Snow Day and Comfort Food

So.... my day didn't go at all the way I planned it. It started out with this: 

... and ended up with the kids home (and stir crazy) and I didn't get a single thing done. We've tried to make the most of our snow day. This snow storm is ridiculous. The entire city practically shut down- restaurants, doctor offices, court houses! Eventually, some sort of snow traffic emergency regulation was instated and basically prohibited any car that wasn't equipped with snow tires or chains to be on the roads. Apparently there are hundreds of stranded cars on the highways (mine is just down the street). Our roadside assistance towing company "wasn't towing non-wrecked vehicles" today. Hopefully I'll get it back tomorrow!

Here is the door from our garage at around 9am.

This was the snow in the afternoon.... and my shovel was behind that door!

The kids "helped" me shovel a pathway with their pots and spoons... :)

Jackson was thrilled to make snow angels again!

He was also very eager to help me shovel, until he realized the snow was really heavy and shoveling is really hard work. Especially when it's over a foot deep.

Belle was content to sit and "make oatmeal"... She would pretend eat it and then proclaim that "it's delicious!"

We enjoyed a warm cozy fire along with some hot chocolate (that was really just warm) after we came inside!

Jackson fell asleep by 7:00 and Belle utilized the time to talk uninterruptedly for two hours..... two hours.

And now for a recipe....

I must have known somehow that today was going to be the perfect day for one of my favorite comfort meals when I did meal planning a week or so ago... Actually, I picked it because it's so super easy (and fool-proof) so it makes a great meal for when I work all day). I thought I'd go ahead and share because it's one of my favorites... and it's perfect for a snowy day! Note: this isn't the most healthy meal, but like I said... it's comfort food and it's delicious. 

This is the inspiration:

These bowls came out when we were first married. We ordered them once and they were super tasty.... also pretty expensive! So, now I make them at home. I'm normally not a fan of a one-dish-meal, but this is an exception. 

Here are the ingredients... 

{PS: I buy almost everything generic and/or from Aldi}

• Instant Potatoes
• Popcorn chicken
• Brown Gravy
• Corn
• Shredded cheese

Make the potatoes (or use real potatoes, it just takes longer). Make gravy. Heat chicken and corn. And then put it all together in a bowl. I do it in this order: potatoes, chicken, corn, gravy, cheese. Sooooooo easy. And it takes about 15 minutes. Now, I did buy the chicken this time from the deli counter at Wal-mart, but I normally use frozen. And I've even used chicken nuggets before. Whatever gets the job done!

I took a pic, but I don't think it looks very appetizing. But I promise you, it'd delish. And easy... did I mention that? My kids devour this, which is a total bonus. If you make it-- let me know!!

Snow!

Jackson has been soooo anxious to get some snow. Me too, actually. As much as I've enjoyed the 60 degree weather that has been popping up lately, Christmas is just more Christmasy when it's white outside! Jackson was SO excited to see the snow out the window this morning. He said, "What the HECK?! Mom, can you believe this?!?"

He was ready to go play outside as soon as he got out of bed. I managed to get him to wait a couple of hours so it could warm up a little bit, but we were out before 11:00 this morning. Both of the kids were SO full of joy to be out in the snow!

The first thing Jackson did was to pick up a pile of snow and throw it at me. 

But I convinced him to throw the snow up in the air instead. :)

This was Belle's first "real" snow. Last year we only got one little dusting of snow in January! She is a definite fan!

The kids had fun digging up snow and making footprints all over the snow. But the favorite activity was making snow angels! I'm not even sure exactly how Jackson knew how to make one, but he was a professional! Belle, well, not so much. As soon as she saw Jackson laying down, she wanted to do the same. But when I told her to move her arms, she just wiggled them in the air. I wish I could've gotten it on video.

It was so funny watching Belle walk around in her coat. If you've ever been to a Royals game and watched the hotdogs race, then you've seen Belle running around with her coat; it was like she couldn't bend at the waist. She'd just fall over and roll around like a log. I hope it snows more this winter so we can play in the snow some more. I loved their excitement!

Lastly, I'll share a video I took of the kids this morning when they were so excited first see the snow. It took a completely different turn than I expected...

From Shorts to Snow boots

So yesterday Jackson was outside playing in shorts! Okay, it was kinda chilly, but it was *really* nice for January in the midwest! Well, anyway, today he wore his snow boots.

They say, if you don't like the weather in Missouri-- just wait five minutes! But seriously, I'm ready for yesterday's weather again. Brrrr! It's cold outside. I'm not a fan.

Snow, what fun!

There is no shortage of snow in our parts. Julie has been to school twice since Friday, January 7th (normally, there would have been nine school days). Last night, Elizabeth endured a three hour drive to come pick up Chacey, which is a typical half-hour commute. A steady, heavy snowfall started around 2:00 yesterday afternoon and continued until early morning, for a total of about 7.5 inches here in our area. And since we've had decent temperatures today, it was perfect to let the kids get out and play in the snow.

All bundled up! It was actually Jackson's first time playing in the snow. He had fun just checking it out.

You can barely see the plastic containers and spoons, but the kiddos are "cooking" and "stirring" the snow.

Climbing up the snow plow pile

Almost there!

 Ta-Da! (yes, that's what he said)

Chacey didn't have as much luck getting to the top.

Aren't these pictures fun?! I have a working camera... WOO HOO!  (a big thank you to Best Buy's replacement program.) I've been hassling with my old one since October and using Julie's in the mean time, so I'm super excited and eager to take lots of pictures!