Disliking snow again...

View from my front door at the begining of a blizzard

So we left Kansas in 2008.  There were many reasons why we left.  The biggest was forclosure on our home, we could have struggled again to pull it out, as we had done 12 months before.  Yes, we had already spent $20,000 the year before and pulled it out.  The second reason we left was due to 14 days without power due to an ice storm.  Finally I have a disorder that causes me to ache and just over all feel like crap in the cold.  Regardless my mom had a vacant home that she was willing to let us move in to.  So we packed up and moved.

Now this past July we moved back home to Kansas.  July was a good time to move.  It let me get settled in before the cold reminded me why I hate snow and such.  Yes snow is pretty but the cold drives me batty.  I don't want to be complaining.  We have a wonderful home and great farm animals.  I truelly enjoy all of it now and seriously would not trade it for anything now.  Even complaining after sitting home all last week because of snow drifts and snow days.  The kids went to back to school for two days and another snow day today.  

I am thankful for my dad coming over to clear of the driveway for us.  We are being smart and parking the car at the edge of the drive so that we can pull out. 

I just pray that we survive the snowfall.

This is my chicken yard...they can't make it out of the coop

Motivation

In the past week, I was cooped up in the house with three children who became wildly stir crazy about 12 hours into the first snow day.  Now, I am glad that they made it to those first 12 hours.   Because one more day of their stir craziness might have made for mama to be a bit peeved. 

Anyway, all these wonderful ideas of baking bread, cookies, and hanging out playing board games were in my head.  I even got all the supplies knowing the snow was coming.  I would be lying if I told you we did all those wonderful things.  Nope I kicked back on the couch with the kids and spent the weekend watching movies and playing video games.  We did make snow ice cream.  

I read on facebook many families going out and playing in the 3 to 5 ft snow drifts and sledding.  But since we moved from Florida, I have no sled, nor the proper winter attire for my kids to spend more than 5 minutes outside in the snow, before I start fearing that they would be sick.  Now mind you, I know as a fact that as a kid, I stuck some socks on my feet and my regular winter coat and some clothes on and out I went.  But for some reason having my own kids has made me a weiny and parinoid that one of them will get sick...Again.

So if any of you out there see my kids and ask them if they played in the snow, dont be surprised when they give you the sad puppy dog face.  Oh bet I have evidence that they  finally did play in the snow on Sunday when it was actually 32 degrees and they were able to make a snowman...little one but still a snow man.  They also helped shovel snow off their grandma's porch.

Kids shoveling snow at their Grans house.  Just across the yard from us.

As far as the motivation part of this story, I was very unmotivated to bake bread and make cookies.  I have noticed my lack of motivation in other areas in my life to.  Fortunatelly today, I have started the first step towards kicking the lack of motivation out.  I am eating a bowl of oatmeal to motivate my diet.  I am getting ready to go to the new salon to set up my room.  I am up out of bed to feed the animals at a reasonable time.  I got my taxes done yesterday. I am truelly seeing the motivation.  I will keep you posted on the motivation to work out or find a gym to work out at. 

The animals faired well in the blizzard 2011.  I was worried about our working dog as she wouldn't go into the shelter, so she started to get a bit of frost bite on her elbow area.  I pulled her into the garage and bunked her down with the buckling.  That has seemed to help it heal quickly.  We got her for free and she wasn't in the best shape, cause she just ran with the animals.  We vacinated her when we did the goats and then wormed her also.  She has had an ear issue we have been treating, so I hope we can fix that up cause otherwise she won't be much of a livestock guardian.

We will be trying to break ground on the new fencing at the end of the month.  Need to fence in 2 acres of the property by mid April per the city council.  We are doing the whole property.  So I know it will be a bit pricey, cause its going to be goat fence.  We were going to try horse fence or do part of it goat fence and part of it just regular 3 lined poly wire.  I think I am going to try to resell a roll of the poly wire cause we wont be using it and I have 6000 ft of the stuff on one roll.

The Does in their little huts.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday
Beef and Brocolli, rice and egg roll

Tuesday
Chili and crackers

Wednesday
Pizza

Thursday
Pork shoulder roast, potato and carrot

Friday
Chicken, seasoned rice and peas

Saturday
Steak, rice and green beans

Sunday
Beans and cornbread.

Winter Weather Advisory

When we moved from SE Kansas a couple of years ago it was cause of a crazy ice storm and being without power for 14 days...within the city limits of a larger college town.  I had to put the last part in there because we are now living in a very small town of less than 100 people back in SE Kansas.  Although I am likely more prepared as I have a generator.  I am still not prepared for loss of electricity for that many days.  I also had not planned to get groceries til tomorrow morning.  Obviouslly the big Mart stores will be open no matter what the weather.  The issue I have is I have to get out in it.  YUCK. 

On the good front of all this, I got the goats extra bedding down.  They have a full hay holder.  I will only have to run out the warm buckets of water three times a day in 15 inches of snow that they are calling for.  I put extra straw down in the chicken coop, the inside goat pen, and the horse stall.  I also put extra hay rations out for everyone and moved some square bales closer to the horse stall, so I don't have to lug those through the snow. 

The chickens are out of their coop right now and there is no sleet or snow coming down.  Once it does, they will be put in.  The goats have a tarp wind block to keep out the snow out of their warm beds.  I think they will appreciated that.  So everyone should be good.  I plan to do evening chores just a bit early today, just in case.

As a family this weekend was really nice weather, so we soaked up some good ole sunshine and excercise.  We also spent some quality time with friends that we had not seen in quite a while.  I appreciate the chance to sit back and laugh about all the crazy things we did as kids.  Plus we were able to cut loose and sing silly songs at the top of our lungs and hang out with our girls on Saturday night.  It was very fun to see our daughters hang out and hit it off like the best of friends.  Because my friend was and still is one of my best friends.  We look forward to much more girls nights in the future.

The boys also hung out all weekend.  I think my friends son was in a state of bliss because he was allowed to play video games to his hearts content.  Although we did ask them to play outside which they did  for a bit.


Another weekend over and back to Monday.  I don't mind except for all this snow that is predicted.