Frosty's Evil Cousin

As we're driving down the road Carolyn caught sight of a snowman. 

Since it had warmed up yesterday disregard the fact that we have now returned to the frozen flippin' tundra the poor guy had lost...well...whatever he had for eyes and a mouth, but still retained a long icy snowy nose.

In other words....there were dark vacant holes for eyes and a dark cavernous mouth, and a disturbingly pointed nose-thing. 

Not so "frosty"-like.  Not so much.

Carolyn, being the super-observant child she is, YELLS out at the top of her lungs....."EWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!   Look at that!  He does look like a monster snow man!"

"Yes, he does,"  I observe.

"I am NEVER NEVER NEVER sleeping with HIM!"

Ummmm.......ok. 
What to say?  Good?  Great decision?  Don't forget it?  Don't sleep with anyone made of three melting sections? 
I wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that particular comment....so I just did the sagacious mom-nod and wisely said, "Good girl."

Blizzard Blizzard Blizzard

When I was a kid one of my favorite books series (along with 62% of other kids I'm sure) was the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. 

I must have read them 16 times.  In fact, one year my mom made Halloween costumes for my friend and I....I was Laura, of course!  (Probably a good thing I can't drag THAT one out of the photo archives!)

I used to wish that I had been born hundreds of years earlier.  I thought that life must have been so much more exciting and wonderful back then....
I loved imagining how it must have felt to be stuck in a wild blizzard...how the wind must have sounded as it howled past your log cabin/sod home...how warm and safe you must have felt in your little cocoon of firelight while the world turned a frightening shade of white outside.

Well..after this week....all I'm sayin' is.........Thank you so much, God...for not granting the wishes of a 7-year old girl and placing her in a situation which  I now know would have really truly been WAY more than her fragile sanity could have handled.  Guess He kinda sorta DOES know best, huh?

So we made it through BLIZZARD WEEK 2011.  Yes...we did make it.  BUT we made it with electricity...hot drinks...a gas fire....a Wii....neighbors with playmates/dinner offers/hot toddies to keep us sane...internet....a RH who could pick up extra supplies....telephones....tv....Starbucks coffee at home.

I am reasonable certain that without ANY of these supplies....I would have perished. 
Plain and simple.
As it was.....we had some fun in our winter wonderland.
Actually....lots of fun.
I have truly gained at least 7 pounds due to our "experimental" baking...but hey.  Kept me warm!

Once the 40-50mph wind gusts stopped and the sun peeked out....we even got to enjoy the crazy new landscape!

The "kids" built snow forts (consisting of two tunnels through two piles of snow) from which to launch snow missiles at each other and finally determine WHO was king/queen of the family!

Sometimes....they just had to meet in the middle though!  (look closely please....2 pairs of feet!  Clever....admit it!)

Other times they had to pause and let me try and capture a beautiful family picture under the threat that I would not dig the blasted tunnels myself anymore because I was tired of snow filling up my snowpants and matting my hair to my face because they love their 'ol mom dearly.

When RH made it home from work the kids got to "re-experience" (see last year's posts....) that strange midwest phenomena called Redneck Sledding.



Carolyn sat in her Dad's lap yelling "FASTER!!!!"



So Dad did. 

He went faster.

Faster and faster until...well...that's the way the little redneck bounces!

But...don't worry.  It was equal opportunity bouncing!

Thank goodness for hot chocolate.  And snow suits.  And bouncy children!

Then home for some more snow fun.  Carolyn tried out the new "snow scooter".....(maybe next year, honey!)

And the little kids tried to accomplish the simple task of walking through our front yard.

The dogs were a little stir crazy too...so we spent some time playing with them...

All in all...much snowy fun.  Much wet laundry, much cocoa consumed, much mopping of floors (not really, but it was MUCH needed), and much time together.

Come to think of it....I actually probably could do pretty well as Laura Ingalls Wilder. 

If she had the internet.

And indoor plumbing.

And Starbucks.

(disclaimer....no young rednecks were harmed during this blizzard)

Comments?

I THINK I have fixed the comment section.  I THINK you are now able to leave comments....should you wish to do so.  I THINK that now you don't have to be a Google user ID person to do it.

Let me know if it works.

Technology ain't my strongest point.

Two Feet and Vinegar..

First of all (drum roll please........) the 10 year old's method of using a bend-able yard stick and attempting to measure 8 different places in the yard without burying himself in drifts OFFICIAL snowfall count for our little corner of Missouri!

22 INCHES!!!!

That's our yard average!  Now there were some drifts that were close to 3 1/2 feet....and some that looked higher...but just under 2 feet is what we came up with. 
Pretty fluffy and dry...but just good enough to make an amazing snow tunnel fort.

(notice the friend peeking out by Bennett's knee?)

Then the next order of business.....a recipe.

Sometimes....especially when you run out of other indoor projects because the actual temp is ONLY 3 and the wind chill is unthinkable you just want to have quality cooking time with your kids.

That's when you look for a cool-ish kid-appealing recipe.  My kids (and friends) happen to HATE the smell of vinegar.  Therefore, I thought this would be a great recipe to try! :)

Vinegar Candy

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• ½ cup vinegar
• 2 tablespoons butter

Instructions:
Melt butter in saucepan.
Add vinegar and sugar...stir until sugar is dissolved.
Bring to boil and stir until a drop of mixture in a cup of cold water turns brittle.
Pour into buttered pan and let cool a bit.
Using tips of fingers, pull and stretch it out, then cut or break into bite size pieces.
Let harden and let the addiction begin.

It's seriously good. 

Wonder how well it's going to go with our homemade coffee ice cream? 

Even I think that combo might be a little iffy....

I COULD Be Wrong..

I am a little embarrassed to confess that I have a bit of an addiction to the weather channel. 
It's true.
I like to watch it.  Lots.
Maybe "knowing" the weather gives me some elusive yet very really longed for sort of "control" over my life?
Maybe not.
Either way....I've logged in many hours watching Local on the 8's. 
I've seen many daily forecasts during those hours. 
These have included "partly cloudy", "wintry mix", "foggy", "sunny", "partly sunny" etc. 
But...I have NEVER NEVER NEVER seen what I saw predicted for today.
It said....."BLIZZARD".
Blizzard?
In SOUTHwest Missouri?
Huh?
Last night school was cancelled before we had seen even ONE drop of anything.  I thought with my vast and superior Georgian-born snow knowledge that perhaps the region was...ah-hem---overreacting a tad bit. 
Then I saw a Facebook photo (thanks, Ruth) of the bread shelves in Wal-Mart.  They were TOTALLY bare.  Totally.  Totally as in...not ONE loaf left.
Then I saw the words, "SNOW-MAGEDDON" flash across the news.
Then my (super duper fabulous) sister-in-law called to invite my youngest two offspring to spend the next to nights with her to be "live-in" playmates.
Hmmmmmmm.
Maybe I was UNDER-reacting??

So I packed up the young ones with all of their snow stuff as quickly as I could before she changed her mind and kissed them good-bye, cleaned the house and went to bed.

When I woke up.....
Well.
I am not usually a person who minds saying if I am wrong....and you know what?
I was wrong.
I was so so so so so so so so so so very wrong.
Way wrong.

Not only did we have some serious serious snow.....the wind was blowing so hard you couldn't see the top of the street!

At 10:00 we had 11 inches...

And it just kept coming down!!!!!!!!

Did I mention I was wrong?
Snow.
Blizzard.
Woah.

Daniel Boone wanna-be Bennett enjoyed the snow-day when dressed appropriately....



And Rapp enjoyed it too.

Let's see what the next few hours bring.

BUT....I'll tell you something, Mother Nature...

I have bread...

I have hot chocolate...

I have diet coke...

I have cookies...

I have stuff to make snow ice cream.....

BRING IT ON, LADY....BRING IT ON!