I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas.....

I'm really getting excited about Christmas and everything about it. One thing that I've always wanted is a white Christmas. Last year (even living in MN), I still had to keep dreaming. We didn't have any decent snow until New Year's Eve. Now this year, I REALLY want a white Christmas! So, with that said, imagine my excitement when I looked at the weather forecast for this weekend:

Winter Storm Watch

Statement as of 2:05 PM CST on November 29, 2007

Expires 7:00 AM EST on December 02, 2007

... First winter storm of the season expected on Saturday... ... Winter Storm Watch in effect from Saturday morning through late Saturday night... The National Weather Service in Twin Cities/Chanhassen has issued a Winter Storm Watch... which is in effect from Saturday morning through late Saturday night. A powerful low pressure system will move across the upper Midwest this weekend... and likely bring significant wintry weather to much of Minnesota and Wisconsin. The snow is expected to begin on Saturday morning across the area... and become heavy across central and south central Minnesota and west central Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon and early evening. A period of sleet or freezing rain is possible on Saturday afternoon and evening... mainly along and south of a New Ulm to Red Wing line. By Saturday night... snow accumulations exceeding six inches appear possible across much of central and south central Minnesota and west central Wisconsin... including in the Alexandria... St cloud... Mankato... Twin Cities... and Eau Claire communities. Strong winds also appear likely with this storm... which will make travel even more dangerous. A Winter Storm Watch means there is a potential for significant snow... sleet... or ice accumulations that may impact travel. Continue to monitor the latest forecasts.

So, now my hopes are more alive than ever. I just hope that I don't have to go anywhere on Saturday!! :-)

Being Thankful

Throughout this past week and through the Thanksgiving weekend, I've really been trying to focus on being truly thankful for all that God has blessed me with. I know that it seems a little cliche to talk about being thankful at Thanksgiving, but I truly am thankful for so many things.

First off, God has blessed me with a magnificent husband. Tony is one in a million and is so wonderful in so many ways. He works hard so that I can stay home to raise the kids and he loves and supports me in everything I do. He truly is a gift from God. My kids are also at the top of my list. They light up my life and show me so much about the world around me. They are constantly inquisitive and make me think about things that I've never or seldom think about. I treasure everything about them. They are unique and special in lots of ways, but I love to see their hearts and their love of God and people around them. I am thankful for my friends, both near and far. I have been so blessed by such wonderful friends who both love and challenge me to be a better friend, better mom, better wife, better Christian, etc. I'm thankful for where I live and that I live in a place that so often shows me God's beauty.

I'm also very thankful for all of my extended family. I've had the great opportunity to have so much of my family come out and visit this past year and we've really had some really wonderful times. Their have been a lot of terrific conversations and great healing that has come from that. I am so incredibly grateful for all these experiences and am so happy to have such a remarkable family.

So, my prayer over this Thanksgiving weekend is that I can remember to be thankful for all the blessings in my life not just now, but throughout the days, weeks, months, years to come. Happy Thanksgiving to you all. “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Psalm 107:1

Halloween 2007

This year for Halloween, my mom came out to join us. We spent Halloween day making cupcakes with a couple of Madison's friends. For dinner we purchased, Jack-o-Lantern shaped pizzas from our favorite pizza place. Once it started to get dark, we headed out to go trick-or-treating. We had a fun time, but it was pretty cold out (in the low 40's). It wasn't as cold as last year, but the wind was pretty strong making it hard to stay out too long. Madison was miserable and only made it through about 6 houses before I had to take her back home. As soon as we got home, she was happy and wanted to dive right into her candy. For only going to those few houses, she still had quite a bit of candy and was happy as a clam. The other kids, Tony and Dash made it for about 15 minutes longer before they were too cold and came home as well.

Cameron dressed up as his favorite book character, Harry Potter. Chelsea was a cowgirl. Madison had 2 costumes, a princess and Zowie from Rolie Polie Olie (a show on the Disney Channel). Dash also got into the Halloween spirit and dressed up as Batman. We had a fun time and after trick-or-treating, came home to watch the best Halloween program of all, "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." Another Halloween has come and gone, but the candy still remains. Oh, what to do with all the candy......