Yup

We got another six inches of snow during the night, which made for a very long commute to work this morning, but I have to admit, it's been a beautiful winter!

We're making some progress on the puzzle, which is something because it's a thousand pieces.

And it looks like we'll be helping people move again soon, Nick to another apartment and Grandma Gloria to a new memory unit.

Funny how things happen all at once.

Hanging Out

Sleepy Saturday

It's looking to be a quiet, peaceful morning. Diana has left to meet with an old friend, and Nick invited Katie over to his place so he can make her breakfast. Bruce is out of town, so it's just me and the animals hanging out. We've made progress on the puzzle, but now have to lay cookie sheets over it when we're not working on it because Tristin likes to sit on it. Naughty boy.

Visit From Diana

Diana is visiting us this week from Washington. We're doing a new jigsaw puzzle together, me working on the cardinal, Bruce and Diana working on the edges. Of course, Tristin has already knocked part of it on the floor. We continue to get snow, but it's been pretty, and I don't mind so much now that I have my new way to drive into work. I'm finding that I arrive at work in a more calm state of mind regardless of how nasty the roads are! 

Random Thursday

I made us some caramelized brussels sprouts tonight for supper tonight, as I found a bag of fresh brussels sprouts at Trader Joe's that looked pretty good. I used sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, and kosher salt, just tasting as I went along. I liked the sweet and savory combination of it, and then Bruce said that he had eaten caramelized brussels sprouts at some fancier restaurants while on work trips recently and that mine was actually better! Nice thing to say, husband ...

Winds have picked up, and today I noticed leaves blown up against some snowy steps. Amazing what one can see when walking the sidewalks of the city! As always, I love the convenience of the camera on my phone. Sometimes I wonder if I should invest in a better camera, but then I think that I would probably end up not wanting to carry it around. A phone is always there and ready to snap a cool photo.

And, the weekend is coming up, and Diana is coming for a visit. My plan is to clean house before she arrives. I have a couple days to work on it, all is well.

Wordless Wednesday

Nick

Nick took us to Applebee's for supper tonight! They have $5.99 burgers on Monday nights, so it was a perfect night to go. It feels pretty good to be a mom when her kid does something sweet like this.  :) Afterwards, the snow was really coming down and roads were a little hard to see, but we're all home safe and sound now. It was a nice night.

Turkey Wild Rice Casserole

It was almost balmy today, with temps hitting 21 degrees above zero. There's still frost on the windows in the morning,  but maybe we're on an upward trend. Yay!

A friend on Facebook posted a crockpot turkey and wild rice casserole recipe, and I decided to give it a try. It also called for fresh spinach, which I just happened to have in the fridge and didn't want to waste. It's smelling pretty good. If we decide the it's a keeper, I'll try to remember to post the recipe.

I also brought up the bin to put away the Christmas decorations. It's still sitting, untouched, in the living room, but just seeing the bin should be a motivation for me. At least the tree is put away...

Wordless Wednesday

Cold, Cold, Cold

It's warmed up to 2 degrees above zero today, and the sun was actually hot on my face as I was driving home from work. It felt good to go to work, and Curves will reopen today, too.

The animals are feeling cooped up, though. Tristin is picking fights with Minnie and had to be banned to the basement for awhile. I hated to do that, really, but bullying will not be tolerated.

Cold Days

We're really in the dead of winter now ... predicted temps will be 25 degrees below with wind chills of 40-50 degrees below zero over the next few days. The governor has already cancelled all public schools for tomorrow, and even my work has decided to be closed tomorrow as we don't want our fragile clients to have to risk being out and about in the dangerously cold air.

We've mostly been staying inside. Trisitin, however, wants to keep going out on the porch and then wanting to come right back in. Minnie, of course, has no interest in being outside at all and looks at Trisitin like he's an idiot. 

I've also been trying to learn how to play the ukelele, but I'm thinking it's going to be awhile before I get the hang of it. I have small hands and fingers so figuring out the chords will be a challenge!

And, Downton Abbey starts it's new season tonight. I guess if you have to hunker down inside because of the weather, there's probably enough things to do to stay busy if you look hard enough.

New Year

We had a quiet New Year's Eve.  Bruce and I went to see The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and then went out to dinner at Hurricane's with Jake. There was a bottle of sparkling wine at home in the fridge, but that ended up seeming like two much for the two of us, so we just had a glass of wine instead.

We sat in front of the fire for awhile, which was nice. I did manage to stay awake until midnight,  cuddled up under our down comforter in bed. The temps were almost twenty below!

It's a new year, and for that I'm glad. Even though I'm not one to make a lot of New Year's Resolutions,  I do believe that we need to keep up some kind of effort. I'd like to concentrate on keeping things in balance, and try to be as authentic of a person I can. Practicing gratitude is never a bad thing, either.