Snow

Snow. Here in Virginia we usually get 1 or 2 good snows and then we are done for the year. Thankfully most of it melts within a day or two. Its why our southern kids ask repeatedly if the snow is still here.

We've had 3 "snow storms" in the last two weeks. Each storm was between 1-2 inches. Not a major deal for us but for our kids it was a huge deal. Instead of boring you with 3 separate posts about snow with the same kids in the same clothes doing the same thing (eating it), I will only subject you to one post. So here goes.

Snow #1

Snow #2

Snow #3

Whew! I think that covered all the coldness for ya!

I'm All Dressed Up!

We recently found two little boys ties on clearance at Target. They were too cute to pass up. Derek decided he wanted to wear a tie to church on last Sunday. Derek started with the red tie

and then changed his mind and wanted to wear his blue moose tie.

Once he had the blue tie on, he didn't like having his top two buttons buttoned so this is how he wanted to wear his tie.

Its blurry but you get the idea. Needless to say he didn't go to church with a tie on.

Chicken Parm Pizza

A quick and easy meal in our house is pizza. This is my go-to pizza recipe...its fast, easy, tasty, and semi-homemade.

French Bread Pizza

1/2 loaf of garlic bread
Pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Toppings (usually pepperoni and chicken nuggets in our house)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake garlic bread and chicken nuggets for 7-8 minutes or until bread is golden brown. Top with pizza sauce and cheese. Add toppings and bake until cheese is melted (usually 4-5 minutes).

We have also used the frozen garlic bread that is sliced for individual pizzas.

Slice and Enjoy!

 

Yankee Candle Store

 Another place that I really wanted to stop at was the Yankee Candle Flagship store. We drive RIGHT by it and you can see it from the road. They were smart enough to put the gas station past the parking lot to tempt you to go in. :) Chris gave me a strict time limit since we were on our drive home so I flew through the store (which is deceptively huge!). 

While I was running around like a mad woman shopping, Chris took the kids to the toy store inside. 

These are not real people, but wax people who sing country songs every so often in the cafe area. They really thought this store out. There is a kids area to keep the kids busy while Mom shops and a cafe and comfy chairs for Dad with entertainment. Smart designer.

Back to shopping, I thought of my sister when I smelled this beauty. I think you might like it more than you realize. :)

This was on the 70 percent off rack and there is a very good reason. Its awful! And it doesn't remotely smell like wood or a woodshop or even leather like the picture might indicate.

The store had all kinds of unique items in it from cows to trains going around the ceiling. 

Their test kitchen in the cooking section was cute. I was there were samples, but one can wish, right?

Fun in the NH snow

For Derek the highlight of our trip to NH was the snow. He talked about it for over a week before we left. It was no surprise that all he wanted to do was to play in it every day and build a Frosty. The snow was straight powder and since the weather wasn't above freezing it wasn't melting and helping our cause. So, Papa got the garden hose out and turned the powder into Frosty making snow.

Derek surprised us and loved to play outside for hours on end. He made snow angels and went sledding and even rode the four-wheeler. 

The first day when he woke up he asked if the snow was still there. Yep, he is a southern boy where the snow melts overnight.

And Brooke wasn't that into making Frosty. She just wanted to eat the snow. :)

King Arthur Flour

One of the places that I really wanted to go when we were in NH was to go to King Arthur Flour. It was about an hour drive away in Norwich, VT, which wasn't too bad of a drive at all.

It was a nice snowy day so going to a place and the drive was beautiful. Their facility is new and it a beautiful facility. The exterior is a combination of wood and tin. In the picture below the store is on the left and the classrooms are on the right. 

Once we arrived, it smelled like freshly baked bread. Who wouldn't love that smell?!?!

This was right as you walked in. The cafe is behind this sign, the store is to the left, and the classrooms and bakery are to the right.

I could have spent way more time and money in the store, but I came with a list and tried not to deviate too much. :) Behind the registers was this huge wood sign, which was gorgeous.

I didn't take too many pictures in the store because I was focused, but here is one that Chris snapped while he was waiting for me to make up my mind about something probably.

And because we needed to take a pit stop before we drove home, I got to check out the awesome bathrooms, which naturally had kitchen decor everywhere.

All in all a fun place to visit with some cool new stuff to try out on my family.