Hunkering Down for The Blizzard of 2011 ~ And the Recipe for Snow Ice Cream

There are blizzard warnings where I live. Last night the winds swirled and close to six inches of snow fell on top of the several inches that already lay on the ground. Tonight, the real fun begins as the winds will pick up and the snow is predicted to fall with a fury we haven't witnessed in quite some time 'round these parts. A little north of us, there could be 20 inches of snow with some ice mixed in for good measure when all is said and done. We can expect close to 10 inches on top of what we currently have.

This morning, I awoke to this view outside my door...

And, I am thoroughly delighted.

For me, all this snow means Snow Days. No school for my boys...and no work for me. And, it's no secret, this mama loves a good snow day. It is celebrated with such glee and giddyness, I can't even tell you. This snow day, while full of bliss, has been a little different than a typical one.

James and I, of course, sang the "No School Today" song this morning. But, the Tims....they weren't singing. Husband Tim left at 2:00am to do snow removal at a WalMart parking lot a half hour from our house. And, Timothy was called into work by his boss, the owner of the local grocery store early this morning. James and I joked that the Tims were doing their part to ensure that the county can stock up on bread and milk, and hunker down for the Great Blizzard of 2011. No one would go hungry on their watch!

After lounging a bit, we bundled up to conquer the driveway. This may seem like a small task, but you must know a little secret. I haven't shoveled the entire driveway....or mowed the lawn for that matter...in all my almost seventeen years of marriage. I am quite taken care of by my burly manly-man husband and growing sons. Yes....I am not ashamed to admit that I'm one of those women. The kind that used to drive my mother a bit crazy. The kind who are taken care of by men and don't feel the least bit apologetic about it.

That being said, the driveway needed shoveling, and there were no Tims with strong backs and arms to do the job. So James picked up a little shovel to work on the sidewalk, and I grabbed the snow shovel and made my way into the frozen tundra. After all, Caroline Ingalls would surely have made sure that she shoveled a place for Charles to park the wagon if he had been out working in the wee hours of the morning in a snow storm to provide for their family. I could do the same, right? And, any loving wife would.

So....I shoveled....and shoveled...and shoveled...

I wondered how many calories I was burning as I wiped the hair from my face and dug the shovel into the endless piles of snow. I grew weary midway through when I looked at the size of the task, and decided to stop looking and just shovel. I smiled, thinking how there are life lessons...even in shoveling the driveway. Don't look at the size of the task....just keep shoveling...and keep trusting. I thought of how grateful I was for all the years my husband shoveled the driveway with a back already aching from a hard day's work...or in the wee hours of the morning before he left for work. Or for Timothy, who willingly shoveled the driveway so many times so we wouldn't have to. I thought of how proud I am of both my Tims....out working while we were nestled into our warm house, without a care in the world.

And, when I was finished....I may, or may not have sung a line of "I am woman, hear me roar"....with a satisfied grin. ;)

(Pay no attention to the Christmas wreath still adorning our door. I'm not even going to make an excuse. That's just how we roll!)

I think even our sweet lab, Rex, was proud of me! =)

After a nice little snowball fight with this guy...

We went inside to make snow ice cream! It was so yummy and the boys (our neighbor boy had joined us) were quite

   impressed that we could make ice cream from snow. 

Snow Ice Cream Recipe

Fresh snow

A little milk

A couple spoonfuls of sugar

1-2tsp. vanilla

Stir to consistency and taste

It's a fun and simple treat to enjoy with your children on a Snow Day!

O.k....time for me to go and cook for my people. Hope you are nestled in safe and warm.

Have a blessed day! =)

P.S. If you would like to attend the Women of Faith Conference with us, please visit the Coming Events page for information. We are ordering tickets this weekend, so we need to collect the orders ASAP. Also, the Helping Hands ladies will be sewing Comfort Bears at Harvest Fellowship again this Saturday if you are able to join us. No sewing experience necessary!