Check it.

Great post by Ryan at This is Reverb: CLICK HERE. He sure knows how to push aside all the gunk and remind us what "it all" should be about.

History is made...

Because the weathermen were right! The snowstorm, or snowmaggedon/ snowpacolypse as some are calling it, hit our area and hit hard. In our neighborhood, the final tally was about 33-34". I'm from New England, and that's a big storm even for up there!

I'm on Administrative Leave today, which means I'm getting paid to sit (well, it's unlikely I'll be sitting all day) at home. Not a bad deal, though I wish they had saved it for later this week... because we're supposed to get more snow.The weekend was as I had hoped, filled with reading, a little crafting, and hanging out with the Hubster. The DVR is mostly cleared and discs 1 & 2 of Season One of "Sons of Anarchy" are ready to be sent back to Netflix for replacements.I also got the cooking I mentioned done, and then some. I made Pioneer Woman's Cajun Chicken Pasta for dinner on Friday. It had good flavor, but the sauce didn't thicken as much as it was probably supposed to and it could have used a little more spice. Definitely things I can hope to fix when I make it again.I made the taco soup on Sunday instead of Saturday and found that it may be called soup, but it's really a form of chili. Either way, it was pretty tasty... though I picked around the beans, because I just can't get a handle on the texture no matter how many times I try.

In addition to my planned cooking, I also added some baking. Last night I made Pioneer Woman's Oatmeal Crispies from her cookbook and they are delicious! I added raisins to make them a form of oatmeal raisin cookies, which one of the Captains said was his favorite last week and so I'll bring some in tomorrow to work.

It was a grand weekend and I'm looking forward to the additional day today. I've been reading and browsing the web this morning, but I'm hoping to get some cleaning done and also finish some crafting projects this afternoon... plus some more reading and tea drinking and maybe a movie.

Gosh I live a lovely life. I hope you find some loveliness in your day too!

Snow days.

They weathermen are declaring 18-30". Until that actually happens, these declarations mean nothing but panic by residents in our area. Seriously, it's quite ridiculous. Schools are closed before the snow even begins to fall. What if the weathermen were wrong? I mean, normally that's not beyond comprehension.

Hmm, maybe my cynicism comes from growing up in Vermont, where several feet of snow didn't shut things down for days, nevermind shutting things down in advance.

Aw well, here's the progression, starting with a bit before 9am when I left for a doctor's appointment, where the lobby was full because they canceled their afternoon appointments and thus filled up their morning appointments.

11am...

1pm...

3pm...

It doesn't look much different after 1pm, but it's been snowing steady, so it is accumulating. And even though I find the reaction to predicted snow quite ridiculous here in the NoVa area, I'm glad for the excuse to cuddle up in the condo for the weekend with my Hubs, who because of snow probably wont have to work tomorrow like he normally would on a tax-season Saturday.

So, on the agenda are: clearing off the DVR list and watching the first two discs of Season 1 of Sons of Anarchy from Netflix, because TV is what Hubby does when he's not working; reading a lot; making Pioneer Woman's Cajun Chicken Pasta for dinner tonight; taco soup in the crockpot tomorrow; and some other crafty projects to include the tag for my Craft Hope scarf and starting some handmade Valentines.

I hope your weekend is filled with good things too!

Meme's Chocolate Bit Cookies

I made these last night. It's the recipe my Meme uses and although most people call them chocolate chip cookies, and that's even what the recipe is called ("chip cookies"), my Meme calls them bits. Or at least I have it in my head she does, but maybe I made it up.

They have a great flavor every time, but the hardness to softness varies each time I make them. However, I have found that using a mixer, rather than mixing by hand, typically creates a softer cookie. It's also important to not be distracted by other projects while you're baking so that you can check the edges near the end of the timer to make sure things aren't getting too brown.

The cast of ingredients:

1 cup shortening

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 cups chocolate chips

3/4 cup nuts (optional)

Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees.

Put shortening, brown sugar, sugar-sugar, and vanilla in the mixing bowl. Cream together by hand or mix low to high in the mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and beat well.Add flour, soda, and salt and mix well. If using a mixer, I put a towel over the bowl to keep flour from flying everywhere. Just be careful you drape it just right so as not to get it caught in the mixer. (No, I did not figure this out from experience, I was just glad to have thought of it before learning from experience.)Finally, fold the chocolate chips (and nuts if desired) into the batter.

Spoon the batter in teaspoons onto a greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Be sure to watch them towards the end to make sure they're not overbaking. Unless of course you like a crunchier cookie.Let cool on a cookie rack and enjoy!

Snow, and scarf, and stuff.

I meant to post yesterday, but the after-work time of day slipped away quickly when my commute took extra long due to the roads being crowded with people leaving early to stay ahead of the snowstorm we got last night. Seriously, next time I'll have to leave early to get ahead of the people leaving early.

Last night's storm was the the second snowstorm in a week and we're scheduled for another this weekend. Thank goodness they got a handle on the roads this morning because if it was like it was on Saturday, I may not have made it to work so nicely. As it was, most everyone else in our area had liberal leave and schools were all closed, so there was no one on the road (at least in comparison to usual). Lovely day when that happens.

The snow was also the lovely kind. The kind that is wet and heavy and clings to branches and wire fences to create the look of a winter wonderland.

Over the weekend I finished my scarf for Craft Hope. I just have to make the tag and then I can send it on it's way. I took a few pictures, but please pardon the color. The red didn't take kindly to being photographed.

It's a bit wider than it needed to be, but not so much so that it can't be worn comfortably. I'm glad to have gotten one done, and as the deadline is still ten days away, I may try to whip up another one if other projects don't get in the way.

I'm really looking forward to my long, flex-day weekend this weekend... even though we're supposed to get huge amounts of snow for this area. Aw well, all the better reason to cuddle up, drink tea, read, and create.