It's Snowtime!!

Snowy greetings from Ransomville!! We woke up this morning to about 6" of snow. So much for all the talk of this area being the Miami of the north! Now I wonder what else they told me that wasn't true, LOL?! But it was a perfect backdrop to the Advent sermon series PB is doing called, Christmas in Narnia. As most of you know, I am the only one moaning about the snow in my family, the guys are all outside romping in it as I write.

Greg is excited to use the $50.00 snow blower he purchased. Remember my post way back when? I was hoping the mere purchase of a snow blower was my insurance that we wouldn't need it! It did need a part and Greg just got it back this past week, so he is happily taking care of the driveway. The boys of course did what they thought best, made snowballs and had a war with each other. Oh they fun!

We traveled back to Rochester yesterday. It was Greg's first time back since we moved. They drove with me so I could co-host my annual Ornament Exchange. For the last 8-9 years, I have had an ornament exchange to kick off the holiday season. Even with all the moving we did in Rochester as Greg changed churches, there is a core group that has been there from the start. Each year I have included some new people so it has been a neat time of sharing with old and new friends. I wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen to my tradition when we moved here but I have wonderful friends who figured out a way to carry it on. Jackie co-hosted it with me, providing us a place to have it. Everyone brought a dish to pass. It was strange for me to host something that I hardly had a hand in. I am used to decorating, baking and cooking and doing most, if not all of the preparations. But the most important part was being together and it was wonderful. I took my camera and after everyone left, I remembered it so I have no photos to share with you. When we decorate our tree every year, the ornaments I have gotten at this event are some of my favorites to hang. It is nice to think back to the person who gave it or some of the funny and serious moments we have shared in our time together. Many tears and much laughter have taken place over this simple sharing of ornaments. I am so grateful to my friends for making sure we carried on the tradition. And I have a beautiful glass ornament to add to my tree this year.

We have baby news to share, well, not "we" exactly, but my brother. Chris and Melissa welcomed their second son, Logan Daniel on Thursday, 11/29. One day before Chris' birthday. All are doing well, we can't wait to meet him and hug him for ourselves.

And there is a bathroom update. Boy, is that a funny statement??!! The plan was, and I think still is, to just give it a new coat of paint. The wallpaper is all down. Greg removed the vanity, medicine cabinet and toilet tank so he could access the walls behind those items. And as with most jobs, it is never quite what it seems so to be. He found wet drywall behind the vanity as a result of a leaky pipe. And he found what I think is black mold or at least really bad mildew behind the toilet tank because the tank was right against the wall and the wallpaper must have trapped the moisture from it. The drywall spackle he used was bad or cheap because it bubbled up and caused pits everywhere. Now he has to re-spackle those areas. And since this is all happening in his "spare" time, we are without the use of the bathroom and will be most likely for some time to come. We did momentarily consider buying a new vanity even though we said we wouldn't but it appears we may not be able to do it anyway. The placement of the pipes in the wall prohibit us from using an off the shelf vanity so we would have to custom order something. Not likely to happen. And moving the pipes is even more unlikely to happen!! It was only supposed to be a coat of paint!

Well, that is enough for today. Thanks for stopping by and sharing a moment with us.
Blessings on your week.