Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful!

So I am sitting in my basement right now unbelievably grateful for my house and heat!  It is all of about 3 degrees at present with an expected plummet to -6 by morning.  O my word is it cold!  You would never guess that just yesterday I went running outside in a racerback tee and capri running pants.  Lordy.  It shouldn't surprise me so much after, all we do live in Colorado, but goodness!  We even have about 4 inches of fresh snow coating the ground.  Outside really is a winter wonderland even if it is treacherous driving!

The Merry season is upon us and the snowfall today just makes me smile, Christmas is coming.  Sure its hectic and busy, but I just love this time of year.  Our tree has been up since before Thanksgiving (yeah, we're that family), and our stockings have been hung on our hearth with care.  My freezer is stocked with all things cranberry and pumpkin and there is a cinnamon scented Scentsy in my living room.  My home dances with lights and coziness, ahhhh, I love it.


We just finished our supper group last night with our friends from church.  We did an ornament exchange and gathered together for a picture.  I love holidays, it brings everyone together.

Evie has discovered how wonderfully entertaining hanging beneath the Christmas tree can be.  With all the multi colored lights and ornaments she stays in a state of wonder for a good long while.  Lily is simply in awe with all of the ornaments and has made it her mission to take off and show Evie all of them.  I know when Lily has been doing show and tell because the ornaments get put back on the tree in the same spot.  So there is a line of 3 to 5 ornaments back to back weighing down one wee branch of our tree.  How cute is that?

I had this brief sorrowful moment today recognizing that one year ago this coming weekend was the last time I saw my Grandma Fran.  Don't know why it hit me, but I let the memory wash over me; that memory of her hug as she left for Arizona.  Something small told me it might be my last earthly hug so I made sure it counted.  I miss her.  One year without her has been long, thank heavens in the grand scheme of eternity its nothing.

Although much has happened in the past year to bring tears to my eyes, this holiday season I am joyful.  But with little girls like this under my tree, how could I not be?