Showing posts with label ice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ice. Show all posts

Monday, June 1, 2015

Saved by Snow Days

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This winter was a dud...until mid January.  After a drought, when it finally rains, it pours, right?  Or when it snows it's a blizzard, in this case. 
 TWO WEEKS PEOPLE
We were out of school for over two weeks.  You have no idea how happy that made me (and my mom).  We were in desperate need of a break from school.  Dad even got several days off from work, too!  It was like Christmas break all over again, but better!
The extra time off gave me the chance to relax a little bit, sleep extra, cook, get creative, be a bit spontaneous, and learn lots of lessons!  God really got me motivated about things. For example, I shared some stuff that I had learned and that was on my heart, if you want to go back and check it out.
 
I also looked up some Bible verses as I was in awe of this amazing and beautiful snow that God sent us.  Our weather is so unpredictable and things like this have been coming so unexpectedly lately, and I say it is God showing us that we are not in control and we "do not know what will happen tomorrow (James 4:14)" 
 
"He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes."  Psalm 147:16
 
"God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; He does great things beyond our understanding.  He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,'...so that all men He has made may know His work.."  Job 37:5-7
This is what I loved most about this snow season.
I laughed when I saw this picture on instagram and shared it with a couple friends, because that's basically what we do, especially when we are out of school.
 

Exhibit A.

I wanted to make these look especially pretty.  Kodiak Cakes also has a pretty box for their pancake and waffle mix.  The m&m guy, well, he's not pretty, but he tastes good.
My snowman looked a little deformed, but I did my best!  Redi Whip is tough to shape!
I was inspired by the pancakes I made almost this exact time the year before on a snow day, pumpkin-flavored and snowflake-shaped!
Here are a few more concoctions from the blizzard break:  almond coconut, strawberry banana, and I honestly don't remember what those last ones are...kinda looks like chocolate or blueberries!  What I was more concerned about in that picture was all the Peanuts stuff.  I was eating on my snowy Snoopy plate, drinking from my snowy Snoopy Christmas mug, and got to finally use my Snoopy Snow day coloring book that Chantal and Cherie had given me!
 No, this is not a pancake.  I can cook other things besides breakfast!  This was a new dinner I made with lots of vegetables, an apple, eggs, and chicken stir fry.  Coconut oil is my favorite kind to use when anything has to use oil!

After a while, we just expected school to be cancelled indefinitely.  Some people went out and started doing crazy things!  One day that was relatively warm and sunny, some teachers had gone into school to get some things done, and some of West High's administration made a little video for us to have some fun with yet another school closing announcement.

That tree belongs in Whoville.

I was really focused on being creative and living these snow days to the fullest!  Just going with what God gave me each day because we may never get another snow like this in my school years!  I wrote this silly little poem and took it around to some of my neighbors when I went for an afternoon fun run.

I had to get some classic ice sickle snapshots. 

Out TV's cable box upstairs got all messed up when the power went out, so we moved our dinner spot downstairs for a few nights.  It was actually pretty fun to mix things up!  One night our power went out, and I woke up to the house about 50 degrees...my hands and feet started to go numb..yikes!

When it gets too frigid outside, Mom caves and lets her favorite family member come inside. 
She's queen.
She also took over my bed 24/7.  If I wasn't in it, and as soon as I was back in it at night, there she would come and walk all over me to find a comfy spot. 
(Left-when I wasn't in it.  Right-before bed)
(Left-in the morning.  See, she had every part of the day covered.)
After a few days, she even started bonding with Dad!  He's always been more of a dog person, and Sophie has never really been drawn to him either, but I guess she realized that Dad is a good seat cushion, too! 

My bed is her bed.  I just wish that I could sleep half as much as she does.
However, my food is not her food!  I know it smells good, but once she took a bite, she probably wouldn't like beef, beans, corn, veggies, and hot sauces and spices!  She does her best to get into our food every chance she gets.

I went for a few runs when the temperatures hit their "highs" for the day.  It was just so pretty, I had to get out there!  Running in the snow isn't too hard if you watch where you step.  The soft stuff may be a little slower, but it's not slick!  The same old route seems totally different with a weather and scenery change.
I had been saving all my color coordinating neon socks, hat, shirt, and tights (stripes), for snow, and I finally got to use it!  The neon compared to the white literally glowed!
We tried to have track practice a couple days...one worked out pretty well other than the fact that there was no sun to give any warm so we all froze to (not quite) death.  The next time was sunny, but the snow was so deep, we could hardly run or even see the track at all!  It was a fun experience, though, and I'm glad we got out there!  In the end, it's really all about making "..the most of every opportunity..(Colossians 4:5)"

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Week-Long Weekend




Well, I am pretty ticked off right now.  I went to update and publish this post that I had worked on for a long time last night, and it deleted every bit of typing that I had done, even after I had saved it multiple times.
So here goes round 2.
I can't remember ever seeing this much snow on our back porch!  I snowed for over 12 straight hours!  We had no idea that we would be getting any snow at all, so this was a very pleasant surprise.
During cold weather, Mom lets Sophie inside, and she always makes a beeline straight for my room.  I woke up multiple days this break to a cat literally walking across my face.  She also loves to sit in my desk chair and refuses to move.  She finally sat up and took a very short look at my AP US Government and Politics.
I got this idea from a retweet I saw on my Twitter feed.  It's a peanut butter banana roll!  All you do is flatten out a slice of bread, spread some nut butter on it, and roll up the banana!  I used Peanut Butter & Co's The Bee's Knees, which is the best PB I think I've ever tasted!
What could be a more exciting food to try than cereal?  This week I found
Nature's Path Sunrise Crunchy Maple, and it is fantastic!  Honey or maple makes everything taste better!

While I was snacking on some cuties the other day, I had some "defective" ones that wouldn't peel right, so I had to slice them.  Sucking the innards out, I thought of how silly I looked, so I decided to capture the moment.

Friday, Mom was no longer afraid to drive on the roads because most of it had melted on the main roads, so she took me to the Jefferson City Community Center to swim and run on the treadmill while she went to Walmart.  This was probably the best workout there I've had!  It felt great!  Afterwards, we made a lunch date at The Creek CafĂ© again.  I love going to small businesses and helping people out, so I made sure to get some of the Fair Trade coffee while I was there!  I also added some cinnamon hazelnut to it as well.
Yum!
Today is Small Business Saturday!

Their coffee cups are cute, too!

This morning, Dad and I got up early and headed to Cataloochee to get in a morning of skiing.  Conditions weren't too bad, and it wasn't cold out at all!  (Compared to some days we've had lately, anything above freezing is a heat wave.)  Crossing Douglass Lake, we were shocked at how much ice was still over the top!
Queen Sophie claims her overlook of her kingdom while I enjoy the warm weather, actually getting to wear shorts and a tshirt!  I hadn't shot basketball in so long, so I decided that I would go for it.  No matter how long I go without playing, my muscle memory always comes through!
This is my wonderful Dad!  Although he is the biggest procrastinator I have ever met, when he does get around to doing things, he always does a great job.  Spaghetti is one of those things.  Whenever Dad is going to make spaghetti, I just expect it to be hours after normal dinner time.  But there is not a spaghetti out there that can compete with his!
Look at all those peppers and celery!