Snow Day #5

We are currently on our fifth snow day of the year. Our school has two days built in. Let me do the math for you...that means we have 3 days to make up at the end of the year. Currently, that puts us at May 28. I am okay until we get to June. Once we get to June, this teaching momma gets crabby.


And despite being stuck in the house for 2 days straight, I am enjoying these snow days. They are really the first 2 days that have been truly SNOW days.



We had a couple days just after the New Year that didn't really amount to much. We ended up with a rain day last week...forecasters didn't quite have that storm timed out quite right.



But this week? We have had so much fun in the snow!


We went sledding at the hill behind the barn. The kids could have spent the entire day there...they loved it!


I finally had to make them get in the car to warm up...at which point the Little Miss realized just how cold she was!


Even the cows were cold!




The husband went out on the tractor (with no cab) to push the snow from the driveway. About 10 minutes into it, the winds picked up, it started snowing again, and at one point it looked like a blizzard. Hello, frozen husband!

(Doesn't he have cute lips?)


We had a little extreme backwards tractor driving...which didn't end well. If you look carefully, you can see two doggies frolicking in the snow. They just love to run in the snow, sticking their snouts down into it, chasing and wrestling each other.



Some of the smaller drifts made the perfect forts for snowball fights.



This little guy loves a good snowball fight!


Once the tractor is off and the snowball fights are over, I love how quiet and peaceful it is with a blanket of snow on the ground.


But then the kids start arguing or parachuting from the couch, and I realize...


I'm ready for spring.

Hello, There

I am enjoying my 3rd snow day of the winter, and therefore finally have some time to update this little spot of the Internet!

* My husband was out of town last week. Not surprisingly, the bathroom sink clogged and the phone jack (which connects the computer to the Internet) broke. Therefore, I had little to no Internet access last week. Thankfully he fixed everything right up when he got home!

* We took the Little Miss to preschool open house this week. She absolutely loved it and is SO ready for it. On one hand, it seems hard to believe that she is old enough for preschool. She's my baby! But on the other hand, she is so very smart and so far above where Cole was at this age...that it seems she should have already been in school! She joined the class right away and participated in everything...even picked her nose at circle time. She fit right in!

* The kids are taking swimming lessons twice a week. They love it. It's good for them. But, do you know what a pain it is to get two soaking wet, freezing little bodies dry, warm, and dressed before heading out into 20 degree weather? It takes longer to get them out of the pool and into the car than their actual lesson!

* The Little Miss had a rough week. She has had a bad cough and sore throat. Tuesday night she was up for hours coughing, crying, and having bad dreams in which a crab was pinching her finger and Grandpa's nose. Luckily we had "no more dreams" medicine (read: Benadryl) and she finally settled down to sleep.

* Last night while watching the Weather Channel, Cole heard them talking about the 6.0 earthquake that rocked northern California. He slapped his forehead, groaned, and exclaimed, "Oh, no! Now we're going to have to give money to California!" He's quite the little humanitarian...but he has his limits, apparently.

* The Archbishop has canceled Catholic schools (including Cole's school) for Monday following the Super Bowl. (Go Colts!) They are making the day up...on Good Friday. Ironic, no?

* I am super excited about Amazing Race starting up again next week! Other than that, I am watching American Idol, Ax Men, Man V. Food, and Chopped.

* Not that I am counting or anything, but we have 25 days until Spring Break. I don't mind the cold and snow...I kind of like that, actually. But the kids? And the hormones? And the rolling of the eyes, arguing, talking out, and general drama? I need a break.


That's pretty much what's going on with me. How about you? Whatcha doin? Whatcha watchin? Are you ready for spring?

I just love this.

2010: The Year of the Toy

One of the many things my son inherited from his daddy is his love of tractor magazines. And farm newspapers. And farm classifieds. And tractor brochures. You get the idea.

Wednesdays are especially important around here as the weekly Farm World is delivered. I'm not sure who looks forward to it more.

But the most exciting day of the year is when the annual Ertl toy catalog arrives. When Cole gets his grubby little hands on it, he is content for hours.

We still have remnants of the 2008 and 2009 catalogs. Folded edges, creased pages, circled favorites, well-loved little pages of possibilities.


After looking through this year's catalog, he exclaimed, "This is going to be the best year of toys ever."

I have to admit, Learning Curve is coming out with some amazing new toys for the spring. The little man cannot wait to get his hands on the Power Drive Lift and Load Barn with Power Drive vehicles and the Gator Pit Adventure.

But the toy that really got him going? The 12 volt riding limited edition Gator HPX. It matches our real Gator! And he just "cannot live without it!"

If you would like your very own copy of the 2010 Ertl John Deere toy catalog, you can view and print one from here. You can get one from here for $0.99 with free shipping. Or most likely, you can get one from your local John Deere dealer.

Happy toy shopping!

Award Winning Chili Recipe

I found this recipe some time ago in an old farming magazine. This is definitely not the Indiana chili that I am used to as it uses a ton of ingredients without an ounce of macaroni! However, I tweaked the original recipe a bit to my liking and am pretty sure this is the best chili around.

You may think I am exaggerating a bit with "award winning chili recipe." But I promise you...I am not. Not only is this chili that good, but my cousin really did make this recipe for a chili cook-off and won! If that's not proof, I don't know what is.

You need:

ground beef, onion, baked beans, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, tomato juice, green pepper, red pepper, shredded cheese, garlic powder, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, chili powder, corn muffin mix, milk, cream corn, and sugar

Now let's get cookin'!

1. Brown 2 lbs. ground beef with a little onion, salt, and pepper.

2. Transfer the meat to a large pot and add one large onion, chopped.

3. Add 1/2 C each green pepper and red pepper.

4. Add 1 can (16 oz.) diced tomatoes and 1 can (16 oz) tomato juice.

5. Add both 16 oz. cans of undrained beans, kidney and baked (I prefer Bush's Homestyle Baked Beans.)

6. Add 1 tsp. salt.

7. Add 1/2 TBS garlic powder.

8. Add 1/2 TBS chili powder.*

9. Add 1/2 TBS crushed red pepper.*

*Notice that I am a big wiener and did not add the full tablespoon of the chili powder or crushed red pepper. To each his own.

10. Stir the mixture well and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

11. In a separate bowl, add 2 cups of Jiffy corn muffin mix. (That's just about 2 boxes.)

12. Add one can of creamed corn.

13. Add 1/2 C sugar.

14. Add 1/2 C milk.

15. Mix the corn muffin mixture well.

16. Once the chili has cooked about 30 minutes, transfer it to a DEEP 13 X 9 baking dish.

17. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese on top.

18. Pour the corn muffin mixture evenly over the top and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.

Oh, my. This stuff is so good. You get the perfect mix of heat, spice, flavor, and sweetness in every single bite. It's the perfect comfort food for a cold winter night.

If you decide to try this recipe, I'd love to hear what you think! And if you would like a printable copy of the recipe, just email me at johndeeremom1@yahoo.com.

Help Me, Rhonda

Help!

I love coffee. I can't live without it. I must have a cup first thing in the morning. The bigger the cup, the better.


I like regular coffee with cream. Starbucks is an occasional treat. I get my daily coffee on the way to school each morning. On the weekends, I use Folger's singles.

Why?

Because I cannot make a pot of coffee.

This is where you come in.

I need help, people. Every pot of coffee I make smells and tastes like plastic. I have purchased and tried several different coffee pots/makers with the same results. I have tried different brands of coffee...still plastic-y.

I bought yet another new coffee pot this week after having given up the notion of actually being able to make coffee. But I SO want a big, delicious pot of coffee on the weekends, without having to make every.single.cup. I thought maybe this time would be different.

It wasn't.

Am I rushing it? Do I need to make several pots of coffee to rid the maker of the plastic taste? Is it my water? Have I not found the magic non-plastic brand of coffee? Should I try bottled water?

Have you had similar issues? Do you know that smell? That taste?

What do I do?!

Snow Day #1

You know how much I love a snow day. But I have to admit, this week wouldn't have been my choice for the first snow day of the season. We just came back from Christmas break on Tuesday. I am not in that "I need a day away from these kids before I lose it" state of mind yet. That won't come until WAY later in the semester...like next Thursday.

With an inch on the ground and another 4-5 inches expected during the day, my school was canceled at 5:30 this morning, followed by nearly every school system in the state.

The one school that wasn't closed today?

His.



How unfair is that? His mommy and sister get to stay home all day eating fresh-baked cookies, watching cartoons in our jammies, playing games, and he has to go to school?!

And I have a feeling this will happen quite a bit this winter. It's not that my school system cancels at the first threat of a snowflake, but it takes a Level 5 disaster for his school to cancel. I hate that. I just feel so guilty that he has to go and we don't.

However, when the Little Miss is in school and they BOTH have to go to school while I have a snow day...I will not hate that. Nor will I feel guilty. I might even feel a bit giddy.

Mother of the Year, indeed.

Edited to add: They just canceled my school again for tomorrow. There goes our two built-in snow days. Anything more will be made up at the end of the year. Grrrr.

Celebrating I Heart Faces

I haven't had time to submit anything to i Heart Faces recently...but with my surprise snow day today...I did!

This week's theme is celebrating i Heart Face's one year birthday! Each picture has to include the i Heart Faces logo. Here are my entries!

Entry #1:

Entry #2:


Entry #3:


Entry #4:


“I am submitting this photo into the I Heart Faces logo photo contest. By entering, I am granting I Heart Faces LLC permission to consider my photo for use in the marketing and promotion of their website.”


If you want to submit your own pictures or check out the other entries, just click on the button below!