So much snow fell today and when it stopped briefly this afternoon we had a treat just outside our back window as the view was simply breathtaking.

I cannot believe Christmas is only 5 days away. I am not as ready for it this year as I normally like to be. All the issues with the kids’ health and whatnot have taken a toll on me. I am trying to get over a particularly nasty cold as I type this. I had wanted to post a few things about some of my handmade gifts that I will be giving this year but as I look at the calendar I am realizing I have all but run out of time. Instead I think I might pay a visit to some posts I have previously written that are appropriate for this time of year and weather.

Some recipes worth revisiting:

• Spicy-Herb Roasted Nuts
• Mulling Mix for Apple Cider
• Hot Buttered Rum
• Ginger, Lemon, and Honey Tea

I do believe this will probably be my last post this week (maybe even for this year) seeing that the big holiday is so close to being here. I want to wish all my readers a wonderful Christmas and a safe and merry New Year.

In just a few weeks we went from this:

to this!

I woke up this morning to find about 5 inches of snow on the ground with it still coming down pretty heavy. The kids were super excited and could not wait to get outside and dive into it.

I can’t believe winter is still roughly 3 weeks away. It sure feels like winter outside today. Perhaps it will help me get into the spirit of the holidays. I am struggling with feeling overwhelmed and not so ready for the holidays to be here this year. That is making me a little sad as I normally really love this time of year.

This week we should hear back from my son’s doctor and the results of last week’s colonoscopy. I am anxiously awaiting those. I am hoping they will shed some light on what is happening with all my children as they all have digestive problems in some form or another.

I am trying to find some time (and energy! the baby still does not sleep through the night, ugh!) to make everyone homemade gifts. Last year I was able to knit everyone on my list at least one gift. I don’t know if I will be able to pull that off this year! I’m at least going to attempt to make the kids some things. I did some online shopping at Etsy the other day for the kids’ gifts and will try to share the really cute finds later on this week.

How is late fall shaping up for everyone else?

The insanely hot and long heat wave that we have been suffering through is supposed to fade away by the middle of this week. I cannot wait for cooler weather to arrive any longer! Every morning has been a challenge making sure every plant and garden bed had sufficient water to make it through the blistering afternoon heat. Watering containers on my deck twice, sometimes three times a day has been getting old and I am ready for a break!

While out dousing my container grown plants one morning I spotted some garden visitors that had originally showed themselves last year.

Some readers may remember my puzzlement as to why so many Pacific tree frogs had taken up residence in my backyard garden. I never really figured that one out and pretty much chalked it up to the very wet spring we had that year.

Last week was the first time I have seen these little guys this year. I was actually pretty excited to spot them and gathered all my kids to show them off. We huddled on the deck staring at them before I ran and got the camera. They didn’t seem to like being photographed and hopped into the massive comfrey to hide.

They obviously like my choice of using old coffee cans as pots for some of the mints I grow because that is where I would find them hiding out every morning last week. I would water a coffee can of mint and up would hop a little tree frog and perch on the edge of the can. They would sit there and stare at me for a little while as though saying, “Excuse me, but do you mind not flooding us?!”

Seeing those cute little frogs every morning made going out to water over, and over, and over not quite so bad.

Sorry if I have disappeared from the blog world this past week. I did not count on the heat zapping my energy and desire to do anything. As Karen from Greenwalks put it, it was far too hot to blog last week. I hope to get back up with everyone’s blog (as well as my own!) sometime this week. Now, come on cooler weather! We’re waiting on you!