Love, God

I was looking out the window when I realized I was being saluted.

Building himself an army

sledding off the roof is not the same thing as shoveling off a roof

Little Snitcher can reach things now.

maple glazed gingerbread scones are delicious

It was not entertaining when my washing machine broke down mid-cycle and I had to freeze dry clothes that were still heavy-laden with water. 

It WAS for the children though.

When I took out the Christmas tree, I asked Adele to bring the little coffee table back up from the Granary.

She did so in her stocking-feet. 

Disheveled cuddlebugs

Corynn painted this for me as a Christmas present

Nine hours without power... making soup by candlelight.  Thankfully, it came on shortly after this picture.  Before the truly dark dark settled in.

I ask you- could YOU break open eggs that stared back at you like that?

Corynn keeps things interesting around here.

Andrew decides to make homemade marshmallows. 
He discovers it takes some manly muscles to do it too.

 See that fancy shmancy couch and loveseat up there? Well, after perusing Craigslist off and on for months now (and even sporatically for over a year), and nearly losing hope that I would find anything at all-this lovely set popped on craigslist as I was writing the words to the last post.   They were $350.00 for the set which is less than HALF of ONE mediocre couch from a store.  Impeccable condition.  Just 20 minutes away from home.   A handful of other people had already called and were lining up transportation but we were able to get there first.

What I am saying is... God did this.  HE gave us these couches.

I have also been stalking Craiglist for a washing machine for weeks but to no avail.  A family of 8 can't wait perpetually with laundry piling up in mountains around us so I wound up getting one of the most inexpensive ones from Lowes.  Somewhere in transit, it got banged around making superficial dents on two sides of it.  The machine works great, is tucked in a corner where dents are unable to be noticed, and we got an extra $100.00 off.  

A woman from church knows a reliable and honest guy who won't rip me off when repairing my sewing machine and took it to him for me since she goes there from time to time and his shop is so far from our home.  This was a huge help to me!

And I got the most amazing encouraging note in the mail.

All in all, it has been a week in which I have felt very much cared for and thankful for the many ways our Father touches our lives and gives abundantly, even those things that we hold close to our hearts.  These are just a few of the present needs that have so amazingly been met but really, looking at all the pictures in this post, there is an abundance of gifts He gives each day.

Sunlight.  Snow.  Children smiles.  Marshmallows.  Motivation.  Creativity.  Food.  Sweets.  People to cuddle.  Electricity.  Blankets.  Safety.  Candles.  Gas stoves.  Humor.  Beauty.

How many times do these things go unnoticed?  

Why does it take a silly couch to feel His presence when He so fully and completely surrounds us, every moment, with His love?  

A constant prayer of mine is that I have EYES TO SEE the goodness around me.  I know it is there- but because it is SO rich and so constant and SO pervading, I look past it.  Goodness fades into the background.  

I thank God for the background and the foreground, the big and the little, the obvious and the overlooked things.  All of it, every last thing, points to Him.