December 2010 Blizzard

We survived it... it was crazy... and a "real" snowblower is now really on our list of things to get.

My first day of wearing no pants to work...

I actually did wear pants into work... but it sure as hell didn't feel like it.

It's backkkkkk...

Ugh... so this morning around 4am I woke up to the noise of a snow blower... yes... at 4am! We got between 2-4 inches of wet snow. Ish. We were teased last week... heck even this weekend. I didn't wear a coat and if I did it was just a lite fleece. Stupid snow. At least now the dog should know where he's suppose to go to the bathroom - he was a bit confused when the snow started melting and he could touch the grass!

Here's what the local news station had to say.

Can you say... Global Warming?

It's cold cold cold cold here. So cold that Pork Chop was happy to put his sweater on... not chewing at it or even struggling to have it put on him.

Here's just how cold it is in this state... so cold that we now that a town in northern Minnesota won a federal trademark making it officially the "Icebox of the Nation". Jeeeeze.

Why do we live here?

Here's a story from our local news station... ugh...

It's officially winter..

I got my first bloody nose of the season... making me realize that winter is officially here. I'll be pulling out the humidifiers to bring some moisture into our air here in the house... now I just wish I had a personal size one for work... maybe Santa will bring this for me.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

This past weekend I got the tree put up and the holiday decorations out. There was a bit of a debate as to where to put the tree this year since we have some additional furniture in the living room - the two striped chairs and ottomans. Ends up that I put it in the same exact spot as last year in front of the side window.

The tree went up with the same decorations as years pasts... with the exception of two. The first is one that I didn't put up... Lily's paw printed ornament up. But what I did put up brought a smile to my face... what do you think?


On Saturday it snowed our first "storm" of the season. We got about 7 to 8 inches of snow plus drifts in places. And today it's snowed another 3 to 4 inches already... and is still snowing. Ugh. I would be complaining more... but.... I have to say that dumpster diving paid off this past year. Remember that snow blower that I said I picked up and hoped that it would work... well... IT DOES! Yahooo! Free snow blower!

The girls ended up not coming over this weekend... so... I didn't get as much candy making done as I had hoped. (I was thinking I could teach them some of the recipes for what my family makes this time of the year.) Needless to say, I still got some done.... chex mix, chocolate covered pretzels, peanut clusters, cornflake cookies, cashew turtles, and Jerome pecan candy. I had wanted to also do some of Ella's sugar cookies, Oreo Balls and who knows what else... but I'll have to do that some other time. Check out the new recipe blog for recipes and photos.

I did also make the lasagna that I had planned on - even without the extra mouths but I didn't get to the point of wrapping presents... which I need to do before we head to Wisconsin so I don't have to ship GWM and MJM's presents.

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow...

So the cities are under a winter storm watch. We could get up to a foot of snow by Sunday...

To make it a bit more like the holidays the girls should be coming over for the weekend all three: PST, JST, and Tink. I plan to make Christmas candy this weekend and put up the tree and other decor. I'm even planning on wrapping up the presents for shipping out (oh to be ahead of the game... you think it will happen????).

I think I'll also put together some lasagna this weekend... with all the mouths we'll be feeding it will probably go quickly.

Sorry!

Two weeks pasted just like that?!?!? Whoa.

Sorry to my people who are looking in each and every day to see if something new has come up. I honestly can't say I was doing much of anything special. Let me ponder on the last two weeks and find out what I was really doing...........





Okay... here's something. Jerome, JST, Tinker and I went to Jerome's other daughter PST's apartment for Thanksgiving. The story goes that Jerome and I left home right when we got home from work. Jerome was in the driver's seat of the Neon... he decided that he didn't want to take the main highway that runs all around the cities because he thought it would be packed with rush hour and all. Then the phone rang. JST was wondering when we were going to be picking her up. Jerome thought she wasn't coming with thus why we had already left - without picking her up. He got off the phone and I told him he should go get her. That if he didn't he would be feeling it later.

We turned around and picked up JST and Tinker. Yep, we were still in the Neon. But now I know what it'll be like with a little one in the back... hopefully when we have kids ours will be as calm as Tink was. She didn't make a peep the whole time... and when I say whole time it should have been only three hours... but it ended up being a five hour tour. Ugh. It was rush hour, it was the day before Thanksgiving, it was snowing - only flurries though.

We arrived around 12:30 or so at night. Whew. We made it. Jerome and I claimed the couch while PST and her boyfriend CT claimed their room. I'm not actually even sure where JST and Tink ended up honestly... ? The girls stayed up giggling and talking while Jerome and I dozed off into sleep.

When we woke in the morning I let Jerome know that I needed a paper... for the BEST HOLIDAY paper EVER. Yup... Black Friday. True, not a real holiday... but I celebrate it none the less! Jerome left to pick up my paper and came back to pass the sacred paper to me. It smelled of fresh printed ink. Tasty! I studied each and every paper. Searching for the must have deals. I had already looked online at some of the ads thru Black Friday websites... but it's something about the actual paper. Once I had gone thru we decided to shower and pack up to head back to the Cities.

When I got out of the shower I was informed that PST was coming back to the Cities with us. Wha? How? Oh my... will we all fit in the Neon???? Truth be told, yes... we all could fit. Now were we all comfortable... that I can't say. I bet Tink had the best spot in the car! We made it back and dropped off all the girls at JST and PST's mom's house. Jerome and I headed to a gas station to pick up a City paper to view and make sure we received all of the same ads as in PST's neck of the woods. Then we headed to Lisa's husband's family feast.

We weren't sure if we were going to make it, so we hadn't prepared anything. I felt a little bad until we walked in and saw all of the food. Most people had already eaten and people were getting to the point of making their "to go" plates. Jerome and I piled our plates, ate, and then piled up our own "to go" plates.

We headed home. We went downstairs to watch TV and I sat in my chair to study. I got out the flags to tag the pages in the ad. And stuck a post it note on the front of each place where there was something that I wanted with what that item was, the store name and what time the store opened. I also circled the item in the ad. I was set. The only problem was that a few of the stores where I wanted to go were opening at the same time... I enlisted Jerome to help me out. What a great hubby!

Here's the run down:
4am:

• Kim at Kohl's for the opening (standing in line) for an 18 qt. roasting crock pot (didn't get - they sold out on Wednesday b/c they were apparently open then - GRRRR), ear muffs, and flash lights that don't require batteries.
• Jerome at JC Penny for the opening (standing in line) for Queen size air mattress with pump and Adidas sweat pants (didn't get since they didn't have the right size and color combination)
  

5am:

• Kim at Toys R Us for the opening (standing in line) for a few Xmas presents for my nieces and a little something for Tink to borrow when she is at our house
• After Toys R Us Kim heads to Walmart for 2 pk Gerber sleepers for Tink, digital picture frame for my xmas present to myself, a portable DVD player (which was returned later on in the day after I thought about it a bit), GWM Xmas present, a few DVDs and a fry daddy for Jerome (was returned - see Kmart)
• After Walmart Kim heads to Kmart for Xmas presents for Nieces and a Grand Daddy Fry Daddy for a dollar more than the Walmart Fry Daddy
  
• Jerome at the small Best Buy for the opening (standing in line) for a 500 GB external hard drive (which was returned - see Target) and either blank CDs or DVDs
  
• After Best Buy Jerome headed to Target for a different 500 GB external hard drive that was $15 cheaper and either some blank CDs or DVDs. Jerome calls Kim to say his card isn't working. WHAT? Kim heads to Target to make his purchases with her card and also pick up phones for PJM. (More details in the next post)

Now since we had to meet up we are off schedule. Not really that big of a deal. We both head to Office Max to pick up some Anti Virus and also a Wireless Router which we aren't sure if we are keeping yet or not.

Then we went to Menard's for some light and cheap snow shovels, and a few other things. We thought we were done so we went to Perkins for breakfast and to discuss our purchases. We got everything that was on our list with the exception of the roaster at Kohl's and the Adidas pants. Pretty good I think.

Then it was off to bed. We both took a good long nap. When we woke up Jerome headed over to see PST and Tink and I headed out to Walmart to make returns. We met up afterwards and headed to Lowe's to see about ladder that was on sale as well.

I found out when I went to work on Monday that one of my co-workers was in my dust trail. She started her day at the same Kohl's and Toys R Us. Funny! She should have picked up the phone to call since I started with my phone calls to Lisa at 4:10am and receiving a call from PJM around 4:30 am! It was so much fun! I can't wait till the day after Christmas :)

It is April isn't it?

Guess what it did this morning... and to think we had 80's just a few days ago!

It's 55 degrees here...

and... well everything is melting.