Snow Storm February 2010

Forgive me for not posting in a few...  we have been enjoying the snow...   I have been taking a bunch of pictures with my Nikon (best present ever from my hubby)!    Enjoy!

Happy Fri - I mean - Snow day!

The snow is unbelievable right now... it just keeps coming down... This is the snow I like - the snow you watch... just not drive in... Last year I had to take Noah to school on a day with snow and lots of ice. Against my better judgment, I went down one of our hills (as opposed to the other one) - bad call as I proceeded to slowly kiss a guardrail on the way down. I was going so slow it didn't damage the van in anyway - but it took awhile and some salt to get me out of there... where am I going with this? Well now, Noah says to me - Mommy you are such a great driver and I love when you take me to school - except can Daddy take me if it snows? Parents take note - if you don't let your kids practice driving in the snow (Hey Ma - ya listening?), their future kids will not want to drive with them in snowy weather... I digress...

Aside from my hill experience, there are only a few snows that I really remember in my life. I remember one as a child in the 70s where the snow piled as high as a mountain (I wonder how high it really was... in my mind is was at least 15 feet tall...) - I remember playing with Aimee... I wish she was here today because boy would I get her with some snowballs... Then there was another bad snow when I was in college and classes were canceled for a whole week. Now if you think snow days are fun in grade school and high school - let's just say - the fun cannot compare...

So I am looking forward to tomorrow. Hanging out with my kids and my hubby - because I have a sneaking suspicion we are not going... anywhere... I am willing to bet sometime in the afternoon Dave will get ants in his pants and have to go somewhere... so maybe I can convince him to go get my Pittsburgh papers at Kroger - and maybe even buy some $10 firewood for our fireplace (honestly, I really have to get around to calling that guy to bring us some)... I also might get to try out the kids new tube and make some homemade hot chocolate... And in all, I just hope that tomorrow and the days to come - gifts me with another snow fall that I will remember...

TLSS

PS - I took this photo from my laundry room window...  it was coming down fairly hard but can you see how the snow was really sticking to the right side of the tree?  very cool.

Random Dozen

This looked like fun to me so I will play along - it originated at 2nd Cup of Coffee.  I would love to hear your answers in the comments...

1. Do you use the labels various charities send you as “free gifts?”
Yes.  I sure do.  I don't want to waste them.  The only ones I don't use refer to me as Mrs. David...


2. What is your favorite time of day (or night) for skywatching?
Evening.  I love to watch the stars and Mr. Moon.


3. What is the most adventurous you've ever been with trying a new food? (Keep it G-rated please)
I really can't say I am that adventurous.   I like to try new nationalities of food - but at that it is the common food of the country.

4. Have you ever heard a rock sing?
No - but I have heard Dora get her rocks to sing....

5. If you could learn a language you don't presently speak, what would it be?
Spanish

6. Al Capone's tombstone read, “My Jesus, Mercy.” If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say?
Passionate in all things.

7. If you were a famous musician who was known by one name, like “Cher,” “Sting,” or “Jewel,” what would it be? It doesn’t have to be your first name, but it can be, if you’d like.
Tracie

8. Have you ever been inordinately “into” a television show?
When must see TV was really must see TV - I was all over that.  Now that I have kids - not so much.

9. When you sneeze, do you go big, or do you do that weird “heenh!” sound that makes people think you’re going to blow your brains out? Any other variation we should know about?
When I sneeze, people know. 

10. Do you still read an actual newspaper that you hold in your hands, or do you get your news elsewhere?
I read the paper and I search the net.

11. Are you a good speller?
No. Not. At. All.

12. At what time each day do you start thinking about lunch?
Usually about an hour after I finish breakfast....  Is that wrong?

Feeling my age...

I have a bunch of things to write about today - but something happened to me that really made me feel my 36 years old.   When you need copies for the PTA you need to send them to this really nice lady who runs the copy center at our high school.  When they are finished, you go to the high school and pick them up - swapping blank paper for pretty copies...  pretty good deal and cost effective for the school. 

So today I had copies to pick up.  I pulled up my mini-van to the front of the high school - mind you this is the school I went to some 18 years ago.  (Oh. my. 18 years ago.)  and there were kids everywhere.  So I am thinking it must be lunch time.  But I no sooner shut my door (and locked it just to be safe) that the bell rang...  So there I am in the middle of a million high school kids (OK I am exaggerating - there were only like 100 thousand).  

And that is when the old starts to settle in...  The police officer I need to report to (yep I said police officer - 18 years ago we just had a scary looking detention teacher) knew me when I was little - so I didn't even need to show my ID.  Or maybe I had the trust-worthy Mom look???  (please say it isn't so).   So I scribbled my name on the sign in sheet and off I went to the copy room.

Do I need to remind you there were a trillion high school students in those halls?  And I was trapped in the middle!  As I walked, I was feeling pretty good - thinking look at me out walking these kids.   I have loads of energy - I can keep up.  But as I walked I started to look at the kids....  POOF it happened...  not only did I feel old...  but I turned into my mother.  I actually thought to myself - these kids look like hoodlums - I am glad I locked my car (um van)...  most of them looked like they rolled out of bed or were headed to gym class.  I saw one girl who looked remotely nice - but most looked like grunge.   Many were high school beautiful and skinny - but had wardrobes that would make Clinton and Stacey cringe...  Now I am not Ms. Style - not by any means - but man - I think I look better in my pjs than these kids do at school.   What ever happened to looking your best?  Or today is looking your worst actually looking your best?   

So I got my copy paper, hopped back in my van, and felt eternally grateful that I went to school EIGHTEEN years ago...  I wonder what the kids will look like when Noah, Hannah, and Sarah go to school...  I am hoping by then there will be a 50s trend going through - where skirts and ties are all the rage...

TLSS

p.s  the shirt in the photo is my hubby's favorite shirt - he asked me to marry him in that shirt - and those are his painting pants....  i guess some grunge is ok  :-)

My email rules...

So last night I decided that I would clean up my email both at work and at home.  Just like in my life I am not that crazy about clutter - so a three digit inbox is more than I can mentally handle.   But I started to really look at the emails that I get from folks and if I could write emails rules just so folks know ahead what I am going to read... they would go something like this...

1.  If it is funny, send it.  I love to laugh.
2.  If it is heartwarming, send it.   You just can't read too many good things.
3.  If it is a compliment or will make my day, please hit send.
4.  If you are asking for prayers or sending me one, go ahead send it my way - because in the middle of working in front of these machines all day - prayer is always welcome.
5.  If it is a puzzle or a game, I will play.
6.  If you are going to teach me something, even trivia, my mind is open.
7.  If you are helping a cause, let me know - I try to help.

Now here is where my delete button gets happy....
8.  I don't like email that makes me cry or makes me sad.  I know that this is me living in a fairy tale world - but I don't watch bad news or sad TV - so I am not going to read it in my email.  Mom, please note.
9.  I tend to pass on email that puts down the president or any elected official.  I deleted them when they were about W, and I delete them now about Obama.  I give all elected officials credit because theirs is not a job I would want.  And somehow, I just don't think we see the complete picture when we forward away - true or not.
10.  I am not email superstitious.  In real life, I am.  I don't like Friday the 13th.  I have the same ritual everytime I board a plane.  I never travel without my cross.  But don't tell me that I have to forward stuff... I throw caution to the wind.  I will, however, forward if it meets my criteria 1-7 - but only to the people who I really think that it fits.

What do you do?  Do you have unwritten email rules too?

TLSS