Winter Wonderland

People will be talking about this snowstorm for years.

Yes, our flight was canceled and we (technically, Juan) spent all day trying to reschedule. Once we finally got through to an airline operator, we were able to get a refund on our tickets and Juan was able to procure some tickets with a different airline for the 22nd. Happy day! It's Utah or bust, baby!

The girls loved the snow and didn't want to come back in once they realized how fun it could be. Okay, maybe Qiana liked it only a little bit.







As for our meals, well, it hasn't been so bad. We had a half a head of cabbage hidden in the crisper drawer, so I made a vegetarian Asian slaw with cold Ramen noodles, dressed it with a made-up concoction of soy sauce, white vinegar, peanut butter and honey, and sprinkled it with toasted sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, and red pepper flakes. Amazingly, it was delicious, (but that could be due to the fact that we were starving so ANYTHING would have been good.) Breakfast this morning wasn't half-bad either; I made a dish I learned in my college cooking class: Eggs a la Goldenrod on Rye. (I know, the fact that we had RYE bread in the fridge surprises me, too. Usually when I buy it, it is all eaten up within the first day, unless I secretly stash some in the freezer for later.) Tonight I'm thinking of putting those dehydrated potatoes to use in a shepherd's pie or something. By way of protein, there's a half-a-pound of ground beef and two pork chops to choose from. I think I'll go with the beef. (Like anyone cares :^)

Snowed In

It's been snowing non-stop and Philadelphia is looking at RECORD-BREAKING snowfall this weekend.


Our flights to Utah are probably canceled.


Despite this devastating news, we've found joy in this blanket of white. Siena LOVES to play in the snow and has been begging to go out again since our first adventure outside this morning.

We thought, "Oh, this is nothing. Philadelphians just don't know how to drive." So we shoveled away the snow from our car and seatbelted everyone in to take a trip to the grocery store.

We made it two-and-a-half blocks before we decided to turn back. There was no WAY we were going to make it another five blocks to the supermarket.

So, we're living off our food storage because we were trying to clean out the refrigerator for our trip. No thoughts of Christmas Ham or Figgy Pudding, just rice & beans, Mac & Cheese, canned food, flaked mashed potatoes and powdered milk.

It is kind-of shocking to admit this, but I'm happy in way. I was so focused on getting home to visit our families and give them their gifts that we so carefully thought out, that this season has been a blur of planning instead of pondering. I was made aware of my distraction while listening to the First Presidency Message, specifically President Monson's talk. In the midst of all the preparations for Christmas morning, it is so easy to forget that the ENTIRE reason for this season is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. There's nothing wrong with gifts under the evergreen tree; however, it seems to all-to-often overshadow the quiet, constant glow of the nativity scene. I think that this time under house-arrest will prove to be a spirit-booster for all of us.

Feliz Navidad!

We've Been Reading "The Little Engine That Could" at least once a day.

Siena and Qiana got a really nice gift in the mail a couple weeks ago. It was a box of picture books in Spanish from our old Branch president and his wife. (These are GOLD... picture books in Spanish are hard to find, at least at a decent price.) Among the treasures was "La Pequena Locomotora Que Si Pudo" ("The Little Engine That Could".) Siena loves it, although I don't think we have read the whole book from cover to cover... she gets a little distracted while I try to stumble my way through the hard Spanish words.

Last night around 11:30, we heard Siena shout out "Choo Choo! Choo Choo Mommy!," from her room. She also mumbled some more words that we couldn't make out. Juan and I just looked at each other and questioned whether we should chance getting out of bed to see if she was awake or asleep. Eventually we crept into her room, just to find her fast asleep. Yep, we have a sleep-talker!

Getting There

Remember this?

Qiana is catching up with her CRAZY pigtails.(They look so different!!)

Da' Girlz

Making a paper snowman ornament at the Primary Christmas Activity

Decorating gingerbread men (Siena's in a frosting daze)

This girl has the giggles now. I love LOVE love her little laugh.

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Thanksgiving

We had a nice Thanksgiving this year with Amber and Kurt and his family who were visiting. The girls behaved themselves (which was a nice little gift to us,) and the whole evening was relaxing. We ate a gourmet meal, thanks to everyone there.

Although we were away from family, there was still a lot to be grateful for. Being able to sit down to a delicious meal in a warm home surrounded by friends is a blessing that is often forgotten in the rush of the holiday season. My personal goal for this Christmastime is to try to pay attention to BIG-scale blessings like those while also trying to focus on day-to-day happiness.

MADE:

Now that Thanksgiving leftovers are FINALLY gone, we have been able to get creative again in the kitchen. We've had Succotash with Grilled Scallops and Parsley Drizzle (pictured,) and Fusilli with Sausage, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes. As I am writing this, Juan is mixing up some Sweet Basil Smoothies and tommorow's plan for dinner is either Chicken Chili or Blue-rugula Burgers. Ever since we moved to Philadelphia, we've relied on the Food Network website to help us with dinner ideas. I'm telling you, start a recipe box (it's free!) and start experimenting. We use it to plan out our weekly meals and for the past 2 years, we've LOVED almost everything we make. I think the trick is to sort recipes by "rating"; every 5-star recipe we've made has been a big hit. Anyway, that's my little plug for FoodNetwork.com



I've been feelin' crafty, too. This is a carseat cover for a friend who is visiting her parents here in Philly. She says she sees them all over Utah and that she wants one. I told her that I received two adorable carseat covers from my mom and Juan's aunt when Qiana was born but that I couldn't part with either; so I decided to make one for her. It was my first attempt at a satin-stitch. I love that my 20+ year-old Singer sewing machine works for projects like this. (There are only two stitch capabilities on that beast: straight line and zig-zag.) Anyway, making the little owl applique took up about 80% of the whole project, but eventually I got the hang of it.

And just for fun, this was from my day today: I was folding laundry while this little sweetie-pie
made a bunch of spit bubbles through her little grin.