A Proverbs 31 Kind of Day

We have been inside since Monday night!  We were so excited when they decided to cancel school today!  "Mr." thought school might be in session today -- but wait 'til you see the pictures I'm posting!  We have about six inches and it's still coming down!  How fun will this be!  (I know, that's really a question, but I already know the answer, so I made it exclamatory!).   I didn't have time to really get dressed to go out and take pictures before the cherubs pounced through the beautiful snow - so I grabbed my stylish rain boots and threw them on with my lounging pants!  What a look!  Oh, hush! you've been known to "look cute!" too!  So!  This is EXACTLY why I leave up all of my Winter decor! While Christmas is over at the end of December, Winter decor is technically not over until the end of February at my house!  As I walked outside I was profoundly aware of how quiet it was; it was so still.  For a mom...

YEAH!  We've had another snow day!  These are things we love about snow days! No school (or homework) (This was from Jackson!) Being with my parents (This was from MadisonGrace!) Staying up late Waking up without an alarm clock Not prepared to do "big" projects at home Playing games with family No schedule Having a break in the routine P.J.'s Watching the news to see our school scroll across the bottom We are a game playing family and we have several that are our favorites!  But Krazy Bee Rummy is tops at our house!  This game has 14 steps and is easy to start and stop depending on what's going on.  It'll drive you crazy when you get stuck and you're lovin' it when you're the first to lay down and you skunk everyone else!  It's a game that causes a real "love/hate" relationship!  We've had this game for more than 25 years and a man from Midwest City, OK created it.  Last time I checked, you could still order it!  ...

OH!  This is so wonderful!  Today "we" . . .and yes, it's "we!" are out of school again!  This time, though, we knew before we headed off to bed so "we" . . .and here, it's more "us" as in the adults!  . . . were able to take advantage of sleeping in!  It's been great except for the rolling black-outs they are conducting!  You know, when it's a bone-chilling 16 degrees -- a few minutes with your heat off doesn't take long for your fingers to start turning blue!  Not to mention, we have no carpet in our house!  These hard-surface floors get cold in a hurry!  Lucky us, we have a frozen pipe in our bathroom!  With the space heater plugged in and blowing hot air on it, hopefully we'll escape without any trouble.  "We"  . . .and yes, it's "we" keep checking to see if school is cancelled for tomorrow too!  I've told the kids 100 times -- and you know that's no exaggeration, that it won't ...

There is something great about getting a snow day!  I'm as bad as the kids when it comes to sitting in front of the T.V. watching the school closing scroll across!  The thrill and excitement when you know you're out!  Of course, we knew early this morning that we'd all have a day at home . . .bummer, if only we could have slept in too! So!  What do you think the kids have been doing?  Taking this day to log some reading minutes or get some extra studying for the big history test?  One would think our little cherubs would be glued to their books  . . . A little Wii competition!  And since it's too cold to go outside -- they've improvised!  Jackson's remote control car that he got for Christmas is whiz-bang!  It goes over all terrain!  Snow, ice, water, and dirt!   MadisonGrace controlled the car from inside . . .where it is warm! While Jackson HAD to go out and take care of the car when it go...

These noodles are your hidden secret to yummy soup!  My mom has used these since I can remember in her chicken noodle soup -- which is now my chicken noodle soup!  These little gems are  found in the freezer section of your favorite (or in my case, not so favorite) grocery store!  Once you get your soup all made up the way you like, you drop a bag of these in and it's the cat's meow!  Sometimes I've had people say, "Oh, chicken and dumplings!"  NO!  These are NOODLES -- there is a big difference in noodles and dumplings, but I will say these are much heartier than your basic dried egg noodle -- these are delicious!  I know for many of us there is cold weather coming and if you're making your final trip to the grocery store to get a few things, add this to your list and make your favorite chicken soup and drop these in -- you'll be glad you did!

Hot Pretzels I'm one of those that actually like pretzels!  I know they're plain and a little under-rated, but I can't help it; I like them!  So when an old friend gave me this recipe, I knew it would be a winner!  My kids LOVE these and my brother has actually asked for these for Christmas . . .as in a gift!  They're easy and there is no cooking involved.  It turns a great snack into a greater snack! Donna's Hot Pretzels 1 to 1 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or less if you prefer -- 1 1/2 tsp is pretty rockin'!) 1 tsp. lemon pepper 1 package dry ranch dressing mix 1/3 cup oil 1 to 2 packages mini pretzels* Dump the pretzels into a large bowl.  Mix cayenne pepper and next 4 ingredients together.  Pour sauce over the pretzels.  Let set for 2 hours and stir about every 20 minutes (or whenever you remember!) *We prefer this recipe with one bag of pretzels -- if I use 2 bags then I double the sauce ingredients; we like a more zesty pretzel...

This may seem like it's comin' outta left field!  But I've got to tell you about a secret that you gotta git!  A cast iron skillet!  I'm serious!  Do you have one of these?  Do you use it?  Really, cast iron is great!  It's not great for everything, but it's great for the things it's great for!  That's soundin' biblical, isn't it! Most of us remember cast iron.  I remember my dad cooking  . . .uh, let's try fryin' in a cast iron skillet.  Umm, let's pause here and learn to say "iron" correctly.  If you're sayin' it where we can "hear" all of the letters, you're not sayin' it right!  It's more like "arn."  If you need to hear the correct pronunciation, just listen to Paula Deen!  Back to the secret ingredient -- cast iron!  Seriously -- these pans do their job!  Last night I made a queso that could win any throw-down!  The secret -- the skillet!  Cast iron cooks hot, it's easy t...