Snowmen for Lunch

In planning our snow-themed lunch, I looked on Pinterest for ideas and quickly decided I was out of my element. As a busy mama with limited time and abilities, our lunch needed to be Sara-friendly, meaning something that didn't demand much time, attention, or food artsy skills. 

Last year's craft became
this year's decor

I used to dream of doing a blue, white, and silver snowman-themed meal with food served from footed plates and with white lights and sparkly snowflake garlands for decor. But as the years passed, my dreams melted, and I finally purged my collection of blue plates when I needed elbow room and storage space more than I needed blue plates. So when a snowman lunch finally happened, it was a gaudy collide of color which was probably more fun for children anyway. 

Tiny red cups by the fork held
snowmen-shaped candies

A few cute signs made simple foods fit our theme.  

These are peanuts, by the way. I don't
purposely feed six children
chocolate covered coffee beans.

We invited friends to join us for lunch, and Gail brought darling snowman fruit kabobs, served in a hill of snow. 

I chose snowman-shaped pizzas as our main course and felt smart for substituting Alfredo sauce for pizza sauce. No bleeding snowmen for me! The crusts were cut from tortillas, the noses were wedges of pepperoni, and buttons and eyes were circles of olives.

After lunch, we made snowmen luminaries with Gail's endless craft supplies and excellent tutelage.

Isn't he snow cute?

Even the mess is artsy. I love it. 

Only one snowman has its candle lit
 in this picture but each one has a
battery operated tea light.

We enjoyed our snow-themed afternoon enough to do it again sometime. I can see my future self opening Pinterest just long enough to remember the reasons we stick to simplicity around here. Likely, I'll ask some friends to join us, tapping in on their creativity and energy. We will go away, like we did this year, warmed by friendship and snow-themed memories. 

What I Learned When I Read the Bible Chronologically in One Year

Words by Marlene Ruth Brubacher and posted with her permission. Image sourced from Pixabay.

In 2019, I decided that The Time Had Come to strike out alone for the far shore. My quest: to finally read the Bible through in one year. And to read it chronologically, following this plan I found online.

I did it.

Yes, sometimes I fell behind. It was a stiff schedule, and took time and determination. I had given my aunt Katherine permission to check up on me throughout the year; she didn’t often, but the accountability kept me going.

What did I learn?

I leaned I was dreadfully lazy. In the beginning of the year, reading three or four chapters a day sounded overwhelming. It wasn’t; I just had to grow some muscle. *

I learned that I was woefully ignorant about Biblical context. I thought I knew that you must always read surrounding verses. But there is a significant difference between studying Ephesians 2:14 in the context on verses 1-22, or reading the book of Ephesians in one gulp.

I learned that I was woefully ignorant about Biblical chronology. It’s why I had chosen that challenge, of course, but I lacked a big-picture view. At last, I feel like I understand how all the kings and prophets fit together, and where the book of Acts and the different epistles correlate.

I learned that the inexhaustible Bible is perfectly suited for a year’s reflections. I started on January 1, crisp and clean, and the Book opened with “In the beginning, God…”; I ended the eve of December 31, the end of the decade, with trumpets and glory and honour, with “Even so come, Lord Jesus”.

Will I do it again?

I hope so. Not this year; I’m ready for a different program. But someday I hope to repeat the challenge, the stretching, the growing. We’re poised at the brink of a new decade, and despite all the clever quips about 20/20 Vision, nothing will clear our sight like immersion in the Word.

*This is my personal testimony; I am not trying to shame anyone else. If you are an overwhelmed mom of five preschoolers, please know that as I have peace with God and with my fellowmen I am not trying to burden you with one more task. He sees you reaching for Him in the swirl of diapers and dishrags, and He meets you there.  

Meet the author: Marlene Ruth Brubacher lives among the mines and pines of northwestern ON where winters bring -45 C, and summers bring loons' yodels on sparkling lakes. She is a cleaner, baker, writer, and editor who thrives on coffee, poetry, and global friendships.