Amy Scott's Thoughts

We finally got our winter snow! The combination of snow, Valentine’s Day, and a long weekend made for pure magic. Snow was just the adventure we needed to break up the Groundhog’s day vibes that had settled on our house. Coupled with the countdown to Valentine’s Day and a long weekend to enjoy it all, this week (specifically, this weekend) was practically perfect!

We had a very Valentines focused week. We wrapped up Valentine’s Day cards and got them into the mail for family and friends. The boys made a cute craft from Target. We don’t make a lot of craft kits, but when we do, I always appreciate the extra fun it provides. I enjoy having all the supplies in one package instead of hunting down all the elements. After school on Tuesday, I set out to make my February sugar cookies. In keeping with my goal to make decorated cookies from my new cookie book each month, I decided Valentine’s Day was the perfect fit for my cookie project. I made the cookies in advance of the holiday, because I wanted to share them with family. I also wanted to save the chocolate treats for the weekend since chocolate is extremely necessary (in my opinion) for the actual celebration of Valentine’s Day.

On Thursday, we woke up to a dusting of snow with snowflakes lightly falling. We raced through school so that snow could become our sole focus of the day. Jeremy worked in the office that morning and then opted to work from home in the afternoon since greater snow totals were in the forecast. My hubby knew my hopes for a heart-shaped pizza on Sunday, but he also knew it wasn’t likely we could get out of the house due to snow. Jeremy picked up our special pizza on Thursday before coming home. He is the best! After work, our family took a walk to our nearby beaver dam. Walking through the snow covered woods literally felt like walking into Narnia.

Friday was Chinese New Year. This isn’t a holiday that I’ve celebrated before. Owen remembered celebrating it at school last year. Also, a TV show the boys have been watching recently shared Chinese New Year traditions. Because I’ll look for any reason to celebrate, I decided to go with it. The boys received make-shift red envelopes with $1 inside. They wore red for luck. They swept out the old year and hid the brushes (aka Swiffers) to welcome the new year. We made Chinese food at home from freezer food. My original plan was to get take-out, but the snow changed that. We read books about Chinese New Year. It was a fun, educational, and new experience.

The snow had many highlights! I love when the world goes white. The combination of white snow on deep green trees just does something to me! We took many family walks. Because we live in the country, our sledding hill just happens to be our septic mound. The boys loved sledding the most of all the snow activities. A traditional Snowman was made as well as many snow angels. On one walk down to the main road, the boys went “skating” (aka sliding) on the icy roadway. We enjoyed warming up in our hot tub while snowflakes fell around us. Simply magical! Oh, we also lost power briefly during the day on Saturday. Luckily it was back on quickly and we didn’t get too chilly. And, we had an adventure on Friday with a weasel in our yard. The little guy seemed bent on hanging out under our deck. Never a dull moment around here!

Valentine’s Day looked different than my original plan. Jeremy wasn’t able to get out of our driveway, so he was home on Sunday which almost never happens. (He is a children’s pastor so Sundays are work days). I spent the morning baking chocolate treats and trying to make as many heart-shaped foods as possible (pancakes for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch). I would have had a heart-shaped food for every meal if my original pizza plan had panned out. (Next year!) The boys got a new board game for Valentine’s Day that occupied them most of the day. We played Valentine’s Day Bingo as family and munched on treats. I’m finding that my favorite way to celebrate is with food. Overall, it was a quiet family day. The only downside was the beloved snow transitioned to rain midday. Good-bye my little snowflake friends!

Now with rain slowly melting our snow, we will head back to the real world tomorrow. The countdown is on for longer days, St. Patrick’s Day, and the arrival of Spring. Oh, and my hubby’s 40th birthday (38 days and counting). As you can see, I will find plenty more reasons for fun and celebration soon!