SHEs Organized

It's gray and rainy here and unseasonably warm. Some areas tho are getting hit with snow and ice. Either way, the days start getting longer again tomorrow, the days of darkness start to recede and we return to the light.

I always feel better with more light, longer days, and the fall is typically when I have some seasonal depression. Here's to personal health improvements with the coming year!

I can't complain about what I got done yesterday.

When I said yesterday that I was going to sit outside for a bit, it turned into some special family bonding around a fire. I decided to build a fire in the firepit that I bought for dh several years ago that has never been used, and he and ds were drawn outside. We stayed outside until around 9 p.m. when light rain started. We decided to blow off cooking dinner and had an outside supper of shrimp cocktail, cheese and crackers, challah and a glass (or two) of wine. Even ds joined in, and we called dd to check in with her. Had we planned this, she could have been home for the evening but it was spontaneous.

Those on Facebook should see grainy photo of firepit and lights on a ridge beyond us as the light faded.

Today dMacs has PT and I have to get him into my car. I'm hoping that can be accomplished efficiently with the help of his harness. Tonight we're going to the nice "dress up" cocktail attire party.

Otherwise, I'm taking it easy today.

Good Morning!

I am feeling MUCH better today. My body is still hanging onto some of its achy feeling, but overall I am much improved.

This morning we woke up to see icicles over a foot long hanging from the roof, trees and any other surface that they can dangle from. Everything is covered with a thick coating of ice. It is weirdly beautiful to see. I'm still very disappointed to not be able to make the trip to celebrate DGD3 birthday, but know we made the right decision.

Stringing popcorn for the tree and birds will be our Christmas activity for today. A simple tradition.

LO woke up several times during the night coughing and congested. I gave him some cough med around 1am and he was able to sleep. I checked on him several times through the night to watch for his fever to rise, but thankfully it didn't.

I'm "playing" in the kitchen with two new recipes this morning and set the smoke alarm off waking everyone up. I want to find a way to include hash browns into healthy eating. I made this low fat crispy hash brown following the recipe exactly. Then I made another batch without the cornstarch, onion & bell peppers to test that variation. They look crispy and wonderful in the oven. They will finish baking in about 5 minutes.

The recipe experiments were a HUGE success! Now hash browns are a acceptable option to both me (wanting healthy eating) and the guys (wanting carbs). The healthy hash browns will be replacing weekend biscuits most of the time.

LO is being succccchhh a 5 year old. I am drawing comfort this is just a normal developmental phase after talking to the grandmother of one of LO classmates. DH and I discussed how we are going to respond to LO new actions/attitude and are in agreement. Now we just have to keep on keeping on until LO gets the message that his actions/attitude is not going to result in anything he wants.

The tree branches are bent downward - some of them touching the ground (lower branches) from the weight of the ice. I've seen several reports of no electricity all around us because the ice has pulled the power lines down.

I'm up determined to have a better day today. I'm trying to cancel church for tomorrow, but the chair doesn't want to. It will only be 4" of snow overnight (on top of the 6 we have already plus what ever falls today) and then ice pellets. She seems to think this is no big deal. Only 2" of snow left the roads almost impassable because it was coming down so hard the plows couldn't keep up but that will be over.

At the moment we are between storms and have until 3 to get groceries. It will be crowded but we have no choice, today or tomorrow we have to make the egg rolls for the 26th and need ingredients. I'm tempted to make the tortieres as well and freeze them. We'll see.

So far today I've s2s, tidied the bedroom, stripped and remade the bed, cleaned our bathroom, started a load of laundry and am making two batches of nuts and bolts (the second batch will be ready in 6 minutes then I take time to eat my breakfast.)

I may have found a place to stay in Wellington. I asked about booking a 5 bedroom house (for $350 a night) but she has 2 rooms already booked and will be staying in the third (party weekend so she wants to be on top of things.) That leaves us two rooms if we don't mind sharing the common areas including, possibly, a bathroom (that part is unclear from the listing.) It is affordable and beautiful, with ocean views, so I might take it but am waiting to hear about an apartment right downtown.

wonderful news d Helia... so so happy for her!!!