Caffeine-a-phobia

I am afraid to drink coffee. Monday morning's headache has struck fear and trepidation into my heart. A headache like that is just not worth the little bit of pleasure that comes with a cup of sweet vanilla coffee. I am weaning myself off the caffeine with Excederin (this morning I bit one in half) and think I just may go caffeine free until I forget what one of those headaches feels like. I'll have to find a different warm winter time drink, maybe International Foods Vanilla Cream or hot apple cider. We once had a friend who drank hot water but I'm not sure I can do that. I should probably check my cupboard for herbal tea. Maybe I still have some.

Shelly's Icicles

Shelly has some great icicles at her house too.

And... she hasn't put her hummingbird feeder away yet either.

Feeling Better

I'm feeling much better today than yesterday. We even drove up town to visit the library and I noticed that there are several more houses in town with lots of icicles. Even the new Town Hall/ Library has an icicle problem. Phew! We are not alone.

The snow is beautiful today, laying like a soft white blanket over the ground and trees. Jasmine finds it extremely fun and wishes someone would take her out to play for just a little while. Maybe this afternoon she will find some willing friends.

While we were out I snapped a few pictures. This is Salmon Creek just about a mile from the house. It runs into Lake Ontario not far from here.

Headaches

This morning I woke up with a headache. I figured it must be a caffeine headache since I felt as though someone had hit me over the head with a 2x4 and then given me a few good kicks. I really wanted to curl up in a ball and hide under the covers but I knew that in order to get some relief I would have to find some caffeine and then hope for the best. Besides, I really should be up and at least slightly resembling a human being when Bryan drops Troy off at the house. After a half a cup of coffee and an Excederin, I was feeling a little bit better, but because I was so tense I took a Benadryl (I'm not a drug addict, really!). For about an hour I felt pretty good. Troy, Hannah, and I made a batch of peanut butter cookies and I had most of them baked when I started feeling rather spacey. My headached had gone from feeling like a caffeine headache to more of a migraine feeling headache. I had to find a place to lay down so while Ben and Hannah worked on school, I put in a Veggie Tales video for Troy and I curled up on the couch. I made it through the day and my headache is mostly gone now. I have these days every once in a while. Most likely I'll sleep well tonight and be fine by morning, at least I hope so.

Empty Birdfeeders

There have been no birds at our birdfeeders in quite some time. Of course, we have not filled them in weeks and the fact that it is winter may also have something to do with it. Nevermind the fact that the hummingbirds have long since flown away to a warmer wintering place.

When the snow melts and the south winds blow we will find some seeds to fill Ben's birdfeeder. Maybe the dancing bird will come back to visit us.

Our Very Own Ice Cave

We took a little drive after church today, and have come to the conclusion that we have more icicles on our house than any other for miles around. Icicles are usually the result of heat loss (at least that's what I hear). Are we really the only ones who have this little dilema or is there something else going on here? We didn't have this many icicle in years past. Could it be that something has been sucking the insulation out of our house?

Looking Out the Windows

The eaves on our house are strung with icicles. Each day they grow a little longer in their stretch toward the ground below.

Like teeth in the mouth of a giant unseen monster, they are swallowing up our house.

Arctic!

9°F
Snow Real Feel: -9°F (-23°C)
Relative Humidity: 80%
Barometer: 0.00"Hg (F)
Wind: WNW at 11 mph (18 kph)
Visibility: 2 miles (3 km)
Sunrise: 7:32am Sunset: 5:14pm

Thursday Thirteen

I haven't done a Thursday Thirteen for a while so I thought I'd do one today (while it's still Thursday). This is another 13 things about Martha. I'll do my best not to repeat myself but I am getting older...

1. The photo- Maybe this is me, maybe it's not... My dear sister in law, Lori, surprised me several years back and took me to Glamor Shots. (That's where they erase the face you have and draw on a new one.) Voila'! I look like a movie star!

2. My body does not like winter. I try to set my mind to enjoy it but whenever I go out in the cold, the wind saps all the moisture from my face and I end up looking rough and red. Sometimes my fingers turn white and numb. Even ice cream gives me chapped lips.

3. I keep warm in the winter time by hiding a heating pad behind my back while I sit on the couch. Nice and toasty!

4. I like to make (and eat) soup, stew, or chili on cold winter days.

5. I will brave the cold for short periods of time for the sake of a few photographs.

6. When I was a girl, I loved to go ice skating with my friends after school. I don't recall the cold being a hindrance back then. We'd be out for hours and had so much fun.

7. I'm looking forward to doing some painting this winter. If I can ever get the motivation to start something, I might actually get something finished. (Now isn't that profound?)

8. I have gotten into the coffee drinking habit in a whole new way this year. I still prefer French vanilla but now I buy the liquid creamer rather than the powdered coffee mix. I don't drink much tea anymore.

9. I don't get out as much as I used to. (Can you tell?)

10. I sleep on the right side of the bed. (Hey, I get out on that side too!)

11. I don't play any musical instruments and only wish I could sing. At least I'm not tone deaf.

12. I'd like to try writing a children's book some day. I think it would be fun even if I never had it published.

13. I like toasted cheese sandwiches. Almost any kind of cheese will do as long as it's hot and melted.

Ooooo! Cold house! Gotta go feed that woodstove!

Yup, It's Cold

The sun is shining but it sure is cold! Several more inches of snow fell overnight and it's definitely looking like January. (Even feels just a little bit like Christmas.)

Troy went out to help Ben and Hannah clear the walk ways. I went out too, for just a few minutes, but it's too cold for me. I'm wimpy so I came back inside. Troy says he's not cold. I wonder why?-------------Poor Troy came in the house crying. He had taken his mittens off to pick up some snow and his poor little hands were frozen. Being that it's so cold out there and he's just a little guy, his hands got very cold very fast. He couldn't help but cry until they warmed back up. After that he fell off a chair onto his head. When he fell, he dropped his sandwich, which Jasmine promptly ate. Poor guy cried all over again!

(The temperatures are dropping this afternoon. It's going to be a good night for curling up with a blanket and a heating pad.)

Snow Business

This morning I felt as though I were living in a giant snowglobe. The flakes outside were big and fluffy, coming down like soap flakes in an old movie and piling up quickly. The icicles continue to grow on the eaves and I continue to feed wood into the stove. It doesn't feel as cold today as yesterday and the kids are able to go out and play without freezing too quickly. It's excellent sledding weather. I hope the kids can find a good hill across the street because I'm not much on standing out in the snow and I'm getting too old to fly down a hill on a piece of plastic. One good bounce on the tailbone will cure you of wanting to go sledding for years! Honestly, I will muster up the courage to get the kids out there when we have a chance. After all they have so much fun and you're only a kid once.

Shelly's ABC Challange

This is the ABC photo challange. Maybe you've seen these pictures and maybe you haven't. I'll do my best to find every item somewhere close to home and most likely add them to this post as I go.

A is for Apples (Mmmmm, they look yummy and so pretty too.)

B is for Barn 3 (they're numbered so we know which one we're talking about)

C is for Cattails (They grow down by the drainage ditch.)

D is for Dandelion (growing in January)

E is for Elderberries (I don't care for them but my family does.)

F is forFeet (of course!)

Shelly's ABC Challange- Part 2

G is for Grasshopper (and he's green too!)



H is for Humminbird (They don't hold still for long so you have to look quick.)



I is for Icicles ( Don't eat them, they're really dirty!)


J is for Jasmine (She has three legs.)

K is for kids

L is for ladybug (Can you see the little ones too?)

Shelly's ABC Challange- Part 3

M is for Musicians (I think they're wonderful!)

N is for Niece (She's having a great time in the leaves.)

O is for Orchard (Auntie Kathy took this pretty picture.)

P is for Peaches (They are my favorite summertime fruit.)

Q is for Queen Anne's Lace (We think they're more like weeds than flowers.)

Shelly's ABC Challange- Part 4

R is for Roses (They look so pretty in the snow. Aren't they romantic?)



S is for Sunset ( Awesome!)



T is for Thistles (frosted thistles)



U is for Underwater (Our backyard is underwater.)



V is for Vegetables (These are from Bethany's garden a couple years ago.)

Shelly's ABC Challange- The Final Answers

W is for Winter (Look at those poor naked trees.)



X is for Xtra (We could all use a little Xtra sleep.)



Y is for Yellow Jacket (YIKES!)



and



Z is for Zip (Troy needed some help with a zip.)

















Now I can go to sleep tonight without thinking about finishing this tomorrow.

Pizza Night

The house was cold so we decided to make pizza and warm it up a bit. Mmmmm... yummy!

We have lots of leftovers. I'm not sure how to cook for five. Anybody hungry? I hope you like mushrooms and olives!

A Whitened World

It has been a most unusual winter. Not quite three weeks ago I was out walking in the orchard with only a sweatshirt. There were dandelions blooming in the grass and the trees were starting to bud. The flowers in the gardens were pushing their way up into the sunlight and the ducks and geese were swimming on the pond. Then... Old Man Winter blew in and things began to change. We had a couple days of ice followed by gusts of wind and snow, and now those warm sunny days seem a distant memory.

It's time to work on inside projects like scrapbooking, painting and baking. I have spent far fewer hours scrapbooking since I started my blog but I do enjoy looking at our photographs. Baking keeps the kitchen warm and sweet smelling but the goodies are far too tempting and I have such a hard time resisting the urge to eat them. I think I will most likely start on a few painting projects but we'll see. I am slow at getting started.

Heading Out Into the Cold

The newspaper says it it 18 degrees with a real feel of -2. The wind blew cold all night long. I'm think we are now experiencing whatever weather Kristina had in Minneapolis a day or so ago. Its the reverse fever kind of weather when IF you can get warm, you can't seem to stay warm. It's more the wind than the actual temperature, and it goes right through you.



Well, in spite of the cold I am heading out to clean at the church and then I'll be stopping by the grocery store. Jasmine is out of dog food (remember Old Mother Hubbard?) and we can't have her going hungry! She's an awful begger!

Looking Back on The Past Year

I've been thinking on my past year of blogging... It's been a journey, an adventure of sorts. I've connected with my own sisters in a completely new way, reconnected with old friends, and made new friends. We've shared photos, met each other's families and even each other's pets. Sometimes we written about subjects as mundane as daily activities or the weather. We've shared bits of history or childhood memories. We've asked questions and given advice. Our connections have been as near as across town and as far reaching as the opposite side of the globe and another hemisphere. We have laughed together and given encouragement, and this week especially, we've cried together. I find myself at a loss for words. How do I send comfort and love to a person known only through the computer? How do I lift those aching souls up in prayer to the Lord? Can I be an encouragement in any small way? I know God works through prayer, I know there is power in His name... but there are those times when the sorrow of life leaves me feeling small and helpless.

Lord, please be with this family who is in the midst of such a terrible loss. Engulf them in your love and give them rest and peace in You. Amen

Cold Weather

Brrrr! It's cold out there! Be sure and wrap a scarf around your head before you go outside!

Icicles

Staying Warm

The front door is officially closed in snowy weather. Usually, I lay an old rolled up bedspread along the bottom just to keep the draft out. It isn't there yet. Until last night I wasn't sure we would need to drag the old draft catcher out of the closet but this computer room sure can get nippy on cold winter nights. Most of the time we go in and out of the house through the back door. (Remember the ice covered steps?)

This picture was taken during a snowier winter than this one. A winter when I decided to be brave and enjoy the snow. Today I was feeling neither brave nor adventurous. Besides, James took the camera when he went out for the day.

One Year of Blogging

My blog is officially one year old today. In honor of this special occasion, I give you... nothing special. I tried to come up with something wonderful but I couldn't think of anything.

Some White Stuff

Yesterday we woke up to ice, today to snow. One never knows what the day will bring living here in upstate NY. It keeps us on our toes (or knocks us off our feet).

So today we scraped yesterday's ice off the van windows and set out to pay some bills. I have managed to stay on my feet so far today but did have a close call out in the parking lot by the bank. Ice likes to hide beneath freshly fallen snow.

The guys with the plows must be happy now that there is some snow to plow. One of them nearly ran me (and the guy ahead of me) off the road likely trying to get to his next job. I won't be calling him to clear my driveway!

More N-ice Stuff!