Thankful Thursday

I know, I know, it's not Thursday, but it sounds better than Thankful Friday, so there. It would be nice to write a Thankful Thursday post each Thursday if I can remember to do so. We shall see. I make no promises. My brain is overloaded these days. The past year happens to be one of the most trying ones of my life so we're lucky if the house is standing aright with all five family members accounted for at the end of the day. So, without further ado, let me be thankful. Sometimes the Lord feels too far away and other times He overflows me with so much love that it makes my heart flutter. It's the little moments and joys that I am learning to smile with and embrace that can make this heart full of life again. Want to know what made my heart flutter today? It was this:

I know. Maybe it's not for the coffee purists and scoff at me you may. I do not care.

 See, I just dropped off the younger two children with my sweet mom because she insists it is her therapy to have the grands spend time with she and my dad. I was on my way to sit in carline to get Zeke and the afternoon sleepies hit, but I knew CMize would not want me dropping $5 on Starpennies and I don't think it's all that awesome anyways. Gasp. Yes, I just said that. I'm a regular coffee heretic. So, with much spontaneity I swerve into the Spinx gas station and thought, they will have coffee and it will be budget friendly. It was more than that. I walked in and didn't smell tobacco. I walked to the coffee area and I might have heard an angel heralding. Hazelnut, Dark Midnight Blue Roast, House Blend, White Chocolate Mocha, the options! And what lay behind me was the best of all. A coffee bar with creamers chilling in an ice chest, caramel, chocolate, cinnamon, whipping cream. I happily gasped when I saw this, my favorite of all...

 I mean truly. The bottle says it all: Delight. So now, I have my perfect hot cup of coffee and i walk up to pay. The kind clerk adds to my delight when she tells me my blissful moment only costs $1.50, but what happens next is what really did me in. The clerk says, "It's on us." Maybe her watching me make coffee with the enthusiasm of a kid in a candy store was entertainment enough for her, but I am deeply blessed none the less. Sweet moments. I then go to pick up Zeke and have a half hour to just sit and read, car off, without the sounds of Doc McStuffin or Frozen. Just me, my coffee, and the rejuvenating therapy of a practically cloudless 63 degree atmosphere. My heart is full and I am mindful that I am loved. Let me be thankful.

snow much snow

 They promised us snow, and it came to pass. It's hard to believe. Usually down here, they say it's gonna "winter mix", or ice, or "dust" the ground, but this time they said, "Buckle down, flood to the nearest grocery store and empty the refrigerated departments! The snow is coming!" We should have known it might just really happen with the Polar Vortex and all freezing the south this winter. The first snow was beautiful. It caught me off guard, that's for sure. I didn't think it would really do anything at all, but it did of course, and school was cancelled for THE WHOLE WEEK. Goodness gracious. But the snow that came a week and a half later was just wonderful! I was prepared and how could I not be with Dale and John reminding us over and over again every Olympic commercial break that we could prepare to see up to a foot or more of snow! By the time the second snow fall came we were all in the right spirits to enjoy being cooped up in the house for a solid week...and now for the pictures to prove it.

 Hb might have enjoyed the first round of snow more than the second. Something about her fingers being sooooo cold and she JUST couldn't take any more frozen fingertips!

 Don't mistake the snow for gray hair, I pay money for you not to make that mistake

 The Moose's first snow experience. His face cracks me up. He was walking around saying, "oooh!" and making his face shake like he was trembling from cold. Or his face might HAVE been trembling from legitimate cold. 

 Zeke finally decided to come out and enjoy some fun...he was pretty grumpy the first snow go round, it might have had to do with the fact that the snow MELTED by the second day and yet they still cancelled three days of school. 

 This is when he just couldn't take it anymore. He and Hb are much the same. A switch goes off inside them and they realize that THEIR FINGERS ARE FREEZING and it's like a life alert inside them goes haywire or something. Shrills from Hb and headbutts from the Moose come directly after the alert has sounded. 

 Mmmmm, snow cream. Regardless of what falls down from the sky with the snow, it makes a mean snow cream. The moment we see the first flakes start to fall we try to get our snow cream bowl outside. When it's got enough to work with we mix fresh sweetened whipped cream and vanilla with the white stuff. That's fun. 

 Here we have three happy kids who have woken up to school cancellations and white snow all over the ground. The third kid is me. 

 First snowman of the season

 Dance party!

 Sad. But see, buddy, I remember those head butts from the last time I let you out there. I just don't think you can handle frozen digits again. Not without Dad home to help. Sorry.

 Excitement in unison.

 Snuggly movie time. Seriously, this snow break was dreamy and there were minimal bickerings! It was like Christmas break or something!

 Fine. You win. So cute. 

 Going to sled. Thank you Heritage Lakes. 

 See those puffy lips and rosy cheeks on that little man-child? His inner life alert is jussst about to sound off.

 Excitement over snowman #2. He wasn't just ANY snowman....

He's Olaf! Yeah, Dad!

So much snow. And where are we just one week later? 74 degrees and sunny. Classic South Carolina.