snow day!!!

 We actually had an ice day, lots of slippery roads.  More lake effect moving in tonight, snowy and windy tomorrow.  It's about this time of year that can feel claustrophobic here in the north, you can feel like it's never going to end.  I choose to embrace it.  Otherwise it would smother me.  I like sunshine on my skin, and bare feet, not being shivery cold with sweatpants and slippers and a big wooly sweater on.  But instead of longing for the warmth, I'll focus on the little fake fireplace and the coziness of the lantern on the bookcase, and how nice it is to make soups and stews and cookies.  

So it occurred to me that three weddings this year (plus my sister's granddaughter Grace, my niece's daughter, one of Sonja's besties, is getting married this summer!)...anyway, I need some dresses!  Shh, I do look when I go into the thrift stores, it would be great fun to score a super cheap nice dress.  The one I wore to Sonja's wedding was extremely reasonable ($35), Suzanne's was double that.  It's harder than ever to find them though.  Not too long ago, I could go to the mall and wander into Dress Barn, Sears, Christopher and Banks, H&M, Macy's...there were nice dresses in the Burlington Coat Factory.  There is a mall in the city, it takes some better knees than mine to traverse it.  I may be able to go to a few places, we'll see.  I do want to try Kohl's, there were some promising one online, looking so nice on the thin little models.  Even when they show plus sized models, they are shapely in the right places, no big hanging pooch, or fatty bat-winged arms.  ahem.  sorry.  It's not all about me, anyway, I just have to look presentable and not embarrass the bride and groom, right?  And look young and beautiful and thin would be nice too, as long as we're at it.  

So the dresses have to be:

Modest.  Reasonably priced, which sounds better than Cheap.  More flattering than fattering.  (snug around the tum-tum is a no-no).  Elbow length sleeves are a hefty middle-aged woman's dream, no short sleeves or sleeveless, I would choose comfort and take the little sweater or jacket off, and ugh, ha.  (Get me in the sun for a while and I'll care less, right now I have so much skin covered up...).  I have to figure out what colors each bride has chosen for bridesmaids so I don't matchy-match them.  

This too will pass, and I will enjoy it.  

Today I used our little Bissell upholstery cleaner and wet-vac-ed the couch.  It took way longer than I thought it would but it looks nice.  I also vacuumed the stairs in addition to my regular vacuuming.  I made a triple batch of chocolate chip cookie dough, put it in the refrigerator and went to Costco with Kathryn.  I needed the burger to make the meatballs.  The prices!  Never mind it's $25 just for the burger, the little Unreal coconut bars I splurged on last week for $10.99 were $14.99!  I did get two pounds of pepperoni for $7.49, and some ribs to make on Sunday.  

Home...I brought a few Costco hot dogs, and some pizza slices for Jon and Cam.  I ate one hot dog without the bun, the some leftover beef, gravy, potatoes, carrots from last evening.  Camille had made creme brulee cookies, but we ran out of sugar, and she needs to put some on top and use her little kitchen torch on them, so after Norwegian, she and Jon are stopping at the Dollar General.  

Tomorrow, I'll drive her to work, then go to the pool, then later in the day drive to the airport to pick up Paul.  High winds and lake effect snow are forecast, so I'll be terrified driving.  You can't really live here and not drive in it, but I do not have to like it.  

The deck window, the walls look almost yellow in the evening.  The orchid is blooming and blooming!

Ah well.....enough rambling for this evening.  You have a good night!