow in the desert. He was cold and grumpy.  Perhaps because he didn't want to wear pants and had wet mittens.  We're not really outfitted for cold here in Sunny Arizona.  But that's ok because in two days it will be sunny and warm.    A little hot apple cider will make everything better.    This boy enjoys it all!

I started to send a couple individual emails to keep in touch with friends far and near.  For the sake of speed, however, I'm sure everyone in ether-space is interested in what we've been up to here in Sunny Arizona.  Andrew got it in his mind that he wanted to make a Blueberry Pie.  I told him we needed a lot of blueberries....6 cups.  So he saved exactly 6 blueberries for the pie!  Needless-to-say we made a trip to the store for 99 cent blueberries.  I used the America's Test Kitchen recipe for blueberry pie and the crust.  (That's for you Kimberly and you Grandpa.)  Good thing Tyler didn't marry me for my crust-making-ability!  (Need some tutoring from Cousin Beth and Aunt Mary K.) I received this stack of books in the mail today, so this little picture is for Michelle and all my book group friends.  If you knew what a grin I had on my face while pulling them out you would know I am a bookworm....

We took advantage of the crazy 20 degree low last night and made some ice sculptures. We've done this before , but we made the ice in the freezer and then hung them outside for the cold weather.  Last night it was cold enough to freeze solid outside.  We started with a muffin tin and dipped a length of string in each hole. And we used an old jello mold to make a wreath.    And we did a little experiment with water and salt water. This morning everything was frozen solid so we hung up our ice garland.  Isn't it pretty in the sun! Calvin tied up the wreath.  And we hung it on the fence. It's not snowy, just cold.  So we've been staying home and staying indoors with a few trips outside in the afternoon when the sun is shining and it is 40 degrees. Do you have any favorite cold weather activities?

I've been feeling a bit like Ruth lately.  Two years ago we took a journey through the book of Ruth and she remains one of my favorite characters and, her story, one of my favorite stories. She is a woman following God and doing some hard work in the process.  How can we forget her first words to us, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God."    One of the features I love best about her story is the idea that circumstances "just so happened." Ruth and Naomi just so happened to return to Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning (Ruth 1:22), Naomi just so happened to have a relative on her husband's side named Boaz (Ruth 2:1) and when Ruth went to glean in the fields, as it turns out, she was working in a field of Boaz (Ruth 2:3).  Wouldn't you know it, but just then, Boaz arrived and greeted the harvesters (Ruth 2:4)! So I fe...

I've mentioned before that Christmas break is one of my favorite times of the year.  Of course, I love Christmas, but I always thoroughly enjoy the week between Christmas and New Year's when extended family is still around and the kids are home and husbands are off and there aren't any appointments and the house doesn't get cleaned and there aren't any other committments.   Of course we spent some time building and assembling.  Calvin compleated a DaVinci style catapult!  Then launched clay balls all around the house.  The day after Christmas we decorated bikes and had a "parade."     And we spent a few hours at the park playing baseball.   And doing lots of snuggling and lots of reading.  Especially of all those new books.   Then one day my sister got very ambitious and decided to make homemade pasta (and homemade sauce and salad dressing and car...

I undecorated the Christmas tree yesterday and we turned it into a New Year's Tree with a little gold scrap ribbon, balloons and inspiration from Our Best Bites .  Filled balloons with jokes. Put the kids in jammies.  Made homemade pizza.   Then went to sleep before midnight! Happy New Year!