Snow Day Sunday

We have had a snow storm blow through our area which dumped a fair amound of snow followed by freezing rain followed by more snow. We made the executive decision at 7:30am this morning that taking our pack of children out in the big ol' van to go to church wasn't wise and declared today a snow day. It turned out to be the right choice because we later discovered that our overhead garage door was frozen shut anyway making it impossible to leave in the van.

Barry and our oldest went out and about plowing and blowing snow at our rental properties while I held down the fort here with the rest of the kids. It was rough ;-) So rough that I felt the need to stay in my PJs until after lunch. I can't tell you the last time that happened.

One thing we did manage to accomplish today was to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" with the kids. I couldn't believe it. My older girls told me they had NEVER seen this movie. How did they ever make it to the ripe old ages of 13 and 10 years old without being subjected to this classic during the holidays. I mean it airs all the time! I was feeling like a really bad parent who has been neglecting the cultural edification of her children. Thankfully, we were able to watch it. Elizabeth wasn't sure if she could actually sit through a black and white movie - no color - horror of horrors. Her only comment was, "Did people really act like that back then?" I fear that the deeper meaning of the movie may have been lost. [sigh] As for me, I watch the movie and wonder, "Does my life count?" George Bailey made a huge impact on many people's lives. Hmm...who do I impact? Just thinking out loud here. It is a good reminder that I am here on this earth for a higher purpose and my life is not my own.


Because I tend to get stressed around the holidays and scrapping tends to relieve stress for me and because we had a snow day today, I got a couple of scrapbook pages done. You should recognize the photo from the top page from my last blog entry. My Abi loves to taste the snow.

This second page uses photos from our big extended family get-together that took place yesterday. My father-in-law is one of 11 siblings. Most of them were there along with their children and grandchildren. There were a whole lot of little cousins running around. I have lots more photos but I did this page called StoryTime with Uncle Don showing how he did his traditional reading of "The Night before Christmas" to the kids. This was followed by the traditional singing of the Christmas Carols. The kids aren't too thrilled about it, but it is required by tradition before the opening of the presents. (It's so much fun to torment the kids, isn't it!)

Credits for the pages can be found here and here.

Lessons from Ratatouille

My hubby and his poker buddies took over the house last night so I took four of my five children to the movies. I chose Ratatouille because I figured it would appeal to all ages (it did), and it was playing at the Cinema Grill (dinner AND a movie). We loved it. Not only was it adorable, but the storyline was really good, too. If you don't know what it is about, you have little Remy who is a rat. Let's just say that he has devoloped a sense of taste in food that is a bit more refined than the rest of his rat family. He finds himself in Paris at the restaurant of a famous chef and ends up working with a guy who knows nothing about cooking and creating some fabulous cuisine. If you want to know more, you are just gonna have to go see it and/or check out the official website.

I was think this morning how there are some lessons that can be learned from Ratatouille.

1. Follow your passions
2. You CAN succeed against all odds.
3. Always wash you hands or paws before eating or handling
food.
4. Eat slowly and savor tastes.
5. Don't steal.

Kinda fun, huh? Good discussion topics for the kids.