Day 28: Week #4, Snow Day #5, & time to Clean Up!

Dear Fabulous Spouse,

Too funny that Oldest Child’s school ride never got the memo that there was no school today, and showed up ready to go…with all our kids still asleep.  Today was a cleaning day.  We also paid it forward to MR and helped with their downed trees in the evening.

Glad that you have gotten some rest! Happy 1 Month anniversary.  Tomorrow starts Month #2!

We miss you!

Love,

Me

Translation: OCD Me goes postal on the Refrigerator

Ok, the refrigerator did smell like death.  It was scary.  However, before we started to fill it up with food again, it needed a thorough scrubbing. So, I turned the refrigerator off and took it down to its “studs” with bleach and warm water.  The thought of food poisoning due to 4 days of warm food is just not on my bucket list!

We also helped out one of our Cub Scout friends.  They had a bunch of trees come down on their property, and in exchange for dinner and some red wine.  I was more than happy to have my kids help out as slave labor and pay it forward.  Girl Friday cut twigs and hung out with Ms. M, Illusive Middle Child was the primary hauler, but took a break to help cut when we were not fast enough for him.  Oldest Child kept trying to light the fire.  Even I could not light the fire, but that was ok, because I still got wine!

Day 26: Power Loss Day #3, Phone Lines Down Day #2

Just a few of the tree limbs in the lines.

 Dear Fabulous Spouse,

I hope that you are enjoying your one day layover in Germany.  Sorry that we missed you on Skype.  I hope that you get some sleep soon.  I know that I need some.

We miss you!

Love,

Me

Translation: Thank Goodness for Facebook

I think that I officially have to take back about 85% of the bad stuff that I have said about Facebook.  After talking with you in the car (aka the world’s most expensive cell phone charger) at 6AM, I posted that you were safe, and that we were still without power.  Within half an hour, I had two offers to house us for the remainder of the outage from those with power!  We had accepted Super S’s invite first, but thank you Miss K for the offer (and I was not so sure about going over the scary Tacoma Bridge with the ice dropping).

We packed our bags and spent the morning at Cutters Point again.  Yesterday’s post went up, and we kept hoping for a hint of you.  Alas, it was not to be.  I assured the kids that there was probably important military stuff you were doing that prevented you from showing up, despite our hustle to get there for our Skype date.  They may have been a little disappointed, but they know that you have no control over the military stuff.

By 12:40 the natives were restless and hungry.  So, we packed up and headed to Super S’s via McDonald’s drive-thru.   It was great to be someplace warm, lit, and customer free!  Super S and her family made us feel at home.  She really is the best. 

The kids played in the giant tree house, and in their rooms, and of course Oldest Child retreated to the basement for some quality time with his laptop and Bloons Tower Defense 5 (it’s not Xbox, but it will do).

Finally, he emerged for dinner, and just when he was going to retreat back into his cave heard those two little words: Hot Tub.

For the kids, it made it all better, magic even.  Thank you Facebook, and thank you Super S.

(Sorry, had to use the flash on this one and blinded everybody!)

Day 25: Snow Day #4, Power Loss Day #2, Phone Lines Down Day #1

Dear Fabulous Spouse,

I hope that you are enjoying your overseas travel.  Today we had ice cream soup for breakfast winning me necessary mom of the year points.  Not much else going on, as we are an icicle wonderland!

We miss you!

Love,
Me

Translation: Thank goodness for coffee shops with internet access!

For starters, here are pictures from our slumber party by the fireplace.  Must.  Keep.  Warm. LOL!

It took forever to get them to bed, but I think that they will remember it for a long time! (Note: Girl Friday's American Girl doll is sleeping in the laundry basket.  It was too cold for her upstairs.) :)

I really thought that we had a chance of getting the power back.  Alas! It was not to be!  So, now that the cold of the freezer and refrigerator are failing, we had ice cream soup for breakfast!  Yes, that is how it came out of the freezer that had not been opened since we lost power.  So, I also called the homeowners insurance to let them know that a claim would be eventually coming to replace the food in our freezers and refrigerator.

The highlight of the day was when we went to Cutters Pointe Coffee for Wi-Fi, warmth, and to recharge our electronics.  Oldest Child was treated to a “big boy” drink of a White Chocolate Mocha, and the two little guys had hot chocolate (that, as I was informed, was much more awesome than the hot chocolate that we have at home).

Friday is typically Pizza and a Movie night, but as we were not going to have a movie, we did have Papa John’s deliver (as there was going to be no baking tonight) and ate it by candlelight.  Power should be back by Monday… we hope!

Day 24: Loss of Power (and more snow)!

Dear Fabulous Spouse,

So glad that we lit the fireplace! Power went out before sunrise.  Of course, there is no school (we knew that by the state of the roads).  So, we have had some good family bonding time. Do you like the Spidey décor (picture below)?

Sorry we missed Skyping you on your last night Stateside!

We miss you!

Love,

Me

Translation: Really, Murphy!?!

Ok, so I am super glad that we figured out the pilot light on the fireplace yesterday.  Although, I was really convinced that we were not going to need it.  First order of the day, put up a heat barrier.  So, I sent Oldest Child to get a flat sheet, and he returned with Spider Man!  Whatever.  Up it went, and we began to generate warmth.

It used to be that I hated gas ranges.  Give me electric! However, I am well and truly a convert now!  We had pancakes for breakfast, grilled cheese for lunch, and good ol’ Jiffy Pop popcorn for an afternoon snack.  Because, even if the electricity was down, all you needed was a lighter, and now you were cooking with gas!

Twice, the power flickered on, but before the boys could get to the Xbox switch it was out again.  They have since decided that snow days are not worth it without power.

Well, since it gets dark around 4:30PM up here, we decided that we would head out for dinner (and heat , and light).  Of course, the car got stuck midway into the road from the driveway.  In a rare glimpse of luck, (thank you Murphy!) a passing 4x4 truck stopped and helped push us onto the road.  Believe it or not, as we got ready to pull out of the development, the power returned (it would of course turn out as soon as we returned).  Even at Applebee's the power flickered several times!

Then home again for a slumber party by the fireplace.  We are SO thankful that Grammy and Grampy got us new sleeping bags for Christmas!  They were just what we needed with outside high temps around 33 F.   Good thing that we are a camping family and can adapt!

These kind of things can only happen on deployment!