Snowpocalypse Reminders

I feel like I need to post something about the never ending ice storm of 2011 when Parker was 9 1/2 months old.  I was fine on Tuesday - Parker slept until 9am, took a nap from 11am - 2pm, and was asleep again by 7:30pm.  Wednesday was much of the same.  I had stocked up at the grocery store on Monday and was holly homemaker.  I made buffalo meat chili on Monday, made biscuits from scratch on Tuesday, baked cinnamon muffins on Wednesday, and did numerous loads of laundry.  I also reorganized my closet, polished the dining room furniture, washed everything in Parker's room, made some vases for an upcoming baby shower at my house, etc. By Thursday, I was really jealous that Benton got to hike 2 miles round trip to the grocery store while I stayed warm with Parker. Its now Friday and I showered, dried my hair, and painted my toe nails and fingernails bright pink in hopes that spring will be here by the end of the month.

With this said, I decided I need to make a list of things to do before the next snowpocalypse.  There were some things we said we learned after the 2009 White Christmas in the Falls, and we didn't do them this time.  So the next time something like this hits (which will probably be when Parker is in college), we will be prepared.

1) Park one car in the garage and one car on the street.  This way you have two options for driving and may not end up with ice/snow drifts blocking both cars.  Both of our cars are currently trapped in the garage indefinitely...

2) Make sure both cars have gas so you can run the heater if you get stuck somewhere.  I did fill up both cars on Monday, a lot of good that did.

3) Stock up on several days' worth of meals. But more importantly, stock up on anything you might possibly need to bake with.  I've been inspired to try some new things, but then I realize I'm missing key ingredients in the pantry.  Some of these essentials include:  flour, white & brown sugar, shortening, buttermilk (fun biscuits), whipping cream (why not), baking powder & soda, cocoa powder, cream of tartar (for snickerdoodles of course), you get the idea.

4) Stock up on crafting supplies so you have something to show for your hours of sitting around.  I wish I could beam myself to a Hobby Lobby, JoAnn's, or Michaels for some spray paint, scrapbooking paper, and styrofoam wreaths.  At least I have burlap, rubberbands, and recycled baby food jars to keep me entertained for now.  Give me another day and I may start mod-podging the bookshelf in the back closet.

5) The next car we buy will have four-wheel drive.  It will be totally worth the extra money when you get stuck in the mud at a deer lease or ranch, or when you have a freak snow storm in Texas.

6) Purchase some sand and the big bags of Morton's rock salt and hide it in a corner of the garage.  I thought it was dumb that our Wal Mart was selling rock salt in December, and now I could use it on my driveway or break out the ice cream maker we got for our wedding eight years ago and have never used.

7) Get our heating and air conditioning units serviced in the fall and spring - just in case.  Our bedroom heater went out on Wednesday after the rolling blackouts.  Apparently, the thermostat that was installed last June was only programmed for stage one heating.  What is stage one heating, you may ask?  Its a low-blow and low-flame on the gas furnace.  When it's 12 degrees outside, you need stage two heating with high fan flow and high flames.  We're back in business and the repair was free since the unit was only seven months old.

8) Marry your best friend and have lots of patience.  I don't think Benton and I have ever been stuck together for four plus days with no interaction from other people.  We're both very extroverted and don't spend a lot of time "sitting around" the house.  We are the opposite of homebodies - more like awaybodies.  I may not have earned any money this week, but at least he has been able to have conference calls and be home with me and Parker.  Its a good thing we like each other or we might have gone crazy by now!