{Theme Thursday} Fences {7 in 7}

Continuing with the week where it's hard to blog because there's just so much great to read with 7 blog posts in 7 days....pretty sure all my library books will be due before I've even opened them at this rate.  There are THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY bloggers participating.  Just the 30 I know it's nearly impossible to know what the heck is going on.

Last week, it was a balmy 32 degrees (the wind chill is back down to -22 today) so, linking up with Theme Thursday for a look at fences, with some snow play mixed in:

Sweet Pea looks innocent, but that snow ball has Little Bean's name on it!

Get to work baby!

Notice that lovely gap in the fence?  Yeah, we had a tree taken out over a year ago and haven't put the fence panels back up yet......I hear the frost line is 40 feet down in these parts, so it's going to be a while longer!

Trying to protect herself from the baby bully

Why, yes, that fence does stop abruptly at this end too!

Working together to build a snow fort

And, the piece de resistance!

My little snow princess on her throne....and the fence has not been photo shopped out - just for today's theme!

Kelly was also awesome (every day, but today especially) to bring back Third Person Thursday.  So linking up with her!

"Hell is frozen", she thought.  "It must be cold there, I can't imagine heat being a punishment".  All around the house, the wind whistled.  Gusts tested the strength of every window and door.  

Ceiling fans lay dormant, a remnant of a forgotten time.  The glistening white of past snows had faded to a dirty gray.  All around the ugliness of nature in collision with man showed its filth.  

"This winter will not end.  We are entering a new age.  This is how we live now." she mumbled to herself while scraping the frost from inside the car window.  Pictures of apocalyptic freezes flashed through her mind.  

Annery's skin ached from the cold, the wicked wind biting into her as she navigated the ice field of her sidewalk.  In a final cruel trick, the sun returned to melt the piles of snow, just enough to create a hazard at every step as the melt froze solid each night.

The car started slowly, resisting the call to action, until finally giving way with a sigh.  The engine began its slow, unending battle with the world, fighting to maintain fluids in a liquid state.  Finally, the air blew lukewarm and movement was possible.  

Creeping from its spot, the car struggled through the icy spots of leftover snow.  Annery turned the wheel wide, all thought to lanes of traffic ignored in an effort to get around the banks of snow left in the street by 'clean-up' crews.  

The gauge on the car showed a dreaded state; gas was needed.  Annery grudgingly pulled into the station.  It was not the price she cared about, but the act of standing outside the vehicle.  In front of the sign reading that it was a state law to stay outside while the gas was being dispensed, Annery began to ponder the punishment for breaking this particular law.  "Maybe they keep the prisons warmer than my house", she thought.  "I could probably get a lot of reading done."

With temperatures 60 degrees below normal, Annery decides the punishment might be worth it, just to get out of the wind.  Luckily, the tank is full as she contemplates criminal behavior and she is saved the choice of freedom or warmth.  

Climbing back in the car, she thinks through the list of places she must go that day, and changes her mind.  Nothing needs to happen in this weather.  Perhaps she will never do anything again.  Annery cannot remember sunshine, her backyard seems a useless waste of space.  This is it, the beginning of the new ice age.   Archaeologists someday will look back on this time with fascination, meanwhile Annery's hopes fade like the Matchstick Girl's.

I did get my errands done, but it is truly a brutal winter we're having.  I do have a couple matches in my book, but I'm close to the end of my rope with this winter that's been going since the middle of October 2013.  I know I live in a climate with seasons, but last time I checked, there were four, not one.

Next week is read-all-the-posts-you-missed week, yes?

{Theme Thursday} Thankful {TPT}

Theme Thursday/Third Person Thursday - a day late.  

 Thanksgiving was just around the corner.  Annery set aside all day Wednesday to make pies for her family's feast.  She was up early, sorting through ingredients for the four varieties her family would enjoy; caramel apple, pumpkin, pudding pie, and cheesecake.

In addition to the pies she'd agreed to make, Annery's daughter, Little Bean, had added a special request; jello.

With water heating and pies baking, the day was running oh so smoothly.  Then, the phone rang.  It wasn't family or friends calling to say "hello".  It was a phone number that sent panic straight to the heart of her, surely something must be wrong with Sweet Baby for that number to be on her phone.

Annery answered the phone, panic setting in.  The voice on the other end quickly reassured her that Sweet Baby was fine, in fact, the voice wondered, could Sweet Baby possibly get her hair done today?  Annery pondered her plans for the day, would she have enough time to bake all the pies and spend over two hours in transporting and styling the precious Sweet Baby?  She would make it work.

A few hours later, Annery was driving 30 minutes across town to pick up Sweet Baby.  Sweet Baby now goes to a new daycare, and it took Annery a bit of time to find the actual location.  Once inside and past the ID and sign-in station, Annery took a couple wrong turns on her way to SB's classroom.

At last, the correct door in the labryinth located, Annery peered inside.  She scanned the room to find SB.  THERE, there she was, playing with two baby dolls at once and smiling.  Annery hadn't seen her in over a week.  The sight of SB so happy and at ease in a new setting both relieved her and pierced her heart in one moment.  Her baby was okay.  Then, SB spotted her.  The toddler shrieked with delight and yelled, "MAMA!".  A little crack in Annery's heart sealed.  Her baby had missed her.

SB went wild with delight, laughing and running around her preschool room.  After "hiding" behind a rocking chair, SB was delighted when Annery swooped her up.  Sweet Baby pointed to all the many items of interest around the classroom, showing them all off with pride.

Finally, the initial delight subsided enough to get a wriggling 2 year-old into her winter gear.  Then, walking hand in hand, Annery and Sweet Baby set off.

The ensuing hour covered highs and lows.  Sweet Baby, always the busy bee, had a hard time sitting still through the hour of hair braiding necessary to bring her beautiful hair into the requested style.  Yet, the worst was still to come.

After little more than an hour in her home, it was time to put on coats, shoes and hats and get her back to her new home.  SB resisted the idea at every turn.  Annery's youngest sister had spent the day helping Annery with the girls, and her heartbreaking plea as her aunt placed SB in her carseat was, "don't leave me!".

Annery stepped in to buckle SB into her carseat.  SB went wild.  She cried and clawed in the direction of the house, anxious to go back inside.  Cries of "MAMA!!! Hold me!" rang through the car and Annery tried to remain calm and buckle the devastated child into her seat.  SB continued to sob, as Annery walked around to the driver's side of the car.

Trying to calm SB, Annery reached a hand back to hold her little hand as she drove.  The crying gradually lessened.  Slowly, the sweet girl seemed to catch her breath.  Annery reminded SB that she is loved and missed, but that it wasn't Mommy's turn to have her right now.  This seemed to sink in a little, and eventually, SB was singing along with Adele.

The drive came to an end and Annery helped SB into her house.  SB seemed happy on her arrival.  Annery covered SB's face in kisses and promised to see her in a few days.  Then, she composed herself to spend the evening with her other daughters and niece.  Parting never gets easier.  Especially when there's a tiny child begging you to stay.

It's been a hard year.  Some days are better than others.  Some moments in the same day are better than others.  Really, this year, I am most thankful for my family and friends.  Not in the, "they're so nice to have around" kind of way.  While that is true, I'm thankful for them this year in a, "I don't know how I would get out of bed without all their support" kind of way.

They've been understanding of my foul moods and coaxed me out of myself when I started to slip into depression.  I don't like to ask for help, and I don't like to show my pain, but they have stepped up to walk with me through this dark time.  They've been patient with my mood swings and let many a snide comment pass as my grief manifested itself in ungraceful ways.  

As much as my faith has buoyed me through this time, my family has been the visible face of it when the darkness closes in around me and the prayers dry up.  

My father made a toast this year at Thanksgiving, thanking my mother for her faith in God.  He said looking around the table, he could see the fruition of that faith.  My parents didn't have us because they were wealthy and it was easy, they trusted in God for His providence, patience, and love, and this Thanksgiving, many of us gathered around that table and my father could see the fruits of that trust.

So, if you do nothing else, put faith in God for your family.  If there is no time of sowing, there is no time of reaping.  God is faithful.  I say that to you, having seen my parents' sacrifices for us, and in the midst of offering up the loss of my child.  God is faithful, and there will be much fruit.  If you don't accept the burden, you'll miss the blessing.

My father thanking my mother for her faith in growing our family

{Theme Thursday} Cold {Third Person Thursday}

Joining Kelly at This Ain't the Lyceum for a little Third Person Thursday and Mary Kate at Why, yes, I AM crazy who's filling in for Cari at Clan Donaldson  on this Theme Thursday.



"These people are crazy", she thought.  Annery sat at her computer, finally taking the time to post an entry on what was quickly becoming her favorite blogging day.  Talking in the third person and sharing pictures?  That ranked as two fun challenges and Annery was FINALLY taking a break to join the fun.  Well, right after she figures out what' going on in the kitchen with the 8 y/o using the soap grater to grate cheese on her taco....or maybe she doesn't want to know.  Ignorance is bliss, after all.

It's been a long week.  Annery can feel an ache radiating from each joint.  Days of moving boxes, patching cracks, waterproofing and painting has begun to take its toll on Annery's energy, as well as her patience.

The basement crew comes on Monday to reinforce all four basement walls.  In the time before they arrive, Annery has become determined to patch and waterproof while there's still access to the entire wall.  This would have been a great plan if she'd thought of it four months ago when the crew was scheduled.  Maybe even three months ago when she started moving stuff around the basement to make room for the crew's work.  Even two weeks ago would've been genius compared to the self-imposed madness of this week.

It all started with the playroom.  Annery surveyed the space and decided it would be fun to have a bright wall color.  Then she realized the large plates to stabilize the wall would be hard to paint around, then she thought about how those plates would have space behind them that wasn't waterproofed.  Her house is truly the "If You Give a Pig a Pancake" of projects.  There's always something that needs to be done just so she can get to the project at hand.

And that's how she found herself in her paint clothes Monday morning.

 Annery filled in all the multitude of cracks she just seemed to be noticing.  The walls began to take on a strange pattern all their own.

 Convinced the house was moments away from falling in around her, Annery let the wall set overnight.

Tuesday morning, the wall was still there.  Chagrined and relived in near-equal measures, Annery began painting on the gritty, hard to work with, waterproofing paint.  "No wonder it waterproofs", she thought, "it's cement - I'm painting on a NEW WALL!"

Wednesday morning brought a trip to the hardware store.  Well, more accurately, two trips to the hardware store.  The second trip resulted in Little Bean choosing a color for the basement walls.  Well, Annery told her a shade of orange or yellow were her choices.

Satisfied with her work in one corner, Annery decided the rest of the basement needed at least patching and waterproofing before the basement crew arrives, so she knows the craziness will be continuing until Monday morning when the crew arrives.  Not to worry, at least her husband is gone all weekend at a gaming convention.  *sigh*  Little Bean is going to earn her keep as big sister entertainment for Sweet Pea this weekend.

After a long week, Annery reached Thursday morning.  It hit her too early with a pre-dawn trip to the gym.

She was less than enthusiastic about leaving the house so early, especially since it was COLD, and especially when there are words like "wind chill" being thrown about, making the air that much more artic.