ICED In

I have never been snowed in somewhere...however, I can now say I have been ICED in. We are cold here, well, not us, in the house, but we as in Tulsa! Man, it is nippy and not supposed to get any warmer than 25today with a low of 3, yes 3 degrees.

The following commentary is for my dear CA. friends and even some ID folks that have never experienced this thing called ICE:

We have about 2 inches (I think) of ice outside. It is the weirdest thing. You look outside, and see pretty white stuff covering EVERYTHING. It looks soft and fluffy, yes, it looks like snow. However, one step on this seemingly fluffy stuff and as you slip on your bum you quickly realize it is anything but soft. Our backyard is a solid sheet of ice. I believe, if we had ice skates, we could have some major fun. Not one blade of grass is poking through. It is just strange, gorgeous, but strange.
There are a few problems with these so called Ice Storms, one thing is four wheel drive does you no good. Ice is Ice, you slip and slide no matter what. You can not "shovel" ice out of your way, it simply has to melt. Another thing, ice forms not only on the ground but on your roof, trees, shrubs, patio furniture, everything. Ice is heavy. The result? Falling branches, trees, patio covers, power lines. This is BAD. There are hundreds of thousands without power right now and remember it is COLD here. We are not expected to get out of the twenties until Thursday.

Folks, I have been inside my house since LAST Th. I am stir crazy. TOTALLY! We lost power this morning for over an hour and I was starting to get even more antsy. Thankfully they got us back up quickly. Anna wonders why she can't go play on the "snow" outside, and Wilson is running in circles and when let outside merely slips and slides all over. We do not have optimal ball throwing conditions right now. Where does this leave me? Inside with two kids and a dog that all need to run around the block.

I am not really complaining just yapping - seeing as we have plenty of groceries, and electricity, I think of it as MASS family bonding. Jake did go to work today but said it was trecherous getting there. All churches were cancelled yesterday and schools are out tomorrow and some already saying Wed. too. Know what this means? Anna will not have school. My Bible study was cancelled and this all equals yet another day FOR SURE that we are stuck here, or shall I say GET to stay home!

So, my house is clean, closets are cleaned out, random projects complete and laundry almost done. Nothing like a little shut in to get you domestically put together! We have played Memory, Checkers, watched some TV, made baby food, baked cookies, played Anna's new computer game, emailed, called and even written some thank you notes. Whew!

My newest challenge is making the perfect latte. I am working on perfecting my espresso brewing. The steaming/frothing of the milk I have down. I did run out of milk though this morning, so that project is on hold.

Now that I have BORED you to tears....I will let you know some more of my favorite things:

Eye Makeup Remover - Mary Kay. I have tried Arbonne, Maybelline, Almay, MAC and a few others and nothing compares to Mary Kay. It is oil-free, doesn't sting, is reasonably priced and wipes all the goo off with one or two swipes. (I do sell it too, so if you want to try some let me know).

LipStick - M.A.C. viva glam. Currently I wear shade FIVE. Wow, this is the best lipstick, it is soft, no funky flavor or scent, so moisturizing and very neutral color with just a hint of shine.

Candles - if you like scented candles, the kind where you can actually smell them throughout your house, even after you have blown them out....SALT CITY! I found these while I lived in ID and am a faithful consumer. You can find them in specialty candle stores or through an in-home rep. I thnk they are cheaper if you find a rep. They outsmell Yankee and Party Lite, hands down.

That is enough for today. I am thankful too, for all of the above, and in addition: Electricity, a heater, blankets, sweaters, hot coffee, hot chocolate, slippers, socks, cuddles and all the other warm things that make you feel cozy when it is less then 20 outside!

Much love