Cold Enough

We have been having a rough winter this year! My in-laws say it is the hardest one they've seen in the 20 years they've lived in this area. It is funny how much our attitude to snow has changed from the beginning to the end. I think part of of it is a before and after Christmas thing, and part of it is post tons of back breaking shoveling, and being sick, and just missing the sun!

Sledding track out front in our massive piles of snow

Before Christmas we couldn't wait for snow and for a while weren't sure we were going to have any for Christmas, but once it got snowing this year it didn't stop! And our city hasn't been very good about the snow removal this year either - it has been a lot to keep up with, but I really think they'd scaled back their efforts this year because the neighborhoods I drive through on the way to take Lily to school were so dense with snow built up from the whole winter with no chance of melting in between (though plenty of chance for plowing) they became impassable for our little car with no four wheel drive. I didn't see nearly as many plows going by this year as in years past and there was a lot more need for it! Apparently a law was passed that the snow plows couldn't plow piles into the middle of cul de sacs anymore because it might make it difficult for emergency vehicles to turn around -- and when the plow did come they pushed huge amounts of snow right in front of everyone's driveway. I was a little bit shocked when the guy left it that way the first time because it was a huge amount of snow for us to try to manage with our one little plastic shovel, and my back is not the greatest --I could only imagine how some our elderly neighbors felt seeing that.

See how high it hits our tall trash cans, and it was wide and long!

But it is our responsibility to move the snow from the front of our property. With only so many places to move it to and only our own manpower - a lot of it ended up out in the street by our house. Our cul de sac grew a lot smaller this winter because of it, so I'm not sure how well emergency vehicles could navigate it anyway - our trash cans had to be placed out 20 feet from the curb at the end of the snow bank. We did not look forward to the snow plows coming because before they came we had it pretty well cleared from our part of the street and after we were simply overloaded. Then we started to get even more snow. When the plows came again one of our neighbors came over with her snowblower to help us and Mike went out with his shovel and the whole neighborhood banded together to clear everyone's driveways so that was really nice to see! 

All the neighbors turning out to help the neighborhood

We have had a few nice exchanges this winter between neighbors on our street helping each other out. One afternoon our next door neighbor's dad showed up in a little truck with a plow on the front and started zooming around and clearing the cul de sac good before the snow plows could come dump it all on us. He pushed it all the way down the road and across the street to another lot where it wasn't blocking anyone in - because we really had no more room to pile it in the cul de sac. It was fun to watch and cheered us up immensely. It was a life saver too because the city snow plows had pushed so much by the end of our street which is the base of a hill - we couldn't have made it up the street if it hadn't been cleared.

I had my first real car accident. I misjudged my speed on a turn and slid on black ice up onto a curb and got stuck in a snowbank on the way to pick up Lily from school one afternoon. With only one vehicle it put us in a real spot. I couldn't reach anyone I knew to go pick up Lily and her friend who was planning on coming to our house that afternoon. Mike found a good neighbor to drive him and Sierra over to pick up the girls, and by the time they got over to me some nice people had stopped to help me dig out and push my car out of the snow. We finally got it out with Mike's help and some traction from our car mats. I feel so lucky our car was only slightly banged up and I didn't run into any other cars!

The sad part of snow melting :)

We had a couple of days of sunshine and I totally got spring fever. I was determined to get some pots and indoor plants to put in front room which is pretty bare and definitely needs some decorating. I'd been thinking about it for weeks and scouting out where I could find some good deals. There aren't even that many available out there yet. The day I went out shopping for them it started to snow....hard. But I was determined, I had to scrape off my windshield in between each store I visited and brush inches of snow off my car. I felt a little bit like a crazy lady buying pots and plants in that weather! :) (30 degrees starts to feel warm after weeks of single digit temperatures)

This last couple of weeks has been the worst. Our whole family came down with a terrible cold, fevers and chills and terrible sore throats. The girls actually had strep and got on antibiotics, but Mike and I just had terrible colds that left us completely drained of energy and which we are still fighting to be over, I can't even tell you how excited we are to see it snowing still!!! (not) We haven't even celebrated Mike's birthday because we just haven't felt good enough to. I have felt like the worst mother this week because I have barely been able to do anything and we have been watching way too much television just to cope with how terrible we all feel. Sierra has been so sweet and comforting to me, doing a lot of things on her own and not complaining when we just don't have the energy to play. And luckily I had checked out a TV series I loves as a kid called Avonlea from the library and Lily fell in love with it and has been watching it a lot so it's not all cartoons! Yesterday Mike's dad slid his truck on black ice and rolled it and Mike got an early morning phone call and raced out to help him. We are so thankful he and his dog were not badly hurt, but unfortunately his truck was totalled! We are so grateful for every little ray of sunshine we get breaking though these overcast skies and praying that spring will finally come! I have been waiting all winter to see the tulips and irises and daffodils we planted come up along our back fence. This cold has made me feel so weak and down and I feel like I'm struggling to come back to life after being dead kind of like those flowers under the ground still buried in snow. We've had enough of this winter!

Drawing by Sierra with lots of letters and her name!

 

Sierra dressed up to play school with Lily on a sick day - I just registered her for kindergarten the other day so it won't be long before she's really dressing up to go to school!

 Lily's crazy hair (braids & twists around pipe cleaners) for Dr. Seuss's birthday at school.

Thank goodness we are on the bus route because I did this and then sent her off and crashed on the couch for a few hours! Can't wait to not feel sick anymore!

Reflections

The sun came out today, spilled across my counter and got my attention quick. Just ask Sierra, I shouted for joy, I sang. I basked in it as long as I could because the skies have been pretty dark and overcast most of the winter! I dreamt I was in southern California last night with Mike and my kids out in front of my parents house thinking how nice it was to be in the warmth and sunshine escaping the winter. I maybe miss that a little bit :) The different seasons are fun and make you appreciate the good weather even more, but I prefer shorter, sunnier winters - I'm very much a sunshine girl. I remember one afternoon when I was maybe 10 or 11... I was out in my backyard on a chilly spring day laying out on the trampoline as clouds passed overhead. I made up a song to sing the sun to make it come back out again. I still sing it sometimes. It is amazing the difference sunlight makes! The warmth and beauty and joy that mix of sunshine and shadow add to the landscape. I can't wait until spring is really here, and summer! I'm really looking forward to experiencing our first summer in our own home. We kind of moved in at the tail end of it last year and were too busy getting settled to really enjoy it. Need to get planning a garden!

Time is marching on. I was looking back through old blog posts and photos of my kids and how much they've grown over the last year or so. They look so much older to me! And have grown in so many ways. My baby is not such a baby! She's about half as tall as me and Lily's even taller! Sierra's been attending a little dance class and can be so independent at times. Tonight she shared 2 of her stuffed animals with her Dad and I because we didn't have any, and she sang Angels We Have Heard on High to tuck me in. It was super cute. One of those times you wish you had hidden cameras you could signal to start recording because you wish you could save it, but don't really want to spoil the moment. I just drunk it in and shared smiles with her big sister over her lyrics - she is so stinkin' cute! They both are.

I made homemade granola for the first time today. It was good! More nuts & a little more vanilla next time. Thinking about making my own granola bars in the future. 

I am getting closer to finally making a quilt for Sierra. Too late to do a baby size one so I am skipping ahead to twin size and planning one for Lily at the same time, and maybe a new one for us too because ours is pretty tattered. Need to make some pillow shams, and bed skirts and new curtains. And a doll like my old Lisa my mom made that I passed on to Lily for Sierra, and finish that dress, and... Hoping my over-ambitiousness doesn't halt my progression... Trying to make shorter action lists just for one day at a time so I don't feel overwhelmed :) Most days it's just the day to day household stuff and no special extra projects for me before I'm wiped out. Trying to not go to bed when my kids do, and not stay up too late when I do stay up. Here I am doing that very thing. It's hard to balance! Wonder what it's going to be like when my kids are teenagers staying up later themselves... Wish I could freeze time sometimes and get more things done and get my sleep in! Ah, life :)

A few fun pictures

Just wanted to share something quick. A few recent pictures of my girls that I thought were fun.

Lily's class could dress up like what they imagined themselves like at 100 years old as part of their 100th day of school celebration. Lily really wanted to spray paint her hair gray - so we did (though it didn't show as well as we'd hoped - Oh well, we tried!) She actually let me take some pictures and hammed it up pretty cute. As I was looking through these I couldn't help but wonder if Lamby and Little Lamby would make it to when Lily is (close to) 100 years old...

100th Day of School

 (Proof we did paint it gray!)

 A spry little 100 year old!

 Reminding me of her Uncle Andrew and his toothless old person impression.

 In case you didn't know - Lily's taken to carrying, not 1, 

but 2 Lambies around the house with her much of the time!

 Love this little character!

 Lily with one of her best friend's - Chloe, and then with another little old lady at school.

Such a fun idea!

Not to leave out my adorable little sidekick, Sierra! Here's some photos of:

The best place to be on a winter day.

(from January - No snow on the ground right now - we're getting an early Spring!)

Peeked over and saw this cutie over here one snowy morning while Mike and I were fixing breakfast. Brought back memories of eating my cereal over the heat vent under our kitchen counter when I was in elementary school. And she looked so cute all smiles with her hair blowing - I had to grab my camera! :)

 I love this one!

 Ha ha! Love my baby girl!

We do do more than just hang around heater vents, promise! ;)