Brrrrrrr!

I was cold all night and when I checked the thermostat this morning it's no wonder. It was 65 degrees!

The thermostat was set at 69 degrees, so something was clearly not working. My cousin, who owns a heating and cooling business, is here now and we should be comfy, again, soon.

I know we're in for at least 6-8 more weeks of winter-like weather, but I'm not looking forward to spring either. In spring 2013, our area was hit with numerous storms and several tornados.

Of course, summer in the St. Louis area isn't much fun either with extremely high temps and humidity. Guess I'll continue my search for a place that enjoys fall-like weather year-round and hope I can convince my grandsons's parents to move with us!

We're Back!

We just got back from our road trip to Destin, FL. We broke up the drive both ways with overnights in Birmingham, AL, on the way down, and Corinth, MS, last night. In Destin, we enjoyed five relaxing days and nights at the Henderson Park Inn.

Now it's back to reality with one day to restock the kitchen before frigid temperatures return to the St. Louis area. I'll do all I can to avoid leaving the house when the "feels like" is below zero!

As Different As Day Is To Night

I have two grandsons. Elliott will be eight on Valentine's day; Jonah will be four on March 13. Elliott is respectful of his elders and freely shows his appreciation for everything I and his papa do. Jonah is a completely different story.

Jonah has a "smart" mouth and attitude I've never seen in a preschooler. When he's in a good frame of mind, we have a great time. And I like that he often asks to do art and craft projects. But, like Jekyll and Hyde, he can change without warning and become a "devil" child. At those times, I feel as if I'm being emotionally abused by a three year old!

For the most part, Jonah and I had a good day yesterday and a nice lunch out at St. Louis Bread Company. He also went down for a nap with no problem. But then things went badly very quickly. After sleeping nearly 90 minutes, Jonah woke up mad and screaming. From what I could decipher, the problem was he was still tired but his blanket wouldn't stay put. The hysterics continued for a solid hour and, every time I tried to help, it got worse.

I have no patience for implementing a "time out" which always includes several minutes of major screaming and crying. Fortunately, my daughter is much better at this form of discipline. After picking up Jonah yesterday, she put him in three "time outs" within one hour!

Because it was such a rough end of day yesterday, I'm now closer to thinking Jonah needs to go to preschool full time next school year. At minimum, I'm ready for just one "Grandma Day" a week, which is what Elliott did his last year of preschool. It help him transition to full-time Kindergarten the next year, which would also be good for Jonah who hates school.

I'm going to give it a little more time and thought. But, odds are, I will have more time for chores, workouts, and hobbies next school year, which sounds wonderful!

And. . .Another Snow Day!

I was completely and pleasantly surprised by another Snow Day today. It was supposed to be a Jonah Day. But, instead, it's 10:45 A.M. and I'm cross-stitching and watching Top Chef in my PJs.

And if the day couldn't get any better, I just checked and found out I have all the ingredients for an Easy Broccoli Quiche for dinner served with Apple Smoked Bacon and freshly squeezed orange juice.

Oh, and my Mighty Bright Vusion Craft Light arrived a couple of days ago, making hours of cross-stitching much easier. I thought it might be heavy, but it's not at all and provides just the extra light and magnification I need. Strongly recommend.

As long as the food holds out, I'm still very contend staying home until the thaw this weekend. Yay, Snow Days!