eight degrees! (-13.3c)...with a bit of snow, and some wind?

And this isn't even the midwest! A few years back, when Mirielle and I drove across the country, I remember pumping gas in maybe Iowa, brr! In any case, it's cold here right now. The snow crunches underfoot. It looks pretty though!

So yesterday, Jonathan and I tried to get out and about and get some Christmastime groceries, find a Secret Santa gift for one of the kids who wasn't able to do it, and stop at the auto parts store to get something for fixing his four wheeler. The sun was shining on the snow when we left. I knew the forecast, snow was coming, so we TRIED to hurry. We were a good 40 minutes from home, although it's only 20 miles. So we went to Aldi first...avocados, chicken (boneless thighs for 85 cents a pound!), heavy cream, butter ($1.99 a pound for butter!), Brussel sprouts, broccoli, asparagus, chocolate, eggs...a good cartful.

Then Target, where we walked around in circles, me not wanting to leave until we checked off the items on our list, wanting to hurry to get home before the snow started falling, but not wanting to have to go shopping again before Christmas. We were in line when someone commented that it was snowing. Dang, I had wanted to beat it. Target is to the east of us, so we would have to drive home right into the wind, and when that wind contains snow that is coming 1 to 2 inches an hour, it's not fun.

We stopped for gas, then at the auto parts store, and made our way home. I wouldn't call it treacherous, although it was for a bit here and there, in places where the snow just blows across the road, and there were a few whiteouts. The car in front of us didn't have it's lights on, and I couldn't believe how many vehicles passed us with no lights on. It was hard to see! This was in daylight, I'm glad it wasn't at night!


Home, ah home. We finished up some gift wrapping, then started in on frosting those cookies. Sonja started dinner while we were still frosting and sprinkling, Jonathan helped her. Taco beef, Jasmine rice, fresh cilantro, tomatoes, green peppers, cheese, sour cream, black olives, tortillas or wraps. It was a nice yummy cozy dinner.

It was a nice cozy night. No one could go anywhere, things were cancelled because of the weather. I texted my girls and made sure they all made it home from work safely, they did. So we had all the Christmas lights on, and watched, "Eloise at Christmas", which I HIGHLY recommend! "Eloise at the Plaza" was a favorite of the kids when they were little. Eloise (based on the books), is precocious, spunky, but funny and cute and kind. Julie Andrews played Nanny, and was just golden. It was the perfect movie, even Paul watched it.

Today's agenda: get this house cleaned, find the Christmas stockings...I am planning to fill stockings for only the five kids still at home, but maybe I'll fill 13 stocking. (Aaron and Kathryn and Samuel: sorry, I am not mailing them.


I got distracted looking at old pictures...ten years ago, this was our family...living at home, all 18 of us. The five boys and eleven girls. Now it's just Jonathan, Suzanne, Sonja K., Charlotte Claire, and Camille. I can't even think of how it'll be in ten more years! Cam will be 22...oh dear! And the one of Paul and I when we were young, ha!

This is just one of my favorites...when Mali had just had Lydia, and her nice brother Aaron came for a visit. Aaron is an R.N., and was working, thus the scrubs and stethoscope. He lives in California now, but he and Mali were very close growing up.


And this one, so random, but Camille was/is so cute, and Suri is the best Labrador, isn't her face just the cutest?


And that's it for today!