Joy of Exhaustion

My mother came for an overnight visit and to spend extra special time with the children.  We had a wonderful visit and my children were able to spend the evening learning a new skill.  I bake bread when the girls have already left for school but we were preparing for a fundraiser held today and we were up late into the night making cinnamon rolls for the sale.  My oldest daughter worked closely with my mom and she was showing her the tricks to the trade of yeast bread.  She learned Grammies technique for kneading the dough.  She did an absolutely wonderful job and I can see that I will be spending time on the weekends baking with them.  It was extra special because since it is only my step father and her at home now, she doesn't enjoy cooking so much from scratch for just the two of them.  So for my daughter she was learning a skill passed down from her grandmother and for my mother she enjoyed doing something she hadn't done for years.  And for me I was so thankful for the opportunity for them to come together and pass a skill down from one generation to another.  I really didn't think that would happen since mom doesn't bake anymore.  My youngest daughter really enjoyed mixing and measuring and learning new things.  Even though it is many of the same things I do with them already, it's always so "new" when being shown by a loving  grandma.  A memory my girls will cherish. 

We stayed up very late last night making chili and cinnamon rolls for the fundraiser today.  I was very exhausted and I know my mom who has returned home today is as well.  I am so grateful for her help last night.  Despite our exhaustion the fundraiser was a success and we were able to raise a good amount for our public library here in our little town.  We had a lot of helping hands contributing to it's success.  I felt a great sense of joy in helping out and contributing to something so important in our community.  I praised my children for being such a wonderful help as well.  They are learning what it is to work within the community and help others.  It helps instill a sense of pride in your community because it is a part of you.  It instills in them a sense of belonging to our community.  It's not just a place where they live, it's a place that they help and work toward making better and providing services for everyone to enjoy.  The library provides so much in this tiny town benefiting all who go through it's door.

The temperatures are supposed to be just a few degrees above freezing tonight.  A true sign that fall really is here to stay!  We were blessed with an absolutely gorgeous fall day today to be outside all day.  When I returned home despite being so tired I decided I had better take advantage of the weather and tend to my potted plants before the true cold set in.  I really enjoyed working in the dirt arranging plants, spreading new starts to other pots and arranging them in a pleasing display.  They are now nestled in on their plant stand ready for a long cold winter with proper soil and nourishment for a long winter.