Snow Ice Cream

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.
When life hands you snow, make SNOW ICE CREAM!

Recently the kids spent the night at their grandparents house and came home raving about the snow ice cream they made with grannee and popa. They also came home with the recipe. It seems like today might be the last day for snow around here.They are predicting rain and hopefully warmer temps. Here's the recipe in case you are inspired to whip up a batch before the fluffy stuff is gone. You can make it in minutes and it really is pretty yummy.

Snow Ice Cream

2 cups milk
1 cup condensed milk
1 cup sugar
2 Tbs. vanilla
Fresh Snow!

Mix all ingredients thoroughly and then keep adding fresh snow until the mixture is stiff. We used 1 1/2 large bowls of snow. Enjoy!

CHERISH LIFE'S PRECIOUS MOMENTS

The old gray face of time reminds us to take nothing for granted and to cherish life's precious moments.

a few armfuls of "sugar"

I know there are a lot of snow-haters out there right now but this is the stuff memories are made of! Yes it's tough feeling like your stuck inside and yes we all have to exercise a bit more shoveling the driveways (Claire, I do feel for you!) and yes we all have to drive a little slower, but there are at least a few of us enjoying it. I have to admit I didn't really want to go outside this afternoon but yesterday I made the challenge to get more fresh air this week and my kids really had some steam to blow off. As usual there was the prodding and coraling the kids to get bundled up, but it paid off big. I built the kids their first igloo and we were all aglow with playfulness and wonder. As I dug out the little snow fort, the Mary Poppins song ran through my brain... "just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, the medicine go down..." As I was simultaneously sweating and feeling the chill of ice crystals falling down the back of my neck, I felt like I was heaping up big arm fulls of frozen sugar that I knew would put smiles on my kids faces now and on mine when I look back at these photos remembering these precious fleeting moments. I'll keep saying it - "it really is worth it to do the extras that make life more energizing and fulfilling." What extras have you been considering but have put off because they take too much effort or time? As my friend Jodi, reminded my throughout last year in her email signature - "life is short" - you might as well make some time for fun. xoxo

Remarkable beauty can be found in ordinary things simply by taking the time to look.

Hello again! I have to admit that I have been hibernating a bit. Believe it or not it is actually the snow that has brought me out of my cozy den. I have never been a fan of winter. Actually I quite dislike the monotonous gray sky and chilly weather. But, all this candy coating snow has given me such an energy boost. I had a great weekend walking through the snow, pulling a sled and my dogs down a wooded trail and watching the kids squeal with delight as their sleds rushed down the slopes. Even the call of shoveling the driveway brought me outside into the fresh air. I know the snow is putting a damper on everyone's normal schedule but I for one am loving it. I hope you too can find some beauty in your day today. The woods are so pretty right now I just had to share a few shots.

My hibernation was party due to the winter weather but also to the fact that my husband and I went on a little bit of an electronics detox. We are following the diet and lifestyle plan of Marcelle Pick's Core Balance Plan. I'll be blogging a bit about it in the weeks to come. The electronic detox is intended to help you de-stress and give your adrenals some restoration. It suggests you don't use electronics after 7:30 pm. We turned off the tv and computers in lieu of getting some more peace and quiet. It was helpful, but I missed my time "connecting" with the world outside my living room. Now I'm hoping to get back on track with little doses of inspiration for me and you through this blog.

My feel better challenge for this week is to try to breathe as much FRESH air as possible. Yes, feeling good takes effort, time and planning but it is worth it! xoxo