Welcome Comforting Monday

It was a wonderful weekend, a busy weekend, a beautiful weekend! We woke up on Saturday morning to a dazzling white world, a rare sight for the deep south! The Cardinals love the chicken feed we supply them with in our back yard bird feeder, and were especially grateful for it this snowy weekend.



I was hoping the snow would hang around for a while. I had visions of a long, leisurely day with my family. We had plenty of food and plenty of fire wood. I would cook up a big pot of chili, and we could do all those things that we rarely have time for during the work week...especially enjoy leisure time together. But, it wasn't to be. The sun soon came out, melting the snow from the roads that lead away from home. Our two sons and our visiting nephew left as soon as roads were clear, off to visit sporting shops around the area. And, since the roads are now clear, my dear husband and I can get out and begin our regular weekend routine too. With a little sigh, I get bundled up to leave our warm fire and thoughts of that big pot of chili to go into "town." I enjoy the trip to town. The rural roadsides, pastures, and surrounding mountains are all still covered with snow. We go to our favorite little home-owned hamburger spot for lunch. Just the two of us. Leaving there, we can't go home without visiting that big ole' department store where everyone and their brother are scrambling around for last-minute Valentine gifts. Dear husband always gets me my favorite candy, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, potted flowers, and a Valentine. But, he hadn't been able to find the potted roses like the ones I have so enjoyed from a couple of years ago, so we travel into the next county to try to find those. And we do ...

...but, by then our Saturday is almost gone. Here it is, Sunday already...Saturday went by in a blur! Taylor is playing guitar and singing in the early service at church today and wants to leave at 7:30 a.m. to be there in time to practice before service. Sweet husband, gets up early to dress and take Taylor to church. So much for our normal leisurely Sunday morning breakfast. We say goodbye to our nephew. He is headed back home after staying with us since Friday night, then the rest of us get ready for church. Our sons go to a different church than we do. They enjoy the big church in town, where there are a lot of young people and lots of activities. Neil and I have gone back to the little church I grew up in. The church we were married in. It's a small church, but everybody there really know each other. It felt like coming home when we walked back in there a couple of years ago after going elsewhere for the last 25 years . After church, we meet our boys at a restaurant for lunch. We usually meet back at home on Sundays for a lunch of soup or chili that we have cooking in the crockpot...but not this Sunday, it's Valentine's day. We barely get home, when someone has to take Taylor back to church for another band practice. Then Neil and I decide to attend our church's Valentine party, so we prepare for that. After the party, we leave our church and pick Taylor up. It's 7:00 p.m. and finally, we're coming home. The weekend is gone now...gone in a flurry of busyness. I enjoyed it, but I also crave home time.
Thus, the reason Monday is such a comfort to me.

~ I thrive on order ~

On Mondays I make my menu for the week, I wash all the clothes we used over the weekend, I vacuum up all the little trails left from the many times we were in and out of the house. The house is put back to rights. Taylor and I get back to our school schedule, to our regular read-aloud time. Yes, he is 17 years old and we still look forward to making our cups of hot tea or cocoa and sitting down for some relaxing read-aloud time. I count my blessings that I can stay home and care for my family instead of having to go to an outside job. I love being a stay-at-home mama. Mama is home with Taylor, while he is finishing up his last year of homeschool. Mama is here when oldest son, Preston, comes home from a cold day spent working outside on his contracting job. Mama is happy to be home when Heather calls from Indiana, just to talk a while. And when Neil pulls up in the carport, after a long, stressful day at work, Sherry is peeking out of the kitchen window, with a smile for him. I am so thankful to be home. I think I'll go cook a pot of chili now.