First Day of Winter

Happy First Day of Winter! And yes, indeed, I believe we will have a White Christmas. It's snowing again.

My girl has CO, WY, and MT blood in her veins. I shouldn't be surprised to see that a little snow can't stop her from playing on the swingset.

I love rosy cheek photos.After we came in from shoveling and swinging, the snow really started to come down. I love these types of days. They make me want to stay in, start a fire in the fireplace, bake some cookies (which would be oh so nice except for the fact that my oven died this week - but that's a whole other story), and play board games. I was so excited! So I pulled out the card table and chairs, piled up the puzzles, board games, and card games, got everyone some molasses cookies and egg nog, and sat down at the table. I was so pleased with myself. I was smiling. My family, all together, cozy and warm, spending a quiet snowy day inside.

We pulled out a puzzle first - we hadn't quite finished seperating the edge pieces from the middle pieces when the phone rang. The neighbor kids wanting Henry to come sledding. Within minutes Alice was asking if she could play with one of her friends in the neighborhood. What's a mother to do? So I bundled up Henry and sent him off for the hours he'll spend outside. Got Alice some lunch, bundled her up, and brought her to her friend's house. Then came home. It's nice for Dan and I to have some time to ourselves. Sure. But so much for my little Norman Rockwell afternoon!

Now on to the oven story. It died last week. With no oven to bake dinner, we had the brainy idea to bbq on the Big Green Egg. Sure, you can bbq all sorts of things! No problem. We don't need no stinkin' oven.

The lid was frozen shut. I'm not kidding. Where are we living? MT? This stuff doesn't happen in the beautiful PNW! The lid of our bbq was frozen shut. Geez.

We're not quite sure if we'll have a new oven or perhaps have our current oven repaired by Christmas. The backup plan for the turkey has to be the Big Green Egg. So Dan was determined to get it open today. And he did. Good job, honey. The turkey will be cooked on Christmas! UPDATE!!! 3 HOURS LATER... I GOT MY AFTERNOON.

Henry returned from sledding and shoveling, ready to stay in for the rest of the day. Alice returned from her playdate. And I got my afternoon! I didn't even prompt them - seriously! - they just went over to the puzzle and started working on it. I love these kids!

Then Dan decided that we should bake cookies. No oven, remember? But the lid opens on the Big Green Egg. Yummm... Bbq'd cookies.

No, serioulsly. They were pretty darn awesome. It really worked.

And I have a whole new appreciation for those women who cooked on wood burning stoves. Every single meal. Ee gads. I'd shoot myself if I had to do that. But baking/bbqing one batch of cookies on a snowy December afternoon is kind of fun.

They tasted a little smoky. But that didn't stop us from gobbling them up! And I got my fun snowy afternoon with my family.