brrr!

today my friend carol and i decided to walk outside (23 degrees!) together. we ended up walking for 2 hours because we had so much to catch up on. it was so nice, even though we were freezing. we both bundled up, but it was still so cold. it took me about an hour to defrost once i got home. (here's me in the "i'm wearing 5 shirts" look.)she had yaktrax on her shoes. she wasn't sliding around at all. i was just wearing regular shoes and almost wiped out a couple times. i may have to get some of those!

Jeremiah 17:7-8

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.

thursday

ran 30 minutes on the treadmill today. it was tough today, i just wasn't feeling it. i kept looking to see if i was at 30 minutes. i think tomorrow i'm going to cover the time with a cloth, so i'm not paying attention to it. will i ever just love running on the treadmill? i seriously doubt it, but i am thankful i have it, especially when it's currently 2 degrees outside!

this weekend we're going to start getting things figured out for our trip to phoenix. we'd love to stop at the grand canyon, if the weather cooperates. it would be so much fun to show the kids places that we've been learning about in our schoolwork. i'd also love to go to bryce canyon, the pictures are amazing!

snow!

we got over a foot of snow here. i love a good snowstorm in december! i don't start getting really sick of it until late january, and then i'm ready to be done with it. anyway, we are enjoying being snowed in. today i gave the kids squirt bottles full of water and food coloring, and they had so much fun spraying the snow different colors.

i mailed my christmas cards, and most of my shopping is done and presents are wrapped. my mother-in-law watched the kids this week, so me and my sister-in-law could spend all day shopping and getting everything done. it was so nice! she is wonderful!

we're going to be headed to phoenix for a week after christmas for a nice vacation and time spent with good friends. i'm looking forward to it! it would be great to run outside in shorts again, but we'll see if that happens...

it's friday!

yesterday we got a little bit of snow. it was just enough for the kids to get excited about, but not enough to shovel. good news, because i'm not ready for the shoveling.

my treadmill seems to have more life in it still. i'm hoping it has 9 lives and will keep on going for awhile. i had a great run this morning. a good feeling to have worked out 4/5 days this week and no pop!

the kids are going to be in the christmas program at church on sunday. they are looking forward to it, after months of practice. i'm hoping to be completely done with my christmas shopping by monday. is that possible? i don't know, but i'm really hoping...
i bought this skirt for meg (she only wears dresses or skirts) yesterday on etsy.

i was on a roll...

i've started every day this week with a morning treadmill run, followed by teaching the kids school, cleaning the house, shower, making dinner. a good routine. of course, it all works best when:

• i have a great run...feel like i could just keep on running forever.
  
• the kids don't complain about any of their school work.
• the house isn't in bad shape to begin with, and everyone pitches in to help...without complaining.
• i get a nice uninterrupted shower.
• dinner is easy to make, and tastes great and everyone loves it.

yep, that would be a really good day. and, most days don't turn out that way. that's just life.
take today for example,
i woke up today ready to get on the treadmill and it started making really loud/weird noises. so, no treadmill for me today. hopefully it won't turn out to be anything serious.

perspective makes such a difference doesn't it?! when i dwell on how my day isn't exactly
the way i want it to go, i am crabby and impatient. i am reminded of the many blessings in my life today, and choosing to focus on them today as i go about caring for my family.

tuesday

good morning! here i am ready to tackle the treadmill.
it's in my room. i'm not sure how old it is? probably about 10 years old, but it still does the job. it folds up, so it doesn't take up much space. and, it really is a must have in the winter. gotta have a fan close by too. this morning i actually watched tv while i ran. i usually run w/my ipod, but it was nice to change it up a bit.i'm getting close to 1,000 miles for the year. woo hoo!
have a great tuesday! seize the day!