Snow Days

I wasn't sure what to say when The Farmer's Daughter suggested we make Snow Day posts. My snow days have been pretty lazy. I had already done all of my prep work for both of my jobs this coming week, and I don't have papers to grade. When the snow really started to fall, I was a bit upset because that meant I wouldn't get to use my lesson plans that I spent several hours putting together. And they were good this week. So when The Farmer's Daughter made the suggestion, I was not planning on following through because I didn't want to admit my laziness and I was bitter over the large amount of snow that caused school to be cancelled so many days.

Today though things are looking up. I still am here at the house and there's still a foot of snow covering the yard, but things are looking up. I could leave now if I wanted to do so. This morning I decided I was going to try to clear my driveway even if it took me all day...and it would have, especially once I discovered that there was no shovel to be found. Turns out, it's locked in the garage, which since I'm housesitting I have no access to. I spent about an hour with a broom and bucket clearing the short walk from the house to my car and the six inches right around my car.

Then a miracle happened. A neighbor came trudging across the yard and flagged down another neighbor with a tractor. As I type this, the tractor is clearing me a path out of the yard. I was envious of another neighbor who had someone on a tractor clearing his driveway while I was using a bucket and a broom, but now I'm a bit shameful of that envy. God provided me a tractor. I just had to do a bit of work myself.

You know, I think a lot of things in life are that way. Our selfish nature is to assume that things should be just given to us. I don't think that's how God always works though. Yes, some things, such as grace, are given to us freely even though we don't deserve it, but sometimes God wants us to get a bit dirty and sore first. That's what happened today. God wanted me to get out there and do some work myself before he sent along a tractor. The hard work made me even more thankful for the tractor, because my broom and bucket would have taken me a long, long time to clear that entire driveway.

This was taken sometime in the midst of the snow falling on Monday.

This was the last measurement I took. I'd say we got about a foot out here.

My efforts to clear a path with a broom and a bucket.

After the tractor made a couple of sweeps across the yard.

Hey Farmer's Daughter, I just saw my own sort of tractor pull! A tractor pulling snow!

These are a few of my favorite things...

Looking down our blog, I realize almost all of us have made lists in our posts lately...I think lists are really easy to read and it makes the post look so organized. So, I'm going to cave to peer pressure and follow the trend. I'm not sure why I have the urge to make this post, but I've been wanting to make a post of some of my favorite things. In a way it's sort of a spin-off on the 'thankful' posts like Martha S. and Captain Something Fun made...because of course, I'm very thankful for my favorite things. Here goes:

1. Fru fru coffee/ espresso drinks (and coffee shops)...as the other Twenty-Somethings know, I love the comfort, low-lighting and of course the specialty drinks of coffee shops. Anyone want to meet up at one sometime soon? :) Also, I recently bought a carton of Starbuck's Peppermint Mocha iced coffee drink at the grocery..it was a splurge, but it's pretty good!

2. Pinterest. I could spend hours on there and still not get enough. I have been getting alot of good gift ideas off of there lately...and ideas for Christmas crafts too!

3. Baking. This is especially a favorite around the holidays. It's so much fun trying new recipes and sharing the goods with other people. Buddy the Elf said "the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."...I think the best way to spread Christmas cheer is actually baked goods. ;)

4. Christmas movies (and music)! Oh, I need to get to re-watching my old favorites and remembering to turn on the Christmas music, because they both make me happy!

5. Crafting...I absolutely love being able to make things for myself and the people I care about. As I mentioned in my last post, I've been knitting alot and I find making things to be a great stress-reliever. If you're looking for another reason to start knitting or crocheting, check this out, it's a craft that's good for your health!

6. My family's pets. Speaking of stress-relievers..it's so nice to live with and around so many animals. They're a good excuse to get outside and take a walk, plus they're always around to hug and love on whenever you need it. And...they always greet me with a wagging tail when I come home late and my parents are asleep.

7. Taking Pictures! Since getting a smart-phone I don't take nearly as many high-quality photos as I have in the past. But, high-quality or not, I love taking photos. Right now I'm participating in a December photo challenge and I'm posting a photo everyday to Instagram. Most of the photos have something to do with the Christmas season and I think it's kind of a fun way to get into the spirit of the holidays. Plus, I always love looking back at my old photos.

8. Jason. Last, but certainly not least. I love this boy to death. He isn't a thing, but he is my favorite.

Of course, this is only a few of my favorite things. Time to wrap it up though and get back to being productive! I hope you're all having a lovely start to the Christmas season!

The Farmer's Daughter

Some pictures.

Pictures! The pictures finally cooperated in getting from my phone to my computer so here's the photos from my baking adventures last week.

This is the recipe I began the bread making adventure with.

Mixing the dough. This mixer ended up being too small.

The dough is ready to rise. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the baked loaves. Now they're gone....

My mom doesn't like cucumber so it's up to me to eat the ones people bring to us. I was going to make a cucumber and tomato salad but we didn't have vinaigrette, lemon juice, or anything else I could find. I tried to use vanilla yogurt. I wouldn't suggest it. Plain yogurt would be better.

I'm still working on some more pictures.

Today I drove 20 miles to Smithland where Livingston Public library is located because I heard they were having a book sale. Maybe it was a bit far to drive to look at books that I don't need, but oh well. I bought East of Eden (John Steinbeck) and Ben-hur. I'm not sure when I'll have time to read these books but here's to hoping I find time.

Yesterday I finished pulling the wallpaper off our kitchen walls. If my mom will get some sort of caulking or something to patch the holes I will be able to help her get closer to painting. I'm trying to convince her to use a mustard yellow since it's already on part of the wall. She wanted a light blue but covering the yellow that's already there may be too difficult. By the way, never put up wallpaper in your house. It's just a pain to remove.

Other than that I've just been chilling at the house. I do get dressed but I'm not sure why because some days the only time I leave is to go on a walk with my mom in the evening. Soon I'll start the process of packing for college. Next week this time, I will be at the school with my teacher getting ready for the teens to arrive on Wednesday. Eek!

-Granny Eyre