The change of plans caused me to go down the list of "weekly tasks" and pick another one for the day. One can't just dream of garden plots and moose all day.
Every morning I've been grabbing a shot of our Christmas tree. We were bound to eventually take down the decorations. By morning I mean 9 or 9:30 a.m. Yes, it's getting lighter, but still dark enough to cause us to sleep in in the mornings. LOL
Stacia, Alex and I packed away Christmas decorations today. I began to ponder all that has happened since we put the decorations UP that long ago Saturday after Thanksgiving.
- a 7.0 earthquake which actually left its mark on more than one piece of Christmas decor
- a delightfully long visit from Krista (flew in from VA)
- a quick and fun visit from Don and Beth (flew in from ID)
- the sale of Michael's family home - of over 80 years
- celebrating Christ with our Life Group - life is better together.
- the purchase of two new-to-us vehicles
- ministry plans flexed - Christmas Tea on Jan 19th
- several ice fishing trips - and the smoking and canning that ensues
- Christmas Bunco - new connections with our church community
- Jared's new job with the governor
- Jared leaving the area for the legislative session
- 12 full days of celebrating Christmas - AFTER the season of Advent
- the first meeting of a new women's ministry team
- celebrating the gift of a new house with a young friend
- the safe birth of a new Grand Blessing
- hitting my highest weight ever and deciding it's time to take action
- deepening relationships and understanding of new friends
It's been a full season. A season with challenges and celebrations....with highs and lows....with family, church family, and solitude. This season reminds me once again all of life is sacred when lived in relationship with Jesus. More than all, I want to celebrate, be fully aware of, and practice the presence of God - like Brother Lawrence.
And so, yes, we took down the Christmas decorations. I had a plan in mind.
How many ways CAN ONE rearrange a tiny living room? Evidently, untold numbers of times.
During the holiday we had to put rockers in our bedroom and shove the recliner to a new location to make room for our ever-expanding table arrangement.....we liked having the recliner moved....but it did block the electronics. I began to think...... We usually separate the pieces of the Step Tansu and use them around our room as end tables and such. This time we left them all together. We are able to utilize the space in the tansu much easier this way.
During the holiday we had to put rockers in our bedroom and shove the recliner to a new location to make room for our ever-expanding table arrangement.....we liked having the recliner moved....but it did block the electronics. I began to think...... We usually separate the pieces of the Step Tansu and use them around our room as end tables and such. This time we left them all together. We are able to utilize the space in the tansu much easier this way.
I pushed the couches further apart. Then, moved a floor lamp and the recliner into the Christmas tree spot. It's a bit crowded - but it works. We put a rocker across the room - which it turns out you can see in the photo above. This makes the room feel bigger, allows one to see the front door from the recliner, will make it possible to have even more seating in the living room when we are entertaining family and friends, and allows for my slight PTSD from having been raised in Southern Mindanao (My back is now in the corner and I can see all entrances of the room from the recliner or couches - just something to keep in mind in case rebels ever arrive in SE Alaska. This is an important practice in restaurants too, and it is only God I no longer sit on the back pew at church. LOL)
Sleepy young lady does not come with the recliner |
We found one piece of Christmas celebrating we've not completed. ::snort:: We'll finish and blog later.