Final Week of January 25, 2022: Celebration of Groundhog Day
Week of Fun and Family Traditions
Life's been a vibrant mix of academic pursuits and creative projects. We dabbled with pastels, painting our own unique visions of Shiprock, New Mexico. The artwork, surprisingly, turned out quite remarkable. I even dipped my hands in for the very first time, and boy, was I thrilled with the outcome! Tilly, too, created some splendid tree drawings in her very own style. Art, indeed, brings out the fun in us kids!
Friday: Play and Productivity
A generous friend invited the little ones over, allowing me a productive day. They enjoyed their time playing games at her place and even took a stroll to the library.
On this particular Friday, Lori stopped by, and we found ourselves in a power outage from 2 to 10 pm. We didn't let that dampen our spirits. We instead filled the void with games played under the soft glow of flashlights and hearty conversations.
Saturday: Groundhog's Day (Early Edition)
Typically, Groundhog Day falls on February 2nd. But, we decided to celebrate a day early this year, pushing it to February 1st. Why, you ask? Well, we were fasting breakfast the very next day, so an early celebration seemed like the best idea!
Our Groundhog's Day tradition is all about cream of wheat, with globs of peanut butter tossed in to represent the groundhog. Unfortunately, the cream of wheat was still sizzling hot, causing our little groundhogs to melt before we could capture their glory on camera. But fret not, the fun was still real! This year's groundhog, alas, saw its shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter. Quite fitting, given the chilly season we've been experiencing thus far. Last year, however, we experienced a mild winter and an early spring. I suppose back-to-back years of such weather patterns are a rarity.
Saturday Afternoon: DIY Driveway Makeover
With rakes and shovels in hand, we embarked on an afternoon mission to improve our driveway. Filled with ruts from the snow and rain, we aimed to level it out, despite our mediocre tools. The task turned out to be fun and fulfilling - who doesn't like the satisfaction of making a difference? Plus, it was a joy working alongside Lori, who's known for her strength and determination. When she's around, there's no stopping the work. Next time she visits, we're aiming to take on Blueberry Hill!
Nacho Party and Evening Entertainment
Every first Sunday of the month, we fast for about 24 hours - from Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon. After our outdoor work, we returned home and celebrated with a Tex-Mex party, learning more about the Lone Star State. I whipped up a delicious homemade cheese sauce for our nachos, although plans for taquitos and burritos had to be shelved due to time constraints. We prayed for various blessings for our family members and close friends.
Post-dinner and the start of our fast, we played Telestrations and relaxed together. Having Lori around always adds to the fun!
Tilly's Hair Trim
Kaitlyn, ever the diligent sister, took it upon herself to trim Tilly's hair for the first time. Her skills were commendable, and Talea is one lucky girl to have such a caring sibling!
Sunday: Farewell, Emerald the Rooster
Our beloved rooster, Emerald, breathed his last on Saturday night. On Sunday, we paid our respects in a small ceremony. Kaitlyn played a melancholic tune on her guitar and read him a heartfelt story. We bid him adieu, sharing fond memories of our time together. Emerald was our favorite, thanks to his quirky humor. He loved playing hide and seek with us, and he made hilarious noises whenever we tossed things.
Post-funeral, we snuggled with Lori and watched a church movie to wind down the weekend.
Vlogs: A Peek into Our Week (Emerald's funeral to follow next week)
[Here are the vlogs that go with this week's pictures!]
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The search results do not provide specific information about a unique family tradition for Groundhog Day. However, Groundhog Day itself is traditionally celebrated on February 2nd, originating from German folklore. It involves a groundhog predicting the weather: if it sees its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter; if it doesn't see its shadow, spring will arrive sooner[2][5].
If you're searching for a creative family tradition related to Groundhog Day, consider activities such as watching the celebration on TV, hosting a themed party, or focusing on renewal and new beginnings, as groundhogs symbolize these themes in folklore[2]. Alternatively, you may explore other fun and unusual celebrations throughout the year, like Repeat Day on June 3, where you can repeat actions or phrases to create a lively family tradition, much like the movie Groundhog Day[4].
Our Groundhog's Day tradition, although not strictly adhering to the official date of February 2nd, consisted of a creamy bowl of cream of wheat and globs of peanut butter to represent the groundhog.
On Saturdays, our family-centric lifestyle is enriched through DIY projects, such as the recent driveway makeover, and enjoyable meals like Tex-Mex parties with homemade cheese sauce, while deepening relationships through games like Telestrations and heartfelt prayers.
