Sunday Evening Post, issue 15

A photo from this week:

The Other Wise Man

Jaan... has been making paper snowflakes and German stars almost non-stop. If he keeps putting snowflakes up on the window, soon we won't be able to see out! It's fun to see him working on crafts with such concentration and focus.

Raia... had thoroughly enjoyed all the holiday fun. She finished it off this morning by getting sick on the way out to a Christmas visit at a village church, though. Poor girl! Whatever was wrong with her seems to have passed over by now, though.

Asya... said her poem! Over and over and over. Once again, she refused to say it in church, at the Christmas service, but afterwards she went around with the Sunday school children to visit housebound babushki, and she said it for every one of them. She insists that she can't say it at church, but when I asked if she'd say it for babushki, she replied, "Of course!"

Baby... is probably having a growth spurt. Or else, why am I so tired and hungry?

Will... has been so busy! He helped with daily prayer meetings, a funeral, the Christmas church service, caroling, the children's Christmas program (lead role in the play!), village trip, and probably more than I'm forgetting.

School this week: Christmas break.

My books: I just started reading Ann Voskamp's book on my Kindle, and I'm forcing myself to go slowly, one chapter a day.

...and knitting: This has been The Week of Knitting. I'm having so much fun! Instead of school for Jaan and Raia, I've been learning new knitting techniques myself. I started a pair of baby pants to match the sweater and hat that I already finished. I'm out of yarn for that project now, but before I ran out, I learned the infamous Kitchener stitch. Then I started on the December afghan square. Fair Isle knitting is new for me, and I couldn't do it very well with just my usual way of knitting, so I picked up English style knitting to go with my Continental/Russian. Now I can knit with one color in each hand!

A quote:

Gratitude is what makes the past a grace, here holy, and tomorrow a gift.
--Ann Voskamp

Weather and nature observations: Snow! We had several days of sledding and our white Christmas. I realized that I hadn't specifically prayed, asking for snow. I did, and the next day it came. Right now it's starting to melt and looking kind of spring-ish outside, but I think there's more winter to come.

Other news, ministry, notes and miscellaneous from the week: I'll try to continue posts about individual events.

On this (actually, yesterday's) date in. . . 2003: I'm linking to this, even though it's yesterday's date, because of the baby pictures of Jaan. It's been a while since I've thought about him as a baby.

Just a few things I'm thankful for...

• the white Christmas that I wanted, as a direct answer to my prayer
• a wonderful holiday season
• flurries of paper crafts
• children who clean up (or try to) afterwards
• movie nights of Emil from Lonneberga

My question for you: What are you excited about for 2011?