Snow Days!

We are on our third day of being snowed/iced in, and if you know me, I am loving it!  I was quite surprised to get out on Thursday; I figured we would have go in for a few hours, and then they would close as the weather got bad.  Imagine my surprise when I woke up to a text from my boss that we were closed!

So I went back to sleep for an hour.  I have a hard time sleeping in when I know we are having winter weather because I want to watch it and measure it and touch it and walk it.  Oh, I so LOVE it.  Once I got up, I started editing photos, cleaning, and catching up on TV shows. The sleet started early but didn't really start accumulating until mid-morning. Once Zach got up, he played video games while I continued my cleaning. We drank lots of hot cocoa and tea, watched the snow begin to fall, and played & snuggled with the kitties. In the evening, Zach built a fire, which was lovely.  Here's how we spent our "snow days:"

sleet starting to collect on everything

Yes, we still have pumpkins out.  We didn't carve any this year, so they are still in tact.  I don't have the heart to throw out anything that is still good.

The cats enjoyed having us home!

This is probably the coldest it's been in Arkansas since I don't know when!

It's a tradition for me to drink out of my snowflake mug on snow days.  :)

night fall, snow fall

When I got up on Friday, we had EIGHT inches!  It's now over nine.  :)  I wasn't sure if my guess was correct (eight inches), but I was right on the money when this photos as taken!

On Friday, I watched Christmas movies and prepared for our late Fall Feast.  And, of course, watched the snow continue to fall!

Since we moved up here, I've used these birds to measure the snow.

They have been quite snuggly with the cold weather.

Yes, I know, we make beautiful children raise beautiful cats.

dangers of winter weather in AR

I love our home in this kind of weather.  it reminds me a cabin!  Also, those bows used to hang in our stairwell during Christmas, but Dinah tore them up pretty good last year, so I shortened the tails and decided to use them one last year--outside.

my (rain)boot prints

Selfies in the snow are hard, especially when it is well below freezing.

why we named our home The Owlery

Our landlord's little lady statue looks like a gnome in the snow!

It's hard to see here, but there are some animal tracks in the snow.  Deer, maybe?

Last night, we had our Fall Feast, and I invited Amy over since she made it safely back home from her friends' house.  But I'll tell you more about this on Monday!

Today, I'm going to knit and address Christmas cards.  :)))
Oh, and next weekend, I'll be sharing our Christmas decor courtesy of Kelly's Korner SUYL!
Did you get any winter weather courtesy of Winter Storm Cleon?  How do you spend your snow days?

Potato-Leek Soup

Today, I'm linking of with Kelly's Korner for her SUYL Soup link-up!  I made this last weekend again and posted this last year, but I wanted to share it again as it is wonderful and is great for lunch throughout the week.  I LOVE soup, especially vegetable ones, because I feel like I'm getting something good for me without eating a sandwich or salad all of the time.

I first made this a year ago when I put forth the effort to incorporate more fruits and veggies in my diet.  As someone afflicted with Crohn's, I have to be careful with eating vegetables and fruits, especially raw ones.  This recipe is actually based on one in my Crohn's and Colitis Foundation cookbook, so I felt okay trying it out when I was recovering from a bad flare and surgery.

Vegetables are good for us; they are not bad for us. Disease is bad for us, and you know why? Because Satan is the author of disease. God promised me the food of every seed-bearing plant and every tree that has fruit with seed in it (Genesis 1:29), so, by golly, I'm going to have them as food because He keeps his promises.  Besides, potatoes and carrots are easy on the stomach, and the leeks and onion are cooked well so as not to bother me at all.  I like this with some of those Sister Schubert frozen rolls or saltines!

POTATO-LEEK SOUP

-Wash and dice two leeks.

-Peel and dice a medium onion.

-Melt four tablespoons of butter in a large soup pot or Dutch oven, add leeks and onion, and sauté until tender for 5 to 7 minutes.

-Add three and 1/4 cups of chicken stock or broth to the pot. Because we try to save money as often as we can, we use a chicken base from Sam's and mix up some water with it. I would, however, like to start making my own stocks someday in the future (I said this a year ago) because they offer some great health benefits. (That's why we eat chicken soup when we are sick!)

-Peel, wash, and dice four carrots and add them to the pot..

-Peel, wash, and dice three large potatoes or five small to medium potatoes and add them to the pot.

-Add 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of thyme, and 1 bay leaf to the pot.

-You may need to add a bit more stock or add some water to cover all the veggies. Heat to boiling, then cover and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes. Be sure to remove the bay leaf before serving!

Voila! You have easily made POTATO-LEEK SOUP!  It's not the prettiest soup, but this is just delicious, and the seasonings are just perfect in it. Thyme has become one of my favorites to use!  I think adding some kind of protein (probably chicken since chicken stock is used) would take this soup over the top.