Snowy Thanks

We are certainly "walkin in a winter wonderland" here in MN.  What a year to start a plow business.  John got 2 new plow clients just doing his regular route this weekend.  Nobody wants to stand outside shoveling 20 inches of snow.

While my man was busy taking the top off the first half of the snow Saturday I made cookies with the kiddos in my warm safe home.

Monday morning the city still hasn't plowed our front sidewalks (yes we are lucky to live in a city that does that part for us.)  And after doing everyone elses home sidewalks early Sunday morning, Jake wasn't really up to doing ours so wear boots if you come to visit today.  John did shovel a tunnel through the front yard so Isabelle could make it to the bus.

You know what doesn't photograph well, white on white.  I am sure there is a way to set my camera to improve but even after 2 classes on using it I still really don't know how the thing works.  Can you appreciate that Isabelle is walking through a tunnel in our front yard that is about half her height?

This is standing on our sidewalk.

Our mailbox.

Our neighbor trying to clear off the end of her driveway so she can leave.  I told her John would come and clean that up for her later.

Here comes the bus.

All this snow may seem like a bit of a hassle.  And certainly it is.  John had an appointment with a homeowner in Minneapolis today and after trying to get around her neighborhood for 30 minutes called to re-schedule.  They still aren't plowed out there.  But Saturday I thought about how blessed we are to experience a big snowfall at this time in history.  I am safe and warm, my home is relatively full of food and I knew that I would be able to get out of my driveway and resume normal life the next day.  Unlike the people who settled this land, people I constantly question the sanity of, who lived in little log houses heated by the fireplace, the only food was what they had left from the last hunt and the potty was out the door and down the path.  They may have been isolated for days or weeks after a storm like this.

Although there is plenty I don't like about snow and the cold that follows there is always plenty to be thankful for as well.  And so I continue my list:

• New plow accounts
• hard working husband and son
• Time to make 3 kinds of cookies this year, I normally grudgingly make 1 kind and get on with my life.
• A warm house to enjoy watching the snow fall from.
• Watching my children roll out cookie dough
• Snow angels
• hot tea and hot coco
• Christmas movies
• Christmas music
• singing the twelve days of Christmas with the family.
• the internet on the phone so you can figure out the 11th day of Christmas while driving to a wrestling meet.
• Another pin in wrestling for Jake
• the anticipation of Christ at advent
• the JOY of a relationship with Christ (Sunday was the lighting of the joy candle)