A Brisk Week

This week was brisk in many ways.  It has gone by quickly (is it Friday already?!), and it has also been CHILLY.  Yesterday, we welcomed our first snow flurries.  Of course, nothing stuck to the ground, but there were unmistakable flakes falling to the ground.   Never mind the fact that it was eighty degrees in North Carolina yesterday.  Here are my favorite memories from the week.

Monday

Our last glorious day of MEA vacation.  Who knows what we did?  Who cares?  

We were all home together.  It was wonderful.

Tuesday

Back to school, back to the routine.  *Sigh.* With the big bears back at school, Buddy Bear and I made the most of it and snuggled on the couch for some story time.

Wednesday

On Wednesday, T got done with work early. We made a family trip to Ikea to do some serious home improvement shopping.  Two hours (!) into our trip, the kids had already watched half of Toy Story on a TV in the lighting department, and there was still no end in sight.  T offered a break and dinner upstairs in the cafe, and we took him up on it.  We watched the rain pour down from our window seating as we dined on meatballs, mashed potatoes and free (Wednesday evening special!) dessert.  Refreshed, we finished our epic trip with success and made our purchases:

A rug for the kids' room

Lantern lights for the playroom

Lamps for the living room 

Reading lights for G-Bear and E-Bear's beds

(seriously, you would have thought we were living in the dark ages)

A bedspread for the guest room.

Thursday

Thursday was a cold, windy, rainy (and snowy!) day.  It was a perfect morning for the kids to wake up to a house full of new light!  Our house was warm, cozy and illuminated, just in time for the stormy weather.  Buddy Bear found his new favorite spot, sitting on the kitchen floor in front of the heater.

Friday

Today we enjoyed a playgroup in the morning and a house full of G-Bear's friends in the afternoon.  Once again, I was grateful for our new lighting!  Even more so, I am thankful for the new friends we are making, each one of us, despite only being here for eights weeks.  

Did I mention that we also got a new baby cousin this week?  Way to go, Aunt K!  

This weekend we'll be carving pumpkins, visiting with friends, rooting for Alabama and preparing for the end of October.  How is it possible?   Thank you, Lord, for the blessings of each day, whether brisk or not.