SNOW DAY!

Good morning!  It is the happiest of days in a teacher's life this morning!  We are having a SNOW DAY here at the Sole Woman.  It's been snowing since yesterday morning, and we have about 6 inches on the ground-and it is still going strong!  Here's a picture I took this morning with a new photo program I am playing around with on my iPhone (I love the old fashioned feel it gives photos):

I am sitting with my coffee, looking at the snow falling quietly outside the window.  My family is all tucked inside, warm and safe.  Jeff is working from home today, Evan is taking advantage of his day off by sleeping (he is SO 12!!), and Charlie and Sammy are snuggled up on the couch under blankets talking about what they will be doing outside later today. 

Bliss!

Since I have nowhere to go and nothing to do but enjoy my coffee, I thought I would give you an update of life around our house.    I forgot to mention that my darling husband bought me for Christmas the gift I have been dreaming of for the last 8 years....drumroll please....a KitchenAid mixer!!  (And she is a beautiful cherry red too!)  I guess I haven't talked about it a lot here, but I love to bake.  I love to do things homemade.  My go to stress reliever is bread baking, much to the delight of my husband.  I think he secretly loves it when I have a bad day, because he knows there is a loaf of fresh baked bread in his future.  Since I first moved into my own space, I have been using my mom's cast off mixer, which was a gift from her 1974 wedding.  About 6 months ago, he lost a leg, and I had to prop it up on a piece of wood so it wouldn't wobble while I mixed.  The thing drove me bananas.  If the recipe called for more than 3 cups of flour, the batter would climb up the beaters and try and get into the motor.  It was beyond frustrating to try and mix up dough for Christmas cookies.

I will admit that I screamed when I opened it on Christmas morning.  I love it.  Seriously.  I am not one to keep appliance on the kitchen counters, but I love my mixer so much, she has a place of honor on the counter.   (And besides, she's red!  So she coordinates with my kitchen!!)  I have been trying out lots of new recipes, and I have been playing around with made from scratch cakes.  Do any of you have any recipes for homemade cakes?  Or tips?  Mine haven't been the greatest.

This week I had to submit all of Charlie's documents and paperwork for Kindergarten registration.  It's really starting to hit home that he's going to school next year.  I know every mother feels like their kids grow up too fast, but it is UNBELIEVABLE to me how quickly his first 5 years have gone.  In fact, he is turning 5 on the 17th, and he is beyond excited.  I know he's ready for this new adventure, so I am trying to get my heart to accept this.

I am off to bake some bread!  (Not because I am stressed today :)  Just because it sounds nice!)  I hope you are warm and cozy on this January Monday.

New Perspective

This afternoon, I was busy cursing winter under my breath. Saturday brings me the despicable task of sweeping all the floors and mopping everything clean again. Doing this in the month of January means that I sweep an entire sandbox full of rocks into my dustpan. Despite being "Mom the Shoe Nazi" (as Evan calls me) and freaking out at my family if they try to wear their shoes more than 2 feet beyond the garage door, the sand and gravel and rock salt are invading my house.

I was also cursing because I would dearly love to shoo my boys outside for the afternoon. Today though, it was chilly, muddy, and icy all at once, and hello? I don't want to add mud and snow to the mess on the floor.

So I was grouching and grumping as I stepped onto my back deck to shake out some rugs when I must have been hit in the head with a brick or something, because all of sudden I was struck with the simple beauty of a winter afternoon.

The farm fields behind our house were dusted with snow, and looked like a baker had sprinkled them with powdered sugar. The air had just the perfect amount of bite to it, so that instead of making it hard to breathe, it awakened your senses. The sun had just started to sink lower in the sky, and the light was so golden...rich. And I was dazzled. Invigorated.

I'm not giving up my pining for spring. I still can't wait to mow the grass and throw open the windows to warm spring breezes. But I am glad to have had this reminder that beauty comes in all seasons.

Nervous Nellie

Hi friends.

Don't have much to say, or to report. Just thought I'd stop in to say hello.

Not much new around here, other than the miserable winter weather. It has been densely foggy for the last 6 days. A wet, drippy fog that doesn't disappear until after noon. It's also a freezing fog, leaving morning streets shiny with ice and slick spots. I have had a white knuckle drive to work every morning since Thursday.

Overnight tonight we are supposed to get accumulating ice. So far, they haven't called off school, and that makes me really nervous. I am not too bad at driving in snow, but ice is a whole lot scarier. I am pretty nervous about the drive to work tomorrow.

How many days left until spring?!

I have a job? Really? Because it feels like I haven't been there in WEEKS!

No school again today my friends! The road conditions were treacherous, but even worse than that the windchills were sustained at -20 to -35 all day long.

AND no school again tomorrow, as it is expected to be even colder, if you can imagine. Which I can't. When it's that cold, it's just cold. You can't really tell the difference between -20 and -35.

I wish I could come here and report that my house is now spotless. I did do the laundry, but mostly I took a nap with Sam, and I played Beatles rock band. Totally great game, but also totally addicting. Especially if you are a Beatles fan like me.

Tomorrow my goal is to get off my hiney and make SANCTUARY for my family. It's clean the house Friday for me!

I've loved the break, but is really turning me into a sloth. My kids have only been in school for one day this week. It's been like having three weeks off for Christmas vacation. We are so out of schedule and routine, and it is turning my brain to mush.

I actually had a dream while I was napping that I was playing outside with the boys and the grass was green, there was a warm wind blowing, and the sun was shining. HEAVEN! How many more weeks until spring?!

Snow Day! AGAIN

This is the worst winter I remember in AGES. In FOREVER.

We already have 27 inches of snow on the ground.

Today will bring roughly 6 more inches, plus my personal favorite, blizzard force winds which make fabulous snow drifts! I love shoveling snow drifts! NOT.

To make it really fun, tomorrow the windchill will be -35. Awesome!

And my dear Mr. Kleffman? I love him dearly, but instead of buying us a snow blower, he bought us another shovel. The man cannot stand to part with a dollar. And most of the time, that's nice. Except when it is the worst winter in AGES and FOREVER and I am desperate for a snow blower.

We are off of school again today after only one day back with students after Christmas break. I love me a good snow day, but I actually would really like to be with my students. We have so much to do!

I am convinced Nebraska was picked up a couple of months ago and put in Alaska. This is just no fun.

Christmas Blizzard 2009

Christmas was a wild ride around here, due to the 15 inches of snow we received from Christmas Eve through Saturday night. Jeff's family Christmas celebration was canceled entirely, and the one I am hosting has been rescheduled to tomorrow. In preparing for the 40 people who will show up at my door tomorrow needing a place to park, I called the Douglas County engineer, and begged them to plow more than one lane through each street in our neighborhood. They did come and plow for quite awhile this afternoon, and I think it is the best it can get, but there is just so much snow and nowhere to put it. Parking will still be dicey. We have received 22 inches of snow in December here in Omaha, and it is all still on the ground. To illustrate:



This is the back of our neighbor's house. As you can see their back door is almost completely covered with snow.

I feel that we have been transported to Alaska.

I would like to go home now.

Normally, I enjoy winter and a good snow. Now? I AM SO.SO.SO.SICK OF IT!!!

This Isn't Funny Anymore!

My muscles are SCREAMING! Yesterday, after my last post, we got around 6-7 more inches of snow, and then the blizzard force winds took over during most of the night. When we awoke, we found a waist high drift blocking our front door, 18 inch high drifts over most of the driveway, and a HUGE 4 foot drift blocking the garage.

The bad news?

We don't own a snow blower.

Jeff and I worked our butts off for two hours this afternoon, once the winds finally stopped blowing. Have you ever exercised so much you felt sick? I felt that way after the first time I worked out with my personal trainer. And then again today. We didn't even start on the sidewalks or the front stoop/door, and still when I came in I felt nauseous and achy. Thank the Lord our neighbor let us borrow their snow blower for the drifts by the garage, but even then we had to shovel off the top layer of snow because it was too deep for the blower to handle. Our neighborhood still hasn't been plowed, so we are stuck. Cabin fever is starting to set in along with the muscle aches.

We have another snow day tomorrow (3 in a row is unheard of!) and so the upside of this whole thing is that all of my laundry is ahead of schedule.

Some holiday panic is starting to set in...I was supposed to have a personal day on Tuesday to get some holiday shopping done. As a result, I have only about 1/4 of my holiday shopping done! We're cutting it down to the wire this year...EEK! Hopefully my muscles will be able to move again by the weekend, so I can get some of this DONE!