December 9, 2011
Yesterday was just one of those days. A day filled to the brim with the life we've dreamed of living.
After Wednesday I needed a day like this.
I feel kind of silly sharing all the goodness with you - like I'm bragging or something, which I'm not. But I if I'm going to write wholeheartedly, exposing my vulnerabilities and the difficult moments of this journey, you can bet I'm going to share my joy also!
In the morning I was greeted with a most beautiful sight. Snow! Coming hard and fast.
You know a day that starts like this is only going to get better, especially when you have no where to go. No dissappointing shopping trips to make. Or snowy driveways to navigate, ours is plowed as part of our rental, oh I love that!
A day for snow and cozy indoors.
A day to bake healthy, almond date cookies (and I didn't forget them in the oven!). A day for winter pajamas - an early gift because why save everything for Christmas Eve?
A day for Daddy to put the kids skis together. We've been saving money and slowing buying all the gear we needed for backcountry skiing this whole past year. Damien is my research and outdoors DIY geek (gosh, I love him). He did an amazing job sourcing and putting together the ski kit for our children, at an excellent price. Maybe one day he'll write about it on our currently silent adventure blog - too busy having adventures to write about them.
While Damien got the kids set for skiing I was putting the finishing touches on something beautiful to share with the world. Selling my artisan soap here at FIMBY. Stay tuned, I'll be posting that soon.
A day of doing work we love. Enjoying the outdoors. Living in a beautiful place.
Some days are like this.
In the afternoon I went for walk in this winter wonderland to pick up the Christmas package that was being re-delivered. The courier couldn't come down our driveway in the snowstorm. Instead, the package was kindly delivered to the nearby outdoor store/old geezer hang out cafe (and I mean that in the nicest way).
We have this unique store (unpretentious coffee shop/outdoor gear) in our neighborhood because we live in a beautiful location where people fish, snowmobile, hike, snowshoe, and ski (cross-country, alpine and backcountry) and just generally enjoy the outdoors. So there are stores everywhere, even in our little village, that cater to these activities.
Just not so many stores that cater to kale lovers like myself. But on that note (and thanks for your great ideas and kind encouragement in my last post) the week after moving here I joined the local farm/community group where I can order locally grown veggies all year round, just no kale this time of year.
There are treasures, besides the snow, to be found here in our new location.
I haven't spent much time talking about them since they are local and of little use to most readers. However, after my last post where I moaned about being disappointed I do feel the need to say there is a lot of cool stuff here. I just need to figure out how to plug in. And that takes some time. Time that feels in short supply during the busy holiday season.
But yesterday time stretched. The day felt like a long... slow... extended exhale.
The quiet of the woods covered in snow, the afternoon wind rustling the tree tops. White snow making the world new again.
I didn't even look at my to-do, not even once. It patiently waited for me. And to be honest, it took over an hour early this morning to re-organize my plans for the next couple weeks.
Extending grace to myself and taking into account my new-ness in this place and the time that requires for the most routine of tasks, I scatched some things off my list all together. Hoping that the remaining items contribute to the joy, peace and celebration of this beautiful season.
The world didn't stop because I took a day to recharge and refresh and simply enjoy living.
Living a dream, living a reality, living a beautiful December day.
What a lovely post! Here's wishing for more happy days to you and your family!e
My favorite part of a snowstorm like that is the silence. I grew up in farmland with lots of snowstorms so this beautiful scenery is familiar to me - and truthfully I miss it.
Kind of surprised you can't find kale since it is a cool/cold weather crop...
Z wants to make snowflakes. I love yours in the third picture. Do you have any tutorials/books to recommend? I can make a basic snowflake, but would like to get ideas for some fancy ones.
You have to fold the paper into a cone. Here is a website where you can try it virtually. It shows the folding process and will give you an idea of the results before you start snipping:
Jennifer, Celine was the one who found the instructions on-line at marthastewart.com. Here's the link. Susan is right, you cut a cone shape and go from there. The kids have made the most beautiful snowflakes this way. Works of art.
Thank you ladies! I will check out both sites.
Thank you. I'm having a day like your Wednesday (minus the new place) and needed to be reminded that this day will pass.
I had read about your bad day, and I'm so glad to come back and see that the tide has turned. Such beautiful photos. Enjoy your new life in such an exciting place.
So much beauty!!!! love your photos, thanks for share this, for me is like a virtual trip, here in the tropics the scenary is different, some days sunnies some days raining depents on the mood of the weather. But doesn't matter how the weather is we had to find in it the beauty, the grace and simplicity of life. Had a great time.
PS love your decoration, we love christmas is our favorite time of the year.
Hey I am very happy for your joy as it also brings a sense of fulfilment to a dad. I guess you never stop being a parent. Its great to experience real happiness without having to, buy it, travel to it, or somehow manufacture it, it is just there when we are willing to open our eyes to the world around us and find that sense of peace that comes from just being. Now for the snow!! Im not sure I share the same thrill and excitement that it brings to you. As I am writing this I am looking out over the Lahave river with a bit of mist and light rain and feel very content with no desire for any white stuff to come down.
dad
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Constance on Dec. 9, 2011, 3:33 p.m.
Love that last photo of your "backyard". And those snowflakes are lovely (the indoor ones!). Since returning to school I have realized that you can remove things from the to-do list and nobody even notices! As long as you get the special things like cookies made, everyone is happier to just be with you than to see you get that long list done. BTW, I have missed Adventure in Progress but I totally understand. Priorities!