the details...

of being homebound...

is that you either are

a. going stir crazy
b. cooking
c. eating
d. finding alternative ways to workout
*like shovel snow*

shoveling lots of snow

e. cooking again
f. and eating again

g. making favorite recipes of mine
that I normally don't get to make since Bobby's not a fan of them 

like...
chicken salad ~ a healthy version
stuffed pablano peppers

h. realizing you are out of wine

i. and knowing that one more day staying inside
is not good for one's sanity
moi's sanity

or all the above

thank goodness my parents made a store run for me of "necessities" today
{I'm stuck on my street} 

they brought me back
some wine, pecans to make my "healthy" chicken salad,
 baking supplies since I need to bake 72 cookies by Friday
for an event
that I am going to
 regardless of the weather

I cannot get out of my street
as of these past 3 + days
because it has not been plowed
and I do not have a winter vehicle

but my husband does
and his big ole' truck is currently sitting at the airport
 in the satellite parking

 great use for a truck, right?
{chuckle}

...I couldn't drive it anyway since it's a company truck
{I better say that in a little disclaimer here}
just in case, you know
but, it would be very useful
 just statin' the facts

thank goodness the guys in the neighborhood have been trying to drive their trucks
on our streets in order to make some sort of way for us cars to get out

that is very much appreciated

 school is closed for the 4th day in a row tomorrow

but now
there is hope to seeing the "real world" tomorrow
 because the snow plow just came through about 2 1/2 hours ago
and I have heard the in-town roads are quite so bad anymore

even if we are just going to the automated postal center tomorrow
{that I'm in love with that machine b.t.w.}

or better yet, a trip to Target with the girls
I know it will help us regain our sanity tomorrow

for the first time I'm thankful to possibly clean
{shocker}

perhaps
 that also gives me an excuse to run out to get my favorite lavendar floor cleaner
because I'm out...


and if that's why I have to leave the house tomorrow
than so be it...because I love fresh cleaned floors
{chuckle}

my highlights for today:

1. shoveling driveways with my neighbors for
*adult interaction*
thank goodness

and it was so fun to do together
as well as a workout

2. I had a very fun phone call about 2 hours ago for my business
*love* those

3.  I made a "healthy" version of chicken salad...
the girls loooved it

to make:

I put some chicken in a crock pot
with organic/free range chicken stock from trader joe's
let cook slowly
{as I was shoveling snow}

once that was cooked...
I shredded the chicken
mixed in organic greek yogurt
diced up celery and red/purple grapes
and chopped up some pecans
added some pepper and parsley

and voila
a very healthy and simple version of chicken salad

4. the girls have been loving saying to me....
"stop doing that 'Marfa' "

what they wanted me to stop I still have noooo idea
Hayley just wanted an excuse to call me "Marfa" {Martha} instead of mama

5. truly knowing that I've had a pretty darn good time these past 3 + days

with Madison and Hayley...

we've made it together just fine

quality time spent just us 4
{Cadence included}

we've had great meals
a warm house

 nice beds to sink our heads into at night

not too much to complain about, right?

but
I would never...ever...choose to be homebound

ever.again

this round of it wasn't so bad

the girls even had a chance to make some snow angels

and relax on some hills of shoveled snow

how that picture of Hayley is relaxing...laying on frozen snow

I will never know

but it must have been for them

tomorrow we are headed out of here

6. and one more thought...

 just finished a late night watching the taped Modern Family

so funny...
and definitely some lines I will be using in the future
lol

okay that's enough of my randomness

I've got a few cute finds I want to share with you all another day

xo

the biggest evah

who knows where I was going with that title

{chuckle}

but since we woke up to ice and no school this morning

the girls were super excited

and asked for the "biggest pancakes evah!"

topped with nutella, blackberries, strawberries, and a little reddi wip from the spray can

their ears and faces perked up as soon as I sprayed that whip cream

on their pancakes and they came running in the kitchen just to see

{the sound of it spraying makes them giggle}

you should have seen their faces when I actually set their plate in front of them

{I had to put them on our dinner plates}

of course they won't eat it all

but it sure made them smile and giggle

hoping everyone stays safe and warm

xo

{that is my beloved crab apple tree I adore

since it keeps some color during winter}

turn it around...

tuesday, morning was quite the experience

it was nothing in particular or seriously wrong

just an "after another" kind of morning

it was a morning of waking up to a cold winter

and me trying to press through it

again

although someone today mentioned a countdown of winter

and I said

that's it!

I need to do one of those

have a winter countdown

Normally every day I wake up telling myself

"it is a new day of winter"

I can do it....

and let's be honest here

that doesn't always work with my subconscious

but I always try telling it that

because I'm hoping one day acceptance will happen

so...

currently

my subconscious is "in training" with "winter acceptance"

usually mid-January to mid/late February is my very difficult and struggling time

but Tuesday morning

my mind was not wanting to play along with my declaration of

"it's a new winter day"

it was a day of a bunch of little things adding up...

waking up late

the girls breaking a lamp before we even left the house

a new carpet stain

my oldest acting like she's running the house

and ordering me around

missing my other half ... like normal

my youngest very "potty trained" child deciding it's okay to tinkle in her cloth chair
because "she didn't want to get up" she said

I took a deep breath after Madison was dropped off at school

packed up Hayley

relieved some stress while running

and life was all good

once again

{smile}

 I had a few errands to run later that day

so after lunch Hayley and I headed out

 for some quality time

first stop was dropping something off at a client's home

I always have the most enjoyable and beautiful drive

every.single.time I drive to her home

it's seriously pretty...and just relaxing
it makes me smile

I saw so much that made me appreciate winter

you can appreciate it when you are driving in a warm car, you know

it doesn't seem so cold

whatever mind tricks work, right?

it made me realize that although winter is not my best time of year

there is still beauty in it

I remembered I had my camera in my purse from my conference last week

so I grabbed it and we made a stop

at this little quaint church on the way back

I loved it

she was of course game because "snow eating"

is always the first thing she does when there's inches of it 

I only had to bribe her once with gum for a couple more photos

{and once is beyond good in my book}

because she's obsessed with gum

since she's a big girl now

who can chew gum
all.by.herself

she seems to dig in my purse "at her convenience" for her favorite gum

which just so happens to be my favorite gum...

plain ole' dark blue Trident

what I love...

is the surprise of an empty pack of gum that I
{ahem}
 just purchased
and inside is a few open wrappers tucked...wadded
 back in the pack

{chuckle}

it actually does make me laugh

{sometimes}

regardless,
 it was what was needed by both of us

sometimes you just got to make your happy happen you know

you can't wait for it to come along

if only I remembered that from the beginning of every "not so great mornings"

you know my theory by now, right?

I eventually and sometimes get that figured out in time

{laughing}

we both had some smiles and laughter

finding our happy in what was eventually a great day

then it was off to pick up this little one

and hearing about her great day

icouldnotthinkofatitle

okay...

so I thought on Tuesday mid-morning I was out of the woods
with the kids being sick

but

that was a big mistake in thinking

it's now late Thursday evening
and I haven't stopped cleaning up puke
it's one after the other
and sometimes both at the same time
we've gone through all their pajamas in one day
many blankets
used bleach/ 70% alcohol to clean
everything
over and over and over again
blankets are washed and cleaned
again
and again

we are surviving
you better believe it:)

and I'm really hoping

that I just cleaned up the last of the puke for the night
but i doubt it
and I'm hoping that the girls are not up all night again
{I hope none of you are eating as I type this}

me it doesn't really matter

I don't get grossed out too easily

yikes...
yep...
that was one more time

I feel really bad for them
thank goodness I'm better at helping them
than getting sick myself
I don't do *sick* myself very well
I actually refuse to
so morning sickness with the girls was not fun for me

so typically I can sit and eat and watch a surgery on a medical show

Bobby completely gets irritated and bothered at me for that

I don't get queasy easily

I never have

I still wish the video from one of my knee reconstructions
was actually copied like they said they would copy it

when they mentioned the surgery was going to be taped
we asked for a copy
and I was so excited to see it
until I popped it in the VCR {15 years ago} and it was blank...

how did I get on this subject
I think I'm delirious
that's why

my mind is wondering
I can't stop laughing for some weird reason about all this going on
and

I really don't think you care about how I don't get queasy over watching surgeries
so I apologize for my rambling

I guess I'm just typing out loud

I wasn't even going to write but two sentences with this post

but can you tell

I need some interaction?

after being in the hospital for a week with my grandpa and family

to taking care of two pukey kiddos this week

and here I am

needing to get random thoughts out

before I go a little more nuts

and keep saying more of nothing...

so all that to this point...
of showing you snow day pictures
before all this happened


uggghhh... yep ~ I just about jumped out of my pants

because they moved their heads
before they leaned back again
I had the bucket in their lap
with Hayley telling me
"no..mama"
{not this time}

this is pure madness
 I cannot stop laughing
{which is probably wrong}
and we are giving high fives for making it in the puke bucket
because that's a celebration to me

happy weekend everyone

xo