*Don’t worry Mom, I’m still the only woman for Josh.  Read on and you’ll understand.*

Josh has always been a coffee drinker.  When we registered for our wedding, we signed up for a Krupps Espresso/Coffee Maker combination.  We used it about 10 times, then I proceeded to accidentally break most of the moveable parts.  Then we switched to a cheap, regular coffee maker with a timer on it.  The idea was for me to make Josh’s coffee the night before and have it set to brew as he woke up.  You know, like those Folgers commercials…”The best part of waking up, is Folger’s in your cup!!!”  That worked, until I either forgot to make the coffee, or Josh forgot to take it with him.  So we just kept the coffee pot around for gatherings for our guests.  Well, the day before the “big snow,” we went to Target and invested in a Keurig Coffee Maker.  It’s one of those machines where you put the little “K-Cup” in the top, press it down, push a button, and by some miracle, it brews a single cup of coffee!  It’s perfect for my husband, because I don’t drink coffee, he does, and can still quickly make one for himself before he heads out the door to work.  He also discovered there are a variety of teas and hot chocolates available as well.  He accidentally ordered two 50 packs of tea and hot cocoa, so if you’re ever in the neighborhood, stop by for a cup!  I know the Keurig will never replace his love for me, but it comes in a close second, especially on these cold winter mornings!

(sorry for those of you who read our Family Blog…these photos repeat)

While there is about 6 or more inches of snow outside right now, we did have one semi-warm day last week.  The girlies and myself took advantage of it and went outside to play with some bubbles.  The last time Emma, my oldest, blew bubbles, she wasn’t very good.  In fact, she got super frustrated so we purched one of those automatic bubble blowers from Target that looked like a hippo.  It has since died, and Emma wanted to try blowing bubbles the real way this year.  She did a pretty good job.  Brooke, on the other hand, didn’t even try to blow and at times seemed afraid of the bubbles.  However, like in everything else, she began to copy her big sister and laugh & chase the bubbles after a while.  Here they are enjoying their day!  Now you can feel sorry for the three of us stuck inside, especially if you are reading from an area that has more spring-like weather!

See this poor little tulip?  Covered with snow, trying to break free of winter’s grasp?  That’s how I feel right now…like a little flower yearning for Spring, yet covered with Winter’s ice.  I think I go through this every year.  When the hulabaloo of Thanksgiving, Christmas, & New Year’s are over, there’s not much to do, especially for the stay-at-home mom of two young girls.  My days are filled with staying in because it’s too cold to go out, coughs, sniffles, mentoring sisterly arguments, entertaining an almost four-year-old who thinks things are “boring,” and basically just cleaning up the same mess over and over again.  It sounds depressing, I know.  And sometimes it is.  So, I thought to help lift me, and possibly YOU, out of these winter blahs, I’d post some signs of Spring.  Who cares what Punxsutawney Phil says, right?  We can still have a little Spring early.

Here are some photos of flowers I’ve taken over the years.  I don’t always know what to do with them, but nevertheless, I still keep taking them.  They are yours.  Take them.  Drag them and drop them onto your desktop.  Use them to brighten your winter as you wait for spring.  And I will leave you with this quote: “If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”  ~Josh Billings

Christmas? Thanksgiving? Fall? Winter? You plug in “whatever” (as my 3-year-old says) and it’s fast approaching! Halloween is over, the leaves are turning glorious shades of orange, yellow, and red, and it’s getting a wee bit nippy! Don’t forget to reconnect with loved ones near and far this Christmas season. After all, it is “the most wonderful time of the year!”

A sample Christmas card