Checking the Pmail. . . .

My sweet hubbs gets up with me most mornings at 0445, that is when I have to get up to get ready for work.  The hubbs does not have to get up that early to get ready for work, our sweet Basil gets up with me too.  That may be the real reason my sweet hubby gets up with "me" at 0445 in the morning. The B has a way about making sure he is up and getting her breakfast.  My hubby absolutely hates the cold weather, so these last few days since our temps have dipped down in the teens, he has been all dressed up like Nanook of the North to take the B out.   There is a route that she takes every morning, the hubbs says she is checking the P mail instead of gmail.  She walks up and down the street checking to see who else has been up and down the street.  She checks all the P spots of every other dog in the neighborhood.  I had to laugh when the hubbs told me of his travels with the B and checking the Pmail.  Not only does the hubbs tell me about checking the Pmail but he has also discussed this with our neighbor that has a delightful little corgi.  Evidently the corgi, little M, also checks her Pmail the same way the B does.  The hubbs says they are getting all the neighborhood gossip.
My hubby has the oddest sense of humor and that is one of the many reasons I love him so.  He knows how to make me laugh when I have had a bad day or even when I am a little down missing my sweet college boy.  On an up note my sweet college boy will be home in a week and I cannot wait.
They have already had a couple days of snow flurries in MA, he sent me a video of it flurrying the other day.  I love that he shares silly things like that with me.  I have always loved the snow, ever since I was a little girl.  I cannot wait till we get some snow this year. 

Sweet Basil 

Beautiful Snow 

Snow Storm 2018 . . . .

The hubbs is on his way to Boston, and the biggest snow storm our area has seen in 90 years per the news outlets, is headed our way.  At 0430 on Sunday morning we had 6 inches of snow, it kept snowing most of the day.  I measured again by way of my leg and we had a foot of snow.  I am sure we had more but we did have an interspersing of  sleet and freezing rain that compacted the snow.  The hubbs is safe, Big T and I are safe here, I worked from home yesterday and will work tomorrow from home as well.  Another great perk of my company when we have bad weather or if you have kids sick and home from school. 

I was filling the hubbs in on our weather conditions last night and he says; "you need to run out and get a picture of the house decorated for Christmas with the snow.  You may not get that chance again."  Below are my best efforts at the night picture with the lights on.  I sent  him a copy via text. Just so you know, our lights on the bushes in the front of the house are not suppose to be on the bottom of the bushes.  They got a little droopy during the snow. 

Tonight since I was not working I decided Big T and I would have a nice dinner just the two of us.  I fixed homemade alfredo, which by the way I do very well.  It was very good and Big T ate two bowls. 

Snow, Snow, and Snow. . .

We got more snowfall than the predictions and it was in the teens this morning.   The sweet B loved being in the snow yesterday but, she is less enthused today.   The hubbs said she could have been the ASPCA spokes doggie for keeping your pets inside on cold days.  It was absolutely pitiful.  She has the height of the pug, so with almost 10 inches of snow her little naked belly was buried in the snow. 
We laid down two boards before the snow started so when it was over she would have a grassy spot to potty.  
That works great for a quick squat but for the other it would not do, hence the cold belly. 
They have already called school off for tomorrow and Church was canceled for today due to road conditions.  
I love the snow, I always have.  I called my mom the day after it had snowed and hollered, "it snowed, it snowed, let's go out and play, hurry up."   Mom got a kick out of it as I reminded her of early a start I would get sledding with our neighbor.  They had the best hill, it was almost like a ski slope.  

 It is so peaceful when the snow is falling.  It is like nature's way of cleansing itself and starting new. 
Here's to the new year and a cleansing of my own, a new start for our family.  

Predictions of Snow. .

Predictions of snow here in the South make people act a little nutty.  We do not get a whole lot of snow and we are not really prepared for great amounts of it.  Northerners make fun of us because we do not like to drive in the snow and ice and how we will cancel school and close businesses when there is a threat of snow or ice.   We do these things because we are not prepared for it and usually we get more ice than snow and let's be honest nobody knows how to drive on ice.  You could have the biggest baddest 4X4 and you would still slide all over.  
I personally do not like to drive in the snow and such, I may have to this year because of work.  We have to be there regardless of the weather.  I will be driving slow so, if you see me out there just know you may have to pass me if you are in a hurry.
The hubbs and I, when we were first married, use to go to the grocery store when they were predicting bad weather to watch what people were buying.   You could look in the grocery carts and see how bad people thought it was going to be.   On heavy snow predictions people would have milk and at least two loaves of bread.  We always wondered what people would do with all that bread and milk.  I think they were going to make stew or soup of some sort and possibly grilled cheese sandwiches.  I went to the store, for this event,  and bought junk food for my kids, we already had milk and bread.  I am going to make a big pot of pinto beans with some cornbread for the weekend.  The hubbs loves him some pintos and cornbread.  He is going to the meat market to pick up some ground meat for tacos for the boys.
How do you prepare for the snow and ice and the possibility of being home bound for a day or so?  I would love to hear your thoughts.  

School? Will we ever go back?

The hubbs had to go in today and he took the truck so, that means the boys and I are here till he gets home.  I am going a little stir crazy.  We have been home since Thursday last week due to snow.  They have been home since Monday last week with vacation and teacher work days.  
I love my boys but, they are at that stage of fussing and fighting with each other at every turn.  They are exhausting!   I am trying to keep them from letting their brains go to mush with the Xbox.  I have two of the hardest headed boys ever.
In only a few weeks I will be the mother of two teenagers.  Yes, Big T will be turning 13.  I am not ready for all of this testosterone.  They have already come to blows a couple of times.   I have sweet Basil to help add some estrogen back in the mix, but she can only help so much.  
Time sure does fly when it comes to the babies growing up.   I will end with a few shots of our snow Puggle.

Snow, Snow and More to Come. . .

I like the snow, I like to watch it snow, I do not drive in the snow unless it is absolutely necessary.  This is a picture outside my house of our bird feeder with all the birds surrounding it.  My hubby loves his birds and always makes sure they have plenty of food.   We are expecting more snow on through tomorrow.  Who knows how much we will end up with.  We are hunkered down for the big one.  I had to laugh this morning, the news lady was telling how to keep your kids entertained while they are stuck at home.  I laughed because I remember when I was little and it snowed, all I wanted to do was go out and play.   Sprat hates the cold and Big T can take it or leave it.  I only came in to eat and get dry clothes and go back out again.  If you need something to do with your kids here is a little thing my friend posted on Facebook.                                                                                                      

Ask you kids these questions without any prompting.                                                                                Here is how mine answered Sprat is 16 and Big T 12

1.  What is something I always say to you?                                                                                

S - Be quiet, Big T-  Be quiet and I love you    

2.  What makes me happy?                                                                                                          

                           S- peace and quiet, Big T- horses                                                                                      3.  What makes you sad?                                                                                                               

            S- when someone passes away, Big T - me arguing 

4.  How do I make you laugh?                                                                                                     

                                S- tell jokes and the fact that I did not get a cell phone till I was 16

Big T - tell jokes and show me cool stuff

5.  What was I like as a child?                                                                                                     

S- a redneck, Big T - nice and followed the rules

6.  How old am I?                                                                                                                          

S- 47, Big T 47  (the only reason they know this is because I just had a BD this past week)

7.  How tall am I?                                                                                                                          

S- 5' 4", Big T- 5' 8"                                                                          

8.  What is my favorite thing to do?                                                                                              

S- watch Roku, Big T- be with us kids                                                       

9.  What do I do when you're not around?                                                                                    

S- read, watch Roku, cook, and study      Big T- go to school and study

10.  What am I really good at?                                                                                                          

S- Cooking and being mom, Big T- riding horses

11.  What is something I am not good at?                                                                                         

S- no clue,  Big T - playing the Xbox

12.  What do I do for a job?                                                                                                                

S- stay at home mom, Big T- house wife                    

13.   What is my favorite food?                                                                                                          

S-  chocolate, Big T- sushi                                                 

14.  What do you enjoy doing with me?                                                                                            

S- going to the movies, Big T - going places                       

I must say I was a little surprised at some of their answers, try it and see how you come out.  I was surprised that my oldest thought I was good at being a mom.  Some days I feel like such a failure when it comes to that so this little task may make you feel better about what you are doing with your kids.  I may have to do this for my husband too, I wonder how his would turn out.    

What to Cook if it Snows?????

With predictions of snow in our immediate future I am thinking what can I fix in the crock pot.  Shocker!   Right?   I do love my crock pot.  I was skimming Pinterst last night to see what yummy things I could put in the Pot.   My hubby picked up a roast early this week and I put it in the freezer for just such a case.   I found a very interesting recipe for a balsamic roast.   There are many crock pot recipes out there for roast, but this one sounded very good to me.  I think the twang of vinegar and the little bit of sweet from the honey will be great.  I have a whole board on Pinterst dedicated to slow cooker recipes and that is where I found this one.  I had pinned it a long time ago.  This recipe is from Robyn Stone at Add a Pinch.  I will let you know how it turns out later this week.  

Here we go . . .

3-4 lb. boneless roast beef (chuck or round)

1 cup of beef broth

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1tbsp Worcestershire

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

4 cloves of garlic

Place your roast in the pot.  Mix your other ingredients together and pour over your roast.   Cook on high for 4 hours or low 6-8 hours.   When you are ready to eat, remove your roast to a serving dish and shred with two forks.  Then pour  the juice over your roast.  

In past posts I have left things out of my recipes but, I am pretty sure this one is correct.   Check out 

www.addapinch.com    to see other recipes.  

Until we eat again. . .

Moments of Monday. . .

Every day gets better.  Still requiring pain medication every three hours day and night.  You could equate this to having a new born  again.  He did rest more last night and I guess I did too, I just do not remember.  Feel like I am operating in a dense fog.
Our plumber came today to put in a "handicap" potty, it is taller than a standard toilet.   This extra height will help hubby since he cannot bend or put weight on the one leg.  They also installed two hand rails to aid in the up and down.   I must say if you are going to remodel and you are over 40 put in a "handicap" toilet.  I know, not the glamorous decorating tip you thought you were going to get.  I am all about practicality these days.  The rest of our house is perfect for any injuries that may come, everything we need on the main level.   My dear hubby is looking at a very long road to recovery and anything that I can do to make that easier, will be done.
Our 22nd wedding anniversary is coming up and we bought a new sofa recliner as our gift to each other.   That was another great thing to have during this recovery period.  It has been a huge blessing, without it poor hubby would be stuck flat on his back in the bed.  It is like having twin recliners but it is still a sofa.  Another must for our golden years.  ha ha ha ha  We are only mid 40's so we are not golden, yet.  Injuries do find us though and I am determined to be prepared.  

February 2015 Snow

Such a peaceful sight.   We got a good bit of snow this time and it was beautiful.  I am renewed this morning, my kids are at school and I have been able to get back into my routine.  It is amazing how we all need structure in our lives.  We think we run around by the seat of our pants but really there is structure and routine in all of the chaos.   I lost my structure and routine these last two weeks, I hope I have it back and will be able to keep it.   We are after all, animals that need routine.   I am blissfully at peace today sitting here thinking about everything I have to do this week.   My ducks are in their rows as they should be.   Thank you for listening while I had my nervous break down this last week.   I will try to stay on track this week with my posts but, you never know what might happen so, hang on.