This year, I was hoping to do another type of ‘day in the life’ post each month. But, they often tend toward a week in the life. So far, this is what January has held for us. It isn’t over yet! But, it has shown itself to be most definitely a winter month.

We ended up with a snow storm right after the new year. With the Illinois winds, we weren’t able to calculate exact amounts. Some drifts were taller than my ten-year-old. But, we guessed that the first snow was between 7-9 inches and the second a few days later added another 2 inches or so. That is the most we have had that stayed around for several years now.

One of my seven-year-old’s favorite meals is a taco bowl. We also do taco salad with chips and lettuce. This night, we tried some homemade sour cream on top. A nice quick meal that is certainly a crowd pleaser.

One large item on my list has been for the kids to go through our books and decide on some they wanted to donate. We are a book-loving family, and so this is no easy task. When I mentioned it to them, the bookshelves were immediately emptied, one shelf at a time. Wow…! But we got through it and were able to donate several boxes of books to some student teachers for their classrooms.

My ten-year-old was put in charge of making a few desserts recently. We tried baking a giant skillet cookie in muffin cups – perfect! He also made an apple cake for our church’s monthly fellowship dinner.

My sweet mom and I were able to meet some life long friends in Paducah this past week for a time of fabric shopping, lunch, and gifting. We had a wonderful time! Here is my precious, handmade doll, all dressed and ready for her road trip! My best friend made this doll for me several years ago and now every time we get together, our dolls come along! Unfortunately our mutual friend (who also has a beloved doll) wasn’t able to make this get together. But we are hoping for another ‘meet in the middle’ day sometime soon!

Finally, just housecleaning and homemaking. I enjoyed being home and getting some things in order. We did our homeschool; the kids went sledding with their grandpa; and I got caught up on some home projects. I love going into the weekend with a clean home!

How are you enjoying winter?