This past week I have found myself overwhelming thankful for all the blessings in my life. I'm not sure why the fall and winter make me pause and look over things so much - maybe it is the coziness of home during this season and the turning inward that makes me stop and consider all my blessings with even more fervor than usual. Whatever the reason, there is nothing that makes me feel so luxuriantly rich as to take stock of our blessings. The more I look the more I find and the more I find the more thankful I am.
As the autumn winds blow across the grassy prairie and howl at our doors and windows, I am so thankful for a warm and comfortable house. I have lived in old, drafty houses and the warmth of our current abode does not go unnoticed by me as winter approaches. I am thankful that each of our children have the clothing they need for the cold weather and each is outfitted well. It has seemed a struggle the last few years to keep them in decent clothes and all they need for every season. This year I am deeply thankful that they are all prepared for the cold and that I have been able to get them all that they need.
These past few weeks have been ones of reflection and deep thought and simple moments of great joy. I have turned my focus towards the home with more distinct attention than the summer carefreeness allowed. I have spent more time in the kitchen pouring over recipes and creating slow meals, baking bread and treats for the family. I have spent time canning as well which I love. We have settled into a slower routine with more evenings spent in the house instead of in the yard and our weekend projects have been mostly indoor ones. Visiting with friends in our home or theirs becomes a more frequent thing this time of the year as farmers and ranchers are getting ready to hunker down for the winter.
Last weekend we spent a day cleaning out the small garage/workshop on the property and getting it ready for winter projects. It was already outfitted with workbenches and a heater so it will make a cozy place to work on some woodworking projects this winter. In our other garage there is an insulated and heated room at the back that has shelves for keeping canned goods and we have our freezers in there. We need to clean that out well and get it set up for winter storage. I have three 50lb bags on potatoes I gleaned this fall from a potato farm nearby that are stored in there since it won't freeze. All of my canning will fit in my pantry in the house but I'm hoping to do more next year and then those shelves in the garage will come in handy since my jars won't freeze.
In a small town, you learn to make your own entertainment since there isn't much going on or places to go. People go visiting or use their spare time to do crafts. In many ways, it seems like little has changed over the years in the way people do things and keep themselves entertained here. Sunday is still the day a lot of people go visiting. Last weekend we drove a couple hours to go visit some friends from the area we moved from this spring. It was wonderful to see them again! We often have people over or go to someone else's house on Sunday evening/afternoon. It is quite wonderful to have a day of rest and fellowship.
The other weekend we had the children take their evening baths and get in their pajamas and then bundled them all up and loaded everyone up in the truck and headed to town. I had taken hot water in a thermos, cozy blankets, and grabbed a strand of Christmas lights from our decorations box. We stopped at a store and my husband went in and bought hot cocoa mix, disposable coffee cups with lids, and chocolates. This whole time the children were wondering what on earth was going on. We drove out to the Dam that overlooks the town lights and parked. We plugged in the Christmas lights and hung them around the ceiling of the pickup and made hot cocoa all snuggled under blankets. The children thought it was the greatest thing!
There are so many things I want to write and update you all on but I must get back to my daily duties for now. I hope you all are having a lovely fall and finding joy in the simple blessings of life.
Until next time ...
Grace