So Sorry No Video Clips From Last Night. It Was Too Cold For Me To Stay After The Preaching. I Have Lived In The Southern Part Of The USA For Several Years Now, I Should Remember What Cold Really Is Living In Ohio By Lake Erie.

I lived in Ohio for about 50 years of my life and I am now 62 years old. I do not miss getting up in the morning on a wintery, lake affect snow storm day looking at drifts of snow that had to be shoveled. I must admit that it is beautiful to watch as this heavy snow comes down when looking out a window in the warm comfort of your home. I can drive in snowy conditions and even when it starts to blizzard snow. I will not drive in "down south" ice storms that is. I know my limitations and driving on ice is not a pleasant experience. We had to deal with black ice patches in Ohio and you have to have your faculties about you to maneuver out of that. Seen too many accidents on the roadways due to this road condition. They are great at preparing the roads when and during a snow storm in Ohio.

Living in southern states for the last 12 or so years I learned they are not the best in prepping the roadways prior to snow/ice storms. I am not criticizing them for they do the best they can. They just do not deal with this on a regular basis each winter like they do in Ohio or the surrounding northern states. I have found that people do not always know how to drive in these conditions being in the south as opposed to the northern portion of the USA. I remember those days oh too well of trying to break out of a hitting ice patch pattern when you ease up on the pedal and do not brake with the brakes suddenly. Put the car in neutral and turn the wheel with the direction the car is going and then take control again. I do not miss that at all but do miss the splendor of gentle snow falling on the landscape and the trees. There is nothing more beautiful then waking up to a fresh dusting of snow and the trees are graced with the snow on the branches. Also, when ice falls I know it is not good for vegetation but it is so beautiful when it covers bare tree branches. Oh but my oh my the winds coming off Lake Erie could be quite a challenge at times in the winter. Tell tale signs of this are the big, deep snow drifts they carry to your property. Especially by your garage door and you have to somehow shovel to be able to get your car out of the garage and down the driveway. You know, if truth be known, I tend to like shoveling snow and cutting the grass too. I must admit that in some snow storms the temperatures are bitter cold so I would have to go inside on warm up breaks and then go back outside to keep on shoveling the snow.

One more idea ... I used to love to purchase fresh pine garland and decorate the front porch area. I did it a few time while down south and it just does not hold up and live quite as long as it does in the cold in Ohio. I would cut off branches of the pine roping and bring it into the house to also decorate with around the fireplace and I would stick pieces artfully placed in the dining room light fixture and a piece here and there behind pictures on a wall. Wherever the creative eye caught my attention. I must admit what I have seen in the last few years that captivates my attention I see mailboxes are decorated ornately with magnolia swags and ribbons, very festive. I also like that pansy flowers tend to last during the wintertime, and I love when I see others decorate with, I think they are called cabbage rose plants. That is the southern charm I like seeing. I also noticed and am quite pleased with this finding that women tend to wear more fashion boots here. I really like that for my boot collection has grown since leaving Ohio. Boots were more for function there, at least that is how I looked at it. How can you dress up an outfit with fashion boots that really have no traction on the bottom and walk in snowy/icy conditions?

How did I get on this subject? Oh yes, I was discussing cold night outside last evening. It was inviting sitting in my chair in the parking lot as I held my umbrella to catch a little rain drops here and there and a gust of wind also, They had a fire pit going and you could smell the scent of burning logs in the air.

This is a picture Katie (she is Katherine but likes to be called Katie) captured in her years @ either the Disney group or Universal Studios. This was a Christmas parade picture she captured. I always said to her it looks like it could be a postcard picture.

The Vermilion Sailors Football Stadium

Where we lived in Vermilion they were raising money for the football stadium. I sought permission from the superintendent to purchase this brick marker as a family and this sits there today I think. It was a brick paver walkway. Many hours I spent at this stadium walking the track for exercise but also receiving revelation at the same time. I belonged to Moms In Touch International and we met weekly to pray at the Board of Education building. Sometimes we were given the board room to gather in and we prayed but also laid hands on the board room seats, table and the walls while praying. I would pray in tongues. One time we gathered at the stadium in the center of the field and we had communion together. I beleive it was that day I then saw the cloud of witnesses in the sky looking down upon us I shared that with the moms that day. There were 3 of the old testament saints we read about in scripture. Another time at the start of the school year we did prayer walks around the high school building. You must realize that we moms were not from the necessarily same church affiliation groups. We moms gathered to pray for not only our children but for the community children. It was a blessed time in my life and even the superintendent would ask for prayer at times too from Moms In Touch International's faithful prayer warriors, we were that. As we would pray we had the freedom to speak forth in this group gathering what we were being shown and we prayed as a group. Oh 1 more thing, we made baked goods and made trays to bless the teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week. We would drop them off at each of the schools. Please know this was not a huge group of moms that gathered weekly (meaning not hundreds) maybe around 10 at the most. We had hearts and faith to pray for our children and the children of the community along with staff, teachers and administration. If we heard something going on we prayed about it. Moms are very good listeners of their children and astute to the surroundings.

ice storm covering

Over 2.5 weeks overdue, she was born with lots of hair and still has thick, longer hair today.

Katie may have been around this age or so when the side profile chalk portrait was done of us two, Maybe a little younger. I was pregnant with Christopher in these pictures. Doesn't she have a beautiful smile, she sill does even now. Her face lights up when she smiles and that brings great joy to my heart.

I think I will make a pot of chicken noodle soup in the electric pressure cooker this afternoon, sounds good doesn't it?