When I heard that we were expecting a snow storm on Sunday, I had my mind set on a day at home. As the forecasts seemed to be zeroing in on the fact that we would, in fact, get some snow, I had a whole bunch of things on my mental to-do list. When the alarm went off on Sunday morning at our usual get-up-for-church time of 5:09 (The clock is set 9 minutes fast to allow me to snooze once before getting up...which is pretty ridiculous since I KNOW this and factor it into my thinking. This is the cause of many conversations between me and Jason. He doesn't get it-- and hates like heck that he can never tell what time it is on our bedroom clock. But I digress.) I could already see the flakes flying and decided that we wouldn't be trying to go to church.
After my shower, I donned my Sunday afternoon/evening uniform-- sweats and a tshirt-- and headed downstairs to get to work on that list. Coffee first, of course. If it is snowing, you can bet that the top priority on my list is absolutely, always cooking. And generally, baking. Apparently in my mind, if you're eating on a snowy day, there are no calories in your food. I blame my mother for this-- because every single time it snowed when I was little, I have a distinct memory of her making rice pudding and it smelling delicious in the oven. Oddly enough, I have never once made rice pudding. But I bet my Mom made some lately. I started gathering ingredients and realized that I had not nearly enough raisins for the cookies I was planning to make for Joshua's Expo at school next week. And so I had to venture out...a whole mile to the itty bitty grocery store in Turbotville...for more raisins. Upon going out, I realized two things. First, it was not even 8:00 and I had gotten so much done at the house that it felt like 11. Why is it, then, that when I get up at the exact same time every other Sunday morning, it is nearly impossible for us to get out of the house for church on time? I do not understand this. Secondly, while driving home from the store, I realized that the roads weren't bad at all, and if I hustled (and inspired some pep into the steps of the kids) we could still get dressed and make it to church in time for the 10:30 service.
(Looking back at that paragraph, I realize that I am narrating this story as though it is a "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" book. Perhaps I have read that book too many times.)
And so we went to church. It was wonderful...albeit sparsely attended due to the weather. It was also a bit surreal as we were singing Christmas carols and learning about the birth of Jesus. As we have worked through The Story curriculum, we have finally made it out of the Old Testament. That learning has been really good for me, and extremely eye opening. There were just a lot of things that I wasn't aware of-- stories that I knew, but didn't know the chronology of it. Or stories I just plain didn't know. So to say that this whole thing has been a very worthwhile use of time is an understatement. But the fact that, on March 1st, we were studying the Christmas story and singing Christmas music was a little odd at first. But I will say, it was quite nice to be able to listen and soak in the sermon without the stress of it being Christmas Eve, or the exhaustion of it being the Sunday before or Sunday after Christmas.
The kids had all sorts of ideas about what to do when we got home. I was all for it-- because remember, the list.
They began their escapades with some play in the snow time. Playing in the snow this year has taken on a real joy in that Joshua is big enough to keep an eye on the girls, and Mara is big enough to be able to be watched by Joshua and by me through periodic peeks through the windows. She is following rules relatively well, and seems to love being outside with the kids. Let's be honest-- we've all been cooped up so much this winter that any outside time is good at this point.
There was even a point at which Jason and I found ourselves inside for a period of over a half hour without any interruptions from the kids. I seriously did not know what to do. Jason was reading and had the TV off. I was in the kitchen finishing up the cookies. And it was so strange that I felt confused.
Don't worry-- the quiet didn't last for long. When the kids came in, I warmed up their bellies with some fresh right out of the oven raisin cookies, and then got everyone warmed up. The kids then went into some major pretending and turned the dining room into a meeting of some sort. See all the people in attendance? After Josh and Lauren were done with their presentation, Mara got right to work giving all of these people a piece of her mind. With a microphone.
The big kids were having some sort of a restaurant in the foyer. They were playing so nicely together that I really had little concern for the fact that they were making a complete mess of the house. They cleaned it all up before supper, so I had no complaints. If there is no fighting, I'm a happy Mommy.
I made not one, but two batches of Grandma Mary's raisin cookies for Joshua to hand out at the Expo next week. His class did a cookbook as their project, and this is the recipe that he picked. I have to tell you- the house smelled so good that it was as if my Gram was here baking with me. The smell alone transported me back to Edgewood Place, right into her kitchen. And I know she was smiling as the kids were gobbling up the cookies at the speed of light. Which is why I needed two batches!
It was a super Sunday. We accomplished a ton. Had lots of laughs. And no one wanted it to be Monday...sign of a great day.
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