...winter break

It's been a long, emotional week.
We have cabin fever big time!
Extreme cold with wind makes it miserable outside.

Hockey is finally over.

We lost our sectional game last night,

Today was pretty quiet around here. I didn't realize how it would hit us all.

But, there has been skiing.

Nothing will keep these guys off the slope.

And oh yeah, the other big emotional event!

Matt turned 18 this week!

I got up feeling pretty good on his birthday, thinking I would be strong! 

No big deal that I have an "adult."

But then I realized. This was his last birthday at home for awhile.

He'll be at school next year.

Oh crap.

This is going to be hard.

...finding ways...

I'm not going to lie, this has been a long winter.

I've been trying to stay positive but it's been difficult.

So what have I been doing to help fight the winter doldrums.

Eating tons of greens!

I can't tell how much we love spinach around here. 

The sunrises have been spectacular, due to the sub-zero weather and the ice crystals on the trees.

Yes, I know it's out of season for most fruit.  But we are eating a lot of it and thinking of summer!

My poor leaded windows.  I fear one morning I will come downstairs and find that the glass has finally shattered from the cold.

Fires help. But I feel for the people that heat by wood.  Many are running out of the cords and cords that they ordered in the summer and fall.  What they have left is stacked under snowdrifts. And from what I hear in town, the people that sell wood are all out!

But, celebrations help!  Hockey Senior Day was this past Saturday.  Senior Day is special for every sport, but hockey parents like to do it up!  When you start driving your son/daughter around the state at a young age, the ending of it all is bittersweet. I've missed my time in the car with the boys. We had a lot of fun and spent time together every.single.weekend. 

Memories...they're something aren't they?

...cocooned

Today's word could not be more apropos!  Cocooned is what you would think we would do on this snowy February day, but not in our house! Even with the snow day called from school we have been out and about.

The boys went skiing.  I have been shoveling (yes, there is something wrong with that)! And later there will be a trip to the grocery store and the ice rink to pick up food and a hockey bag.

So, it's another typical winter's day here!

Stay warm everyone!

...from where i sit

I have one that pushes the limits of time in the morning. Eeking out that last second of sleep, only to rush through a shower and into the car to arrive on time.

It drives me crazy...but I've come to accept the whole situation.

So, as I was waiting, I sat. And what the sun provided me was good.

Have a good weekend...and I apologize for these awful grainy pictures.  We are all upgrading our phones next month! Woot!

...in the depth of winter

It's been a cold January here in the Northeast.  And by the looks of it, the start of February doesn't look like it will be much warmer.  Unfortunately, even with the cold weather I have to go out and drive around in it!  While driving I usually listen to podcasts.  I've been trying to catch up on an old favorite called "Good Eats."  On the latest episode, the host had baker and author Zoe Nathan as a guest.  She was a delight to listen to! 

The host and Zoe chatted about pies and of course made me quite hungry!

Later in the day, I happened upon her cookbook in our library and I knew it was fate that I was to bake up some delights this weekend.

I had blueberries in the freezer that were picked this summer and I went to work after the boys went to school. Blueberry scones for this wintry day!

I urge everyone to run and get this cookbook.  The blueberry scones are not heavy, stick-in-your-stomach scones that you might envision.  They are light and airy and full of flavor.

They expand quite a bit when baking, so when she tells you to spread the scones out on two baking pans....listen to her.  I did not and thus had blobs of scones on the pan.

Nevertheless, they were wonderful...if I do say so myself.

I'm off to purchase this book for my collection.  There is so much I want to bake.  

Now all I need is for the temperatures to warm up so I can run off all this yummy goodness!

Watching Shadows

One of my favorite places for prompts that help me look at the world a different way is Writealm.  Every month she posts a list of ideas to help get the old creative juices flowing.  I usually take the prompts quite literally as my mind doesn't work the way others do, but it's enough to get me out of my predicable box.

Yesterday the sun cooperated and shadows were all around.  The top three pictures are from earlier in the week.  It's a favorite spot here in town that my boys kid me about.  Often as we drive by one of them is bound to ask if we are going to stop the car to take a picture. 

See, pretty predicable.

January

I can't believe January will be over soon.  Along with September, January is right up there as one of my favorite months.  You probably can guess why: the chaos is over, children are back to school, quiet penetrates the house.

I may be here more or I might not.  I will see.  I've been watching my time on the computer. Knitting more(see socks above), reading and catching up on areas of neglect in my house.

College acceptances are starting to fill the mailbox. He's three for three already so he has choices!

I'm hoping to pick up my camera a bit more.  I posted to poor flickr a few weeks ago.  I do miss the days of flickr. Instagram is fun, but just isn't the same.

Stay tune....let's see if this can become routine!