We received more snow the last couple of days.  It was forecast to be the biggest storm we had yet gotten so far this year, and we ended up with about 6 inches of snow.  Oh happy day :)  There was no sun to be seen today, so you will see a rather gray overcast to all the pictures.


The turkeys were out bright and early looking for something to fill their hungry bellies.  They like to eat the leftovers from the bird feeder.


Annie was up to her usual "nosy" snow tricks...


We went on a walk.  We spotted some turkeys in the distance. I had to keep reminding Annie to focus on our walk!  We are walking, not chasing!


There was not a color of color to be seen, just shades of white and brown...


Our tracks in the snow... it is delightful to walk in the snow, and leave your footprints.



There were tiny ice pellets coming down as we walked.  As they hit my face, they hurt a bit!


We went back into our forest to explore the beauty there.  The gentle beauty of the trees was lovely to see.  And no ice pellets in the forest!


Annie loved exploring all the smells, but stayed close to me.


It was amazing to see all the "fingers" or "hands" on the fir trees.  The snow had settled on their frothy limbs in such a way as to make it appear that the trees all had hands and fingers!


Do you see what I mean.. it was pretty amazing!  The snow makes such fun creations!


Typical Annie with snow on her nose..


A close-up of the giant snowy hands!


I brushed the snow off of one of the limbs, and it bounced back up to its usual place on the tree.  It was a delight to walk through the forest and see the beauty the snow had created.


Not a terribly remarkable day for pictures... but delightful nonetheless!  I enjoy winter, and am thankful for the snow that we have.  I say, if it is going to be winter... let's have winter!  The weather forecast ~ thankfully! ~ is that we will get more snow over the next week or so, and so it looks very promising that we will have snow for Christmas.  I hope we get enough to go sledding.  :)

Honey Garlic Chicken 

What happiness this morning to wake up not only to snow... but also to sunshine!  It is a rather rare event for the two to happen together, especially this year.. with all the mud and rain we've been having!



Morning light breaking through the darkness..


Pine needles sparkling in the snowy sunbeams...


The sun casting a rosy glow over the sleepy landscape...


Snow toppers on the fenceline..


Our neighbor's horses wondering what got me out of bed so early today...


Sadly, I didn't have treats for them.  They were sad... poor sweet babies!


Such sad faces in the midst of beauty surrounding them!


The tiniest pine tree adorned in its white loveliness, as the morning rays brushed gently...


An old tree stump decked out with its white top hat..


And what's a lovely snowfall without the snow princess herself, Annie... enjoying every moment!


Snow on the nose.. of course!


The soft glow of morning sunshine adding a dash of color to the otherwise shades of white.


The chickens wanted out, and so out they came!  They ran into the garden... their favorite spot to visit (especially the compost pile, lol!)



Pine trees never look lovelier than when robed in sparkling white!


Morning fog was rolling in, and Annie and I walked together down the road to enjoy and soak in the crisp morning sunshine, and the glorious white snow.


Annie is never happier than when she can play in fresh snow.  Maybe she and I are a lot alike!


The color of the skies rapidly changed as the sun warmed the ground, and the rolling fog began to spread.


Is there ever a morning more beautiful than this?


The crunch of the snow beneath my feet was as sweet as beautiful music could ever be...


Our neighbor's yard bathed in fog while the sun breathed out its warm rays in return.

Our morning walk ended, and I came home to find Simba all curled up and cozy...


He doesn't care for the snow at all... spoiled little man that he is... LOL!

After I had just gotten back from my walk, a neighbor pulled into the driveway.  She and I have spoken several times in the last few years as we met around town, but we never knew we were neighbors.  A week or so ago I was walking with Annie, and she stopped to talk to me and we discovered we were neighbors!  I invited her to stop by for a visit when she could, and she chose today to stop by!

How delighted I was to visit with her and her sweet adopted little girl.  What a precious visit and time we had enjoying each other's fellowship, and getting to know each other better.  I promised her I would visit her soon, and I look forward to doing so in the next few days.  We enjoyed a cup of hot tea and some wonderful little iced scotch bread cookies I had made yesterday, and the time flew by, until it was time for her little girl's nap.  We promised to get together again very soon, and I was so happy that she found time in this busy season to stop by!

Later in the day today, as time marched on toward suppertime, I realized that my plan for dinner (leftovers from last night's meal) could be changed up a bit, and so I gave my idea a whirl!  Last night I made Honey Garlic Chicken, homemade mashed potatoes, and green beans from our garden.  It was a YUM meal for sure.  I was going to do leftovers again tonight, but then I had a thought... what about making the leftovers into something else.  And so I did...


May I introduce to you.... Honey Garlic Shepherd's Pie!



Yummmmmm... was the conclusion of the matter!


I love it when ideas turn into something wonderful like this!


The recipe is quite simple, so simple that it really doesn't require much of a recipe... just a bit of this-n-that... the idea here is to cook once, and eat twice.  This is how I love to cook.  I always try to stretch my leftovers, and recreate them as much as I can.  How about you?

This is what I love about wintertime... enjoying the beautiful snow when it makes its grand appearance, and then spending time in the kitchen creating delights for the family.  I hope you have had a most wonderful day yourself and that you are taking time to enjoy the simple things in life. :)

A dear blogging friend of mine recently shared the news that her husband has been diagnosed with cancer.  It has been a shock to read of this difficulty that my dear friend is facing.  I told her I would pray for her, and indeed I have been praying for this family ever since I read of the news.  While I was praying, I remembered a song that so beautifully conveys the hope that we can find in Jesus when we face the storms that life bring us.

Would you pray for NanaDiana and her "My Hero" husband as they go through this difficult season in their life?  Today they are waiting for a definitive diagnosis, and plan for treatment.  Pray that the Lord would cover them in the midst of their storm, and that His sweet presence would give them rest in the midst of their storm.

And while you pray, listen to this song below, and may it encourage your heart today too... I wouldn't be surprised if every person reading this blog has a "storm" somewhere in their life... and our Lord is able to cover you in that storm.  Whether the storm is big or small, cancer, financial difficulties, children, health issues, marriage difficulties... whatever storm you may be facing.... there is a peace and joy that comes from the Lord in your difficult moments, a gift to you to help you through the storm.  May you be covered in His gift of peace and joy in the midst of your storm!

As it is now the season where we are celebrating the birth of our dear Lord Jesus, it is the time to reflect and be thankful for the many gifts in our lives that are because of that day 2000 years ago.

This is the season where the focus of those who are the disciples of Christ *should* be on the joy and celebration of His birth, and what it has meant to our world.

Yet... the voices are getting louder from those who are saying "enough is enough"... where is the true celebration of the Lord's birth in all of this?

To be honest, as I've read through the book of Acts, it certainly doesn't seem that the Christians there spent as much time (or any time) celebrating and talking about the birth of Christ, as they did His death. Have you ever thought about that?

I've certainly wondered about it.  We know specifically that they set aside a special time to remember the death of the Lord by celebrating the Lord's Supper.  Nowhere else do we read of any celebrations taking place in memory of the birth of Christ.

Researching the topic of Christmas is enormous, and hard to put into a comprehensive understanding of just how Christmas was initially celebrated.  The most plausible explanation comes from the fact that Christmas actually began as a solstice celebration where people could celebrate the winter holidays, and the Christians thought it would be a good time to celebrate the birth of Christ, and so the two celebrations were joined together.

There is much discussion about just how much "Christ" needs to remain in Christmas.  Is celebrating Christ's birth at this time of year something we need to do, and something we need to take a "stand" for? Or was celebrating the birth of Christ really just begun because the Christians of that era wanted to find something to celebrate in December that wasn't pagan?

It has certainly given me a lot of food for thought... but please do your own research, and don't just take my opinions at face value.

So... the whole cause and case for Christmas - however you choose to celebrate it  ~ if you want to give beautiful generous gifts, and decorate your home in a grand way ~  or if you don't celebrate Christmas at all ~ it is not for me to say you are right or wrong.

But in my heart ~ this year ~ as I long to be pleasing to the King of Kings who loved me, and died for me... I feel an unwillingness to participate in the typical celebrations that are taking place this time of year, especially those that are focused on the more material aspects of the holidays rather than on Him.
I even have tried to put out a few items of Christmas decor by going into our storage building, and finding them packed at the very back with furniture, and all kinds of things piled on top of them. I didn't have the heart to pull them out anyway, because I really don't even have room in our tiny living room for them.  So perhaps it is just as well!

This year... for us, the Christmas will be a quiet one.  I do look forward to this time of year to giving a small gift of love to those family and friends who we love, and I don't think the Lord sees anything wrong with that, and celebrating on the day we call Christmas with family and friends and enjoying a meal and fellowship together, and our hope is to keep it full of love, laughter, and joy.

So if you have your home decorated with all the beautiful things you love this time of year, and your heart is full of joy for the gift of love that came to us through the birth of Christ, I do believe that is pleasing to the Lord too.

It all depends on where your heart is!  

And that is really what is important.  Where is your heart?  Is all that you are doing this season because you want to glorify the Lord?  Are you truly celebrating the beautiful gift He imparted to us as He robed himself in flesh, and became a man, taking on our sinful nature, in order to redeem us from ourselves?!

What a joyful thought it is to know, and understand that the very Creator who created me, cared enough to walk the dusty paths of this earth in order to experience for himself the very human nature that He created, and to offer hope to the hopeless.  It is a thought that I really never can wrap my mind around, and I never want to lose the wonder of it.

I pray that wherever you are in this Christmas season, whether your celebrations are big or small, that most of all, you will open your heart to the joy that was brought to earth 2000 years ago in the form of a small child, God robed in flesh... oh the wonder of it all!  

The song "Mary Did You Know" never ceases to bring my heart to tears of joy.  Here it is, sung by the co-writer of this amazing song, Mark Lowry ...



May your Christmas be blessed, and full of the knowledge of the most beautiful gift ever given to mankind, for the gift that has never stopped giving!  My heart never wants to stop praising Him for the difference this gift has made in my life.

I pray that this season of celebrating His birth be a beautiful one for you, surrounded with the presence of the Lord, and the beauty of the knowledge that the greatest gift given to mankind is yours today.

Why is it that the greatest joy spoken of in scripture, is always - almost without exception - accompanied by deep sorrow or painful experiences?

Have you ever thought about that?

2 Corinthians 8:2 How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their JOY and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.

In our human way of thinking, the two never should meet. How can you have joy, when at the same time you have sorrow?

This is a lesson the Lord has been teaching me, throughout the entirety of this year, and I am still learning!

Does one ever fully learn, and comprehend, and accept this lesson completely?

I know I am making progress. I am learning to find joy in the small, minuscule things of life that may not matter to anyone else, but bring joy to my heart.

Today... I am learning the lesson of finding joy again, in a difficult moment.

I woke up this morning to find that the faucets, when turned on, had no water. No water in the toilet. No water to make this morning's coffee.

No water here in the dead of winter, means only one terrible thing... a water line break. Of course.

And my husband is on an extended business trip, and won't be home until next weekend. Of course.

JOY in the moment... WHERE are you?

But, I began to think of how much worse it could be.

• I could be living in a third world country where no fresh running water is how life is. I live in a land where fresh water is available freely! Thank you Lord! 
• The ground could be frozen 4 feet deep, but its not! We've had a week of warmer weather, and thus the ground is not frozen - thank you Lord! 
• It is not snowing, raining or terribly cold outside today - thank you Lord! 
• Our 17-year-old son, while not terribly happy to get woken up so early with the news that he needed to start digging - was glad to be of service to his family, and willing to help. Thank you Lord! 
• We found the water leak after about an hour or so of digging in a pipe that will be relatively easy to fix, about 3 feet down. So thankful it wasn't 5 feet down, or in a more difficult location. Thank you Lord! 

We traveled to Texas to be with family over Thanksgiving and had a blessed time with our family. While it is wonderful to get away, and see everyone, I can't tell you happy it feels to be back home in my own bed too!  Not to mention that I missed our dear animals so very much.  They were well taken care of by our precious neighbor who fed and loved them twice a day.

While in Texas, we were hoping to see some warm sunshine, but it wasn't to be!  It rained and rained and was cold almost the entire time we were there.

Back home, while we were gone, the sun shone most of the time, and a beautiful snow fell, and it was quite cold and beautiful.  I got to see the snow for one short beautiful day after our return.



Upon our return back to Idaho, we must have brought the rain back with us, because it has been raining almost nonstop since we got back!  All the snow that was here when we arrived home promptly melted the day after we returned!
I must tell you that I know we need rain, but snow makes my heart the happiest.  This rain we are getting is adding insult to injury.  The frozen ground is not absorbing the rain, as it usually would, and so the rain is just sitting in mud on top of the ground, and oh what a mess it is making!

Mud pies anyone?  We've got you covered!



Wet dogs and muddy paws?  Yup.  Check!

Chickens that don't want to leave the coop because its too wet and muddy for them?  Indeed!

And this weather pattern seems to be one that we may have to endure for the winter, according to the weather experts.  I must say that there won't be many photo opportunities with such weather on board this winter!
So, we shall have to make the best of it, and find something to do with mud and water... hmmm!  You can be sure I won't be asking my dogs for any ideas for activities related to mud and water, lol!

My daughter and I were "given" a stomach virus by a relative while in Texas, and spent the last several days of our trip sick in bed.  I had to fly home with unpleasant symptoms, something I hope never to repeat!  It has taken me a few days to recuperate and I am still on the mend, as I also picked up a head cold along the way.  However, I do feel much better today, and thankfully all that is behind us!
So today I am back, and hope to stop by to visit all my dear friends in "blogland" in the next day or two - I have missed you all, and want to hear what is happening in your lives.  I'm so thankful for this precious blogging community of sweet ladies, and hold all of you dear to my heart!