Hey, everybody!  It has been a long time.  Too long, I know!  I could make excuses, but that would be boring.  Plus, I know you all get it.  Life happens!

So instead of making excuses, I will just fill you in on a few things that have been going on.  My, my (as Reed likes to say now- don't know where he got that) do we have things to talk about!  Tons of new recipes to share, travels to describe, adventurous Little Outdoorsman stories.  This is going to be fun!

Of course I am going to start with Reed!  He is doing great.  We celebrated his fourth birthday in November with a big McDonald's themed party with plenty of balloons (by request).

Only the most sophisticated fare for The Little Outdoorsman.

Four hasn't been much different than three, so far.  The only major difference I can pinpoint is that he has started negotiating quite a bit.  I think we have been watching too many episodes of American Pickers. ​But truly, I love our conversations.  He still has a guitar strapped to his chest whenever he is not outside.

​  And we bought a drum set.  

Four was just another (unnecessary) reminder of how quickly time goes by with this little one.  I often wish that I could bottle up all of the moments we share.  I guess that is one of the reasons I chose to blog!

I am so proud of my handsome man!  Our freezer is full of steaks, roasts, sausage, burger, and brats from his various hunts this fall.

The new job requires quite a bit of travel.  I know he feels guilty about traveling sometimes, but honestly, I could not be happier for him or for us!  I don't know that there are many blessings greater in life than getting to do what you love every single day.  What a dream come true- to see the world and pursue your passion at the same time.  It has been a wonderful change for our family.

The Little Outdoorsman is pretty proud of his daddy, too.

In terms of "out with the old", we have packed away the holiday decorations and settled into the rhythms of ordinary time.  Christmas was wonderful; I felt we were able to keep Christ at the center of our hearts and minds through the season.  Overall, our holiday was peaceful, filled with joy, and abundant with memories.  Although this was our first Christmas after losing three of our precious grandparents (Reed's great-grandparents), we couldn't have asked for a more blessed holiday season.

One of my favorite things we did this Christmas was a "Shepherd's Meal".  I invited my sister and her boys over and we acted out the shepherds in the field story from the Gospel of Luke (with extreme creative license, obviously).  It was a blast!  The boys really soaked everything in.  I grabbed the idea from Sarah and Sally Clarkson's The Lifegiving Home.  It will definitely be an annual tradition in our home, too.

My neice and nephews are growing like crazy, too!  Cha-cha and Poppy, Jacob's parents, celebrated New Year's Eve with us over buffalo wings and fries.  They are rocking out the grandparent thing, as always.  Boaz is nearly two and absolutely adores Reed.  The boys play this game where they steal all of Cha-cha's spices and hide them around her house.

I know who is in charge of this maniacal scheme, but I'm not telling.  I know better!

My parents, Nana and Papa, are also doing well and spend every moment possible loving on their four grandchildren. Reed (far left) and Matt (far right) are still basically attached at the hip and spend almost every day together. Cousins are the best, aren't they? Little Rose (next to Reed) has the most amazing smile and is SO close to crawling. Isaac (the chunker next to Matt) has my heart wrapped around his chubby little finger. He is a conversationalist and has two dimples. Also, he sleeps on me. Game over!

There are a couple of other "new" surprises coming on the nieces and nephews front (not with me!), but I will announce those as they come along...

Finally, we have added something new to our family, too!  Oliver, our dachshund, celebrated his tenth birthday in the fall.  Ten!  Sniffle!  How can it be?!  We decided to add a new pup to the family now that Reed is a bit older. So... (drum roll, please).... I would like to introduce Echo!

The above picture shows Echo when we first brought him home.  You may have noticed him in the Daddy-Reedie camo picture earlier, too.  He is hidden in the bottom-right corner.  Here is a more recent picture:

Echo is a German Shorthaired Pointer.  He was a big handful when we first got him at 8 weeks, but now, at almost 6 months, he has calmed down quite a bit.  To be honest, this little fuzzball has sucked up most of my time this fall and winter.  It is hard work to train a dog!  

​But totally worth it!

Echo is very energetic, so TLO and I have been spending even more time outside than usual!  He is super friendly, a little mischievous, and very clingy to me ( I love it).  Woman's best friend, as they say.

Jacob hopes to train Echo as a bird dog in the future, but for now he is a momma's boy.  That tends to be the trend.

January is such a wonderful time to reflect on the old and new that frames the present season.  Amidst these dreary, short days and cold, long nights, take time to evaluate the new and old in your life, and find the blessings in between!

The rain is melting the snow outside, creating that not-so-perfect groggy and lethargic mood that so easily settles in to start my day.  Will I let it invade, make its cranky bed, and grouch up my heart and home?

As the Mama, that choice is mine.

This week I read an inspiring post by one of my favorite bloggers, Modern Mrs. Darcy, titled "What is Saving My Life Right Now".  I fell in love with this whole concept.  I decided to create a similar post of my own on this dreary February day.  I can't bring myself to keep the same title because, well, (and I laugh as I write this) it just seems irreverent.  Jesus saves my life today and every day.  So while I can't say anything else is "saving my life," there are several things I am doing intentionally to enrich it right now. This time of year, it can sometimes take effort to stay motivated, happy, and, well.... sane.  Ahem.

Winter has been a tough season for me for all of my adult life.  Each fall I give myself a little pep talk about "getting through the winter" and, inevitably, I find myself pale, beat-down, gloomy, and lacking motivation as January wraps up.

BUT...
​
This year I am feeling great!  This has definitely been my best winter in years and years and years.  I am happy, energized, motivated, and inspired.  I look forward to the things I do each day.  I (like to think I) encourage the people around me.  I can breathe, pause, love, rest, enjoy, and create.  I am happy.

So I started to think about what made this year different.  
First-- grace.  No matter how many things I might decide contribute to my "good" winter, I am certain that grace is the #1 player in this game.  God is good, and I am so thankful for His help this winter.  But I've also been more intentional in the ways that I "spend" my thoughts, words, time, and money this winter.  Living with this purpose has given me the best winter yet.  Here are the top three discoveries that have changed my winter:

Is there anything like curling up on the couch or relaxing in the bath with a good book in the winter?  Embracing my love for reading and refusing to feel guilty about spending my time with a book has truly enriched these long winter months.  My "to-read" list includes a mix of feel-good fiction, memoir, short stories, and historical fiction, some brand new, and some older.  I have linked them all to goodreads if you would like to check out summaries and reviews.

I've also included a gallery of some of my favorite books from this fall and winter.  Five stars!  I gleaned these titles from my local library, thriftbooks (my obsession), and the Book of the Month Club.

I am certainly not a model housekeeper in any sense.  Any. Sense. But I've discovered that a clean and pleasant space at home vastly improves my mood.  I keep my space as positive and nice-smelling as one can while working full time with a toddler, a husband changing jobs, and an unruly dachshund roaming the premises.

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Lilac Multi-Surface Cleaner has been my favorite scent of the season.  It brings springtime into my home.  I seriously love cleaning the counters with this stuff.  I just close my eyes and pretend I have a beautiful, fragrant lilac bush outside of my kitchen window that overlooks a rose garden and bubbling brook.

My doTERRA Petal Diffuser is another one of my favorite things this time of year.  I'm not the essential oil expert that many of my blogging peers are, but my favorite oil right now is Plant Therapy's Blues Buster.  It has a citrus-y scent that picks me up no matter the weather, and plays right into my bubbling brook fantasy.  We will add a few lemon and orange trees to my rose and lilac garden, now.  It's looking pretty nice!

The final little trick that I've noticed makes my space feel more beautiful are a few low-maintenance indoor plants.  I have a crazy aloe at home in the brightest orange pot I could find.  I only have to water it once a week and it doesn't take up much space at all.  The others are in my classroom at work- 4 colorful, tropical, thirsty plants that have kept my students and me busy watering and rotating over the past months.  The freshness these small plants bring to my space is incredible.

3. Hobbies and Activities
The last change I've made this year is being more mindful of how I spend my time.  I've found a balance of fulfilling work and purposeful leisure and rest has helped me keep my emotions and thoughts in check.  When I'm at work, I work really hard and pour my heart into what I do.  I'm also taking a few graduate classes that are keeping me inspired and passionate.

When I am home, I am trying to be more present with my family.  I plan activities with Reed (like the volcano we made a few weeks back).  I've made a bigger deal out of New Year's Eve or Valentine's Day than I have in the past.  I've spent more time playing, conversing, cooking, and resting... and less time on my phone.

Lastly, (and I think this is the most difficult one), I am trying to take more time to care for myself.  I take a nap every once in a while, go shopping, or meet a friend for lunch.  One of my favorite things to do this winter has been to work on a puzzle while listening to an encouraging podcast.  Joyce Meyer's podcasts are so encouraging, and her constant emphasis on positive thinking and a renewed, strong mind are always inspirational and useful this time of year.

Another obsession: about once a week I will take a long bath with a favorite book and a paper face mask.  These little moments leave me feeling refreshed, pampered, and pretty- all difficult things to feel sometimes in the winter.

I hope you are embracing your winter just as I am.  I know this time of year can be hard.  Trust me, I know.  But there is beauty and value in each day and moment.  Sometimes all we need to do is figure out what works for us in a certain season.

  So let me know... what is enriching your life right now?

Did you enjoy this post?  Check out some other thoughts in My Soul Food: