Things I love this week

Our water froze again night before last. The temperature was just too cold for our temporary above-ground pipe to bear. But this time we had water storage to draw on while Jared had to be at work and then when he came home, it was a relatively quick fix since the pipe was easy to get to.

I'm realizing that crises in our lives cease to be crises when we're prepared and know how to fix them. And when we keep in mind that things always work out in the end. In my life, most of my stress comes from lack of faith and/or lack of preparedness and/or unrealistic expectations. I can sure work on my general preparedness for the regular things in my life (which is pretty connected to my expectations - when I think things through better, I'm both better prepared and more realistic about what can be expected) as well as my faith.

Here are some things that make me happy right now:

1. RUNNING WATER. I just love love love turning on taps and having them respond with water. Running water makes me so happy.

2. SNOW. The sun sparkling on snow and how beautiful fresh snow looks as it coats and freshens everything. I've been keeping up with running at least once a week and throwing in some walking as well and being outside just fills  me up in an important way - even when it's FREEZING. It takes a while to get up my courage to venture out but once I'm out there, I love it and I feel better about life the rest of the day. And the icicles are so pretty on each house - such great jagged patterns going on.

3. BENGAL SPICE TEA. My sister Charity introduced me to this herbal tea over Christmas and I drink like two cups of it every day. It soothes me and warms me and it's just so yummy. Doesn't even need any sweetener.

4. HUGS. I've been taking more time to really enjoy the sweet hugs Oliver and Silas give me every day rather than just hurry the hug along when they tackle hug me and I'm trying to do something else. I've been making a point of hugging my big kids more. It just feels so good and right.

5. HEAT. My friend loaned me this little portable radiator to help warm up the pipes in the basement during our recent frozen pipes crisis. It didn't help the pipes but, wow, it's sure helping our kitchen which has just always been freezing in the winter. There's no good place to put it in our little kitchen and oddly, there are no outlets along the one wall where it could be sort of out of the way. So for now, it's a tripping hazard island of warmth in the kitchen.

6. THE LIBRARY AND FREEDOM. How we love having a great library less than a block from our house! We spent a pleasant afternoon there yesterday reading some great books about Martin Luther King Junior. These were our favorites:






7. WRITING ASSIGNMENTS. When we got back from the library, the twins wrote papers for school. They wrote and wrote and wrote and came up with some great details about the Civil Rights Movement. I love how writing assignments give me the chance to see what has sunk in and what has impressed my kids.