Mommiedaze

Blizzard

You know the song that goes, “snowin’ and blowin’ up bushels of fun”? Well, I don’t know about fun, but it is blowin’ and snowin’ bushels of snow, and it’s freezing!

It’s been near or below zero all day with wind chills in the minus 20’s. The wind is howling and blowing the foot of snow that was already on the ground all over. And lake effect snow has been coming down at our house all day too.

We were about two hours south this weekend in Indiana celebrating Christmas with my parents. It was just as cold there, but they didn’t have all the snow we do.

Things got worse the farther north we got as we drove home. Once we got near Kalamazoo so much snow was blowing across the freeway that we couldn’t see at times. And we came across a few drifts. The roads were icy too.

We got to our house only to discover that the driveway that had just been plowed Saturday morning was partially drifted shut.

I turned the TV on when we got inside and about five minutes later the NWS issued a blizzard warning for our area. So I guess we made it home before it got even worse.

I don’t have any photos of the snow for you, because I’m not going out there.

Friday we got close to a foot of snow in about five hours. Now this, and there’s more coming every day until Christmas.

We’ll definitely be having a white Christmas and a frozen Christmas. I have a little more shopping to do, and I’m wondering if I’ll even be able to get to the store.

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Dear Santa

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Christmas Tree Farm

We made our annual trip to the tree farm Saturday to cut down our Christmas tree. This is my favorite Christmas activity. I really look forward to it every year. There’s just something romantic and old fashioned about it I guess.  And I just get to stand back and watch while the men do all the work.

Here are the boys with the tree (on the left) we picked out before cutting it down. David was fascinated with the saw.

Dave trimming off a few bottom branches.

Here’s David and I riding on the wagon from the field back to the farm office. David loved the wagon ride.

It was a balmy 38 degrees that day. That’s actually pretty warm. In past years it’s been about 20 degrees with an even colder wind chill. And it’s usually snowing. It did start rain and sleet just as we were leaving.

Here’s Dave, Elizabeth and Joey, our possessed Cocker Spaniels with glowing eyes, and David after decorating the tree.

We went simple this year. Just some white lights and ornaments. Mostly because I’m tired and didn’t feel like dragging out all the other stuff. The tree is so big we don’t even have enough ornaments to fill it. We had more, but most of the glass ornaments we once owned were broken in the last four years. Notice how that’s been since David was born? Guess I need to visit the Christmas decor aisle at the store this week.

The tree didn’t look that big in the great outdoors. We got it in the house, and it takes up half the living room. Oh, well. It’s pretty and it smells great.

I started putting a little tree in David’s room on his first Christmas. Now he looks forward to it. This year, for the first time, he hung all the ornaments on it himself.

The ornaments are sort of all lumped together. But he’s very proud of it.

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Warts and All

Some of you have been asking how am I, where am I, why haven’t you heard from me?

Well I’m still here and I’m fine. Thank you all for your concern.

I kind of got out of the habit of blogging when I wasn’t feeling well with morning sickness. And I got way behind with housework, then the holidays arrived. After doing endless loads of laundry and finally forcing myself to scrub the shower — I hate, hate, hate cleaning the bathtub/shower. There just is no easy way to do that. Give me a toilet to clean any day. At least I can clean the toilet with out climbing into it, and soaking myself with water and skin eating chemicals.

OK, big digression.

I once had a wart on my finger that wouldn’t go away. I tried over-the-counter remedy’s, and even had it removed by a doctor. But it kept coming back. Then one day I purchased some heavy duty bathroom cleaner to remove that ring of stubborn soap scum that always forms around the bottom of the tub. Well, it said use with gloves. I didn’t have any rubber gloves, so I just used bare hands. Not only did it remove the soap scrum, but a week later I noticed that the wart was completely gone. That was 10 years ago. I’ve never had another since.

Not that I recommend running out and buying soap scum remover to soak your warts in.

At least not with out a doctor’s direction.

Anyway, I think I’m all caught up on all the housework and errands that went undone while I was trying to keep my lunch down.

The baby’s doing fine. I’m 14 weeks now. At my last doctor’s appointment he did  a spur of the moment ultrasound to take some measurements just to make sure the due was correct. Being spur of the moment, I had to chug down all that water in just a few minutes. But it’s better than doing it an hour or two before, then sitting there praying that you can hold it until the technician lets you get up to use the restroom. That by far is the cruelest thing they do pregnant women. Well, that and the orange stuff they make you drink when they test your blood sugar.

The images were fuzzy, but we were able to make out some little hands and a head. And we could see the heart beating. We got to hear the heartbeat too. Little David was with us, and all he wanted to know was if it is a boy or a girl. Of course it’s too early to tell, but if you ask him, he is convinced that it’s going to be a boy. He wants a brother, and absolutely nothing to do with little girls.

Oh, the doctor said the measurements matched the due date of June 10th.

So that’s what I’ve been up to.

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Winter Wonderland

We had our first really good snow storm of the season. Several inches came down over yesterday and this morning. David couldn’t wait to get outside and play in it.

It’s the heavy, wet kind of snow that sticks to everything. Look how pretty the trees are all frosted in white.

This really puts me in the mood for Christmas!

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Girls Just Wanna Win Swag: Mika Rose

The winner of last week’s giveaway from Original Art By Jeanne Winters is Jenn S.

This week’s featured company is MikaRose. MikaRose is a clothing company that specializes in modest, elegant and fashionable dresses.

From the MikaRose website, “Our company’s idea evolved when the owners realized how difficult it was to find modest dresses in today’s market. We are sure you have had similar experiences when looking for a modest dress. After many frustrating outings, we formed MikaRose. Our goal is to provide an extensive line of modest dresses, without having to sacrifice style. You will be able to wear our line to a broad range of functions: from everyday events to corporate parties. We hope to not only meet the needs of women looking for modest wear, but all those who are seeking elegant dresses.”

MikaRose also offers a line of children’s dresses as well.

Win It!

MikaRose is offering one reader a $30 gift certificate good toward the purchase of any item in the store. To enter, visit the store, then come back here and leave a comment ON THIS POST with your favorite item. Comments not following the rules will be disqualified.

Earn an extra entry by posting about this contest on your blog, and linking to this post and to MikaRose. If you do the extra credit, let me know by leaving a separate comment with the link to your post.

Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. The contest is open to residents of the US.

The contest will run until 11:59 p.m. EST Nov. 26th.

I’ll randomly draw a winner, and announce the winner on November 28th. There will be no Swag giveaway next Thursday since it’s Thanksgiving. Come back Dec. 4th for the next edition of Girls Just Wanna Win Swag.

The winner will also be contacted by email, and will have three days to reply. If the winner does not reply in three days, another will be chosen. You may also check Prizey Fetch to see if you’ve won.

Have a women-owned business you’d like featured in a Swag giveaway? Send me an email (see the side bar) and let me know.

Need a unique gift for a special occasion or to comfort a loved one or friend? Visit Cake and a Prayer, an online purveyor of delectable cakes and spiritually uplifting gifts.

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A List Because I Have a Bunch of Random Things to Say that Don’t Merit Their Own Posts

1. We were all sick with a cold this weekend. First little David, then my husband and finally me.

2. I was so tired that I let little David eat Doritos and Popcorn for dinner last night. I am sure this will prevent him from getting into Yale someday. Which is OK, because we can’t afford Yale.

3. Little David and I are feeling better. My husband is still deathly ill.

4. My sister-in-law is here visiting all the way from Australia. I really hope she doesn’t catch this junk from us. I’ll feel terrible is she’s sick during her trip.

5. We have two Cocker Spaniels. The male, Joey, has suddenly become attached to me at the hip. He follows me everywhere, and if I sit, he sits on me. He even sleeps with me. He never used to get in bed with us. And he snores. One of the reasons I’m so tired. Anyway, he did this to me the last time I was pregnant too. It’s weird. It’s like he just knows. Do pregnant women smell different or something? I’ve heard that dogs have been able to diagnose cancer in people simply by sniffing them. I guess I could have saved the 15 bucks I spent on a pregnancy test.

6. We have snow on the ground for the first time this year. And the first Lake Effect Snow Advisory of the season was issued today. Three to five inches by 7 tonight they say. I don’t know why they bother to issue an advisory for that around here. Five inches of snow is just a normal winter day in West Michigan. People don’t even slow down on the freeway for five inches of snow.

7. There are only 38 days left until Christmas.

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