SNOWY DAY

We have had quite a bit of snow.  The majority of the winter has been filled with the stuff.  Just as the snow melts, new snow begins to fall.  Now, I am all for snow if I have no where to go or I can grab a snow day from school.  Unfortunately, the state reduced our number of days to 3 causing our district to be a bit more stingy with calling school off.  Which in the end is a good thing because we won't have to tag on days to the end of our school year.  The worst part of not getting the snow days is when my family gets to have one.

My kids lay in the bed all bundled up and warm.

 I go to work.  

That stinks.  

My kids get to make forts with their Daddy.

I go to work

That stinks.

My kids get to play out in the snow.  

I go to work.  

That stinks...well, sort of...I don't really love being cold and they usually wait for me.

My kids are usually bundled up by ME.  

I come home to get the kids dressed for the snow.  

That stinks!  

(the neighbor girls and Little Man have really been enjoying the snow)

Just an Arizona Girl

I am and will forever be an Arizona Girl at heart.  We moved from Arizona to Oklahoma when I was almost 16.  The majority of my adolescence was encompassed by basically 2 seasons...WARM and COOL.  Yeah, yeah...these are not seasons, but seasons in Arizona don't really fit what is stereotypical.   I have this specific memory engraved in my head about the winter (aka COOL) weather and my attire.  I am in junior high walking by the outdoor pool (yes, we had one...I actually helped paint a mural on the walls of the pool area for my advanced art class) and I could feel a little chill come over me.  I was wearing a pair of jeans, jean jacket, and a pair of flohos (sandals).  I am thinking the weather may have been in the 60's.  To me, at that time, it was FREEZING.  Don't get me wrong, I did experience true winter weather when we would go to Colorado for Christmas.  BUT this was a vacation where we could actually play in snow for a week then make the voyage back home to "COOL" weather.  I can remember not really having the winter gear necessary for Colorado, but it would have been ridiculous for my parents to buy all of that stuff for one week.  You could find us frolicking in the snow with a hodge podge collection of random items found around my grandparents' home.  It was always so funny to me how different the weather was in Arizona and Colorado.  I don't think it was until we moved to Oklahoma that we all actually started to build a winter wardrobe.  You see Oklahoma is where the wind, tornadoes, sleet, snow, ice, and freezing rain comes sweeping down the plains.  I remember walking outside during our first winter in Oklahoma and something kept hitting me in the face.  Puzzled, I looked over by the bushes to figure out what was going on.  Still couldn't figure it out.  My youth pastor had to actually explain to me what was going on.  FREEZING RAIN.  My confusion has led to lots of laughs.  The real laugh is where I live now.  OHIO!  Ha!  This Arizona girl now lives across the country with temperatures often reaching below zero.  I have yet to really embrace a love of winter or even the sense of how to be dressed warm yet fashionable.  However, my kiddles are always equipped with stylish yet functional, warm attire.  One of my favorite finds this winter is the NO-SNOW SNUGGLER.   They are a local company that I actually heard about through a friend and I am so glad I did.  The kids loved wearing their little snugglers.  I didn't have to worry about them getting wet or too cold.  Having said all that, I wanted to share with you some pics of the kids in the snow...and yes...I realize that it is now spring, but who knows winter may surface again.  :)

OUR HOME 

HEAD STAND

SNOW ANGELS

PEANUT AND HER FOFIE

EAT SNOW, BABY!

My kids will eat snow any way they can get it!  To avoid eating the dreaded yellow snow, we go for the freshly fallen snow off our back deck.  We made snow cream (evaporated milk and bit of vanilla) and snow cones in a bowl (syrup was kool-aid without a lot of water).  Little Man and Little Miss Peanut were screaming YUMMY!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT...too much thought!

Here I sit at 2:52 AM, wide awake.  I am more than aware that I have to get up in just a few hours, but I CAN'T sleep.  After getting home from work, it was like a mad rush.  I took the kids to get their shots, then basketball practice for LM, and then dinner at Frisch's.  I had every intention of cooking dinner, but I promised the kids a treat because they sorta were good sports about getting their shots.  By sorta, I mean that LM cried the whole way there, then put up a huge fight to even sit in the chair...there was a lot of screaming and crying from all parties involved...me included.  Only to end the visit, with..."wow" that wasn't so bad.  Really?  Anywho, Frisch's is by no means my favorite restaurant, but was what they chose as a reward for acting so big while getting their shots (if you didn't get the memo...this was opposite day).  I felt bad for them, so what's a momma to do?  Go to Frisch's.  I needed a Vanilla Coke with crushed ice like a girl needs make-up.  The Ranch dressing served as an extra bonus.  Brian was at a college basketball game with a couple of his players that are being recruited, so it was just the three of us.  It was so cute...we all three sat squashed on the same side of the booth.  Left there only having broke one plate.  Not bad!  We usually go to church on Wednesdays, but I was bound and determined to get the kids home and in bed early because basketball season makes for some late nights and icky colds are setting in.  Getting them to bed was accomplished rather successfully.  So well, in fact, that I fell asleep with them.  Then I woke up at 11:30 and have yet to go back to sleep.  Ugh!

Where am I going with this post?  Not sure, stick with me...after all, it is now 3:13 AM.  

I have a gazillion pics and posts that are particularly clever (if I may say so), but I couldn't think of anything other than FOOD.  It has been on my mind rather frequently over the last week or so.   I know that everyone else is on their health kick and this is where I should be (to the tune of like 15 pounds...maybe more....who's counting?), but I can't bring myself to do it.  It is cold, freezing cold and I want some stinking comfort.  COMFORT FOOD.  Maybe I am off my rocker, but I actually thought about making a pot pie.  POT PIE?  I DON'T even LIKE pot pie.  What is going on?  No, I am not pregnant, but thinking maybe I should be just so I can further indulge myself.  I have been reading the pioneer woman's blog and Brian got me her cookbook for Christmas.  LOVE HER and the COOKBOOK.  In fact, I made the Chocolate (Texas) Sheet Cake for my birthday and pretty much ate the whole thing myself.  It was simply divine and uses about 4 sticks of butter.  I actually got mad when I thought Brian ate the last piece.  A bit sad, don't you think?        

***I am signing off at 3:35 AM!