Picture my December

Our area got coated in a thick layer of ice that stuck around for a week. Trees looked beautiful coated like this, but there were many branches lost, including the one where we had our bird feeder hanging. We have yet to find the perfect place to hang it since losing that branch.

Steven loved spending time outside, dressing a little differently almost every time he ventured out.

The sun made the ice sparkle, which my camera did a terrible job in trying to catch that beauty. Going to town and seeing entire tree covered mountainsides glisten in the sun nearly took my breath away in the beauty of it all.

Cold mornings meant Rosie Mae had to scrape ice and frost off her car before leaving for work. She seems to enjoy it.

Our annual Christmas box from my parents arrived. The small package on the lower left hand side of the picture had a piece of paper wrapped around it, and Mom had written a few sweet words on it. I decided to wait to open it, sure that what ever was inside couldn't be as special as what she wrote on the outside. After opening it I discovered a lovely letter opener my brother Mahlon had made, and immediately burst into tears. I'll treasure it for always!

After wiping my tears I noticed this rainbow on the floor in the laundry room and had to smile. I have no way of explaining how it can appear there. It really makes no sense logically. It never did before Mahlon died, but now on days when I'm really missing him, little rainbows appear. They always make me smile, and always turn my thoughts to God in praise for His love and care.

Sharon was offered the job of being one of the chefs on the train. She accepted it, and absolutely loved it. Running her to and from the train yard kept our weekends extra full, but I was happy she got to experience this.

Christmas Day rolled around and we did our traditional 'children in front of the tree' picture. We had a lovely day even though I took an accidental nap most of the afternoon. While I was sleeping the guys decided to wash their vehicles. Not very festive, I know.

 Of the gifts the children gave each other my favorite was a beaded bracelet that Steven gave to Sharon. He spent a lot of time painstakingly making sure each little bead was in the proper place to create the pattern he wanted. All the gifts were all thoughtful, heartfelt, and meaningful.

I don't know if I'll be making another blog post before the new year rolls around, so I'll take a minute now to wish everyone a happy and blessed New Year!