Winter Wonderland

What a difference a few weeks can make!  This is what my house looked like around noon today:

(Note the snowman to the right of the house!)

About four inches of snow fell last night.  It was so lovely and serene.  There is nothing like freshly fallen snow.  It was starting to come down quite heavily around the time the kids came home from school yesterday and Thomas suggested that we have soup and bread for dinner.  I ended up throwing together some taco soup and making bread sticks.  It felt good to be inside eating warm food when it was cold and snowy outdoors.  It was a perfect evening other than the fact that Dave was gone on a business trip to Chicago.  He comes home again tomorrow for which I am grateful.  I am also quite grateful that he usually is here to take Jonathan to seminary each morning.  I am going to have to take him for the first time, it just now occurred to me, in six hours!  Yikes!  I think I had better go to bed straight away!

But first, I just have to write that I just had the best day today.  Much of it was routine, but it felt so good (for the most part).  First, the kids had a late start to school thanks to the snow.  That gave me time to shovel the driveway and porch this morning.  The snow wasn't icy so I was able to get the job done fairly quickly.  Thomas had also helped me by shoveling a bit the night before which he was certain had to have been a big reason why I was able to get the shoveling done so quickly.  Next, I still had time to take a shower before sending the kids off--a nice change.  When I was finished, I discovered that Haley and Emma had decided to go out and play in the snow.  Supposedly they had received permission to do so from me, but for some reason, I don't remember giving it!  I was distressed that Emma's pants were then all wet and she would need to change again before she left.  I expressed frustration and may have yelled a little--something I regret.  I am just so grateful to know that I can say that I'm sorry and repent.  The kids, I think, have forgiven me.  

After that, I finished up the girls' hair and drove them all (except Jonathan) to the bus stop so they didn't have to wait in the cold.  Not long after being back at home, I got a phone call from one of my new good friends here.  She said she was going grocery shopping and wanted to show me how she gets killer deals on a lot of her stuff.  I had already showered, so I was able to quickly get Alice ready and meet her there.  Here is a list of what I got today for $38.07:  A loaf of yummy whole wheat bread, a package of flour tortillas, two packages of frozen butternut squash, two packages of boneless pork ribs, two packages of baby carrots, two pomegranates, a bunch of bananas, pears, a package of apples, a pineapple, a honeydew melon, a cantaloupe, a pound of strawberries, five lemons, a bottle of salad dressing, a package of tomatoes and two packages of romaine lettuce hearts.  I was thrilled!  The best part is I didn't have to use any coupons and now can use and/or freeze all of this great stuff!  So, so happy!

I went home and put away the groceries and started the ribs right away in the crock pot.  After lunch, I headed to the library to return the DVD and books that I should have taken back the night before.  I met my same friend there and she gave me some extra ice cube trays and a popsicle tray she happened to have.  Now I can freeze some of the produce I have in small portions to use as baby food for Alice.   As I left, I mentioned to the librarian that I would need to pay a fine on the DVD since it was late.  She saw that I had Alice with me and told me that she wouldn't have wanted to take a baby out in a storm so she was going to waive the fee.  I am not sure why, but that just totally made my day!  Another dollar saved!

Back at home, I started slicing and cutting up fruit and eating pomegranate seeds.  Yum, yum, yum!  I added barbecue sauce to the ribs and cut up some potatoes, tossed them, along with some frozen butternut squash, in a little olive oil, put them on a foil-lined cookie sheet and seasoned it all with sea salt, fresh ground pepper, parsley and basil.  I left the potatoes to roast in the oven while I went to get Sarah Jane from a play date.  She had had a ball and will definitely be playing with her little friend again soon.  So nice to meet such wonderful people with great kids here in my own neighborhood!  

At home we ate our dinner of ribs, fruit salad and roasted potatoes and butternut squash just in time to leave to get Emma and Haley some much needed haircuts.  I don't think that I ever have had a better hair cutting experience!  Our new stylist is so cute and friendly and made me feel so good, and the girls look so cute, that I will definitely be going back.  As a bonus, because I had a coupon, I got both haircuts for $15.00 plus a tip.  So perfectly awesome!

Upon arriving home, I had the girls grab the mail for me.  Hooray!  We received notice that insurance will be helping us to make the repairs needed in the kitchen and living room ceilings!  Such a sweet happy day!  

Now to get some sleep. . .