6 Day Weekend

Well the kids went to school exactly 1 day this week - 1 day out of 5!!!  Now I know what you're thinking, "Those Texans just don't know how to handle snow."  Unh uh.  We handle snow just fine.  It's sleet and ice that really slow us down.  Monday night ice started falling from the sky.  Trust me it was really loud on the windows. By Tuesday morning there was a nice thick layer of ice on everything, and no one wants to drive in that.

I didn't really take any pictures of the ice, because well, it was just roads with ice.  I do have a video of Ryder doing some skating on it though.



The temperatures stayed around 0 degrees (wind chill factored in here) so the ice wasn't able to melt.  So the kids got to stay home on Wednesday and Thursday as well.  We were able to enjoy lots of family time together - board games, puzzles, TV, Wii, baking and some crafts.  Harrison, Melanie, and Ryder put together these little wooden craft kits that I had picked up for $1 each the week before.  My thought at the time was that I'd just stash them away for a rainy day or next summer when the kids are bored.  As fortune would have it, we got to use them much earlier than that.

These little kits were awesome.  As I mentioned before only $1 each, and they included all the wood, paint, glue, paintbrush, sandpaper and rubberbands needed to complete the project!  I think the boys can get some scouting achievements signed off for this too :)

Then Thursday night and Friday we got SNOW.  Probably a good 4-6 inches.  And it stuck.  In fact it's still here.  Unheard of!

Here is a picture from early Friday morning.

And snow or not, poor little Blossom still had to go outside to, well, you know. . . She got icy in the process.

Blossom's mad because her paws are cold!

The fun part is that snow is waaaaaaay more fun than ice! You can go sledding.

Or eat the snow (only pure white fresh snow please).

Or if you're me, you can slip and fall.  I know, cool huh.

The neighbor kids had been begging me to sled the ditch with them.  We all know how that would've turned out.  I kindly declined, and so today I can still say I have never broken a bone!

It's also quite beautiful to see our lake almost completely frozen over.

So as we enter our 5th day of isolation in our home, we are grateful for this little window of time where we could just relax and spend time together.  We are also grateful for food storage, and that I had just purchased milk, eggs, and fresh produce on Monday night!

Thanks for a wonderful break Mother Nature!



UPDATE:  Of course all good things must come to an end. . .

Did I Mention We Have A Puppy?

Harrison (with Blossom on the right) and his friend Ty got puppies around the same time!

Well, we do have a puppy, and we think she's pretty darn amazing.  Nicole and Melanie have been working with her teaching her to sit (yesterday) and roll over (today).  Blossom's a pretty good student and has learned both of her tricks so far.  In Cuba, where the Havanese breed originated, they were often trained as circus dogs.

Anyway, for a 3 month old puppy, we're pretty impressed.

She can also fetch a ball and bring it back. Although the poor pup is so small her "ball" is one of those 25 cent bouncy balls you can purchase from a gumball machine.

What should we teach her to do next?

Puppy Love

Well, the day has finally come - the Romneys have a puppy.  My kids have tried every means of persuasion to get me to get them a dog - but to no avail.  Nicole even went so far as to compose a phenomenal letter on why we should get one.  To see that letter click here.  That was 5 years ago, and I have held firm in my position - dogs are too much trouble!!


So what changed you may ask. . .  This is how it all went down.


Yesterday Nicole, Melanie and I had a "girls day out."  You know, shopping, dining, enjoying. . .  Well, at the end of our day we made a stop at the fabric store, because I needed some fabric to make some skirts. The fabric cutting lines were very long, so I sent the girls next door to PetLand to spend some time. When I walked over to pick them up, we were watching all the puppies, and this one little puppy was sooooooo adorable and had the most wonderful temperament.  We asked the sales lady what breed she was and were told she was "Havanese."  Not ever having heard of this dog before, I whipped out my trusty iPhone and Googled it.  I found this information about the Bichon Havanese.  The dog actually sounded too good to be true - smart, friendly, lovable, non shedding, hypoallergenic, calm, quiet, clever, small.  We were also told that with a "puppy cut" they only need to be groomed about 4-5 times per year.  We were allowed to play with the little puppy in a partitioned off meet and greet area and she was delightfully sweet and playful.  When we picked her up she would snuggle right up to your neck and fall asleep.  Nicole and Melanie played it smart and never asked if we could get her - they let the puppy do all the work - they could see I was hooked.


Now, I knew that I couldn't just show up at home with a puppy without consulting Darren.  We have been in agreement about  the no puppy thing for years.  So I sent him a text about her describing how perfect she is with the following picture attached -

I know, right.  A.DOR.A.BLE.  I may be a bit biased, but what's not to love about that sweet face!! What was poor Darren to do?  Being the loving husband and father he is he said, "I wouldn't say no, but the kids are going to have to do all the work taking care of it."  What Nicole, Melanie and I heard was, "Go for it - bring that puppy home ASAP."

So, that's just what we did, and so far (knock on wood) she has been delightfully sweet and easy.  She can barely muster up enough energy to chase her tail one time around, then she has to take a long nap. She slept all night quietly in her kennel.  We may just cancel our Direct TV, because all we do is sit around and watch her sleep (and chase her tail one time around).  Life is good, and so far she has been no trouble at all. 

Oh, and we named her Blossom - after the red Powerpuff girl.  She is a little puff ball with big eyes.