wednesday.

 

We got out of the house yesterday, and there was a tiny bit of silliness...

A tiny bit of snow...

Now this morning, more than yesterday.

This is the view from my chair out the window...that car was driven yesterday.  I'm leaving in five minutes to go to the pool, so I will have to clean it off again.  I do not like driving in the snow, but I need to swim.  Snow is not showing up on the radar here because it is so low, but it's there.  A nice gentle snow band off the lake, winds have died down, so it isn't so bad...maybe we just get used to it.  

Off I go....have a good day!

I said STOP shaking the snowglobe, not shake it MORE!

Harrumph. 

Then the sun came out!  

The wind blows and gusts and it's a white out, then it's sunny again...it was snowing like crazy this morning.

(I know, we never put away the deck umbrella, oops...)

Ben's drive to work...

We're about north of the "e" in Conquest...

More snow is forecast for tonight, and it's so cold out, high tomorrow is 19, with wind chill not getting above zero.   We're pretty much snowed in.  Paul just left to go over to the neighboring town to clear Emily's driveway, he has the day off from work.  He tried to drive up to Oswego earlier, but had to turn around and come home because the wind is blowing so hard, creating white outs, he could not see where he was going.  

Camille and I are going to make the best chicken soup in the world, recipe by Ambitious Kitchen, look it up.  She uses tumeric and ginger and pearl couscous, and it is so good.  This reminds me of Covid times, being in the house and wondering what we'll have for dinner, ha.  There is also the entire pan of brownies on the counter that I made yesterday thinking the kids would come over, but of course with the snow storm, no one did.  I ate a small one last night after dinner, a corner one, the best kind, and too bad it was amazing, just like I knew it would be.  

Last night's dinner...corn tortillas with taco stuff...

Is this my bed or theirs?  

Ah well....nothing exciting going on here, just winter weather.  I hope you all have a nice day, and my Florida friends...can I come visit you?  :)

 

stop. shaking. the. snowglobe!!!!!

 Oh goodness, the snow!  But in other news, I got two dresses in the mail today: 

That's not me modeling the dress, as you may have guessed.  I love love love the colors of this one, but I ordered the dress in a size too big, so it's slightly baggy.  They're  sold out in the smaller size so I'm thinking to keep it, maybe take it in a little.

This one is actually prettier in person, and it fits fine.  I'm not sure if it's dressy enough for a mother-of-the-bride dress, but I'm not a super dressy person.  We will see.  I am not done looking yet, but don't want to send these back because I like them.

Some old pics, the first wedding in the family, Ben and Ashley got married when Ben came home on leave from the Army.  

Abigail was her maid of honor, now Abigail is getting married, in May!

Little Camille with Evelyn, who is also getting married in May!

Miss Charlotte Claire, Suzanne Eleanor (she was married last fall!), and Cam.

I made a cake...and frosted cut out heart cookies.

Is this a beautiful sight or what?  An espresso shot for my Americano.  mmm.

This fine day, it's cold.  It's snowing.  Everything is white and muffled.  When the trees and branches are all covered in white, it IS beautiful.  It really is.  But.  I texted Aaron this morning, he lives in Phoenix where it's 70 and sunny today.....

Do I have anything deep and thoughtful to say today?  Well, I'm glad for the way things are going in the government here in the U. S. of A. lately.  Cutting wasteful spending is a good thing, right?  Freeing the American teacher from the Russian prison, getting the hostages from the Hamas, perhaps defunding Planned Parenthood, more transparency in medical choices...

Lots of things go on here that aren't my story to tell.  Paul and I did some last minute babysitting last evening, which was quite fun.  We got home late, the roads weren't as bad on the way home as they were on the way there.  This fine morning, freezing rain, then later today snow and flash freezing with high winds and lots of lake effect snow.  We're home, our church canceled, not sure if anyone is going to brave the roads and come over.  I did make a pan of brownies just in case.  I have a package of chicken breast and all the good stuff to make fajitas, but I can freeze that chicken if necessary.  (I cut it up and season it, put it in baggies, easy to grab and use).  

If it looked pretty outside yesterday, today is a work of art.  The ice on all the branches is just glittering.  Shh, I know, when the winds pick up later, power outages will happen.  I plan to fill some water jugs, as when we lose power we lose water.  Our pool is frozen, so we can't even scoop a bucket to flush a toilet.  

I decided to grind up some coffee in case the power goes out...some for Paul, some for me.  We have a gas stove, so we can light a burner with a match and make pour-over coffee...

Yesterday Paul headed out back with the chainsaw...as good a time as any to cut up some of the fallen trees.

Grandpa with Jamie

Cleaning off the steps...

Snow on my camper roof!  Paul raked some of it off...

So here we are at home, all snug with one bad dog on the couch where she doesn't belong...

Then there's this old girl, who owns a huge piece of my heart.  Mariel says she has the cutest face on the planet.   Seeing her get old and rickety just makes my soul ache.  She is still the good-est girl.  She has the most patience with kids, and if she gets annoyed at them, she simply gets up and moves, lays her head on her big fat paws, and sighs.  She can't hear anymore, but she can use her sniffer, and she will still find unwatched snacks.  She's more stealthy than Sunny, she gets the middle of the night rumbly-in-the-tumbly, and can miraculously jump up to get counter snacks, if we ever stupidly leave them.  Loaf of bread not pushed back far enough, she'll eat the whole thing.  She can't help it, it smells good, and she is hungry!   Yes, she is a good girl, not a mean bone in her body.  She wags and wants to get pet, and she sleeps. :)

I made a pan of brownies, used fresh espresso instead of water, added mini chocolate chips, now no one is coming over.  So I'm stuck in the house with an entire pan of brownies.  Maybe I'll just cut a tiny corner to see if they're good.  Wait, have brownies ever been not good?  

Suri said to leave them on the edge of the counter, she promises she won't get them.   Have a good day!

out and about all by my lonesome...

 This fine morning, I decided to go try on some dresses at Kohl's.  Off I went, all by myself.  I drove the backroads.  It wasn't all too long ago I was piloting that Big Van, filled with small children. Back then, we didn't just stop at places willy-nilly, with all the unbuckling and buckling back in, you had to really need something to go somewhere.   This fine morning however, I got to stop wherever I wanted.   I also may have pointed out cows and trains and the prison to absolutely no one as I drove past.  

First, Kohl's.  Of course I spent $46.something, less then four dollars less than the amount needed to get ten dollars Kohl's cash, that's the story of my life, A Day Late And A Dollar Short is today's chapter.  I bought two rolls of wrapping paper, Christmas, marked down then 30% off, I can use it for birthdays I think.  One is solid green, one has little StarWars characters.  exciting, I know.  Then, I found a dress I love.  It's not dressy enough for the weddings, but it has pockets, it fits nicely, and it was only $14!  So shh, I bought it in two more different colors...the solid green one might just work for Jon's wedding in October.  The others will be good for wedding showers, ect.  

Ollies was next, because I got a 15% off coupon in the mail.  It's a discount store with way too many good things, I had to avoid falling into the Yum Yum Trap, with all the chips and candies and cookies and garbageio in general.  I did buy cheddar cheese popcorn, one bag of Christmas Reese's, some springy flower shaped marshmallows because they used natural dyes and the kids will love them, and some pork rinds...salt and vinegar:). I bought a nice wood tray for less than five dollars, a box of Honey Nut Cheerios for Camille, and a bag of Mallo cups for her for Valentine's Day.  

Then, the thrift store.  I bought one Melissa and Doug house with different keys to open different doors, and one Land's End jacket for Anya or Elise.  There were so many toys but I am trying not to buy toys unless they are really good ones...there was Bitty Baby from American Girls, but I didn't NEED it, thought to leave it for some little girl to get excited about, or some mom to buy and resell ha.

Then...Aldi.  By the time I got into Aldi I wasn't much in a walking mood, but in I went.  Strawberries, a cauliflower pizza, cilantro and a big of onions, and a plan to make chicken street tacos on Sunday if anyone comes over.  Of course I had to walk all the way back for some fresh salsa, but I got colored peppers, sour cream, and a few different shredded cheeses.  I got fresh green beans for our Valentine's dinner, stocked up on flour and sugar (would you believe we ran out of both this week, took two different trips to Dollar General?), brown sugar,  bacon, cream, seltzer, apples, red potatoes...I also bought a gift for the grandkids, instead of buying them all Valentine's junk, I bought the Aldi cash register.  So much for fewer toys, I got it for them to play with here, because surprise, their parents don't want more toys either.

Then...a drive- through hot Americano for the cold and windy ride home...the wind is absolutely HOWLING out there right now.  More snow is coming, it's like toys, we have tons but we need more.  Lake effect, so who knows if we'll get three inches or a foot.  But whatever we get, it'll blow all across the roads with this wind.  There is also a salt shortage, so they road crews are only salting where it really needs it, intersections and hills ect.  

This fine evening, I am going to make stir fry for dinner.  I will use the Aldi stir fry cheat kit, which is frozen veggies and a little pouch of sauce.  I have to cut up the chicken,  add a bit of salt, pepper, corn starch, and fry it up in avocado oil.  There is cauliflower rice with peppers and onions in it from Costco, I'll get some of that out, and make a little bit of rice for Miss Camille.  I had better get moving, but shh, I don't want to.  Old Kitty is purring on the arm of my chair, I have my warm slippers on, and I'm still sipping that Americano.  Life is good.  Getting up to make dinner doesn't sound fun, but I won't mind once I get moving.

Paul asked if I was excited about Valentine's Day.  Well, I said, I bought steaks.  He seemed happy about that.  What's better than pan seared strip steak with salt and pepper and some rosemary and butter, a red potato, and some fresh green beans?  nothing.  Nothing is better.  Except maybe my chicken pot pie, or Riley's.  

So have a good evening, and if you're anywhere near here, don't get too buried in the snow.  If you're in Florida, I hate you.  :). Not really.  Thinking about sun on my skin brings such a longing though, I have forgotten what it feels like, but I remember that I like it ha.  Oh, we had to cancel our best and favorite campsite we had reserved for the weekend of Abigail's wedding, but I reserved it for the week after now.  Hopefully Paul will not be working or traveling.  Camping in June, sounds good, didn't want to have to wait until July!  Just thinking about camping in our little camper makes me so happy!  I cant't wait!  Anyway, have a good evening, enjoy this gift of life that we have been given!

um, excuse me? This has gone on for quite long enough...!

Winter, it's just not funny anymore!  This fine morning, it was seven degrees when I got out of bed.  -13.89c.  That is pretty cold.  My car windows were frozen, but I went to the pool.  The roads were nice and clear, so there is that.  The pool felt amazing, very thankful for water aerobics.  

Home....ahh, home.  Camille and I headed to the small city on Lake Ontario to go to the Amazon return store, to exchange an espresso machine and return a cupcake stand that came without the hardware.  It was Dollar Bin day, but we didn't find anything fun and exciting.  We did see some fun friends in there, Mr. Grant, Miss Ruth, and Miss Maeve with their mama Grace.  It was so nice to see them!  We did go in the grocery store for a few steaks for Valentine's Day, a gallon of milk, and some eggs for almost five dollars a dozen.  

We stopped and visited Margaret for a few minutes, hugged those kids, then headed home again.  We rearranged the tables and vacuumed, did some dishes and cleaned up the house, and then..not so much.  Evelyn Joy came over for a visit and to leave Mr. Newton here, tried on her wedding dress for us, as she just picked it up from the tailoring guy.  (It's beautiful!). 

Some cut out cookies for our activity club Valentine's party, I made buttercream frosting, and brought a can of chocolate frosting, and lots of candies (dye free from Trader Joe's), so the kids could decorate them.  They made cards and did crafts and had snacks and played games and ran wild.  

Mr. Newton...small guy with a big attitude.  Sam said Newton has one of those circus mirrors at home that makes him look huge when he looks in it, so he thinks he's big.  We are dog-sitting him right now and he will not stop trying to boss Sunny around, so on and on it goes, they just keep play fighting.  

We had Wulf and Tennyson over night from Monday until Tuesday night.  They went to bed like champs, and woke up all happy, wanting their waffles. They know I have a bowl waffle maker and a regular one that makes heart shaped waffles, so they wanted both.  I always add brown sugar and vanilla to the waffles, makes them yummy.  They eat them with whipped cream and strawberries, and no syrup.  

I don't really mind winter, by the way.  I don't like when it's all slippery out though, and I walk like an even older lady than usual.  I don't mind being inside with the fake fireplace, but being chilly gets old.  We keep the heat low, it's usually 65 in here.  Propane is super expensive, and it's been so cold this winter, the bills are high, so we bundle.  I wear my Bombas (sock-like slippers, I don't like clunky slippers with rigid soles), sweatpants, and usually a sweater.  As soon as I start doing housework the sweater comes off.  Hot tea in the evening is nice too.  We're getting more snow this weekend.  Imagine that.  

Wedding season is upon our household again...two daughters getting married in May!  Two wedding showers coming up, it's all so fun and exciting.  Valerie, I haven't been able to find that dress you tried so hard to show me, dang.  I have ordered two from Kohl's that I will try on and perhaps return.  One of the ladies in the pool suggested I go to Macy's...trying on clothes is so disheartening, we see ourselves so critically.  I don't care if I look wonderful or not, I just want to be comfortable...and not look horrid.  I don't want to lean over and fall out of my dress either.  It has to be modest.  

Ah well....you have a good night and stay warm!

 

it's monday again already?!

 Snow snow snow, if you think you're sick of hearing about it, imagine living in it!  Some of you have been there done that, I know.  It's just been a whopper of a winter, January was like six months long, and February is following suit.  When the pine trees glisten with snow, and the whole house is lit with that glow that only a snow covered yard can bring, yay, I love it!  I avoid driving in it as much as I can, but it still happens.  The older kids have to go to work too, so they're all driving in it all the time.  This is from Sam and Grace's drive home last night: 

When the road is covered like that, you can't see where you're supposed to be driving, and when the flakes are coming down heavily, you can't see anyway.  On a perfectly clear summer night, it's hard for me as it is, driving in the dark, but add these things and then slippery-ness...I recently had to slow down to turn onto my road and there was a truck, right on my tail...it's stressful!  

Anyway.  Our weekend was just as it should be, fun and loud and warm and good.  

I stole this picture from Emily, Lake Ontario.

Just the random things, little Miss Blythe and Bluey...Paul, Tennyson in the background with a toy gun, Ben, Kathryn.

Me with seven of my eleven daughters:  Margaret, Kathryn, Evelyn, me, Sonja, Suzanne, Abigail, Camille holding Kathryn's Jamie.

The five-girls-in-a-row-in-five-years...Margaret, Kathryn, Evelyn, Suzanne, Sonja

Random:  That's Abigail's fiance Derek, then Evelyn with her fiance Nate, Grace and Sam with Maeve...you can see Sunny at the side, and Nate's dog Newton.

Suze, Marge, Cam, Oscar, and Sonja

Camille using the little kitchen torch that Jonny got her for Christmas on her Creme Brulee' cookies.  

Margaret and her Blythe, Jamie, Grace with her Maeve

Grace and her two little girls, Ruth and Maeve...the kids love that three dollar Bluey!

I didn't go around taking pictures, being intrusive, I always feel intrusive when I take pictures in such a cozy, let-your-hair down setting.  So I will just have to use my words.  Ben and Ashley were there with Anya, Elise, Declan.  Suzanne's husband Zech was there.  My son Joseph was there.  

Son-in-laws Adrian and Zech.  

Anyway, we had meatballs and Buffalo mac and cheese, and chicken wing dip and ribs and yesterday Nate made three kinds of chicken wings.  The espresso machine clogged up (it was just the little insert basket of the portafilter, it clogged and the water couldn't get through), the kids went in and out, but Paul did take them sledding on the back hill, there were dogs:  Sunny and Suri, Newton, Suzanne and Zech's big black gentle giant Lab Winnie, Rosi's little Junie.  They were all fine, Newton is small and mighty, and likes to be the boss, but the other dogs didn't care that much.  Junie just ran around wagging and smiling.  

(When I vacuumed on Sunday morning, oh dear, I had to keep stopping to empty the dog hair!)

I'm going out the door to the pool in ten minutes, so this will be short.  Life is interesting.  I want everyone to choose the good, to walk on the straight and narrow, because I love them and want them to be happy.  Yesterday in church we heard about blaming others.  It's not right, and when we get the nudge not to do that, we need to really take heed, because it's something that brings US misery.  It doesn't feel good.  Pointing the finger even in the most trivial matters can lead to those bitter roots, which defile many.  God has much better plans for us.  When we pray for it, God will answer.  When we listen to that still small voice of the spirit, things will go well.  Christians get a bad rap, mostly because they tend to be self righteous, and that's not Christianity at all.  We're to judge ourselves, and give other people freedom.  We see how glad our hearts are when we say no to sin,  we want others to experience it, but without love, it's just clanging....and love isn't puffed up, doesn't parade itself.  It is patient and kind.  So love comes by much obedience to that still small voice!  It suffers when wronged, and doesn't fight or argue.  We have to live the life, then that is the light of men.

Okay, stepping down from the pulpit now and hurrying like heck out the door...have a good day!