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!

Day 23: More Snow… or Snow Day #2

Dear Fabulous Spouse,
It was looking clear until after midnight.  However, four inches of snow later, we have another Snow Day!
We Miss You! (Send a St. Bernard!)
Love,
Me

Translation: How do we light the pilot on the fireplace again?

“The most snow I can remember,” says the umpteenth person on the television.  Well, the most since 2008 maybe, when my kids had snow forts in the drifts, but ok, 4 inches is still impressive up here (no snowplows, remember).

Girl Friday and Illusive Middle Child had lots of quality snow time.  It is supposed to be in the 40s by Friday, so who knows how long this winter wonderland will last.  The true carrot for that horse is that snowplay equals hot chocolate afterwards!

One of the perks of older children, is greater responsibilities and bribery.  For an extra hour of Xbox, Oldest Child finally peeled himself off the couch and shoveled the driveway and sidewalk three times.  The last just before bedtime.

Also, we needed to figure out how to light the pilot light on the fireplace.  We have not lit it since 2008 due to its astronomical effect on our heating bill.  However, with power flickering and out in some areas due to downed trees, snow weight, or auto accidents, I did not want to take a chance.  Afterall, the Murphy works is hope for the best but prepare for the worst, and pay the bill at the end of the month! (...and do NOT run out of hot chocolate).

BTW: Does this look like a snow plow even thought about visiting before everything froze to ice after 5PM? I did not think snow.

Day 22: Snow Day!

Today was the first official Snow Day of the season.  We did not do much, but it felt like a mini staycation.  The roads even cleared up enough to get some staples to prepare for the next snow.

We miss you!

Love,

Me

Translation: Hibernation

There is nothing like the first Snow Day of the season.  While we know that we will pay for it in June, we always want one or two.  I was so sure that we were going to have a snow day, that I let Illusive Middle Child spend the night at a neighbor’s house, and did not see him again until dinner.

Oldest Child was dialed in to his Xbox, and Girl Friday went out briefly (in order to score some coveted hot chocolate) then hunkered down with the computer to play PBS Kids and Bloons Tower Defense (monkeys popping balloons).

I was not above the fray.  I got several hours of “quality” time on the computer…but you already knew that.  Tomorrow will be either a “Snow-pocolypse” or a total miss.  We shall see!

Day 21:MLK and week 3

Dear Fabulous Spouse,

Three weeks down! SO another one bites the dust!  It was MLK Day here, so that means no school, so no snow day, but we did have snow. Er…flurries.

We miss you.

Love,

Me

Translation: Micro Size it!

It is Martin Luther King Jr Day, and therefore a school holiday.  This is good, because it has been flurrying all day with nary a snow plow in sight.  This means that the roads are horrible, the grass is still peaking through, and the snowmen are the opposite of super sized.

However, the kids have had fun.  Girl Friday was out of the house tracking down every last snowflake most of the day.  Illusive Middle Child even managed to score a sledding and sleepover date (assuming that tomorrow will be either a late start or closure due to the lack of snow plows).  Other than that, not much going on other than the requisite laundry and dishes.

Day 20: First Snow

Dear Fabulous Spouse,

Today we had our first snow.  It was not much, but here in the Pacific Northwest, any snow is a party! …and an excuse for hot chocolate!

We Miss You!

Love,

Me

 

Translation: Are you really going to sled on that?

Well, today was our first “snow day”.  If you are from anywhere that gets real snow, this was not.  However, if you are from someplace warm, it was a blizzard!  Growing up in the Northeast, we all looked forward to snow days, and crossed our fingers for that February/ March surprise blizzard.  Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have years where we have one or two dustings, and it will stick for maybe 24 hours… if we are lucky. OR we are dumped on (two inches, maybe) and it sits without a snowplow for days…then snows again.

Today was a dusting. However, to girl Friday, it was a blizzard!  It snowed all day, but since the temperatures hovered around 34 degrees, it did not really stick.  That did not deter the kids from going out and attempting to sled and throw snowballs and enjoy it while it lasted! 

Finally, around 4PM we got down to 32 degrees and got some snow men made as fat flakes fell.  Illusive Middle Child and a friend got to constructing a snowman, and Girl Friday went off with a friend to construct a snow fort (which she wants to sleep in next weekend a la Curious George on PBS).  Snow is Magic to children, and it is SO fun to see them light up, especially when it is SO rare!