Sunday, March 23, 2008

Happy Easter!

Today was the last of our first major holidays in Minnesota. I can honestly say it was an Easter like I've never had before. First of all, it was SNOWING today. Nothing major - just flurries, but definitely the first time that's happened to me.

We don't have any pictures from today because we ran out the door for breakfast at church this morning and didn't think about the camera until we were halfway there. Oh well. Maybe I'll get the kids all dressed up again and we'll "pretend" it's Easter another day.

After church, we spent the afternoon at some friends' for lunch and an egg hunt for the kids. It was so fun and relaxing! Our friends here have really taken us under their wings and they're always making sure we have someone to be with on holidays or any other special times. We usually end up at the farm with Britney's aunt and uncle, but we went there yesterday for lunch. So, today we were with friends! And my friend Gretchen is the best! She made homemade cheese straws because Paula Deen says that they're truly southern. Gretchen wanted to give us a little taste of home. And they were VERY good! Thanks, Gretchen!

We hope all of you had a wonderful Easter and were able to stop in all of the busyness of the day to remember what Jesus did for us!

Thursday, March 20, 2008

What a Difference a Day Makes!

There's a saying in Minnesota that goes, "If you don't like the weather, just wait 5 minutes." There have been days when that really is true. I remember last summer is was damp, windy and cool. Within just a few minutes, the wind turned, the sun came out and it turned into a beautiful day.

Well, here are two pictures of the same tree in our front yard. One was taken Monday morning. The other was taken yesterday - when we had no snow and temps in the 40s. I guess this is spring in Minnesota!

I wonder what today will hold? Supposedly rain, but we'll see :)

Monday, March 17, 2008

Not Another Stinking Snowstorm

Apparently my last post was a bit premature. Although last week we enjoyed temps in the 40s (a heat wave!), winter is not over here yet. After all, it's not officially spring until later this week...

Here is the forecast: Today - SNOW - 100% chance Tonight - MORE SNOW - 90% chance; total accumulation 4-8 inches

There is also a chance of snow for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

I knew when I woke up this morning that it was going to be a dreary day since everything was shrouded in white. But, as hard as I tried to be grumpy and as ready as I am for spring, the Lord wouldn't let me be and I found myself smiling as I walked by the window, again amazed at the beauty that waits for us outside. Even if it is COLD :)

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Green

That's what I saw when I looked out the window this morning - GREEN!!!!!! You have no idea how good that felt. The snow is melting pretty quickly, and the grass is peeking through. Actually by now, it's more than peeking. It's been in the 40s the last few days - a far cry from the below-zero temps we had for so long!

Spring is definitely in the air. We played outside today for probably 4 hours. It was warm enough to be out with just a sweatshirt, and I even walked down to the grocery store this afternoon - both things we haven't done for months.

The winter was long and cold, but actually not as bad as I was expecting. Yes, it's a lot different than winters in Georgia, but it's beautiful just the same. To look out over all the fields and see nothing but white is actually quite amazing to me. And there were days when it really looked like a winter wonderland when the dew had frozen on the trees and they were completely covered in ice, yet the sun was shining. To know that the same God who made the snow also made the beautiful green that they will be in just a few short weeks. This is truly some of the most beautiful land I've ever seen. You can see for miles and if you're out in the mornings just as the sun is coming up, it's absolutely breathtaking. It really makes me wonder how someone could deny that an awesome God created this. There is no way something this beautiful just happened.

Did I miss the winter in Georgia? Sure - parts of it. But I can honestly say now that having lived through (and survived!) a Minnesota winter means that I will appreciate spring and summer more and more. I can't wait to get outside and plant flowers and maybe even a vegetable garden. I can't wait to take the kids to the lake and watch them swim and play. And I know that when fall is here again and we're at football games and the pumpkin patch, winter will be just around the corner. But, now I know I can handle that too. I look forward to our second year here and enjoying God's beauty in all the seasons!

Six

I think I've been in denial the last week which is why I haven't posted this yet. Ashlyn turned 6 - SIX - last Thursday. Wow. I can't believe I have a six year old.

She had a great day! She told me as she was going to bed that night that it was the best birthday she's ever had. I know her teacher, Mrs. Erdmann, does a wonderful job making the kids feel special when they have to go to school on their birthday. Ashlyn got to wear a birthday sticker and crown all day at school. She got to take cupcakes with sprinkles on them for snack, eat supper at Pizza Ranch (her favorite restaurant) and got some great gifts all on the same day!

Ashlyn had a small birthday party on Saturday with 4 of her friends. We made flower necklaces, played Kiss the Frog (a princess version of pin the tail on the donkey), have a tea party, decorated treat bags, ate cake and ice cream and played hide and seek. It was a great day and there were some very sweet little girls here. They even included Carter in the fun and games - with no complaints or coercion from mom!

Ashlyn - you are such a sweet little girl. You know what you want and aren't afraid to say it. I hope that confidence follows you all through your life. You're known in your class this year as the nicest girl. I hope that follows you too! I love you and thank God every day for blessing me with you. Happy Birthday (a little late...)!

Oh yeah - you can check out pictures from the big days here.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Cyberchase

I don't know how many of you will even know what this show is, but it's one my kids like. It comes on PBS.

Anyway, for those of you not in the know, it's about 3 kids - Matt, Jackie and Inez - who get sucked into cyberspace to help Motherboard fight off Hacker. Why am I blogging about this? Because I'm sitting here at the table watching my kids play Cyberchase. Ashlyn is Inez, Carter is Matt and they're trying to work out problems with their tractors.

It's too funny!

Monday, March 3, 2008

Before And After

This is a topic I hope to be able to blog about much more in the near future. There are some minor changes that will make a big impact planned for the Fransen house in the near future. But, for now, I've finally finished Ashlyn's room. Her first room. The room she was in when we first moved here, but then decided she wanted the room with the balcony, but then changed her mind again and wanted the bigger room she was in before. So, that's where she is now. For good.

I feel like this post is worthy of some background since you really don't understand how long I've been working on getting her room "finished." It all started this summer with this project. Then we had to wait for the roof to be fixed because when I finally got all of the wallpaper off the ceiling, we discovered a leak in the roof that had been camouflaged by the wallpaper. Then we had to wait for the ceiling to be fixed because the plaster was sagging where the roof had leaked and all of the lathe was rotted underneath. Now all of that has finally been done and Ashlyn decided that she really wanted the big room after all. *Sigh* (No wonder I'm tired all the time!)

So, this weekend while Britney was gone ice fishing, I decided it would be a good time to prime and paint Ashlyn's room. I just really needed to feel like I could finish something. I have a couple of other projects going, but I've lost my motivation on them because they're taking FOREVER! Anyway, I got the room done and here are the before and after pictures. All that's left are curtains and some artwork I'm looking for. Hopefully I'll have both of those in the next couple of weeks. And a rug might be nice :) But, the main thing is that I have quite a happy little girl tonight and all just in time for the birthday on Thursday!

What's next you ask? Stay tuned to find out...