I don't mind snow at all if I can just stay home and not have to go anywhere.
Snow causes us to stop from our regular routine and I've found if we are prepared for the snow, it can be a great opportunity to pause and just take time to enjoy the day or days at home.
We woke up on Sunday morning with snow on the ground. We were hoping and praying that the power would stay on.
The snow turned to sleet.
It sleeted all day long. We had decided to leave the snow on the ground and not clear until after it stopped.
It would be easier to clear the snow and ice together instead of clearing the snow and then dealing with the ice on the pavement and vehicles. We did pretreat the driveway and sidewalk with ice melt. We ended up with about 5-6 inches of snow and then a layer of a couple of inches of sleet and ice on top.
We stayed safe and warm inside. We read books and Gary worked on a puzzle that I got him this for Christmas. It is Agios Nicholas (Saint Nicholas) in Crete Greece. When we lived in Kokkini Hani, Crete, Greece, we enjoyed visiting St. Nicholas. We would walk around the town, shop in some fun stores, and eat delicious Greek food at a waterfront taverna (small restaurant or cafe).
Disney's 1964 movie, The Moon-Spinners was filmed there. I saw it as a young girl and thought it was exciting to be in a place where a movie I liked had been filmed. It was fun to walk in the same places I'd seen long ago in a movie and enjoy them in real life.
I love this quote.
This can be true about many situations in life.
Things are going to happen. Whether it is snow, rain, illness, injuries, etc. but we can still choose how we will be. I almost always choose joy.
We were predicted to get some significant (at least by southern Maryland standards) snow over the weekend. Snow is fine, but this storm was going to start as snow, transition to sleet, and then freezing rain.
I loved this graphic the Charles County library posted. We are in the 4-5 book range. I picked up a book the library had for me and I also have some other books in my to read stack. Of course, I also have books loaded on my Kindle app too.
The amount of snow and ice changed in the days before the storm.
The big problem with ice is it can cause trees to fall and power lines to break. We are also experiencing colder than normal weather. Which means that this snow and ice will be here for awhile.
Great graphic for ice storm impact implications.
So we started to prepare. Ice melt and show shovels by the front door.
I got our solar chargers ready. The white one is a solar lantern and a solar phone charger.
Every year for Christmas I buy the Aina and Kissel family emergency preparedness items. Over the years they've gotten lanterns, emergency heat, rain ponchos, emergency blankets, whistles, compasses, fire starters, etc, Everyone got these battery powered emergency lanterns and batteries for Christmas.
I also purchase three of these emergency radios. They can be solar charged and also have a hand crank. It has a flash light and can also charge phones and other devices.
We have blankets, a gas stovetop, a gas fireplace, and lots of flashlights. We also have non perishable food and water ready. Since we are on a well and septic, we will fill the bathtubs with water before the storm hits. The pump for the well won't work when the power goes out. You can flush each toilet once and then we use the water in the bathtub to flush the toilet when there is no electricity.
Gary brought the tractor around to the front by the driveway. Gary taught Clay how to drive the tractor and operate the bucket to pick up the snow to clear the driveway. He made sure the battery was charged, the gas tank was full, and then he covered the seat and steering wheel with trash bags to keep them clear and dry from snow and ice.
We were as ready as we could be before the storm hit.
We read The Patchwork Girl of Oz for book club this month. Melissa picked the book and led the discussion. I had read several of the Oz books when I was in elementary (K-8) school. This is the seventh book in the series. There are over 40 books in the series. L. Frank Baum wrote the first 14 books beginning in 1900. This book was published in 1913. Other authors have continued the world of Oz in many books.
Melissa also provided a yummy snack, rainbow colored fruits, cheese, and crackers. Colors play a part in the story.
We had a good discussion. It was an easy read.
Jess picked Akarnae by Lynette Noni for our book for February. It is the first book in the Medoran Chronicles. The description says this series offers a new slant on magical parallel worlds - it's Harry Potter meets X-Men, with a twist of Narnia. It sounds like it should be a fun read.
Just some reminders to take time for yourself and to enjoy each season as it rolls around.
I started my Observation #2 rounds with my three interns.
I observed a Fundations (phonics) lesson in first grade class at Dynard on Monday. The school is in the middle of many farms.
It is a small school and I know a couple of staff members who used to teach at Carver many years ago.
On Wednesday I went to Piney Point to observe in a third grade class learning multidigit subtraction. I love the cows right next to the staff parking.
I stopped in to see Franci. She used to teach at Carver.
I saw this picture of my Aunt Carol on the Facebook page for the retirement community she lives in. I love my Aunt Carol and miss her. We hope to get back to Indiana some time this year.
On Thursday I was back at Piney Point to observe a second grade class estimating measurements and then actually measuring lengths in inches and yards.
I had all three post observation conferences after school on the day I did the observation. Observation #3 and the midpoint evaluation is due February 6, so I'm sure I'll be doing three observations that week too. I enjoy doing the observations and working with the student teachers and their mentors.
On January 10th Sarah, Abby, and I attended the Women of Light DC Regional Relief Society Conference at Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center. It was a big conference with so many women and it was amazing.
We got a hotel room and went up the night before. We rode up with Kellyn. We stopped in Brandywine and ate dinner at Cheddar's. I'd never eaten there before. It was good. We all tried different things. Jess joined us at the restaurant and then rode with us to the conference. We stopped at Target after dinner so Jess could get a water bottle, since she forgot hers.
Abby posed for me in the Target spot.
We got to the hotel, registered, and got to our rooms. Sarah and Abby went up to Kellyn and Jess's room to play some games. I decided to stay in our room and just relax.
I looked at the schedule of classes and I also read for a little while. I was just settling in to sleep when Sarah and Abby came back. We chatted a bit while they got ready for bed and then went to sleep.
I woke up a little before the alarm and went ahead and got ready for the day. Sarah got up when the alarm went off and got ready. Abby got up last, but she got ready quickly.
We met Jess and Kellyn in the lobby and went to have breakfast. It was a nice breakfast at the hotel restaurant. Abby had a breakfast sandwich on ciabatta and the rest of us had omelets. After breakfast we went up to our rooms and finished packing up. We met Kellyn and Jess by the door to the parking lot and took our suitcases out to the car and got the diapers we brought to donate to the Greater DC Diaper Bank. The conference attendees donated many diapers and lots of moms and babies will have one less worry when they are able to receive some of the donated diapers.
Then we walked the entire length of the hotel and conference center to get to the conference registration area and get our nametag lanyards. There were so many women and it was "controlled chaos" getting to the right area to get our badge. The good thing is everyone was kind and patient as we searched for the correct area and waited to get to the front of the sea of women. It worked and then we made it to our first session.
Jess and I went to Women's Role in Building the Kingdom by Eme Martin. She is an amazing speaker and I took a lot of notes. Sarah and Kellyn ended up joining this session too since their first choice was full.
She shared a quote form Sheri Dew and a couple of video clips.
This video is called, You Are The Women He Foresaw.
Sister Martin is on the Relief Society General Board. She asked, "How do we build the kingdom of God?" Sis Martin quoted from Sis Neill F Marriott's talk in the April 2016 Conference: "We build the kingdom when we nurture others. We also build the kingdom when we speak out and testify of truth."
She asked how we can nurture others and took some responses from the audience: text messages, love notes, thoughts, gestures, encouragement, car pooling, prayers, conversations, hugs, saying hello, looking for opportunities to serve.
Share the Savior's love.
Take it one step at a time.
Be the light in the lives of others.💓
For the second session, I joined Jess, Kellyn, and Sarah and we attended Choose to Trust in God, He Has NEVER failed and He NEVER Will! It was taught by Sis Ava Tasker-Mitchell. I thought she seemed like a teacher as she gave her presentation, asking for audience participation and involving people also. I actually checked later and I was right she is an educator. She's been a teacher, an administrator and currently trains school leaders.
She started by defining trust. I loved how she referred often to scriptures Proverbs 3:5-8 was mentioned and Luke 21
She encouraged us to learn more about the Lord and spend time with Him. She also asked us to think about how the Lord shows love to us.
She shared four points:
1. Pray with a purpose
2. Seek the Lord
3. Develop fortitude
4. Focus on the Savior and have faith to spiritually progress.
So much to think about and this was only the second hour of the day. I'm glad I took notes and pictures.
The third session I attend was Rekindling Faith in Jesus Christ - Finding Answers to Questions by Bro Seth King. It was another great session.
Questions
We all have many questions and get asked many questions.
When are they good questions and when are they bad questions? I've had lots of questioning practice for teaching and it has helped me often in my family and in other situations.
A question is not good when it doesn't give you the information you want. For example, don't ask a child "Do you want to clean up your room?" if you want the room cleaned. A better question would be to ask if the child wants to clean the room now or at a set time you decide. Or ask if they want to clean by themselves or if they would like your help.
Sometimes giving that choice is gets the result you want and you can set the parameters.
I love this picture!
Here are his Five Keys to Finding Answers
He talked about Enos and his wrestle with God, which had me thinking about when we covered this in Inklings since it was mentioned often in the October General Conference.
Bro King told us that when we ask Heavenly Father to help us, we should think about what we really want and be intentional. Find the words to express what we want to ask. He also said we can tell Heavenly Father that we don't know what to say, but we want to commune with Him.
I like #5 Be Like Jesus... Ponder and trust what you don't understand.
The Savior was asked to do much harder things than I am asked to do and He will also be right there beside me as I go through trials and challenges.
Remembering to reach out and ask for help and comfort is an area I need to continue to work on.
Being intentional and thinking about what I really want, will help me to find the words to use.
All of the three sessions I attended were awesome. It was amazing to be surrounded by so many wonderful women all striving to become better women of light.
Next we went to pick up our box lunches. It was another controlled chaos moment trying to get a box lunch and then find my people. While we did that, the conference center staff was converting the 4 separate ballrooms into one big open space for our keynote speakers. We had an hour and a half to get our lunches, find a space to eat, find our people, and talk about our sessions from the morning.
Once they had the hall ready, we could go in and get a seat. We staked out a row of seats.
We gathered as many of our ward members as we could find to take a picture before the speakers started.
Three generations 💓
When you see your friend who is one of the organizers of the conference, you take a quick picture before she leaves the stage. Thanks Michelle for all of your hard work to make this conference come together. Hopefully it is just the first in a series of DC Regional Relief Society Conferences.
Eme Martin was the first speaker. She talked about what matters most. Some key points I wrote down were:
Don't get distracted by the busyness of the things that aren't eternally important.
What is the focus of your faith?
The present is where you are converted.
The past is where history, even your history is.
The future is to be determined.
Study the faithful not those who fell away.
Matthew 22-29
I loved sharing this wonderful weekend with my Abby.
The next speaker was Barbara Morgan Gardner.
Her talk was about Olives, Olive Oil and Lamps. She shared this photo of different types of oil presses that are used to get the oil from the olives.
She talked about the parable of the ten virgins from Matthew 25.
She talked about how the oil is the covenants we make and keep. The wise virgins had made and kept covenants. They paid the price to to be at the wedding feast. They knew Him.
What price are we paying to know Him? Am I consecrating my life to know Him?
Nothing like snuggling on your mom's shoulder.
The last speaker was Bonnie Cordon. She used to be the General Young Women's President and is now the President of Southern Virginia University.
She shared this picture of a beautiful stained glass of the Sermon on the Mount that is at SVU. It is stunning. It is a reminder to center on Christ. She reminded us to teach those we are called to teach to pray and teach them to whom they are praying. We can see light, we can be light.
Some other key points that stood out to me were:
God honors our agency. He will be as present as we allow Him to be.
We get to decide if we are going to walk with Him.
Sometimes we need to refine our questions to get the answers we need.
God listens to us.
Repentance is a daily process.
Moses 5:8 center our life on Christ, add the light.
Call upon God in the name of the son forever.
Trust in the Lord
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust the Lord He will be there forever
Ether 2:6
Come unto Christ but don't come alone.
We talked with Bonnie Cordon after the conference. I told her I was here with my daughter and granddaughter. She looked right at Abby and said, "You're the granddaughter."
She moved in close to Abby, face to face and talked with her like they were the only two people in the room. She told Abby to bring her Grandma to Jesus. Abby told her, my Grandma brings me to Jesus. She told her to continue to bring her Grandma to Jesus. She talked to Abby for a few minutes and told her she would change the world. It was such a powerful moment.
Our little group, including Nicole from the Lexington Park ward with Bonnie Cordon.
We also got to talk to Eme Martin and Barbara Morgan Gardner after the conference. Just the five of us talking with them like old friends. I love the sisterhood of Relief Society.
It was a wonderful conference. So many things to ponder and think about. A big thank you to all the presenters and the stake Relief Society presidents who put this conference together for the sisters of the 16 stakes in the DC Region. It was a great day!
