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I've been fighting feelings of dread lately. The wind has been whipping around the house making the siding creak and growl. It's been grey and rainy...cold. As much as I want to embrace all that fall is I struggle. Fall leads to Winter and therein lies the rub. I need color. I HAVE to have color and there isn't any for months. I have to literally fight feelings of wanting to run away. It's that bad.
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So I was complaining to my mom the other day, looking for sympathy or compassion or something and she said and I quote...suck it up! What??? That's not what I expected from my momma. She said it's a season, it's part of life and you just need to deal with it. Well geesh I know that, but I want to wallow and feel sorry for myself. Where's the love?? But you know what...she was dishing love. Giving it to me straight, and she's 100% right. If I look at these next few months in a positive way and not dread it, my attitude will adjust too.
I'm making a list right now of the things I like about Fall and Winter and I'm going to try really hard to embrace the season that's coming and not DREAD it. So who's with me...anyone?;) I think this can also apply to other areas. Are you struggling with a job that you hate or going through a storm that seems never ending? Let's "suck it up" together and trust that the Lord will help us make it through;) Okay so here's my list:
1. I can pull out my hats and scarves:)
2. I can light my fireplace.
3. I don't have to shave my legs;)
4. Thanksgiving is coming and I get to go home.
5. When it snows it's sparkly and I love that.
6. Comfort Food
That's all I got for now. I'm sure it will grow. Feel free to help me out if you think of some good stuff.
Have a blessed day.
oh girlfriend...i hear ya. this day has me in a funk...more of a funk then i have been in. i just picked up some D3...the sunshine vitamin...hoping that will help a little this winter.
ReplyDeletei need to get something done today!
I don't know if I can help you out. Our Wisconsin winters are pretty dreadful....
ReplyDeleteI think I need my mom to tell me to suck it up!
I feel for you ! really I do.I lived in Il.Dixon matter of fact.34yrs. I know that cold chill that comes through the air.Brrr ! Just thinking about it.Get the blankets out.My good friend Bren(who loves gloom and doom rainy,snowy days)likes to rub it in my face how much she loves it.EEWWW.Sorry Not Me! I could maybe take it if I really had to.I still have family there.My husband packed up his law office and we moved out here to AZ.On the outside of Phoenix.Nice subdivision in a cute little cottage by the lake.We been out her since July.Honestly I watch the weather channel at times,so I appreciate the warm sunny days here.I wish I could send you a warm and sunny day!Hang in there chick!! Chickie
ReplyDeleteLove your list! I'm stealing #3, #4 & #6. :o)
ReplyDeleteI love it when my mom is "straight up" with me. I like knowing where I stand, even when it stings.
I struggle with these same feelings...
ReplyDeleteTo add to your list, I enjoy the Christmas lights. Something about how they light up the night sky..LOVE that. ;-) Also, more inside time = more crafting time!
Hey Girlie ~ This is FUN!
ReplyDelete1. No weeding/garden guilt
2. Christmas!!
3. Cross-country skiing : )
4. Major snuggling
5. Down comforters {see #4}
6. Spring break {and we'll need it!}
Keep adding to your list!
And you always have friends to
take you out to lunch...somewhere
colorful!!
Big Hugs,
xx Suzanne
Dearest Becky, I was just thinking about you this morning and wondering how you were doing with the upcoming winter! Cheers to you for "sucking it up!" I see some new inspiration around your corner!
ReplyDeleteGirl - you bring on the very reason(s) that I love Fall and Winter... It's cozy. I get to not just "hide" but rather "Dwell" in this season. To dwell means to linger over...to abide for a time.
ReplyDelete1. Light a few extra candles
2. Snuggle more often
3. More times of Spontaneous Hospitality Tthere is a story here. Real quick. We neighbors were all snowed, last winter. No one was going anywhere. But, we all need to eat - right?
We invited our next door neighbors over for dinner later that evening... and all they had to do was to bundle up, trudge through the snow a few feet and enjoy a hot meal and comfy fellowship. We felt it was one way to get to know our neighbors a bit more. It went pretty well...I think.)
I love those photos...
Becky, when I first started reading this post I was thinking, "comfort food!" I'm having chicken salad on 2 halves of a whole wheat English Muffin, with an orange and a big mug of warmth (Airborne)...for lunch. I also have a picture in my mind as I pray for you over your winter doldrums...I spent many a Christmas in my youth in Edina!
ReplyDeleteWould working on super colorful projects with your girls help you through the cold season?
: )
Julie M.
I feel your pain. I struggle with seasonal depression too. And regular depression. I guess it is what it is. I find that what you're doing, the looking for the positive and putting them above the negatives is what really makes the difference. Attitude is everything. I love your list! Those are wonderful things to look forward to. I will be “sucking it up” with you, and lifting you in prayer because…I understand.
ReplyDeleteOh man. I LOVE fall, and winter is 2nd on my list. My reason for liking the seasons.....
ReplyDeleteFall:
Harvest
Changing of trees/leaves colors
Wearing jeans and sweaters (I am all about fun layers/color combinations)
Hot apple cider
Baking is more fun, especially to warm up a home
Pumpkin anything!
Great flavors of coffee, capaccino, and ice creams
Winter:
A fresh layer of snow in the morning brings a peace that you can't get any other time of year
Wearing fun/colorful scarves, hats, mittens
Snow
Snowmobiling
Cross-country/downhill skiing
Midnight sledding sessions to enjoy a nice, fresh snowfall
Building snow creatures
Snowball fights
Warm winter nights watching movies and/or playing games
Life slows down, since it is so cold outside
Well, that's a few more reasons to enjoy fall/winter.
Oh, a new sign idea for you....
Keep
On
.
.
.
.
.
Sucking
It
Up
Sorry, I had too.
:)
I am scared of the Colorado winter though I'm told it's much milder than what I'm used to in Illinois. I LOVE fall...but winter? eh. not so much.
ReplyDeleteI do like soup though, so that's a plus. :)
~~**LOVE this post!! Isnt it wonderful to not worry about shaving your legs!!?? lol..too funny..~*~* Hugs,Rachel~*~*
ReplyDeletewell i just finished whipping up a big batch of comfort food. I'm already full from picking. I will try to like winter too. ha! that's a good one. :)
ReplyDeleteOh Becky I feel it too! In fact while I was cleaning today I started to make mental notes of what I can do this winter so not to get depressed.
ReplyDeleteI reminded myself that in the spring and summer I don't like to stay inside. So in the colder months I can make a lot of art when I'm stuck indoors.
Also I read somewhere that 15 minutes of early morning sunlight everyday helps people stay happy. Even getting outside on rainy days is good too.
1Dressing in layers
ReplyDelete2The peacfulness of an evening of darkness
3The snow falling infront of a streetlight
4Present shopping coming to a climax because people finally get them
5The weather is bad outside so I don't feel guilty curled up on the coach with a blanket writing in my journal.
Hello Becky!
ReplyDeleteI hate to break it to ya', but its heading towards Summer here in Australia. I've been told it gets up to 40C (since its my first Summer here) and if I look up, I get to see the hole in the ozone layer.
Oh something I love about Winter -- snuggling up to a cuppa and a good book feels best that time of the year!
Thanks for sharing your mom's advice! :)
how about a feather comforter and hot chocolate? or homemade soup, snuggling, clothes that hide extra pounds? I shouldn't really talk because I live in California...but I do sympathize
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm not too big on Winter, either.
ReplyDeleteStay inside alot.
More tea and coffee.
I guess....more painting time? :D
Yep, I'll suck it up with you. God is good!!
Oh sweet Becky - Although I don't know about 3+months of whiteout....I know how you feel about changing seasons. I feel your heart and know how true it is for you about color - and how much you love it.
ReplyDeleteLately in my decorating, I've noticed that when I pair something with color in a sea of white (I'm not *as* white as sweet Lissa...) - it makes the whites white-r and the colors just POP. I imagine that is what you are like...you are like a rainbow that makes the snow around you white-r and people are drawn to you because you are so contrasted with the white.
I might urge you to take the opportunity to paint even MORE colorfully than before during the snowy times. When all you see is a sea of white, paint the snow! Get food colored water in those cheap-o condiment bottles and paint the snow, make your colors! Paint the canvases with the splatters of color you need: sunny yellow, vibrant reds/pinks/oranges of summer sunsets, hues of green from the vegetation that is waiting their turn to sprout....
AND - plan a trip to SoCal or Seattle or someplace that is less white then where you are!
xoxoxo
How about extra comforters on my bed and snuggling with blankets to watch movies at home with popcorn. Love this season because I get to be home more.
ReplyDeletei am with ya!
ReplyDeletei have to say though... being raised on the flip side...
in... hotter than a mama... texas...
i love the winter! :O)
you can come slap me now... you can... and then we can have some coffee & baileys... yet another yummy winter thing! :O)
and you sure have some CUTE hats!
I'm right there with ya, girl!
ReplyDeleteI can 't help but feel a bit sceeeerd of winter since we've been away from the midwest for so long. However, it will help 'sucking it up' heading over to afton alps once in while - that's where I learned to ski as a young thing!
We'll have to get our families together to play a little broom ball - my favorite winter sport!
I know what you mean about the no colour thing - that's why I started a photo blog (with in my current blog) called Spectrum of Light. It deals with just that issue, finding colour and beauty in these seasons that seem so void of it! It's forcing me not to fall into that slump and enjoy (and discover) the beauty that is all around us, everyday! If you check it out let me know what you think, maybe it will brighten your day (and season!) :D
ReplyDeleteI hope you will feel better when you read your list and all the above comments. The Suck it up comment was a shock...nothing like a Mom to keep us facing reality!
ReplyDeleteWe live in Florida, not enjoying the heat and
humidity now, I know it is not what you want to hear. But it seems we are craving cool weather
and the weather man just said it is like summer here, oh no! There is no sign of AUTUMN in Florida! I would like to experience Autumn
again with falling leaves, frosty mornings,
marshmallow roasts, and a chance to light a fire in our seldom used fireplace. I have never driven in snow! Christmas is real weird in Florida, too. I grew up in the midwest and
I don't think I could go back in the winter for a visit.
Enjoyed your post, Becky.
Just loved your site and thanks for turning me on to Colbie Caillat.The scenery is just georgeous.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this!! I need this! I too have been struggling to find the beauty of the season to come and I think a list will help. I am not a cold person either. Thanks for the motivation.....and nudge in the right direction. I might steal a few from your list and others in the comments too.
ReplyDeleteI am going to go SUCK IT UP!!
Oh man ~ I can relate. I feel like I have fallen into a big rut and I shake my head and say to myself ~ already??!! I need to shake it off and I will suck it up with you! I hate winter ~ it is cold and depressing ~ but for you and me I will look on the bright side ~ the snow side even... brrrr
ReplyDeleteI don't even live close to far north and I have trouble with winter...
ReplyDeleteso I need to definitely suck it up!!!
I will do a list too when it gets hard:) great idea
I am feeling the same right now. Many decisions that I have made that even though they are good they still stink! I am ready for winter, I love the feeling of the Holidays, the family, the warmth and the love! Strolling downtown and seeing all the pretty Christmas lights, see the kids faces when we talk about Santa, I LOVE Christmas music! It is ok to feel sorry for yourself (that is what I am doing right now) but your mom is right, we need to suck it up!!! I am with you!!! :) Oh, I love #3 on your list!! :)
ReplyDeletehow about hot cocoa and snuggling under a soft, fluffy blanket! oh! that sounds nice!
ReplyDeleteyou ended that perfect...i was hoping you were going there...and dont forget eggnog lattes at starbucks...they warm you up too...smiles.
ReplyDeleteHow about these
ReplyDelete1. soup
2. Surprise snow days from school to spend with your babies
3. Movies and popcorn while the wind blows outside
4. snowmen and snow angels and red noses
5. boots
6. That crisp bite to the air that clears your head and cleans the cobwebs out.
Hope you find some reason to cheer up. I'm one of those strange few who actually love winter.
Love your blog. First time commenting tho :)
ReplyDeleteBut I have to tell ya ..I hear ya. I struggle with seasonal depression. Ohio winter right on Lake Erie dont help.
I like snow one day of the year...Christmas...and love the lights Hate the cold EVERY day...My this isnt helping is it???? I'll depress you even more..lol
Hey, I'm glad that my pics gave you a 'color' boost! :D It's true I do spell it differently, we like to add the letter U to random words here in Canada - I don't know why... it's just how we do it...eh!?! ;)
ReplyDeleteare you sure your mom isn't my mom?
ReplyDeletemine says the same thing to me...about the heat that I complain about here in Orlando!
Snuggling with your loved ones and working on inside projects!! Lots of lighting and candles help me through the winter.
ReplyDeleteI think she is right..thats life and thats just what we have to do sometimes. I loved the..don't have to shave your legs anymore..me too! ;D
ReplyDeleteWinter is not my favorite, but I suppose I can get through it :/ and "suck it up" like your mama told you. So winter...I like the house feeling warm and cozy, wearing uggs, and dreaming of summer ;) And that's as long as my list can possibly go.
ReplyDeleteI pray it'll get better for you... The cold sucks but there is nothing we can do about it.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you'll find other things to add on that list. Like, tubing/tobogganing with your girls :)
Becky, you have inspired me to write all of the reason why I *love* the fall on my personal blog as soon as I get a free moment. Like you, I love color all around me which is why fall is my favorite season. :) Winter is hard here in NH too. For many months all we have is white every where and lots of cold and wind. But...... I love:
ReplyDeleteTaking photos of the first snowfall.
Taking photos of the icicles hanging from the house.
And I love taking photos of my husband snowblowing our driveway and shoveling snow off of our roofs. Even though I am a tad scared he might fall off. UGH!
I love having hot chocolate with 2 marshmallows in it.
I love wearing my winter coats.
When the sun is shinning I love the way the snow looks like sparkling diamonds.
I love seeing the deer tracks and knowing that I will be seeing them in the spring.
I love breathing in the fresh clean cold air.
I could go on but I think I will stop here.
Your Mom is right it is another season and I learned a long time ago to suck it up and try to enjoy it the best that I can. There is beauty to be had in th winter for sure. Smile.:)
Mary
Trade, ya! I love cold and drear and clouds...oh, why was I born on Cali? ;}
ReplyDeletem ^..^
Christmas!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteLove this post my friend!!!
Deborah xoxoxo
We do lots of family ice skating nights!!! The kids LOVE it!!! But...I get it :) I don't even mind the snow much but let;s face it...today really sucked! :)
ReplyDeleteI have lived in Colorado and I miss some winter season. I think it is so funny here in CA when folks get out the arctic gear when it is seriously 60 degrees outside. I wish I could buy a winter look and not sweat when I wear it. Sweating in wool is not cool.Trust me. Not cool!
ReplyDeleteOh Becky...I hear ya. My sister and I were just talking about how we are already feeling down about the weather. We were thinking that we had to try and do something to enjoy the upcoming winter. I think we are going to try snowshoeing. Doesn't that sound fun? It's kinda different, we can enjoy the scenery and get skinny for summer :)
ReplyDeleteGorgeous pictures! Love them and I'd like to see more... and the music is great! XOXO
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, I love your mom! Tell her THANK YOU! What a wonderful way to look at it... it's a season... weather, work, whateve. I LOVE that!
ReplyDeleteAND your great ideas for getting through winter. A wonderful woman I know also told me when I went through my "funk" about getting home from Brave Girl's was that I didn't need to leave all the love and wonder at the retreat... I could bring it to my spaces. Home AND work... that's my goal for getting through this "season" too!
Keep smiling beautiful girl!
I am so feeling the same and need to suck it up as well. After all, Christmas...it doesn't get better than that!!!
ReplyDeleteI wanted you and your other readers to know there is a giveaway on my blog, jewelry designed by Robin Thomas (A Nest with a View) and myself. No strings attached!!
http://katsuijewelry.blogspot.com
Suz
If I had the money, I'd be a snowbird and "fly" to Florida for the winter months! Like you, I dread the coming of winter...but I'm gonna try to "suck it up", too and enjoy the gifts of the season:) Like 1)sipping hot chocolate 2)snuggling under the covers watching movies 3)baking cookies with my girls...
ReplyDeleteWell, IF you still can't hack it... you can always hop a plane and come to the mildly temperate PNW. They say we're going to get some snow this year... but ours is FUN!!!! Cause it seldom happens, and seldom lasts longer than a week! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of winter at all. I can usually make it until Valentine's Day (my absolute favorite day) because there's fun Halloween, yummy Thanksgiving, the birth of Christ (and yummy cookies), celebrating my baby's birthday, and the talk of lighting the fire place (we WILL do that this year!). Hang in there. Oh and Christmas music...LOVE IT!
ReplyDeletelol... well, the artist in my cries for color... but i was surprised at how happy i was to see snow the other day. and i guess white is a color. :) it just seems so blah after awhile. but yay for fire and scarves and mamas who remind us to suck it up! :)
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate! I'm from the South originally, if we got snow back home it was a really big deal. (Before this last winter, people were still talking about the snow in 1989!!! ) I have a really hard time dealing with winter, great to know we are all not alone out there. At least now when I'm down this winter I can think of your mom and tell myself to just suck it up :)
ReplyDeleteGood for you making a list...its so easy to sink into the abyss if we let ourselves...life long struggle of mine.
ReplyDeletelove your art!
Darlene
Suck it up, lol. My parents have said similar to me too.
ReplyDeleteYou've got a wise and good momma! Even I needed to hear her words! As you know, I too have difficulty with the seasons of little color. Here is one for your list. You get to see colorful lights on the trees (maybe not until after Thanksgiving but they do have those orange lights you can buy) I love the white lights and have a awesome skinny pine tree with character (artificial from Michaels but not at all like a Christmas tree) that is about 5 ft high that I leave out all year round. Really it fits right in with the decor in my family room behind the sofa. I have white lights on it all year around and turn it on often even through the day because I love seeing the twinkle and light it adds to my heart and eyes.
ReplyDelete#2 Plan lots of outings with girlfriends!! Art Museums, coffee shops, movies, shopping etc.. and plan things way in advance so you have it to look forward to and can enjoy planning for.
Oh and keep making your art. Wouldn't it be fun to get together with some of your artist friends once a month and make art together? If I lived near you I would love that!!
♥Lee Ann (oh and music-lots of music helps me!)
Love your mom... I can tell she is from right her in central IL.
ReplyDeleteI love a bit of every season and am always ready for the next.
I love:
Flannel jammies
wood smoke in the air
bubbling stews
afternoon movies- no guilt that I should be outside working
time to read
Farmer man comes in earlier in the eve... it gets dark!
building snowmen
sledding with the little ones
after Christmas sales
bird feeders with lots of visitors
Thanks for reminding me! I love your blog!
afternoon reads
How that ended up in that order... don't know!! I am dangerous on my computer. My middle daughter tells me -mom just post your passwords and banking info haha They love to ridicule me!!
ReplyDeleteThis hits me in Jan. my suggestion is paint your toes a color that reminds you of Maui, buy flowers at the store for your nightstand, stock up on must read books and not feel guilty about not doing yard work and read the day away, put on a great pot of soup, crusty bread and open a bottle of wine, blast the music and dance in a pair of awesome, happy socks with your husband shirt on... these are just a few of my suggestions to get through the winter months!!! :)
ReplyDeletexo,
LuLu
I don't know how you northern girls do it! I'm good for about 2 weeks of winter, then I'm ready for the sun.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite days are those right before spring when you can "feel" it coming with slightly longer days and warmer temps. There are a few good things about winter: no yard work, more naps, CHRISTMAS (sometimes I leave the tree up "too" long just for the color), and more family time since you're all inside together.
The best part - knowing it's only temporary. :-)
Think of the boots! I love wearing my boots. And flannel sheets...so cozy :) And Becky, you have such a happy, pretty smile. You definitely need to use it all winter!!
ReplyDeleteand girl, don't you ever look cute in those hats and scarfs!!! i actually miss the snow... enjoy it some for me! : )
ReplyDeletethanks for the anthro hat info! can you believe i've never shopped there! i should change that.
Im spoiled I live in Texas and well where I live everything misses us(good thing) but I do DREAD for many yrs Jan and Feb bc they tend to be our dreary months hear so I have tried to embrace more happy thoughts and things to do like Paint even more and go for walks and look at everything and have my hubby bake comfort sweets for me:O) Love all the scarves and hats so colorful:O)
ReplyDeleteI have a poem about hating winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder (I have it memorized by February!). What helps me is thinking about friends we have in a remote (i mean REMOTE) fishing village in Alaska on the Bering Sea. I remind myself that I have a big (comparatively speaking) house, money for heat, and Target, restaurants and movie theatres I can escape to. They have snow and cold from October-April with no where to go, sometimes 4 families living in a house 1/4 my home, and bush planes being snowed out for weeks (for those who can fly out for a break...usually traveling for medical reasons!) Oh yeah, they have to haul water to drink, wash, and manually flush their toilets :) I know for some people comparison doesn't help, but thinking about our dear friends (who we visit in the summer!) and how they "suck it up" sure does help me.
ReplyDelete