Come Back, White Witch ...

I'm pretty sure this lovely (and very scary) lady in white might be responsible for the full week of wintery whiteness we just had in our town.

 

 

We were encased in fog and sub-30 temps for days, with the trees completely coated in white frost. Gorgeous! A little winter wonderland.

 

Head a few miles down the hill, and we'd discover blue, sunny skies and temps that were a few degrees warmer.

 

It just so happened that - in the midst of all this wintery whiteness - we saw the Oregon Children's Theatre's production of 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe'. It was like our little city was Narnia ... minus the Turkish Delights.

The actress playing the White Witch did her job well ... scaring the bejeezus out of our poor daughter. I felt so bad. She was a year+ above the recommended minimum age, but I had to peel her off my arm at the end. She's used to Playhouse Disney and OPB ... not Narnia! :-) It was only because the friendly actress suggested the above picture that K got anywhere close to her!

Today, it's gray and rainy outside ... and I want our winter wonderland back! :-) Oh, White Witch ... where are you?! You can bring the whiteness back ... but maybe leave your evil scariness at the castle. :-)

Sweet 'Yuletide'

We were visiting one of my favorite places ... spring, summer, fall, winter, I can spend oodles of time at Al's Garden Center no matter the season.

Their store was a veritable winter wonderland. We were admiring the intricate railroad town. My son couldn't take his eyes off the train as it chugged by again and again.

My eyes, however, were multi-tasking ... watching the train, taking in the beautifully-decorated surroundings, and people-watching, when the most gorgeous shock of color caught my eyes.

I had to investigate. Certainly, this beautiful plant was only flowering during this frigid time of year because it was currently housed in the greenhouse.

I abandoned husband and kids at the train table and made my way over to the colorful blooms. It was a Camellia 'Yuletide' ... a plant that celebrates Christmas by blooming in December with big, bright red flowers and vivid yellow stamens that pop from a sea of shiny evergreen leaves.

Talk about a cure for the winter 'brown-ness' that has overtaken most gardens by now!

Sadly, I do not have the space. But, if YOU do ... run, go get one! Put one of these stunners in a big pot on your front porch and - voila! - your entryway is effortlessly decorated for Christmas! (The blooms last through February!).

Enjoy your week!

A Perfect Moment

This past Monday, the quote on my daily desk calendar read, "To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake, it is necessary to stand out in the cold." (Author Unknown).

I love it when a quote makes you stop and think, has special meaning to you on the day you are hearing/reading it, or reminds you of a special moment. For me, the quote did the latter ... it took me back to the day before. My family was acting as Greeters at church. There weren't too many people to greet, as we were in the midst of a snowstorm and many people weren't able to make it in that morning.

My kids, bursting with joy at the fact that snowflakes were falling from the sky, could barely contain themselves, and were splitting their time between greeting duties and standing outside in the snow.

My three-year old daughter came in and excitedly exclaimed that they had caught some snowflakes on their tongue "...by going like this!!", at which point she leaned her head back, opened her mouth, and stuck out her tongue! Our interim pastor, Pastor Wally, just as excited at the prospect, joined my kids outside. What a sight it was to see tall Pastor Wally, standing next to my 6-year old son and three-year old daughter, as they all leaned back and tried to catch snowflakes on their tongue.

At that moment, I was thinking two things ... 1) Pastor Wally is such a great sport and really good at being 'in the moment' with kids; and 2) They are experiencing true bliss!

Yes, it was necessary to stand out in the frigid air to catch the snowflakes, but - as this quote alludes - it was totally worth it. And, quite frankly, I don't think any of them were feeling the cold at all.

It Worked!

We read "The Snowy Day" last night and, apparently, its magical powers are still in tact ... this is today's view of our backyard! Sledding in progress ....