4th snowday

Last week, we had a snow day. This week I had MLK day off, two consecutive snow days, one day at school, and now another snow day. I love snow days, but I love them when they occur one day at a time so that I can spend a quiet day at home reading or playing games or whatever. It is a serendipitus kind of thing. This week is just making me stir-crazy! Plus, there is another storm on the way for next week.

So, Dan is starting to organize work lists for me and whitney. I volunteer to plow the driveway. I don't want to clean anymore. I have already cleaned and organized the laundry, the kitchen drawers, a few cupbords, the top of the refridgerator (a popular collection sight) and my closet. Everything is neat, organized, and thinned out. There are a bunch of trash bags to go to the dump or to the donation center. I just don't want to clean anymore.

He has been reading. I think he has finished a couple of books. Now he is tired of that and wants to "do" something. I think I will read today... or start writing report cards. Not much fun for a snow day. Oh, well. Gotta go save my stuff! Dan is cleaning the bathroom!

Cupcakes

My new baking "thing" is cupcakes. Maybe because of the cupcake competitions on the Food Network, or maybe because of the cupcake shops and cupcake buses that have popped up around Albany. Either way, cupcakes are my new "thing".

It really makes sense. I like cake. Cupcakes let me have some cake... a whole cake... and I am happy. When I have a slice of really good cake, I usually want just a little bit more and those calories start to add up fast.

So, I have tried two cupcake recipes so far, both chocolate. My first attempt gave me some awesome looking cakes with butter cream frosting and sugar pearl beads on top. Today, I took the next step and tried filled cupcakes. They are really good... kind of like those snack cakes that were popular when I was a kid... Ding-dongs? I had an unfrosted one with a cup of coffee this afternoon and it was such a treat!

Now, I am off to make frosting and decorate the rest of the cakes. I guess I'll bring them to Mike's house tonight for New Year's Eve.

Cupcakes, my new "thing".

Taste of Inspirations Sparkling Juice

I love Hannaford "Taste of Inspirations Sparkling Juice" . They have cool flavors like blueberry lemonade, blood orange and pomegranate something-or-other. They package their sparkling juice in cool shaped glass bottles. They have just the right amount of carbonation.

Do you know the TV commercial for Hannaford? They have small groups of people gathered in somebody's home talking about how Hannaford provides positive things in their lives. I could do a commercial for sparkling juice!

I love their sparkling juice!

I don't like Thumper today.

We have three dogs... which is about 2 dogs too many. This morning, I went outside to let Gabel in from his run but while the door was open and I was walking out, the smallest dog - Thumper - dashed out.

Thumper is an Australian Terrier, and he loves to run... fast. So, Thumper took off across the back yard. Usually, I just let him go. He comes back when he is ready. But today the back yard is full of deep snow, so his running is not is fast as usual. He is more or less hopping across the yard and falling into the snow so that only his head is showing after each hop. I figured that I could catch him without too much problem. However, when I went outside to let Gabel inside, I had put on Whitney's Dansk shoes... and they are too big for me. So as I went wading through the snow, snow was falling into the shoes and my feet were completely surrounded with snow. I should have just gone barefoot. The shoes (and the cold feet) prevented me from running after Thumper.

Thumper made it to the back part of our yard without being caught. The snow there had drifted into the woods and it was much easier for me to walk, and much easier for Thumper to run. He ran. He ran through two neighbor's yards along the tree line before he turned in to the neighbor's yard. They have two dogs that Thumper likes to visit, but it was too early for the neighbors to be awake and the dogs were not out. While he was looking for a doggie friend, I had the opportunity to catch up to Thumper. I almost had him when he turned and smiled at me before he darted down the driveway toward the road.

Our road is a rural-main road. It isn't overly busy except during "rush hour", but cars drive too fast. Thumper ran into the road. Usually, I don't worry too much because he can run into any yard if a car drives by. However, today the snowbanks were thigh high for me and four times Thumper's height, so Thumper needed to run into driveways when cars raced by. He ran in and out of driveways for about a quarter of a mile. I walked along in snow filled shoes trying to keep an eye on him. He seemed to be keeping an eye on me too with his bright and smiling eyes. Eventually, I lost him. He had darted into a driveway and into that back yard and then to who-knows-where.

By the time I walked home and poured some coffee, Thumper was hopping throught the back yard. He came up to the door, where Dan was holding a piece of hot dog, but Thumper was not tempted! He headed toward the drive way and out into the street again. This time I took my car to keep up with him, and really just in time. As I drove, I saw Thumper running down the street in the opposite direction from before and he ran right in front of a white car. I pulled up next to her; the lady driving the car was very nice and said that she would help me catch the dog. But I was already crying and told her not to bother, Thumper would just run away from her anyhow. Thumper went around my car, I opened the passenger side door, and he hopped in. I drove home, now crying tears of relief, and carried Thumper into the house. I tossed him into his little crate in the kitchen and poured a new cup of coffee.

I am so mad at him.