snow and cold and staying home...

But yesterday, oh yesterday was fun! Evelyn stayed home with a stack of library books, but Jonathan, Suzanne, Kathryn, Sonja, Camille, and Charlotte Claire went along...the three youngest had gymnastics, and while I watched them, sipped coffee, and chatted with a few other homeschooling moms, the three older girls went to Moe's for some Mexican food. We all went to Walmart afterward for some 50% off Christmas chocolate...then home...ah, home.

I made Sloppy Joes for dinner, and hamburgers for the picky ones, and a huge salad.

After dinner was the best part of the day...time for me to go to my niece's house for a gathering...snacks, wine, and the hot tub!

And today, we said goodbye to the Christmas tree. It was the most excellent tree we have ever had, none of those big holes that had to be turned to the wall. It was losing needles and I was afraid it was a fire hazard, so we reluctantly pulled off all the ornaments. One of the teenagers dropped an ornament into the box, breaking a few other things...I thought she had just tossed it in there carelessly, but she insisted she dropped it accidentally. whatever. Joseph dragged the tree out, leaving a needles galore on the floor. My comfy chair is now back in it's proper place in the corner where the tree was. The floors are cleaned up, and most of the Christmas stuff is packed away. We left the lights in the windows and some of the wintery stuff out, it's still winter:)

Evelyn is reading an Upton Sinclair book, "The Jungle", and is sharing gross passages about the corrupt meat packing industry at the beginning of the century. ugh.

I have read two library books since Tuesday. "My Name Is Lucy Barrett", by Elizabeth Strout...I started it last night and finished it this morning, it was a page turner.

Sonja is playing FIFA 17. Joseph too Jonathan and some of their friends rock climbing. Cam is playing with her dolls and stroller and cash register, Char is lying on the couch with her tablet. Kathryn is working out, and Suzanne is probably reading her library book. I like vacation.:) We can't go anywhere because Joseph has the van, the other van needs new tires before it's driven in snow, and we have snow. It looks fresh and clean out there again. Waking up to the trees and branches coated and covered makes it almost worth living here in snow country.

I am not tired of winter yet. The coziness hasn't gotten old. I like when the temperature drops low enough to freeze the ground outside, and when it's covered in snow, because the dogs don't get all muddy. Sunny had to have a few baths when the weather warmed up, she romps across the yard and doesn't care one bit about getting muddy. Right now she's sleeping in front of the lovely little fake fireplace, with Cam curled up to her. She's a keeper.

Here's a question: how do you keep away from sugar when there are Andes Mints and Hershey's Kisses in the house? It's killing me. The cut out cookies are all gone, phew.

Today would be a good soup day, or perhaps a pot of chili day...