Life in the Bristolwood

Yesterday was Ben’s birthday, and he wanted to have a party. Michelle has had a few parties, but Ben never had one before. So, we agreed he could have one today.

The kids worked on this party for the past few weeks, buying goodies and preparing for the day. I let them do the planning and such, as parties are just not my cup of tea….I have never been too excited about parties, although I guess I have enjoyed going to many!

Ben decided on a small party with just a few kids. We were fortunate to get the snow we did, as the kids enjoyed sledding and just playing in the snow! Michelle brought down her laptop and hooked up her speakers…YIKES! Such music and so LOUD! I nust be getting old, because all the noise and excitement has caused me to feel so exhausted tonight. And, my poor legs hurt from standing!

The good news is that the kids had fun, and me? I will sleep like a LOG tonight!!!!

Than having a MESSY house when a visitor comes to the door? Well, how about a driveway that is not very accessible?

Such was how we found ourselves this morning! Mark had gotten a call from Gary Muxworthy, who works for the Buffalo Sabres. He called a little more than a week ago, and Mark apparently misunderstood that Gary was coming today…Mark thought he was coming last Friday. Last Friday, the house was so tidy, everything *glowed*! We figured he had gotten busy and forgot. Well, today, I looked out the front window and saw a man walking in the driveway. Where we live, that is a rather unusual event, so I scurried upstairs to remove my nightgown!

Gary came by with a Sabres hockey stick signed by Jason Pomanville. He also brought a copy of their annual “yearbook” and a calendar! We were so excited!!!

Today is Ben’s birthday, so he got a nice surprise! Unfortunately, Michelle woke up not feeling very well. She had coughed a bit during the night, and she felt like she had a cold this morning. I went upstairs to see her shortly after lunch, and, oh my!

How many girls get living, breathing stuffed toys on their beds when they don’t feel well? Angus crawled up above her head and just slept and watched over Michelle!

After Mark had spent time plowing the driveway on Wednesday, he sat near the woodstove in the garage. After coming inside, he discovered he had a blister on one of his legs….one of the most horrific parts of being paraplegic is the inability to feel your legs. Mark must have been a little too close to the stove. We have been putting a gauze sponge over the blister after washing with antibacterial soap. The blister is looking much better today. We need to be very careful about this because Mark burned his leg when we first got the Explorer. He had the heat on as high as it would go….his leg was too close to the heater vent and he burned his leg. He wound up in the hospital for 3 or 4 days after the blister popped and became infected. We are being diligent to not allow this blister to break open.

Today, Mark decided to try to finish plowing the driveway, as he got too chilled on Wednesday. The temperature actually climbed up to 20 today, and the sunshine melted snow off the truck and sidewalk! The winds were somewhat annoying today, but the sun made such a difference!

That ATV has paid for itself many times over in plowing the driveway. It does a super job, and it makes plowing fun! And, when Mark was finished, we had some respectable piles along the driveway!

It looks like the little rolling house on wheels won’t be moving any time soon!!

These last two pictures I could not resist adding…just LOOK at that sky! It was so amazing, so absolutely perfectly *blue”…which happens to be my **very** favorite color!

This morning, when I got up to take the little Scottie boys outside, it was a whopping -6 degrees! Wow, that was enough to awaken me quickly! Not only was it cold, but the wind got to kicking up something fierce.

We are fortunate the woodstove we use to heat has no problem keeping us toasty warm in the coldest of weather. It is just such a shock to the system to step from a warm and cozy room into the cold! It is kind of like jumping into a cold pool of water! Brrrrr……

I wasn’t going to post any snow pictures, as it really is hard to see in a picture what you see in person. Everything is relative, and it is nearly impossible to convey the feeling of being totally overwhelmed by a frosty coating of snow…it always looks so “pretty”! Living in the country as we do, we needn’t travel far to see huge expanses of white “palettes”….totally “virgin snow”, that are just breathtaking! With no marks nor prints in the snow, it reminds me of a huge artist’s palette, awaiting the brush strokes!

Even though the truck doesn’t look “buried”, it took almost an hour to clear it off and shovel the snow away from it so Mark could plow it off down the driveway!

My little stream that runs across the front yard has now been hidden under a blanket of white.

The camper looks so pitiful sitting there buried in the snow! But it will soon be on the road again, happily hosting our family!

Ben’s fort of snow has now “disappeared” in the midst of all the piles of snow!

In looking up into the woods behind the house, one would never appreciate the frigid temps and bone-chilling winds this morning. Everything looks so peaceful out there!

This afternoon, I had to run to WalMart for Mark. Our local store is 16 miles away. Shortly after Ben and I started out, we turned onto one of the major roads, thinking it might be in good condition. The road looked in good shape, however, as we headed up the hill, a man was coming down in a small Subaru. Apparently, he was going too fast, and as he came towards us, his rearend fishtailed out into our lane. Ben became suddenly very quiet….thankfully, the man was able to straighten himself out, missing us. His antics certainly put me into *alert mode*!

We made our way to the store, did our shopping and arrived safely home before the sun set. I was so glad to be home again. Even though I had no problems getting around in the poor conditions, I took it very slow, as I just didn’t trust the roads! In weather this cold, not many compounds do any good on “greasy” roads. We went out in the new pickup truck, and it proved to me that it is an amazing winter vehicle.

Keep safe, keep warm!

The Valentine’s Day storm is “now winding down”…He also said that it has left many folks without power. Now, with the temps as low as they are, THAT is scarey.

I worked outside for several hours today, and I am thoroughly exhausted! To add insult to injury, we were going to go out for dinner, but the poor road conditions warranted a home-cooked meal. I was fortunate that I pulled a turkey breast out of the freezer a couple of days ago, so dinner wasn’t too hard! I did make Garlic Mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts to go with the turkey, and that was it! Simple, but everyone ate heartily!

Michelle worked alongside Mark and I most of today. She is such a good helper! We unburied the “old” truck and Explorer and put them inside the garage. I had to back the Explorer up over the unshoveled sidewalk, and it felt as though someone was lifting it off the ground! Mark said he watched to make sure it wasn’t going to hit the top of the garage door…it actually DID rise up in the air!

I made a nice fire in the stove in the garage so we could warm up from time to time…

And so, from our hearth to yours, hope you had a Happy Valentine’s Day! Stay safe and warm!

Today people across this country are celebrating Love. Oh, they sounds so poetic and beautiful, those three words “I Love You”. Roses and chocolate are given as tokens of affection and it seems everyone is loving someone, then there’s some odd number of people who spend today alone and isolated from the whole thing. Some choose to ignore that Love is even a real emotion and its all just a big marketing scheme. Ok, I have to give them credit here, alot of Valentine’s Day is commercial, but the idea behind Love is not. Love is so much more than that between boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife, its more than kisses and chocolate love is saying “I want this, but someone else…” its about thinking about other people before ourselves. Love is patient, kind, humble, selfless, in short love is everything about God.

So what do I love? I love Rese’s Penut Butter Cups, I love Underoath, I love hot summer nights, I love NYC… and the list goes on, but do I really LOVE any of these things? Would I give up everything I had for a Peanut Butter Cup? NO! lol, and if I did would probably be reallllllly hungry, huh? Well, I think this is one of the things we get ttly wrong in American dating relationships… we use the word “love” equally as we describe our boyfriend and hott shoes. God created this emotion of love to be so powerful, but do we really know what we love? If you truely love someone you would give your everything to make them happy. I think today thats what I’m gonna do today (instead of drowning myself in a flurry of choclate) I’m going to think about what and who I really love. My mom and dad, my lil brother (Mohawk an all…. don’t ask), my Jesus, this is what I love.

Many thanks to my fellow Soapnut, Susan, for sharing a wonderful recipe for cutout cookies tonight! I just completed a batch, and Mark and the kids gave the cookies a resounding THUMBS UP! Mark said the cookies were at least as good as a bakery cookie, if not better!

The recipe can be found here:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Popes-Valentine-Cookies/Detail.aspx

Once the cookies were baked and cooled, I HAD to put a smidgeon of frosting and sprinkles on them! I put a wee bit of Almond Flavoring in the frosting, as I am an Almond addict!!!

Not sure if I will be able to post an entry tomorrow, as the weatherman is saying we will be doing some shoveling tomorrow….how *romantic*!!!!

Ever have one of those thoughts “pop” into your mind, and you have NO idea where it came from? Well, today, I was thinking about Mrs. Bossmann. She was a very wonderful woman I met many years ago. She was very elegant, and yet, so down to earth! The thing I was thinking about mostly today was that I think she was in her 50′s when I met her. At that point in time, she rode a snowmobile with her husband, and her 90some year old father lived with her and her husband!

Mrs. Bossmann’s husband was named Val. Not many people probably ever questioned what Val stood for, but I knew! Mrs. Bossmann told me that Val’s birthday was February 14, so he was named for the DAY! One can only imagine the humiliation he put up with each year as he was teased….

We were supposed to run out this morning, but one thing after another called for Mark’s attention, and before we knew it, it was afternoon! Mark decided it was too late to run out, and I had nothing planned for dinner, so we called the “local” convenience-type store. They make excellent subs, and Mark and the kids were thinking some wings would be good.

As I walked into the store, there was a flurry of activity! Outside, cars lined up to fill gas tanks, and inside, the store was buzzing about the impending storm. The scene was filled with an air of excitement and anticipation. I waited in line while those ahead of me chatted about the weather. As my turn came up, I leaned towards the clerk and muttered about “remember when WE were kids and the snow would fall in FEET instead of INCHES?” She smiled, saying that she and some others were talking about that very subject earlier in the day.

Well, Mrs. Bossmann was a really accurate prognosticator. Every year, she would predict a bad storm around Valentine’s Day!

Today, every time I took the boys outside, I had to swallow hard to unplug my ears….must be there was a change in the atmospheric pressure! (or, my head was really plugged up!!!)

As we walked around outside tonight, I took a picture of my (now nearly hidden) stream in the front yard. It is barely audible anymore, as the snow surrounding it acts as a “muffler”.

I have been reading blogs and on lists about how many people are getting down by the lingering winter weather. I wish there was a way I could help alleviate the anxiety, as I feel almost guilty that I take delight in this weather, but, alas, all that can be done is to wait it out.

I find winter to be such a “cozy” time, enjoying the shortened days and long nights. I enjoy catching a whiff of woodsmoke, and trying to identify the wood that is currently heating the home. I love my snuggly flannel sheets and putting on a warm wool sweater. I love the shadows cast on the ceiling of my lace curtains and the Christmas Cactus in my room from the nightlight I bought at Tractor Supply. I love watching the dogs play in the snow and I really don’t even mind shoveling the snow. The feeling of working hard and getting thoroughly cold only to enter into a warm and welcome home makes the entrance even grander.

My mind wanders off in the winter…I dream of a cozy little cabin off in the woods,complete with no phones nor TV’s…where games are played and time is slowed down to a snail’s pace. I also dream of owning a snowmobile and gliding over fields of snow and breathing in the cold night air while defying the cold! The thought of sledding and making snow angels still excites me….as well as a heavy snowfall.

I adore the bright crystal blue skies, as well as the skies that seem to have disappeared under a veil of snow. I love red cheeks and massaging lotion over dry heels and feet.

We are expecting some heavy snow tomorrow, as our “winter weather watch” has been upgraded to a “winter storm warning”. Perhaps I will get some good pictures! Keep warm, one and all!

I made that tam style hat several years ago when I was on a knitting rampage. I made a Scandinavian sweater that matches it, and that is what I wore when we went out shopping today. Tonight, I came upstairs to find one tired little Scottie boy with the chapeau atop his head, sleeping rather soundly. How could I resist a picture?

Mark wanted to take a run to the Woodcrafts Store today, as he is putting his workshop together, and they have a sale on dust collecting components. It is always fun to look around the store, but also dangerous, as it is filled to-the-brim with all sorts of woodworking ideas! (and heaven knows, I do NOT need more ideas!!!)

After the trip to Woodcrafts, we took the new truck to Delta Sonic for a Super Kiss wash. It really needed it, as the truck looked white instead of its golden color! After the wash, it looked SO much better! And darker!

Michelle has been needing a new winter coat, so we decided to look at Burlington Coat Factory. We delved through what seemed like hundreds of coats. I was rather disappointed by the high price tags and low quality of what was hanging on the racks. Michelle found one coat that she loved. It was a Jennifer Lopez brand name. (J-Lo) When I looked at the price of $89.99, I told her I really thought it was a nice coat, but I didn’t want to spend that much, as she might very well outgrow it within a year. The look of disappointment was so tough, but I just couldn’t spend that much.

We stopped by Land’s End to see if we might find a coat there. They only had a few odds and ends of coats. Michelle had her heart set on a black coat, waist length, and preferably with faux fur around a hood.

Michelle had mentioned that she wanted to look at Bon Ton and since it was right across the parking lot from Land’s End, I was game. As we headed into the Junior Department, it was obvious there were no winter coats there. Michelle wanted to leave, the look of disappointment becoming even more evident on her face. I had advised her as we headed into the store that perhaps it was too late to look for a coat, as they are placed on sale immediately following Christmas.

Something drew me to the ladies section of the store, Michelle following behind, saying to just forget it. As we walked through the racks of (quite conservative) coats, it looked like another lost cause. However, I noticed a small woman trying on a black coat with a fur hood as we passed through. Michelle found a cute LEI coat….it was dark brown with a fur trimmed hood, but it just wasn’t right. I watched the woman hang the black coat back on the hanger. I walked over as Michelle took off the brown coat….I grabbed the black coat and asked her to try it on. She did and was THRILLED with it. I had caught a glimpse of the name brand as I picked it off the hanger….J-Lo! We looked at the price tag and it read $200. Ouch! I know that Bon Ton has a policy to move as much merchandise through the store as possible, as I worked in a Bon Ton several years ago.

We took the coat to the register, and when the clerk told us it was $49.99, I wanted to KISS her! Michelle GOT a J-Lo coat for $40.00 LESS than the one at Burlington! She was so happy, she wore the coat around the house tonight!

And, the coolest part? It was the ONLY J-Lo coat in the store!!!

This morning when I awakened, I noticed something very different…

For the first time in days, the wind was not *howling*! I rolled over on the bed and looked out the window….sure enough, the trees are actually standing STILL! It seems so funny to be so impacted by silence, but the noise level here has been rather loud of late!

Yesterday was a busy day. I had to make up a batch of soap for a wholesale order. The girl wanted an orange soap, so I used sweet orange essential oil and added some non-discoloring vanilla just to keep the orange scent from fading. This order was also for some doublemint soap, which I made three days ago. For one reason or another, that particular soap needed to linger in the mold a bit longer. These soaps are for someone who sells olive oil and are made as castile soaps, with extra virgin olive oil and a touch of shea butter. She loves the bars, and has decided orange and doublemint would be good “spring” soaps.

After making the soap, Michelle and I cleaned the house, while doing laundry in between. Oh, also, I was keeping two fires going….one in the house and one in the garage so Mark could work out there. As it was, Mark decided he needed to make a run for parts when a pin on the plow on the ATV broke. He figured while he was out, he would get some stuff for the woodworking table. So, he and Ben went out. I still kept the fire in the garage going.

The guys didn’t make it home until 8:00! And, they had bought us lunch at a Chinese restaurant at about 3….it was STILL warm! So, we ate, and shortly after, I think I FELL into bed!

Oh, I forgot…yesterday, when I tried to start the old truck again, it was dead, so I put the charger on it. This morning, it was fully charged, and Mark took it for a spin.

This morning, I cut the orange soap and placed it on the drying racks. After cleaning the mold, I made up a batch of Tea Tree soap with calendula petals. Several years ago, I was commissioned by a fellow over in Switzerland to make this soap for him. I sent 200 bars of soap across the ocean by SHIP! Anyway, when Michelle’s friend told her his mom wanted a few bars of Tea Tree soap,this was what I thought of and made. Tea Tree is NOT among my favorite scents, but with the petals in there, it becomes a pretty yellow.

This is the Tea Tree soap sitting in the plexiglass mold.

As I was looking through the pictures on my camera, I came across a rather odd one….

Can you *believe* this? Angus actually conned poor little Murphy into sitting on the pizza pan….see the box of chicken tenderloins sitting next to Murphy? I can almost HEAR Angus telling Murphy to just SIT there and he could eat the chicken….

WHAT am I going to DO with Angus……