Sad Clown

You see that face?

That's the face of a 2 year old that refused to nap (he normally naps for 3 hours); and then played hard, hung out in the basement during a tornado watch, played on the porch in the rain and then proceeded to finger paint... and then... and then.... realizes he really should have napped.

Quick bath, full of kicking and screaming, wrestling to get dried and ready for bed, and then he fell asleep while nursing.

Such a tired little guy.

The Heat

What do you remember most about your wedding day?  The one think that pops in your mind when you think back to that day.

For me, it's the heat.
Followed by the humidity.

Sure I was nervous and excited.

I remember walking down the isle.
I remember getting ready with my girlfriends.
I certainly remember RR loosing our wedding rings in the garden right before the ceremony.
I remember our first kiss and our first dace.
I remember the terrible poison ivy my brother had on his hands.
I can recall bits and pieces of the toasts and what we ate.

But I have not forgotten the weather.

We were married in May, in New England.  Which means the weather is a total crap soot.  Some years the temperatures barely get out of the 70s; but then there are years like 1986 when my youngest brother turned one and we all played outside in the kiddie swimming pool.  The little hard-sided one with the slide built into it.  That year, 1986; the highest May temp was 94F.  The year we were married the high temp was 98, the second highest on record.  Combine those temps with the high humidity and I am sure you can imagine how pleasant it was.

Husband and I originally wanted to get married outside, in the park; but decided instead to get married in a small, non-air-conditioned; chapel at the park.

The AC in our limo was broken on the way to the ceremony.  The guests were melting inside the little chapel; and Husband and I had decided to ride to the reception in my uncle's classic car... which as a classic also had no AC.

I remember everyone wanting to rush through the pictures because it was so hot and I remember all of the flowers wilting in the sun.

It was HOT that day and that's what I remember the most.

What do you remember the most about your wedding?

RR and my niece during pictures.  He was warm, and I think she did actually melt that day.

Holiday vs. Snow Day

I've decided that snow days are more of a holiday than actual holidays are.  I always thought the idea of holidays was to relax and enjoy your family without having to work too much.  But that never seems to work out.  Now snow days on the other hand, those are perfect.

There are no gifts to buy, no gifts to wrap, no meals to plan, no chocolate bunnies or eggs, no costumes (unless you want to count staying in PJs all day), no fireworks (unless you are my neighbors), no place to go, no timeline to follow, Mass is canceled due to the weather so no guilt if you aren't able to make it.

Snow days are like holidays; but without all the "have to", "want to", or "need to".  It's just a day to be.  To catch up on laundry or your favorite TV show, to play a hand of cards with the ones you love, to built snow forts and train layouts, to take a nap, or bake a cake for the fun of it.

Snow days are a day to breath.

Silent Saturday

Ray setting the yard stick with me yesterday.  It just started to snow around 10:30am.

Bunny prints in the snow?  This was around 6pm.

Staring into the night sky.

Around 7pm.  About 2.5".  It wasn't really snowing then.

By 9pm it was up to around 5".

Winter night.

A view of the yardstick from the 2nd floor window this morning.  It really snowed heavy overnight.

TT not to sure what to make of it.

RR just dug right in.  He was clearing a play area for his brother.

Watching his brother shovel.

Just about 22".  Husband thinks it's more since our yard is tree covered.  

Diving head first in.

Love that smile.

Testing another spot in the yard.  This is closer to 23".

He LOVES the snow.  Like I mean LOVES the snow.

Playing.

Measuring.

Our mailbox.  They are a good 4-ft off the ground normally.

A view of Husband and TT from the driveway.

Up the street.

There is a PT Cruiser under there.  Some where.

Husband measured 34" snow drifts in the driveway.

More playing.

Thinking about eating it.

The backyard.

Those are some really tall snow covered pines.

So pretty. (When you don't have to go anywhere.)

Snow mound in the driveway.  I'm betting it'll be there in April still.

Vacation Not

I had plans to take vacation from work from December 22 through January 1.  Unfortunately my "vacation" got off to early start following the death of my uncle on December 17.  His funeral was the 22nd and then there was a blur in time in which we prepared for Christmas, the best we could.

Then Christmas Eve came, and RR was sick.

And then the brakes on the car went.  And we were stuck in the house for 4 days.  And it snowed.

RR and I missed Christmas Mass.  We had had plans to go to Midnight Mass.  RR was excited about going for the first time and I was looking forward to it.  But RR was sick, pretty darn sick by the time Christmas morning came; so it was just as well.  Sick kid, no brakes and snow does not make for ideal driving conditions.

Then RR started getting better.

Just in time for TT to get sick.

Thankfully the brake issue with the car was just a loose nut (which caused all the brake fluid to drain out).  So it was a fast and easy fix.

And then it snowed again.  It snowed a lot.  And TT got very sick.

Then the cat died.

TT was still running a temperature after 4 days, so we brought him to the doctors.  TT had the flu and an ear infection.

Then Husband started getting sick; just in time for me to go back to work.

So there I was at work, and I started getting sick.

Talk about a terrible vacation.

Chilling Out

I've spent my entire life living in the north east.  When I was growing up we didn't have a single air conditioner in the whole house.  Now mind you the weather up here can be a little fickle and unpredictable; and extreme.  Winter weather can feature feet and feet of snow at temperatures well below freezing and summers days can easily break 90 with 99% humidity.  So the "no air conditioner" thing could really make sleeping during the summer months unbearable.  I can recall laying in my bed, too hot to sleep with the fan just inches from my head.

Then I went away to college and my dorm room had AC.  It was wonderful.

Back home after that there was no AC.  Nor did I have AC in my room when I lived with my friend K.

But then I got my own apartment and that had AC.  And again summers were wonderful.

After that I moved into a 2-family house with my mom, and was again without AC.  Until Husband moved in.  He insisted on AC in the summer.  Said he couldn't live without it.  I've had AC in my bedroom ever since.

Over the years we upgraded Turkey to have an AC as well, and now we're looking at getting one for Monkey (he slept in our room all last summer).

I would like to think I didn't "need" AC.  That I'v survived our summers this long without needing AC, but I know now that is not true.  I am sure I wouldn't actually parish without, but I would be a lot grouchier from the lack if sleep.

Lately we've had a bit of a warm snap.  Temps yesterday were in the 90s with gruelingly humidity.  Husband wanted to get the AC out of the attic and installed in our room.  But I wasn't sure I was ready.  I kept telling him it's going to rain and temps will fall back to the 70s.  You see we like to try and hold off on these things (turning on the heat in the winter and holding off on the AC in the summer) as long as possible.  It's like a game we play.  However after we got home from the store, and I walked into our room  - which is like an oven and always the warmest room in the house - I knew it was time and didn't argue when Husband went to install it.

That being said last night was one of the best nights of sleep I've had in nearly a week.  Aside from the 1am poopy-diaper incident it was perfect.  All thanks to Husband and the AC.

Sure I felt guilty about the boys not having their ACs, but I managed growing up without one... and the rain and thunderstorms did come, and they did cool things off quite a bit. So maybe we should have held out another night... nah...

What Goes Around Comes Around

Before Turkey was born I bought the cutest lime green fleece snowsuit, complete with toggle buttons and all from Gymboree.  They didn't have a newborn size, so I bought it a few sizes too big.  (Hey, first time mom what did I know.)  In the end he wore it home from the hospital, rolled sleeves and all.  And then he never wore it again.

But I loved it dearly, so I packed it away into his "keep forever box".

Fast forward 7 plus years and it's the end of October and we're expecting snow, and now I have Monkey who is 8 months old and has no snow suit.  So up to the attic I go and dig through the box and find the lime green fleece snowsuit Turkey ONCE wore.

Granted it was a little small (you couldn't fold the feet and hand covers over), but it fit for the most part.  Problem solved... for now.

Project: Food Budget

This week my food budget and meal planning skills, strategies, ideas, ambitions, wills and desires have been thrown out the window and ran over by a passing tree truck from Alabama.  This storm really did a number on my planning.  I couldn't tell you what I was planning for meals (this is hard to do with no power) or what my food budget was or what I spent.

I can tell you I spent a LOT on food this week.  Lots of little trips to the store since we had no power.  Bigger trips to the store to get items that spoiled (milk, eggs, creamer, cheese, etc) while we had no power, and too many meals on the run while shuttling Monkey to and fro the doctor's office.

Next week, I vow will be a better week.  I only have room to go up from here (not that I am to blame, OK maybe partly for the Wendy's we had tonight but I really wanted their apple, walnut chicken salad).

In the meantime, why not check out these other blogs participating the Project Food Budget and see how they are doing.

Emily Levenson

Dairy-Free Cooking

Test Kitchen Tuesday

Red Pen Mama

Acquired Tastes

Fit Flexitarian

Warm As Pie 

Katy Rank Lev

My Inner Healthy

Little Blue Hen

xox, b

What da Health?

Project Food Budget 2.0

Ignition Nutrition

A Nice Heart and a White Suit

Because Hobbies Happen

Primary Focus Health Coaching

Chicken Tender

Fresh...A New Chapter

Chandeleah

With a little help from...

I'd like to say with a little help from our friends things are getting back to normal in these parts, but really it's with a great deal of help from strangers.

Driving around these parts lately you encounter tree services and utility trucks from all over; Michigan, Texas (that's a good 30 hour drive), Mississippi, Florida, South Carolina, and Missouri to name a few.

Just earlier today I was cussing out Burford's Tree Service of Anniston, AL; for blocking the ENTIRE road and causing a 30 minute detour home; but when I went out tonight and drove past fleets and fleets of trucks I quickly started to appreciate all these people are doing for us.

They are helping out local businesses in more than one way; aside from physically helping with the task at hand they are staying in our hotels, eating in our restaurants, paying tolls on our highways, etc.

I know in times of crisis our locals have gone to lend a hand, whether it's been our fire  fighters or our linemen; we're all here to help on another out... no matter how far away.

Timeless Darkness

My birthday is in mid-December, and having snow on my birthday isn't very typical in these parts.  Sure we'll get the occasional minor snow storm around Thanksgiving, but those are nothing really.

Don't get me wrong, in these parts come the end of November it feels like winter.  The ground is frozen solid, the sky is bleak, and you can just feel it in your bones.  But that's the end of November; not Halloween or sooner.

About this time last week, I was pleading to my step-dad above to stop doing his snow dance; that we didn't need a white Halloween.

He didn't listen.

Early in the afternoon on October 29th it started snowing.

Monkey watching the snow fall.
You can tell he's getting sick in this picture, more to come on that later.

It was a big fat heavy snow.  And before long it was sticking to everything in site.

My poor pumpkins.

Some of Turkey's Halloween decorations.

By mid afternoon we had resigned to the fact that it was going to snow, and snow and snow some more.  Turkey was thrilled and was out playing in it as quick as I could get the snow gear out of the attic.

He must have made a dozen snow angles.

Around dinner time the cable, phone and internet went out.  (Whoever thought of bundle packages for these services should be shot.)  And with that we decided to watch the 3rd Narnia movie: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, once Monkey went to bed.  Husband, Turkey and I were cuddled up on the couch watching, and just as the movie was getting good there was a "pop".  Blackness followed.  

Until this point I don't think we ever thought it was possible we would loose power during this storm.  After all we had weathered a blizzard, a hurricane and intense thunderstorms with tornado possibilities in this house never once loosing power.   But thankfully earlier in the week Husband had been getting ready for a camping trip with Turkey and had stocked up on batteries and flashlights.  

That first night we all slept in our own beds; well at least the kids slept some (Monkey was waking nearly every hour).  Husband and I were constantly being awakened by strange sounds coming from outside in the darkness.  It was around this point that the meaning of time was lost.  

Sometime before dawn Husband and I started looking outside to see what had happened over night.  We were greeted with some 17-inches of snow.

The tree that just missed Husband's car.

Our poor patio furniture.

Our tall pines.

Turkey climbing the snowy mountain, we call our back yard.

The noises we were hearing over night were the trees in our woods falling down around us.  We got lucky, a tree fell on our neighbor's house (and they left in the middle of the night), and another large branch fell just inches from Husband's car.  When you opened the door, you were greeted with a strong pine scent from all the fall trees and branches.

Once Monkey was down for his nap, Husband, Turkey and I made quick work of getting our car out in-case there was an emergency.

The hours and days that followed were a loss; and right now seem a blurry memory.  

We: 

• went for a drive to assess the situation
• waited in line for 40 (ok 50) minutes to get gas (learned a lesson on that one)
• ate tuna sandwiches for dinner by candle light
• all slept in the big bedroom, which always stays warm (Turkey has a new love for his grandpa's sleeping bag)
• watched Diary of a Wimpy Kid on the laptop (while praying the battery lasted)
• went to bed when it got dark
• laid in bed waiting for the sunrise, wondering what time it was
• tried to make cell calls, but the cell towers were down
• visited relatives who actually had power AND cable AND internet (lucky them)
• stopped by our church
• play Left-Right-Center by flashlight
• read lots of books by daylight (I can't believe I waited so long to share Eloise with Turkey)
  and the list goes on and on.

Some time, in the middle of the night in the blackness, on Halloween morning we heard a utility truck working on the pole outside the bedroom window.  Husband and I lay there in the dark, half expecting the lights to come on suddenly, trying not to get our hopes up.

Then around dawn it came: "We have power" Husband stated.  And we did.  All of the lights and gadgets we had left on back on Saturday night came whizzing back to life.  

We were lucky.  Very lucky, we got power back before many of our friends and family and even neighbors.  It is nearly 5 days later and some of our friends still don't have power.  In fact my work is still without it.  Unfortunately we didn't get phone, cable and internet back until last night; so we were not able to share our good fortune with everyone and offer them a warm place to stay.  (Cell service was reduced to 911 calls only for a few days as well.)

Turkey was anxious to go trick or treating with the kids up the street, but after a few houses we received word that trick or treating was cancelled.

The boys and the neighbor's being goofy.

But this was only the first half of our adventure this week.....

Snow Dance

My step-father was many things; professionally speaking he was a carpenter / contractor.  He build the most amazing additions, but his specialty was barns.

He was talented, wasn't he?

Now barn building isn't exactly something you do in New England in the dead of winter, so during this time he was also a plow contractor for the state.  He was a whole fleet of banana yellow plow trucks.  Every time it snowed say it was "snowing dollar signs".  I'm glad he enjoyed the snow.

Me, personally, not such a fan of the snow.  Snow is OK (and only OK) if I have a house full of food, a tank full of oil and NO place to go.  I don't like driving in the snow, in fact I avoid it at all costs.  But, I digress....

When step-dad was itching for a good snow storm to fill his coffers with (granted it took the state forever to pay), he would do a little jig.  A jig he called "the snow dance".  

Last night we had some snow, not much, but enough for the state to call out the sanders (he had one of those as well).  My mom and I decided he must be doing his snow dance in heaven, because it's really early for snow in these parts.

Well apparently, he didn't get the memo from my mom and I... we're not ready for snow.  And they are calling for 8 to 12 inches over night tomorrow.

Dear Ronnie.... please stop the snow dance.  It's far to early, and your grand-kids want to go trick or treating on Monday.  Love, your daughter.

Look Me In The Eye: Flooding from Hurricane Irene

Look Me In The Eye: Flooding from Hurricane Irene

Yesterday I posted about some Hurricane Irene flooding; the blog above shows some still photos of the flooding.

The Bridge of Flowers

One of our favorite day trips is to visit the Mohawk Trail in north western MA.  We have several places we make it a point to stop at yearly (well, we didn't go last year because we simply ran out of "good weather" weekends to go).  We were planning on going this year in late September.  But now that Irene has left the area I think our plans may be altered; as one of our favorite spots is now under water.

This favorite spot I speak of is The Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls.  We love spending time in Shelburne Falls and Buckland (on the other side of the Deerfield River).  We love the Trolley Museum, watching the glass blowers work, eating fresh made ice cream, and visiting the glacial pot-holes (plus a little shopping).  

Here are a few pictures from our last visit in 2009.

Turkey with cotton candy the size of his head.

Watching the glass blowers at work.  They really make some amazing stuff.

Glacial potholes.

Turkey checking out the top of the car.

He's too cool for his job.

Bridge of Flowers.

Turkey stopping to smell the flowers.

And another.

  If you want to see what Irene has done to this beautiful and tranquil place, then check out the video posted by our local news station here.