I guess I'm a snowbird!

I've done just awful at blogging for the last few months. I guess it's a lot of things.

I'm busy. (Who isn't?)

We've been fighting colds and little stomach bugs off and on and honestly I just haven't felt good.

Mostly though I think I've been bad at blogging because anything I feel like blogging about, I know I've blogged about before. Which, on the other hand, isn't so bad. I guess that just shows the cyclical and seasonal, habits and traditions that our lives tend to take. The last few years bring the same fall/winter traditions of trick or treating, school music programs, gingerbread house building and somehow I just don't feel like blogging about those things again!

This winter however has been a bit different. We've had five snows this winter! The earliest was way back in October and our big one, 6 inches, occurred right before Thanksgiving. After the last three years of living in the worst drought in Kansas history it's really nice to see all this white stuff on the ground. Really nice since the infamous Kansas winds have seemed to back off and allow the snow to stay put!

I remember winter days growing up in Indiana where I just dreaded the cold winter days. I'm not even sure what it was about a snowy winter day that bugged me. Maybe it was having to get so bundled up in so many layers to go outside and get chores done. Maybe I despised it because my sisters and I spent so much time outside during winter weekends cutting and splitting wood to fill our wood burning stove. Maybe I just got cabin fever being stuck inside with six brothers and sisters. Who knows! I just remember not really enjoying winter much growing up in Indiana. I would have been happy with snow on Christmas and that's it!! I lived for summer!!

But this past weekend changed my thinking. Saturday night we received a lovely snow, 3 or so inches. The kind of snow that you see on made for TV movies that just fell gently and looked lovely under the moonlight. Then yesterday after church we had a beautiful sunny day, cold enough the snow didn't melt and no wind. I felt antsy and even though DR and the kids were quietly watching a movie I just felt like I couldn't stay in the house one more minute so I decided to take a quick walk around town.

My intention was a brisk 15 minutes of fresh air but as I meandered through our sleepy town my walked stretched to much longer. My light excersions quickly warmed me up until I had unzipped my coat, dropped my hood and stripped off my mittens. It was glorious! The sun was bright, the snow was clean and I felt that with just a few more trees I might have been at home in Indiana.

And at that point I realized I really loved being outside in the snow. Or maybe I just love being outside and I haven't spent nearly as much time out in nature as I did growing up. I think maybe it was God's way of telling me that I need to spend more time outside. Either way, it was lovely and I think I'll be thinking of snow differently from now on.

Snow?? On October 19th!! And NOT just a Little!!

Yesterday's weather was about 60 and sunny. A pretty wonderful day all around and today's forecast was a 15 degree drop with snow. Truthfully, I wasn't too surprised. Kansas weather tends to fluctuate up and down often. And really, how much snow could there be today?? I figured we'd get a bit of snow that would just melt when it hit the ground. 

That's not exactly how the day has been going. The snow is sticking...and it's not stopping! It's 1:30 right now and it's still snowing. But you know what's crazy?? Our weather forecast is calling for a high of 65 tomorrow!! 

Here's the playground at Yahoo's preschool, entirely covered!! 

Though the snowy weather isn't going to stick around too long, it sure isn't going to make the farmers around here happy. 

Corn harvest is pretty much done out here and DR's elevators have the corn ground piles covered which is good but the quite a bit of milo is still out in the fields waiting to get harvested because it's still too wet. 

Well, today sure isn't going to help the moisture levels. The milo still needs a good hard freeze to draw the moisture out of the milo heads. Maybe we'll get lucky and get a freeze tonight. 

I'm sure any farmers out there would be angry at this photo but I think it's kind of pretty. 

The one good thing about the snow is the grain elevators are closing early tonight which means I might get to see my husband for more than an hour this evening! 

I don't mind the snow in October. Today's snow reminds me quite a bit of Indiana snow. The flakes are big, wet and heavy and the sky looks more like January than October. As long as the snow can hold off until after Halloween I'll be happy. I'm not looking forward to wearing snow boots while trick or treating!! 

March - In like a Lion!

This winter has been so very different than last winter. We've had a foot of snow this year, just last week, where last year we didn't have much precipitation at all. Earlier I wrote about how much I am looking forward to getting our garden planted. I think last year we could have easily started planting by the end of March but that might not happen this year. It's been so cold!

I took the picture above about a year ago. It's hard to tell but Yip is in a t-shirt sitting on the bleachers, that's how warm it was last March. This March is a whole different ball game though isn't it? It looks rather the same now as in the photo above but we are cold (in the 30's and 40's) and windy and there is even a chance that we'll get some snow this weekend. Hoorah! Even though it's cold and I'm really tired of being stuck inside (usually sick), I'll happily put up with it if we get some moisture.

This March isn't just crazy here in SW Kansas either. My parents in northern Indiana just got 6" of snow last night. I'm used to Mud March in Indiana, not snow March. Who wants to bet you  might have a White Easter where you are? It's early this year you know.

Isn't this Indiana tree just beautiful? Just gorgeous. I don't need to tell you I miss snow trees do I?

I don't think anyone has complaints though of this odd March weather though, we all need the moisture but I'm thinking I might need to revamp my gardening plan a bit from last year! Crazy crazy!

Also a year ago I took this photo, remember? Ah!! Yahoo had turned three and later this week she'll be turning the big 4! She's so excited. I'm so excited that she'll be starting preschool in the fall! I'm excited that naps are almost a thing of the past. I'm excited she can dress herself, play outside on her own, and is getting a little less argumentative....a little.

 I'll try to post photos of her birthday party but it may be difficult since her party will be taking place in a car. Ha! A party in a car? Well, we're going to be on a trip and we are leaving on her birthday so I was thinking a party in a car might be a good way to fill in the miles, though I doubt we'll be blowing out any candles!

We're heading to Denver for part of our spring break. We only live 5 hours away and I'd hate to live so close and never visit. I've heard there are some awesome attractions! I'm hoping to have lots of photos to share later next week! Mile High here we come.

Where ever you are I hope you are getting the moisture you need as you plan a spring garden and are staying warm with electricity. See you next week!

That blizzard was a total letdown!!!

So yesterday I posted about our 4th snow day in a row and how a second blizzard was on our way with an estimated 6-12 inches. Well, guess how much we ended up getting? 

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Nothing!!! We received absolutely nothing. 

What. A. Bummer!!! 

I won't lie to you. I've been praying for a blizzard since December. Shoot, I'd be happy with a 3 month blizzard!

We Need MOISTURE!! 

Yep, we received 12" of snow but I'm greedy...I wanted more!! 

Well we are sure enjoying the snow while it lasts. I even kicked the boys outside Saturday (while Yahoo was stuck in bed with a fever) and made them play in the snow because, around here, you never know how long nice weather (winter, spring, summer or fall) will last. 

I'm kicking the boys outside to play in the snow when they get home from school today too! It's absolutely gorgeous outside today; sunny with no wind. 

Can somebody please tell me why piling all the snow in the middle of the road and only clearing the intersections makes sense? So if my friend lives on the left side of the road I have to drive past her house, do a u-turn at the intersection and then turn around to drive into her driveway. I've never seen snow cleared this way, ever. (Okay, stepping down from my Indiana road clearing rant.) 

I'm glad I kicked the boys out to play when I did because all this snow will probably have melted away by Saturday when the temps are to be up in the 40's. Well, that's what the weatherman says...shoot they missed a whole blizzard maybe they'll be wrong about the melting temps too!! 

Snow day number 4!

I'm not sure how many of you have been following the national weather news but Kansas is getting hit with a second blizzard today. The first blizzard we had was great!! We had gently falling snow, around a foot, that the kids were able to play in. Over the weekend the weather was actually gorgeous with lots of sunshine! 

This second blizzard however is not going to be good because of wind. Our weather forecast is calling for a possible foot of snow accumulation but I don't think that's going to happen. I woke up to look out the window and the snow was blowing horizontal down the street. The winds are blowing about 30 mph with gusts into the 40's! I thought it was great when I heard we were going to get so much snow but who knew that two blizzards could be so very different. 

So....this is snow day number 4. Though the boys have been out to play over the last five days Yahoo and I have not. Thursday afternoon she was running a temperature that spiked up to 104 a couple times. I thought it was coming down Saturday but no go, it spiked up to 104 again Sunday morning. Considering the blizzard that was coming we opted not to wait and DR took her to the ER yesterday morning. And guess what? She had an ear infection!! She never messed with her ears and even when I asked if they hurt she told me no. I think I'm going to have to invest in one of these because that's the second of my kids that have gotten ear infections without complaining about hurting ears.



By the way, that's called an Otoscope. Does anyone have one or ever used one? Are they hard to use? 

So Yahoo and I have been stuck in the house since Thursday. My boys don't know yet that there's no school, they are sleeping away and I'm not going to wake them! They've been able to play outside but not today. Over the weekend Yip even got to spend the night with his best friend so Yap had 24 hours of brotherless time! But that still didn't keep them from arguing and picking at one another when Yip returned. 

I'm just hoping we can stay busy enough today that there won't be too much fighting. We might have to get creative today with our indoor time...or I might just have to threaten them within an inch of their lives!! 

Snow day number 4. This must be some sort of record for Kansas! I don't think they've had a blizzard like this since 1971, much less TWO blizzards! Yep, it's windy. Yep, I'm stuck in the house with three kids and have a bad case of cabin fever. Yep, we are sick. But I wouldn't trade it for anything because all that means MOISTURE!! I'm already dreaming of what all that wonderful snow is doing for my garden plot. 

Yep, I'm in the middle of a blizzard but I'm still thinking of spring!! 

Surviving the snow days.

Two snow days down and one to go. The boys haven't had school Wednesday, Thursday or today. It snowed all day yesterday and we received about a foot of snow. It's been quite the storm. Kansas hasn't seen a snow storm like this since the 1970's. 

Isn't it beautiful? I love all this moisture going straight down into my garden. I'm hoping this storm will bring us a very green spring!  

I was a bit worried though how we'd get along being snowed in but the kids have been able to find plenty of things to keep them occupied. 

We had just received hammocks in the mail that I was planning on saving for when the weather warmed up. The hammocks kept them occupied for quite a while once we figured out how to rig them up in closets and under the bunk bed. 

The boys spent plenty of time on art projects too. 

A while ago I had laminated portraits of the kids which they enjoy making funny faces with. 

Then we melted crayons to "draw" with. What little boys is going to turn down the chance to play with fire? 

Can you guess who this Lego man is? 

Ghostrider. Yip loves scary and gory movies and has been fascinated with skull head lately. 

And of course the kids spent lots of time playing with Legos Wednesday and Thursday. I didn't get many photos of Yap the last couple of days because he was holed up in the basement with his Legos and barely came upstairs. 

Not to be left behind Yahoo came up to me and insisted that I take a photo of her creation as well. 

This is an interesting cardboard creation Yip is working on. It's his Halloween costume. Can you believe he's started working on it already? Can you guess what it is? 

Of course our last couple snow days have also been filled with lots of movie watching. Two days down and one to go. Wednesday was nice having the kids around all day. By Thursday afternoon I was getting a bit stir crazy being cooped up for so long. Yahoo was also running a 101 degree fever last night, so I'm not quite sure how today will go. 

Needless to say we've had a pretty relaxing couple of days, oh if every day could be this unscheduled! 

Snowed in...or getting ready to be.

"Snow! Woo Hoo!! No school for two days!", my children were cheering as they galloped off to bed this evening. I was cheering too, it was a lot of fun to have them home all day today! 

That's right, no school today and they've already cancelled school for tomorrow. 

Wanna know why? Because, as I have heard, we are in for one of the biggest storms Kansas has had for quite a while. The entire state of Kansas is already in a state of emergency due to the snow, rain, and ice we've gotten today and are preparing to get tonight. Today wasn't so bad....as long as you weren't driving. I guess we maybe received an inch of snow but we had a snow/rain/ice mix for most of the day. But I guess the big stuff will be hitting us overnight and all day tomorrow. 

This is a weather shot I just took. The purple dot is family. Hi family!! So happy to see that you are safely tucked away in Indiana trees!! I wish I had trees to block the wind. And hills, yes, those tiny Indiana hills would sure come in handy today too! 

The red dot is me in the flat land; without trees and hills. We are tucked in warm in our house though with plenty of food, movies, games, art projects and library books to keep us busy and comfortable for quite a while. Right now I'm snuggling on the couch with.....nobody. That's right, except for the kids, I'm all alone. 

See the green dot? That's Hays, KS. It might not look too far away but it's a few hours from here and that's where DR is right now, hopefully, warm and snug in a hotel. He had a business trip he left for Monday night and was supposed to get back this evening. No can do. The roads are treacherous (salt people!!) and he opted to hole up in a hotel for another night or two. 

 The big yellow sort of oval shape is the storm that is supposed to hit us over night. And when I say hit, I mean HIT! I've heard that in the next 24 hours we could possibly receive over a foot of snow....and I just read on one weather site that the worst of it is supposed to pass right between the red dot and the green dot. Right between my husband and I. 

...great...

I should have known something bad was going to happen while he was away. Last year when he took this trip I only had three kids throwing up all over my carpet in the middle of the night. If it weren't for all the welcome moisture this storm is bringing I'd almost wish to have sick kids than be separated from DR for who knows how long. No telling when I'll see my husband again! As long as he's safe though he can stay at hotels and eat at restaurants every night and I promise I won't hold a grudge!! 

Would you mind saying a quick prayer for us though? I don't mind being home alone. I don't even mind being snowed in the house. I am a little worried about losing power though. We have a generator and plenty of space heaters and a gas stove so I'm sure we'll be just fine in case it does go out but I'd rather not have to battle a power failure. So far so good though. The only battle I've fought today was with the stubborn dog who refused to go in the garage to spend the night warm and dry. I couldn't even drag her in!! 

I'm expecting to have plenty of down time for the next day or two so hopefully I can share our Kansas storm with you all. (And to give grandmothers peace of mind that we are all fine!!) Hopefully I'll be posting tomorrow!  

Kansas readers! (or anyone in the path of this storm) if you wouldn't mind comment and let me know what the storm is bringing you! 

Where's the SALT??

Often when I am in conversation with others the fact that I am not a Native Kansan often pops up. Over the weekend a friend asked, "Have you learned to enjoy living in Southwest Kansas?" 

I didn't answer right away. 

It's not that I don't like southwest Kansas, I do. But there are so many places and things I miss about Indiana at different times of the year. 

I never thought I would miss spring rains in Indiana. Ever spring my sisters and I battled mud in the barnyard as we went to do chores. I mean mud that would suck off a boot if you weren't careful. Yep, I miss that. 

Well I always knew I would miss a good shade tree. Growing up there were three large maple trees in our front yard that my siblings and I spent a lot of time playing around and in. I've yet to find a shade tree anywhere as good as those I grew up with. 

And of course I desperately miss Indiana's colorful autumn leaves. I had forgotten how wonderfully the humidity of Indiana permeates everything and creates rich, earthy smells...especially in leaves. 

(Thanks Mom.) 

More than those things though I miss certain places at particular times of the year. I miss my brother's crowded old farmhouse when we get together for Christmas. Granted it's never crowded except for that day! 

I miss laying on the sweet green grass to watch the 4th of July fireworks in Columbia City over the highway with semis driving underneath them. (Remember the year it was so cold we were bundled up in blankets, hats and mittens?) 

But the thing/time/place I've really missed this winter are the snowy Indiana roads....after they've been salted!!! Kansas needs to be introduced to my friend the salt truck. On New Years Eve we had 5 or 6 inches of snow. But for a week or more afterward this is what our town's roads still looked like. 

Of course the state roads were cleared. 

The town and dirt roads like the one below stay snow covered pretty much until it melts off naturally. 

Sometimes I see graders or tractors out on the roads working, but really there isn't much of a difference after they've been through. 

After driving on this I sure miss Indiana. In Indiana as soon as the snow starts falling the salt trucks are on the roads in force! Indiana snow doesn't have a chance to get to slick or packed on the roads; the salt combined with the friction from passing tires melts anything pretty darn quick. What Hoosier hasn't had the enjoyment of driving in slush?? 

Well, yeah, there IS that down side of having a lot more rust on your vehicles because of all the salt. MAYBE the salt makes Hoosiers a bit too confident when driving in bad weather. I'll take it though. 

Huh, never thought a salted road would be something to be homesick for! 

Woo Hoo we have Snow, snow, SNOW!!!

We woke early to snow. Everyone was up and eating breakfast by 6:30 and out the door playing in the snow by 7:00. 

They. Were. Excited.

It wasn't even light out yet! 

I brought out the camera and was happy I did because I loved the effect of the blurry snow falling. 

I have been praying for snow/rain for months because we desperately need the moisture out here. It snowed all morning and we made the most out of it. 

The kids and I all bundled up right after breakfast and played for over an hour before we needed hot chocolate and popcorn to warm up. After a movie we bundled up again before lunch for more fun time. 

I was so excited to see the snow this morning because it was sticking to the ground. We've had a few snow flurries during December but the horizontal winds blew all the snow, I desperately wanted to fall in my garden, straight to Oklahoma. 

In fact the snow we had a couple weeks ago, weathermen were actually calling for blizzard conditions which made me think, being that I grew up in Indiana and all, that we'd be getting a foot of snow. In reality the snow we received barely covered the ground because the 50 mph winds blew it all away. So in Kansas wind determines blizzard conditions, not amount of snowfall. 

The morning light cast a soft blue over everything. So pretty. 

Being that we live in Kansas obviously we don't have hills. I had forgotten that we had sleds packed away in the garage from our trip to Colorado a couple years ago. Needless to say the kids were psyched to play with sleds. 

Even if they had to pull each other around. 

Okay Father Winter...anytime you want to dump another 2 inches, or 22 inches, of snow on us I promise I won't complain!