we had such big plans for the day: cutting down our christmas tree to trim tomorrow (rose sunday!), decorate the inside and outside of the house, attend our saturday service at church with a great ham and potato dinner to follow (with lemon-sauce gingerbread for dessert!)...but snow came. and snow has a habit of changing even the best laid plans.

our house is almost decorated, but there is no tree. the christmas tree farm that we drove to this morning at 9:42 a.m. wasn't open until 1:00. and adam slept until 3:00 at which point it had been snowing already for half an hour. at which point it had been decided that the saturday evening service will be canceled.

the snow is heavy: it's an icy snow, gorgeous, and has blanketed all other sound except for the snow falling on the bare tree branches. and our busy day has halted into a day of cooped-upness. it's darkening outside now, and the twinkle lights that we do have up...the rearrangement of the furniture in the living room allowing room for a christmas tree...the fireplace in the back of the house...the tea kettle steaming for yet another cup of tea...it's all adding up to a cozy evening inside, warm and safe.

my dad and kenny have just returned with some takeout and beer from the local watering hole. i'll put on some christmas music and maybe whip up a batch of gingerbread for our home enjoyment.

advent is for waiting and preparing. maybe a day of canceled plans helps us to sit back and wait again, refocusing our thoughts on what is to come....