The Unending Winter

Ugh - it's March and there's an inch of ice on the ground right now.  We've had winter weather events since the first of December, and believe me, I am officially over winter.  I guess it wouldn't be so bad if I could lay in bed all day, eat bon bons, and watch TV.  But nope.  Can't do that.  I've got a very active 2 1\2 year old who needs to expend energy in order to go to bed at night, and we've got 1200 square feet of house to figure out how to do that.

February 8-9:  We had the perfect, fluffiest snow that Friday night.  It was perfect for playing in, and of course we did.  We had to that night actually, so we bundled up with our jammies underneath the coats.

This snow day was on a Saturday, so we didn't have to worry about closed daycare and missing work.   We also enjoyed throwing snowballs at each other. 

We tried to build a snowman, but it was small.  Jackson enjoyed kicking it more than building it.  

Who needs a snow plow when you have a lawn mower? 

The roads were covered, but not too slick since it was snow.  We were going to the church for a birthday party, so it wasn't far. 

Fast forward to Sunday night.  They kept saying on the news that more winter weather was coming, but honestly after a few sunny days and spring-like weather, I didn't believe.  Well, they were right.  It sleeted for about 4 hours straight (even had thundersleet and lightening).  Of course it didn't take long to get slick outside.  The next morning all of the schools were cancelled and there was about an inch of pure ice on the ground.  

There was just a little light dusting of snow that made it crunchy, but not enough to do anything with it. 

The sun made everything so sparkly and pretty, but sadly didn't melt much. 

And yes that is yellow flowers peeking through on a bush in front of our house.  Nothing like a March snow! 

So school's cancelled again for today (Tuesday), and I'm off work trying to entertain Jackson while Brent works from home in the back room.  The main roads are cleared off, so we may even venture out to the mall to get a change of scenery.  Maybe even hit up Chick-Fil-A if we're feeling fancy.  

I have thought the past few days though to be grateful for the downtime with my family and for a job that give me plenty of time off to use when this happens.  (Although I am most definitely ready for Spring!).  The cold may not be over yet, but at least we're on the downhill slide! 

Will You Be My Valentine?

A few weeks ago,  we celebrated Valentines Day with our new friends at the new daycare. This is our favorite bachelor and he will be for another 20 years!  (No dating until 25, right?)

He said he had fun playing with his friends at school.  I couldn't make it to the party this time, but hopefully I can make the Easter party. 

When we got home, we opened presents!  

Oh cool!  A Thomas the Train cup! 

Playdough! 

Mama was a little silly by this time.  

The next day we went to Bryant to see Mimi and Pops.  They had been in Honduras all week and were dying to see Mr. J.  They had a great trip, but glad to be home.  

And I found this little gem in my desk drawer the other day.  I think we've celebrated our 9th Valentines Day together.  My how time flies.  Not sure what happened to these young people.  Brent said they've been beaten down by jobs and a kid.  LOL.  He's pretty right, but I wouldn't trade them for anything! 

Women's Ministry: Cupcakes and Cocoa

Since last fall, I've been involved on the leadership team with Women's Ministry at my church.  At the first of January we had a retreat at this beautiful house in Sherwood and there is where we planned all of the events for 2014.  Of course, I am the event planner since I had the most experience in planning parties.  Our first event was Cupcakes and Cocoa and it was an introduction to the new ministry.  We had about 70 ladies in attendance and the cupcakes were a big hit!  (They were from Sugarbelle's).  The cocoa wasn't so much of a hit because it was about 70 degrees outside, but that's ok.  

Of course I looked on Pinterest for inspiration and from there came up with all of the decoration ideas.  I wanted it to be a rustic winter scene with pops of red.  We collected a variety of serving pieces, and I even lucked out with leftover Christmas items that were 90% off at Hobby Lobby.  If that's not the Holy Spirit guiding you in the right direction, I don't know what is! 

Our mission is "Know, Grow, Show" and we have corresponding verses to go along with that.  

At each table, the ladies had a goodie bag and a cocoa toppings station.  

Snowman marshmallow Peeps?  Yes please!  

We played Ice Breaker Bingo and it literally lasted 4 minutes.  I had expected it to last longer than that, but that's OK.  We gave away some cool prizes from The Humble Thread and Hobby Lobby. 

We also highlighted the upcoming bible studies. 

When I tell you that there was not a crumb left, that's exactly what I mean.  Not one single chocolate chip left.  Luckily another team member grabbed 4 and put in the kitchen for us to eat later.  I had Boston Cream Pie and it was amazing. 

These ladies have been prayed over since the fall, and we're excited to see what God does with all of us over the next year.  It's been a big blessing to help serve these ladies.