Lessons learned from the ice storm

We had some crazy weather here a couple of weeks ago. The first really cold snap here in sunny south-central Texas. In fact, we had temps in the teens and days in a row when it didn't get above 25. Really cold for around here. We even had some frozen pipes! Yipes! They were insulated but since there are parts that are above ground where the pipes flow out of the well, they freeze! Live and learn. We started the morning with running water, though the flow was low. But by lunch time, nada. No water at all. We could hear the water TRYING to come through the pipes, but no go. But thankfully, we had about 15 gallons of bottled water on hand for emergencies. This fit the bill!! For 24 hours we had no water at all! Ever try to go 24 hours without the tap??!! I don't know how many times I turned it on by habit. Kinda like turning on a light switch when there's no electricity. I learned just how many things I do just by habit. In fact this cold snap taught or reinforced in me some really good lessons.

Lesson #1: Boys really will make ANYTHING into a gun! :-) Jeffrey found this icicle on a property nearby and thought he MUST have it, especially with the ski mask...think terrorist with an ice gun! :-)

Lesson #2: Being prepared really matters! I was sooooo thankful for the botttled water we had in store. We used it to wash dishes, drink and even flush the toilets a couple of times.

I was very thankful for these wipes to wash my face when we didn't have running water. I already knew that I really liked them, but now I know I'll never be without them!!

Lesson #3: Being organized and doing things promptly is as much a part of being prepared as having supplies. I was SOOOOO thankful that we (ahem, I mean Michael!) do laundry every day and that I'm getting in the habit (mostly) of cleaning dishes after each meal. Because of that, we had clean clothes and the kitchen was clean before we ran out of water. For us, that just makes the house seem more peaceful. When we ran out of water after lunch, I just had one pan to wash and a few plates to put in the dishwasher. It may seem wierd, but I didn't need the stress of a trashed kitchen and loads of laundry to do when it was already stressful enough to know that there was no water, and not know when it would come back on. Also, I've been getting in the habit of getting up first thing in the morning and exercising and showering and getting dressed. Maybe only homeschool moms can relate, but I must say that there have been many days where I just get up and get going on the day while still in my jammies or sweatshirt without doing those other things. Since I had already had my shower and was dressed and ready for the day, it wasn't such a big deal to not have water in the afternoon. I was already for our evening (which was Pappasitos for Jonathan and Jeremy's birthday) or for anything else I needed to do for that day.

Lesson #4: I'm thankful for indoor plumbing! It would have been REALLY COLD if I had been Ma Ingalls and had to go use the bathroom outside!

Lesson #5: I waste water. To wash some dishes in the late afternoon and early morning the next day, I boiled a gallon of water on the stove and used that to wash the few dishes that we had. I realized that I can get by on A LOT LESS water than I typically use to wash dishes. I've been trying to pay attention to how much I use when washing and cutting down.

Lesson #6 God gives wisdom. We were really asking for wisdom to know how to thaw those pipes!! Michael suggested using plywood to make a "teepee" around the pipes and then put a heater near the pipes to thaw. Only problem: no plywood! So we rummaged around the garage and found a "washers" game and a spare piece of countertop from our house in Bartlett (don't ask me why we still had that!! I guess for this day!). We made a triangle from the three pieces, covered it with blankets, put a shoplight inside to warm it up. About two hours later....success! Running water. Thankfully no broken pipes! Now we know what to do next time. (Which we actually had to do day before yesterday!)

Lesson #7 Chickens aren't crazy about snow! It was a hoot to watch the chickens walk around in the snow. They tended to stand on one foot at a time if they stood in the same place for long.

Lesson #8: Boys DO like snow! Even though we didn't have much, we did have some! And the boys enjoyed playing in it even though it did melt mostly by noon when the sun came out. Here's Jeffrey standing on the goat trough which was completely frozen.

Here's a video of Jeffrey destroying his ice "gun"!

All in all we're really enjoying the colder weather and taking notes of life lessons to learn along the way!

My snow bunnies

Well, it HAD to happen. (And no, I'm not talking about a new blog post. Although you know that HAD to happen at some point in 2011 as well. I barely made it in January, but I made it!) With my outdoor loving boys, you had to know that at some point during their lives we'd take a ski vacation. Michael's actually had it on his mind to do for a couple of years. We just wanted to let everyone grow up a little so it would be fun for everyone. (And I needed to get a couple of more years removed from my past bad experiences with skiing!) Well, this was our year!! On January 1st, we headed north. We stopped by Littlefield,TX to see my grandfather. We had a great time hearing stories from him, as always. This time, he had stories to hear from the boys about football. Of course, he LOVED hearing those!

Then after our visit, we kept on north. Ate some yummy mexican food at Leal's in Muleshoe,TX and headed into Clovis, New Mexico and spent the night. We went to Walmart (GASP!) the next morning to pick up some groceries. As shocking as that is, it may be even more shocking to hear that it was MY idea! I KNOW that there has been NO time in the last three years where I've suggested to Michael that we go to Walmart. But the bargainer (or cheapskate!) in me won out. I knew groceries in Red River (our destination) would be ridiculously expensive. So we got the goods and got out! Off to Red River. And let me tell you, the drive from Clovis to Red River is a whole lot of nothing. Miles and miles and miles and miles of farmland and just land, land and more land. In fact, it made the panhandle of Texas look nicely populated! Ever been the the panhandle of Texas?? It's NOT nicely populated! But anyway....we finally made it to Red River. Rented our skis, poles and boots, drank lots and lots of water and got ready for a fun time. **Side note:The last time we were in Red River, 20 years ago, Michael got altitude sickness in the worst way. It was our first Christmas together and we were staying at my aunt and uncle's house. (They lived in RR at the time.) We didn't take the time to get acclimated to the altitude before we went out and skied and played and the first night we were there, and really the whole time we were there, Michael was SO sick. In fact, he told my cousin when we had lunch with her this time that all he really remembers from RR last time was the bathroom carpet in their house, because that was where he spent most of his time. Needless to say, he had some mental hurdles to jump in not being fearful of getting sick again. He also was the head cheerleader for the "DRINK MORE WATER" campaign! The water really seemed to help. We certainly were hydrated!! :-)

There wasn't a lot of snow on the ground, but the slopes had plenty (the man made kind) and it was nice and cold. Like 0 degrees kind of cold! Love it!! And dry~like lip chappin', skin crackin', blowing bloody boogers kind of dry!! Maybe San Antonio IS more humid than some places!

But we had a GREAT time! We'll be going back for sure! Maybe that's another reason Michael wanted to put off the trip....knowing the boys would want more. That could get pricey if they thought they needed to go every year or something! We did find out when we were there that college students get 1/2 price rentals and lift tickets. Note to self...get J&J a college ID before going next time! Michael tried to tell them we were homeschoolers and the boys were doing College Plus and would be earning college credit. But, no ID, no dice! :-(

Here's some photos.....

After the ski lift closes at 4, you can rent a tube and, for a hour, tube down the bunny slope. That was fun! In fact, it was the extent of my snow follies. My previous two ski trips have been marked with much more "fall"ies than follies. Not fun! So I bowed out of skiing this time around. However, the boys made it look so fun and easy (and even Michael said it was so much easier this time) that I may give it a whirl next time. We'll see...don't hold me to that!

There's Jonathan on the tube.

Jeffrey, Josiah and I on the carpet lift that toted you up the bunny slope.

Jeffrey on the tube.

Josiah and I on the tube.

At one point, we had Jonathan, Josiah and I on a tube holding hands with Michael, Jeremy and Jeffrey in the other tube. THAT was crazy fun! Obviously couldn't get a picture of that one!

Two handsome guys! :-)

And with daddy!

And mom....

Josiah waiting for a turn on the tube...

Josiah w/ his skis and pole. Doesn't he look cute!!

This was at lunch after his morning class of ski school. They didn't give them poles in the school. Josiah was the one we weren't sure about as far as skiing goes. But we needn't have worried. He did beautifully! He even would ride a short chair lift up by himself and ski down the green slope to the bunny slope, by himself!

Jonthan ( I think) during the ski lesson.

Josiah (in the yellow vest) during his ski school.

Jonathan, Jeremy and Jeffrey in their class. There was only one other person in their class, so it was almost like a private lesson. Though we paid for the whole day, they did so well in the morning, they didn't go back in the afternoon.

Josiah's class.

The instructors started Josiah's class with just one ski to get them used to the feel of the skis.

J,J&J's class

Me, very glad to NOT be on skis! Happy to be the holder of gloves, hats, etc.

My big boys! We had a wonderful time!!