Once again this year, The Gardner Museum will open the Festival of Trees exhibit on November 10th and will run through December 3rd at 1pm. Please click on the link in the previous sentence to see more information directly from the Museum’s website and there is a flyer about the Festival below.

I have to be honest and say that I wanted to go last year and just couldn’t fit it in. This year, however, it will be an event in my calendar to be shared with my kids and it will not be missed again. I have heard that the trees are beautiful, amazing, thoughtful, special and more along with all the other items in the exhibit. There are wreaths, baskets, dollhouses and the trees each have their own theme. I think it would be a great way to kick off your holiday season. Enjoy!

Sometimes I think we should be careful what we wish for as they may not be the wishes that we NEED and therein lies the problems that can follow. I have many wishes and prayers that I look now and the door had been closed, but because I am stubborn I just had to keep reopening it. Now, I realize that I should not have been so stubborn as it would have been better if that wish and prayer had not been answered.

Unanswered wishes and prayers are also a blessing if you do not stew about what wasn’t received and learn from the why of the word “no”. Let’s use an example and this is just a simple one~please please please can I just get through this traffic jam and get to work…I can’t be late again and I have so much work to do and I wanted to leave early so I could be at this party and I need to get my nails done and what about that report…oh come on can we just move it along here sheesh ~ you get the drill right? Well, sitting right beside you there is a person in another car that seems to be having trouble and you get out to help them. Because you pulled over and got out to help YOU avoided being in the accident that was just ahead and the end result is a blessing that may have been missed if your wish had been answered immediately.

Personally, I like to wish upon a shooting star and I make wishes when my kids blow out their birthday candles that life doesn’t come at them too hard and that they grow up to be all they can be. They don’t know I do that though so please keep that a secret. Below are some of my wishes in general…

I wish bad things didn’t happen to good people. I wish here was no such thing as cancer. I wish I lived closer to some of my dearest friends. I wish people were nicer to one another and smiled at each other and said hello when they pass by. I wish material items where not what mattered most. I wish I could say just a few last things to the ones I love that have gone to heaven in person and not in the letters I write. I wish goodbyes were not always so sad. I wish pain and hurt could be wiped away with kiss and a bandaid. I wish kids would talk more before making rash decisions. I wish honesty was more commonplace.

Those are just a few, but I bet you have your own wishes and prayers you could add to this list. I believe wishes should be whispered in love and not as a bartering tool to later be forgotten after our current need may have been met. Wishes are meant for the greater good of any situation whether it be ours or someone else’s. Wishes are heaven sent and heaven given and if they are not answered, remember it was for your own good that it was not granted and move ahead to the next wish. Looking back is only a good idea if you can see the grace and the gift that was sent in it’s place.

I am thankful for all the unanswered wishes in my life….how about you?

Well, we have made history ~ We have at least 24″ here and I hear many of our surrounding towns not only have 2′ or more, the downed trees and power outages are wreaking havoc. My yard was spared, but others in town were not. We never lost power, but others around town were not and some of my family in Leominster are still without it. I love the snow, but this was early and Mother Nature really gave us a beating. Here is a link to lots of footage of the OCTOBER STORM from Channel 5 News.

This morning I took a photo of just how much snow was on my patio table and then decided to show you on video just what our Snowtober Storm looks like. I hope the roads and walkways will be safe enough for the kids to get their treats because this trick was a bit much wouldn’t you say? Elijah and Zach were having a great time shoveling the deck and then snowball fights ensued….gotta love the Elmo pajamas right?

Happy Snow Day Templeton!

I have to be honest, I am disappointed we did not have much of a Fall as that is my most favorite season of the year with the beautiful colors and crisp cool air , but the snow shimmering in the sunlight early this morning was mesmerizing and amazing. It’s magic!

Last night was perfect snowman making weather and it got me thinking about all the things you can make into snowmen so here is a link to an article about just that idea. ALL THINGS SNOWMAN

Last year the kids and I made these awesome snowman cookies and it was a fun learning experience for my kids in the kitchen along with creative outlet for their endless supply of energy.

So, instead of complaining let’s look at the “magic” that is in everything around us and make the most of the time we have together with our family because the next winter storm is knocking on Templeton’s door and is expected to arrive tomorrow evening.