~ Quack Weather ~

 Oh, this winter certainly has me feeling out of whack!
Evidently it's quack weather!
Two nights ago, we heard quacking.
Looking outside, there in the dark , on the front lawn were ducks.
As soon as the dog started barking, they took off.
Fast forward to yesterday morning.  As I was about to let the dog outside & right on the patio stood the ducks.
Poor quackers. They were trying to get out of the deep snow. And, deep snow we have.
Yesterday we ended up with about  a foot of new snow.

 

 

 They were swimming through the snow and trying to find a dryer spot to nestle down
How cute they were... waddling through the snow.

 They took off, around the woodpile and headed for the meadow.
I thought that was the last we would see of them.

 When my sweet husband came home from work, I mentioned that the ducks had visited again, and were trying to snuggle up against the house and under the patio heater.
So, my husband went outside and took a look around to see where they had been and then he sticks his head in the door and tells us that the ducks are back, and in fact they had fallen into one of the basement window wells.

 Poor things.
My sweet husband took one of his large fishing nets and fished them gently out of the window well.
He put them in a tote and took them back to the neighbor that he thought that they belonged to.
Well, a sweet little girl answered the door and with much relief thanked him for bringing back her ducks. The hen practically jumped into the little girls arm.
An older brother of the little girls mentioned that the ducks had been missing for a couple of days, and they had tried to find them, to no avail. He also told my sweet husband that they had 4 ducks, not just 3.
So, being the wonderful and sweet and thoughtful man that he is, he drove back home and took another look around. He heard some rustling in another window well, and discovered the last lost duck. He scooped up the last duck and returned it to it's proper home.

Later in the evening, the doorbell rang and there stood a mother and her three young children.
She told my husband, " I hear that you are the duck rescuer and that we have you to thank for returning our ducks".
The kids had made a sweet candy~gram thank you for my husband.
Not necessary, because he's just the most generous and thoughtful person, and he didn't need a thank you. ... but, it was kind of them and he appreciated their thoughtful gesture.

Such a happy and bright spot in a cold and stormy winters day.

~Reasons to smile today :
* The snow storm has subsided and I was able to stay on top of the new snow yesterday. I am grateful that my health is good and that I could get outside and shovel, scrap snow, salt sidewalks and driveways. It took a few good hours out of the day, but I am so grateful that I am healthy and able to do the chores that needed to be done.
*New bedspread. Yesterday while shopping, I found a really bright and cheerful bedspread for out master bedroom. Just the ticket! It's cheerful and bright, and I love that it feels 'summer~y'... especially now that we've had months of snow.

*Reason number 3 to smile today: Cute craft ideas that I'm going to make and a batch of chocolate chip zucchini cookies. Staying inside where it's cozy and warm today.

*Chalk It Up To The Season*

What is it about the holidays that makes us want to spruce up our homes; fluff our nests?
Is it the thought of company coming?
For me, it's wanting to be comfy and cozy in our home throughout the winter months.
It's a happy feeling, nothing in the world can buy... to have a orderly, cozy, and charming home.
A home filled with welcoming touches, comfortable places to sit and rest and visit with others.
 A sprinkling of twinkle lights on the tops of hutches, and candle warmers or stovetop potpourri filling the house with delicious smells.

The old lead glass window, that my sweet husband found for me is getting spruced up for the holidays.

 Homemade chalk paint in black.
{Instructions for making your own chalkpaint are easy to find on the internet.}
After it dries, it will get a quick swipe with fine grit sandpaper.
A little texture and personality added.
The frame was originally white, and I am in love with black trim right now.
Chalk that up to my love of old manor homes, and their black painted doors with white trim.
I  adore that look, and have plans to paint the French doors on the library with black paint, as well.

 More projects in the works....
including a project with black and white pictures of the  Manti Temple : http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/manti/

 Architectural details : Door Knob

 Wrought iron fence.
I have a special plan for these black and white photo's .
A little Christmas gift for a friend.

Finally, a shot of a sunrise this past week.
Just a little dusting of snow left on the mountains, and molten colored clouds.
Beautiful.

Ok... it's back to the holiday projects for me.

Attitude of gratitude :
~ I am grateful for a great vacuum! I love to vacuum, and sometimes I vacuum twice a day.
I just love those fluffy fibers in the carpet, and love the lines that the vacuum makes.
~ I am grateful for my recipe book collection.  I enjoy reading recipes, and trying new dishes.
Sure breaks up the monotony of meal time for me, and I'm sure for my family as well :)

~ Joy~

{image from Pinterest}

                                          
  Oh Joy!
Christmas decorating begins, this day!
Boxes and boxes of decorations strewn throughout the cottage, and Christmas music playing.
Twinkle lights going up everywhere, candles on the mantle, and the Nativity gets set up.
What a wonderful season. What a wonderful time of year.
Joy, and happiness!

* Snug *

 As I look out the window, and across the meadow to the mountains,
 I see snow.
First measurable snow of the winter.

Winter is here.
Winter is here to stay.
Cozy corners filled with green plants and red geraniums.

 Looking out my kitchen window, I see a blanket of white.
Grateful for the herbs that are growing, and fresh on the windowsill.

Such a beautiful sight.
Outside, it's frosty and cold.
Inside, it's cozy and snug.

Today: Bake bread, plan weekly menu, read {must finish my book}
wrap a few gifts.


Attitude of gratitude:
* Feeling grateful for a warm home.
* I'm grateful for a warm fire.
* I'm so grateful that Brooke made dinner for us yesterday, while we were at church.
Nothing feels so welcoming and cozy, as walking in from a cold winters day to the aroma of a hot, home cooked meal.  She made us stuffed baked potatoes. So perfect on a winters day, and I am so grateful for her thoughtfulness.

Spring Fever

There they are.... perched on a windowsill.
Sweet potatoes in old canning jars.
Guess you could say I've got a bit of Spring Fever.
Green, and growing things would be most welcome.
I'm over the white blah of winter.

 Looking past the sweet potatoes, you can see white snow covering the landscape.
We had a couple of new snow storms this past week; like many places across the U.S.A...... evidently, winter is not over!

Last year, I started sweet potatoes in March, and they never really took off very quickly.  I'm hoping that by starting them much earlier this year, they will get a chance to really sprout, and get growing.

Our daughter snapped this picture of the snow-laden trees on her way to work. 
Hence the somewhat blurred picture....
While the snow is pretty, and the winter-blue color is somewhat magical... I for one,  H8SNOW !!
{***next time I get a new vehicle.. I think I'll put that on my license plate }

Attitude of gratitude:
~I am so grateful for my faith.  This has been a week of remembering to trust in the Lord. To do my very best, and He will make up the rest.  I need to remember that every single day!!
~I'm grateful that while we have new snow fall for the growing months, that the storms have cleared out and the sky is blue.

A few little things.....

 I'm a simple girl.
It doesn't take a lot to make me happy, or put a smile on my face.
Life is far too short to take everything so seriously.
That's why I'm loving and smiling over a little soap dispenser. 
It's kinda old fashioned looking, and I think quite charming. 
It has a slight amber color to it, although it's hard to tell in this picture.

Another reason to smile.. the new shower curtain.
Spattered with bright flowers and curly Q's.
Pretty cheerful.
Doesn't feel like Winter at all in my bathroom.

 Another one of those cute soap dispensers.
This one is an old bottle green color, and a little bit taller.
Perfect for the kitchen.

 Have you tried these yet?
Salty and sweet.
You can't go wrong with this combination.
Chocolate makes everything better.
It definitely puts a smile on my face.

The warm flicker of a candle always brightens things up.

 It smells so clean, and puts a smile on my face.
Not a Wintry scent at all.
Just the medicine I needed, on this cold, freezing Winters day,

 New plates.
There is a rule in our house; no one can buy themselves anything just before Christmas.
I broke the rule. Maybe I'll get sent to my room, for an hour... drat.. *grin**.
I couldn't help myself. 
I saw these plates and just HAD to have them. 
Also, free shipping on cyber Monday.
How could I resist??
If you want your own you can buy them here : http://deseretbook.com/Honey-Butter-Tableware-Dinner-Plate-Set-4-Zions-Mercantile/i/5107890?s_iid=ymae_5107892_2
Try to save me some. 
I plan on buying some more after Christmas. In fact, I plan to buy the complete set of Honey Butter dinnerware.

 Seed catalogs.
Always a reason to smile!
This is a great company, and one that we've been ordering from for the past few years.
Never disappointed.
It's eye candy for a gardening girl like me.

 Spencer found a giant icicle.  Not sure where he got it from.
I'm thinking it was on the granary, as the roof is so high.
It had to be at least six feet long.
Glad he didn't poke his eye out with it.
{That's what happens when you play with icicles... my Dad told me that, when I was young.}

Lastly, an early morning scene out my front door.
Winter is here, and rolled in with a wallop.
Cold, cold, cold.
I can smile about it, because I'm cozied up in front of a fire.
Felling bad for those that have to work out in that wet and cold world.

Smiling, because Winter is here, and each day that goes by, gets us closer and closer to warmer weather.

Attitude of gratitude:
~I'm grateful for this wonderful time of year.  There's always something to smile about. Even if it's just a few little things.
~Grateful for the scriptures. Each day, I find inspiration in the scriptures, and encouragement.
~Grateful for YouTube.  I honestly couldn't remember how to make a snow flake.  Not since elementary school have I made snow flakes. Thanks to the YouTube,  I saw how to make them again, and made a whole bunch for my window.  They are all different, and all cute.

{Oh Deer, Oh Dear...}

 Oh Dear, where does the time go?
It's hard to believe that so many weeks have gone by, and I've neglected to blog.
Like everyone, we have been so busy, and the days pass by so quickly, before I know it, weeks have passed by.

We've been enjoying the deer.......they're moving into town more.
There are a few impressive bucks in the herd that has been hanging out in our neighborhood.
Spencer snapped the picture of this guy, on Saturday.

 Spencer finally received his new kilt, all the way from Scotland.
He had to wait almost two months for it.
He couldn't be happier to finally have the kilt, and all the accessories.

 We've been enjoying beautiful winter sunrises.....

 and sunsets.

                             

 

All around town, it's beginning to look  like Christmas.

Decorations are up, and twinkly little lights,

Yesterday, we had a snow storm ..... it added a magical Christmas touch.

 

Attitude of gratitude:

~I'm grateful that we are going to have all of our children home for Christmas

~I'm grateful that my MIL will finally have surgery on her shoulder tomorrow, and begin the healing process.

~I'm grateful that will the hundreds, and thousands of miles that we've driven over the past few months,  our Heavenly Father has watched over us, and kept us safe from harm and accident.

~I'm grateful that my CD from "Time out For Women" finally arrived. I can't wait to watch it, and enjoy the music, and the presenters talks once again..... so inspiring.