A Lot of Snow

You remember how I said our Little Snow was a prequel? Well, here you have part two. We have been getting snow for most of the week since last Wednesday. It keeps snowing and snowing some more. It is one of the benefits of living near Lake Michigan. We get the wonderful Lake Effect Snow in addition to normal System Snow.

Our well pipe has turned into a Snow Gnome. I love his little hat.


A drive on the back roads gives us this scenic view.


My bird feeder also developed a snow hat.


The grill is getting buried. No hamburgers, steaks or hot dogs for this grill. Shh... It's hibernating.


The railing on our deck covered in about a foot of snow on one end. I love how the shadow of the tree branches surrounds it.


Icicles hang from our roof and eaves.


Close up of snow. I love how the snow looked like those Styrofoam filler beans. By the way, this is my Macro Monday photo. Macro Monday is hosted by Lisa's Chaos. For more macro photos go to Macro Monday: http://lisaschaos.com/


There is one really yummy thing that comes from all the snow, Snow Cream! One bowl of snow goes from this...


To this... Yummy Goodness!


Snow cream is pretty much snow mixed with a dairy product, sweetener and added flavor. There are many recipes online that you can find by doing an Internet search. Some call for whole milk while others call for cream. Some call for adding cocoa or cinnamon to get other flavors. Here is the recipe I used.

Snow Cream

1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Fresh snow

Blend milk, sugar and vanilla thoroughly. Stir in snow until the snow cream looks similar to ice cream. Eat right away.

My Tips :
1. Store leftover amounts in the freezer in covered container. You may want to let it sit on a counter for a minute when you go to eat it again so that it thaws a bit. It isn't supposed to be hard like a rock.
2. Don't use the yellow snow or any other possibly contaminated snow
3. Almost all sites and recipes will instruct you not to use the first snow. You need to give the snow a couple hours to clean out impurities in the atmosphere.

I hope you enjoy this easy treat if you are in an area that gets snow. If not, you can always come visit me.

~Jessica~

A Little Snow

This is the prequel to what we are currently getting. Currently we have about 15 inches of snow with more still falling. The following photos were from Tuesday and Thursday.

Heading out to play in the snow.


Duck prints in the snow.


What is that they hear?


Some kind of hawk. It was too far up to identify it. Time for the critters to go in for a bit.


Allen working on a snowman in the backyard.


See tomorrow's post for part two.

~Jessica~

Friday Photos - Skies, Squares & Resolutions

These are my entries for Sky Watch Friday. For more sky photos visit Sky Watch Friday: http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Federal Reserve Building in Washington DC


The Capitol Christmas Tree


The Capitol Menorah


This is my Photo Friday entry. Each week Photo Friday posts a photo assignment. Your mission is the creative interpretation of the week's theme. This week's theme is "Square". For more Photo Friday entries visit: http://www.photofriday.com/

Now I know this door is rectangle in shape but I had taken it with the focus on the chickens so it makes the shape of a square. In this photo, they were not so sure about the white stuff on the ground. The ducks were in heaven though. I will share those photos later.



On a side note, here are my New Years Resolutions:

1. Stay in touch with my family and friends more frequently. The loss of my brother will hopefully bring us closer together.

2. Post on my blog at least five days a week. I have so much I want to share with you all.

3. Make more time for myself. I would like to meditate at least ten minutes a day. My goal is that by the end of 2010 I will be up to thirty minutes twice daily.

4. I know it is redundant, but I want to lose some weight. I am tired of this baby fat that is hanging on. My youngest is nine so it is time to say goodbye. This entails more walking, exercise, better food choices and less time messing around on Facebook, Pogo or many of my other Internet hangouts.

5. Lead a more spiritual life. I have been neglecting my ritual and prayer time. I am hoping to integrate this around my meditation time.

6. Spend more time playing with my children. It is easy to become busy and distracted in the adult world but a child's world is simple and full of wonder. We have had a foot of snow fall already today so look for snow fort, snowman and snowball photos tomorrow.

7. Spend more alone time with the love of my life. My husband means the world to me. I want to make time for date nights even if it is just the two of us, a movie rental and popcorn.

8. Take a class on photography. I am a pretty good shutterbug but when I get my new digital SLR camera I want to take my photos to a whole new level.

So these are my resolutions for 2010. I am remaining realistic in my goals. Resolutions are much easier to keep if you keep in mind your limitations and what you are willing to sacrifice. A lot of mine involve time. This means I am going to have to set some sort of schedule and keep it. That will be the hardest part. However, humans seem to get into habits fairly easy so it is just a matter of getting into the habit of making time. What are your resolutions for 2010?

~Jessica~