Enough Already!

More snow.

We now have about 15 inches on the ground.

Don't get me wrong, I love winter. I'm always so happy when the temperatures start to drop.The snow is beautiful and our home is cozy, but this year has just been so COLD!
And the snow just won't stop coming.

It's usually late February/early March before I'm this fed up, lol.

All of this glorious deep snow, and it's too cold to go outside and play.
I can't find anything to read (which in and of itself is a sign of the Apocalypse).
We've watched all of our movies over and over.


Ennui has set in.

Be Still My Wannabe Archaeologist's Heart

I love Playmobil toys.

I love the hundreds of tiny pieces.

I love the variety of themes.

I love that my daughter can make up stories about Santa visiting a band of pirates and helping them plant a garden, and she has toys that she can use to act them out.


So imagine my joy when I opened my inbox to find the new Playmobil catalog and this staring back at me.




IT'S A PYRAMID!!!!!

With collapsible stairs, and secret chambers, and treasure, and mummies, and trap doors, and Snakes ("Why'd it have to be snakes!")!

This set doesn't come out until August and I can't wait to play Indiana Jones see the joy in Peanut's eyes while she plays.

Do you think I could convince my husband that it is a purchase to help me teach history?

Snow Woman

 

This was taken about a week ago when the temps were in the mid twenties for the day. The lovely woman in the photo with Peanut is my mom. They made a snow woman, complete with purple shawl, because the snow just wouldn't roll into a nice round ball. My mom molded the skirt in the bottom and Peanut later made stick arms.

She has stood outside my kitchen door looking elegant all through our snow storms and negative degree weather. I brush her off every time I walk past. There's nothing like single digit weather to make your snow creations last!

Kiss by Ted Dekker

I recently had someone pass "kiss" by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy my way and ask me what I thought about it. So I said I'd tell you all too.

It was an intense book. Lots of mystery and twists centered around the main character, Shauna McAllister, who wakes up after being in a coma for six weeks unable to remember anything about her recent life. Add in a distant father who is a presidential candidate, an abusive step-mother, a boyfriend of whom she has no memory, and a brother who suffered brain damage in the same car wreck that took Shauna's memory, and you have a twisty tale of a family with a closet full of dark secrets. Shauna also discovers that the accident has left her with a strange new ability which leaves her not sure who she can turn to or trust.

The was very suspenseful and definitely kept me interested to the end. The mystery aspect of the plot was excellent and I might be interested in reading some of Dekker's other books, based on this one.

That being said, I am a little confused. This book is marketed as Christian suspense but as far as I can see, it doesn't really fit into that category. The only real "Christian" aspect of the story line is the main character's exploration of pain vs. perspective when it comes the things that God brings into our lives. The book is not bad, I just think the marketing it to a Christian audience is a little misleading.

Check it out for yourself and tell me what you think.

And I Thought That I Loved Winter

 

Yes, you are reading correctly. My kitchen thermometer reads -13 this morning. That's -25 for my non-Fahrenheit friends. Which would not be such a big deal if I lived in say, Minnesota or Alaska. But here in Ohio, this is not the norm.

And notice the inside temp. 50 degrees. Inside. We have the thermostat set on 60 to conserve energy. But the only place in the house that is actually 60 degrees is the hall where the thermostat is located. The extremities, like the kitchen and bedrooms, are considerably colder.

So I, who is normally thrilled when the temperature drops, am cranky as a badger poked from its den this morning. I spent the night with a hacking cough, stuffed up head, and a flailing 5 year old who joined us in our bed because it was cold. I watched the sunrise through the completely frosted over window next to my bed, and then stumbled downstairs to breakfast the Peanut.

On the upside, it is achingly beautiful out, with the sun on the snow and the neighbors chimneys laying out streams of smoke.

But who wants aching beauty when you have an aching head?.