Snow Day, Take Three

I moved to Texas in the mid 80's, and this is the first time that I can remember schools being closed for three days in a row due to weather. In actuality, I can assure you it hasn't happened in the last two or three years. I can't genuinely account for anything before that with any kind of certainty, but it sounds much more dramatic to say "worst ice storm since the mid 80's". And after being cooped up in this house for three days straight, I'm high on drama.

Here are, in no particular order, facts from the frozen tundra...

This little flock of birds showed up at the back door this morning, flapping frantically, and no doubt freezing their little birdie booties right off. I so badly wanted to somehow provide them with warmth, but I have a little feeling God may have already planned for that when He invented feathers. Anyway, the strangest thing about these little beauties was the bright orange speck right on top of their little heads. We thought they were really fascinating, so Max snapped these pictures.

Nature provides some serious inspiration for creativity, and in looking at those feathers I feel a black/green/yellow quilt coming on. With a splash of bright orange. So fun!

Check out the ice sculpture we are growing on our spa. I have a little garden turtle sculpture buried in there. I'm pretty sure he's completely miffed that I forgot to put him in the shed with the rest of the yard art last fall.

Back in December, Buzzard and I celebrated our wedding anniversary, and we received a gift card to our favorite Italian restaurant. December was just so crazy we never made it out to dinner. We tried one night in January, and by the time we got to the restaurant there was a 90 minute wait for a table. Buzz and I just aren't the kind who can stand around in the bar area looking relaxed and hip while we wait 90 minutes for a table. We would only look hungry, and annoyed. So, we decided instead that we would save our gift card for February 1st, which is the anniversary of our first date.

We met on a blind date. That very first night, my true love took me to a restaurant where the waitstaff dresses up like various characters, and we were waited on by a killer bee, who told everyone in the restaurant that we met on an episode of Love Connection and that we were being filmed by hidden cameras. But, I digress.

By the time February 1st rolled around this year, we were all settled in our cozy little house enjoying Snow Day Number One. By dinner time, I was still in my pj's and big, fuzzy slippers and highly anticipating an evening of HGTV by the fire. So, we ordered a pizza and stayed inside, somehow rationalizing that showering and dressing up to go to a fancy restaurant in the snow seemed like a lot of effort just to acknowledge the fact that once upon a time a killer bee helped to sow the seeds of everlasting love.

Then Snow Day Number Two, otherwise known as February 2nd, rolled around, and I was on day two of cabin fever. I was willing to wait any amount of time for a table at any restaurant, and even shed my fuzzy slippers in trade for real shoes. If a groundhog can get out in snow and ice on February 2nd, so can I. Luckily, the Italian restaurant is right around the corner from our neighborhood, so we were able to slide out the back entrance to our neighborhood and skid right into their parking lot. No joke, it was a solid sheet of ice the entire way. This was the fountain outside the restaurant...

It was cozy and fun inside. At first, they were not crowded at all. Then I noticed several large Asian parties arrive with precious little girls wearing traditional red silk dresses that were just lovely. I realized later that it was Chinese New Year! Dinner was fantastic. We ordered Rigatoni with roasted chicken and sauteed mushrooms in a marsala cream sauce. So amazing. We even brought home a "slice" (slab!) of the dessert of the day; Boston Cream Pie, served with a "drizzle" (puddle!) of hot fudge. We had a coupon for the dessert..... Which is completely irrelevant, since it would have totally come home with me even at full price!

It's hard to justify a snow day when you homeschool. We've tried to take extra breaks since the neighbors are all home from school and available to play. But by day three, even I am ready to get back to some sense of schedule and routine. I'm caught up on my laundry for the first time since 2008, and I had my house cleaned today. The fact that those two things coincided makes me dizzy with glee. The boys are out front using their roller hockey equipment for a rousing game of ICE hockey, and I have a little stack of Valentine fabric waiting for me on my sewing table.

Not to mention a sliver of Boston Cream Pie that isn't going to eat itself. :-)

Southern snow day #3, and temps are in the low 20's. How cold is it where you are today??