Winter has come marching in…
Winter has well and truly arrived in North Wales. We woke on Wednesday to snow-capped hilltops and a scattering of snow in the garden. I, of course, was thrilled! I LOVE snow and seeing the countryside cloaked in her winter splendour. We were certainly not expecting to wake up to snow, the weather reports had said that snow would be falling in Scotland and in areas quite a bit further north than we are. Perhaps it is a sign of winter to come.
As I travel along the country lanes, I can see all the hills of the Clwydian Range covered in snow. It makes my heart sing! This is what I missed for so long living in suburbia. It is good to be back out in the country where the drama of the seasons is played out before your eyes. It allows you to connect with the natural rhythm of the seasons and slow down. I’m acutely aware of my place in this world and the mental space that I have to ponder on simple things. Being removed from the bustle of town living has made me realise how we can so easily get caught up in the current of busyness, and swept along without realising that we are drifting further away from who we are at heart.
In this last week and a bit of November, I am taking a bit of time to plan out the holiday season in our home. It’s going to be a busy one. We have my mother-in-law out from South Africa staying with us for a few weeks. I’m excited to show her the beauty of Wales … this piece of the UK that I feel so rooted in already.
We also have a group of friends traveling up from Devon and London to spend Christmas with us – there will be 14 of us in total! As I have one small oven in our new home and a Rayburn, I am learning how to cook on the Rayburn as it will need to be put to work on Christmas day.
We took the decision to switch it on this week given the icy temperatures. The idea is that once it is on it stays on throughout the winter. It essentially is more than an appliance to cook your food. It is also keeps your home warm and in some cases, can be used to provide hot water. Ours is just about cooking and heating our rather large kitchen. It is incredibly effective and things cook remarkably quickly in it. We have discovered that we need to turn it up a bit about 90 minutes prior to cooking to get it up to temperature and then we turn it down after cooking so that it keeps at ‘simmer’ temperature through the night and the next day.
I am loving this traditional cooking range and don’t think I want to be without one in whatever future house we may buy! Today I washed our bed linen and hung it up to dry in front of the Rayburn. The Linen was dry within a matter of hours and I haven’t had to resort to using the tumble dryer. I’m thinking that the bottom compartment would be great to prove bread dough. I think I may embark on a little project to find out all the traditional and useful ways I can use my Rayburn. It taps into my ‘old soul’ nature and the love that I have for traditional living and crafts.
Your Opinion Counts!
I wonder…how many of your are still homeschooling your children? How many have moved on and are now in a different life season? How many are in-between seasons like we are now, technically in autumn but WOW…it feels like winter!
I know many of you have been reading this blog for a while. Maybe not, maybe you are new here. Either way I would love to know where you are right now and what type of things you like to read about. Are you wanting homeschooling content? Christian encouragement? Christian homekeeping? Something else?
Some of you have been visiting this little space on the web for many years. I want to stay connected and understand what life season you are in, so I have created a short survey – nearly all of the questions are either multiple choice or check-box options. There is only one short form question and that is optional – you don’t have to type a single word if you don’t want to.
Would you mind completing my survey? Your response will guide the content, resources, and encouragement shared on the blog and in future offerings.
I know that there are many demands on your time so I just want to say thank you in advance! I really do appreciate the time that you take to have your say and help me shape this blog.
Building a Community
As I shared in my last post, I have and always have had a heart for the home and my role as a Christian wife, mother and homemaker. I feel like I have entered that Titus 2 stage in life…you know, that ‘older woman’ who has lived through a few things and can hopefully pass on a little insight into some of life’s seasons.
I wish that I had known someone like that when I was in the teen years of parenting, in the high school years of homeschooling. I feel like I would spent less time worrying and more time enjoying the season I was in.
When we reached the end of our homeschooling journey, I wish I had known someone who had gone through that transition, who understood how immensely happy I was to see my children thrive but how very broken-hearted I felt of having to let go of them and of a season of my life that I felt so completely was my purpose.
I wish that I had known someone who could come alongside me during those empty nest years as I desperately sought my “what next”. I think that if I had had someone say, “relax. Allow yourself the time to grieve, to discover, to explore, to truly seek God’s will in this next season”, perhaps I would have found it easier. Less confusing and bewildering.
So my dear, dear friend…please know that I want to be that person for you because not all of us know of a Titus 2 woman who can speak into the unique season we are plunged into at the end of our homeschooling days.
Not all of us know of a Titus 2 woman who has journeyed the same path we may be in now, whether that be thinking about homeschooling, in the thick of it, or in that empty nest season where our role in life needs to be redefined once again.
This has been a long post so if you are still here, thank you! If you feel led, please do click on the link below and help me to build a community that is supportive and a blessing to you.
