Snow Cream

This year winter pretty much bypassed our area of the country. In fact we were pretty certain that it was skipping us altogether – I think we had two light snows that left Jack disappointed that we wouldn't be going sledding.

The week before spring break, we were meeting with our small group when we had an unexpected snow. We were in town, off of our mountain, and thankful to being driving a four-wheel drive vehicle (though it wasn't needed). Jack was thrilled to see the white stuff floating down from the sky, and anticipated finally getting to sled.

Alas, the snow was a scant two inches, and though pretty, it was not worthy of pulling out the sleds.

We allowed the kid play briefly on our porch before sending them to bed. When we awoke, the ground had a light covering of snow, still not enough to go sledding, BUT just enough to scoop up and make a batch of Snow Cream.

I am pretty sure Snow Cream is a southern thing, I had never even heard of it before Daniel and I got married (and I lived in Canada for several years as a kid). Lucky for our kids, we always make a batch of Snow Cream when we get enough snow.

I don't know if Snow Cream made up for the lack of sledding, but the kids did seem happy with the cold, sugary concoction. Especially Isaac as it was his first year to be big enough to try it. He happily slurped his down and would not let anyone take his cup away!

Hopefully next year we will get to use our sleds. Jack has also been asking about skiing and snowboarding. I have a feeling next year will be the year to introduce him to those activities.

Snow Day

This morning schools in the greater Chattanooga area were on a 2-hour delay. Up on Signal Mountain everyone is scratching their heads because it has been snowing all morning, and this is the south. 

Meaning schools almost always close for snow. Or the threat of snow. Or because is it is just too cold.

For a brief time in elementary school I lived in southern Ontario, Canada. For those three years, I walked to school (uphill both ways) in the snow. According to my mom, when she was growing up, the schools never closed unless it was 40 below (or something like that).

It was always a big joke when we moved to Arkansas and the towns would shut down for the threat of cold weather. I have lived in the south for 20+ years now and I get it. The south isn't equipped like they are in the north. There is no point in having machinery to clear the snow when it rarely snows.

Anyway, I have been watching the snow fall all morning. Our wood stove has been steadily burning for the last two days to ward off the chill in our house. This morning, as the snow fell and the sun peeked through the clouds, it looked like glitter was falling from the sky. Beautiful.

Jack loves the snow. This time the snow hasn't been enough to sled on, but it has accumulated nicely on our decks. Perfect for snowball fights with daddy.

Isaac is thrilled to press his face up against the back door to watch his big brother play. I wonder what he thinks about the snow.

Maybe one year we will make a winter trek to Canada to show our boys what I real snow can look like. For now, I am sitting inside enjoying a hot drink, thankful that while it is pretty, it will go away in a day or two and that spring is just around the corner.

First Snow of 2016

Last week Storm Jonas turned into a blizzard and dumped a ton of snow in the northeast after hitting a good portion of the south. It seemed like it was snowing everywhere but east Tennessee, but on Friday night, as Daniel made his way home from work, the rain turned to big fat, wet snowflakes. Jack rushed out the door to greet the snow as it began to pile on our deck.

By bedtime several inches of snow had settled on the ground, creating a blanket of white that muffled the night sounds and reflected the full moon with a brightness of a flood light. 

I love the calm and quiet that the snow brings (though as someone who has lived in the south for the last two decades, I also like when the snow leaves after a few days). 

After a week of school closings and delays for the cold, it was nice to finally have a reward for being cooped up.

We had just enough snow to get the sled out and pull Jack around our neighborhood park, right across the street from our house. The little trail leading from our house to the park actually provided the perfect sledding hill for Jack (next year we will probably go to the golf course to do some real sledding).

This was Isaac's first snow and we were scrambling to find warm enough clothes for him. A size 2 rain jacket worked as a windbreaker over a fleece body suit. I'm sure he was annoyed by all of the layers, but he seemed fascinated by the cold white stuff.

We let him ride with Jack on the sled (until Jack complained that he was too heavy). I think Isaac would have stayed out longer, but by the time he was up from his nap and ready to join big brother, Jack was getting cold.

The weather has been fairly mild this winter and we were caught off guard – Jack's hiking boots were too small, his rain boots had holes in them, and we didn't have any wind resistant pants. We had enough layers to keep him warm for about an hour, and then we stripped him down and sat him by the fire to sip hot chocolate to warm back up (to help keep his feet dry, we put his feet in plastic grocery bags before putting on his holey rain boots).

We awoke on Sunday morning to sub freezing temps and snow had not yet melted. My weather app said the temperature would be in the 40s by noon and Jack was up early and ready for church with 30 minutes to spare, so Daniel took him sledding one last time before we headed off the mountain.

I hope it snows again this winter (previous big snows have been in February), but if it doesn't snow again this year, I'm glad Jack got one last sledding session in.

It's kind of hard to believe this is our third winter on Signal Mountain. We are looking forward to many more snow days (though if I'm being honest, I'm glad it only lasts for a few days).

A Look Back at Our Snow Days:
2013  |  2014  |  2015 

Big Snow, 2015

We finally got a good snow this year – about 8" to be exact. The good thing about living where we live is that the snow is pretty, we can enjoy for a day or two, and then it disappears. I'm pretty sure the weather reports are calling for temps in the mid 50s next week.

The bad part about living where we live is that the roads don't always get treated in time. We live on top of a mountain and there are 3 main roads that access the top. Two of which regularly get shut down. 

Last night, Daniel left work in an effort to get home before dark, but he got caught on the main road at the front of the mountain. There was an accident at the top and what normally is a 6-10 minute drive up ended up taking 30+minutes. 

Thankfully he was in the first group of people trying to get up because we read reports that people were stuck for more than 3 hours and many eventually had to abandon their cars and walk up.

I'm not going to lie, I have been having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions this week and the whole idea that all 3 roads on and off the mountain were closed made me a bit nervous. Daniel said that if we had to, he would get us off the mountain. Hopefully this is the end of our winter weather for the year.

After supper, we made our traditional snow cream. Daniel grew up making snow cream and we have done our best to make it when we get a good snow. It's a nice tradition that I am glad we can share with Jack. What kid doesn't like the sugary goodness of a sweet treat that you can only have when it snows? This is Jack's second time to have it.

This morning we woke up and had about 8" of fluffy snow on the ground. I made chocolate chip banana muffins while my guys slept in. After breakfast, we headed out to have some fun in the snow.

On Signal Mountain, where we live, it is a tradition to head out to the golf course for sledding. We did this last year, but this year didn't feel like making the effort. I have no doubt that we have many years ahead to make it over to sled on the golf course.

This year we enjoyed pulling Jack around our neighborhood on a sled, then we had a snowball fight, made snow angels and built a snowman at the park across the street from our house.

Not a bad way to spend a morning together.

Jack demonstrates walking up climbing up our front steps.

Jack and Daniel have a snowball fight.

Building his first snowman. Jack was very concerned that we didn't have a carrot.

Making snow angels.

Winter

The weather has been odd this year. We had a week of bitterly cold weather about 2 weeks ago and then a week of warm, spring-like weather. Now we are back to really cold again. I don't mind the cold, I just wish we would have some consistent weather. Right now I am thankful for the electric blanket on my bed. Nothing feels better on a cold night than to crawl into a warm bed.