Waste Not

Chase and Ellis were really enthusiastic about their Cheesy Crescent Dogs. But I had a dilemma- a few unused crescent rolls.

I found this recipe, and decided that it could be desert. Of course the recipe was set for 16. So here is MY translation of the recipe. [It makes something like a sticky bun. Very tasty warm. I think you should definitely eat hot out of the oven.]

Magic Marshmallow Crescent Puffs

Make a cinnamon sugar mixture. Melt a few tablespoons of butter. Coat Marshmallows with butter [ recipe called for one large per roll, I had mini, so I guessed.] then dip in sugar mix. Then place the marshmallows at the small end of the triangle and roll [Make sure everything is covered. Stretch the dough and pinch together.] Dip the bottom in a little more butter and place in a greased muffin tin.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Make a glaze out of powder sugar, milk and vanilla. Drizzle top, sprinkle with nuts [I had pecans, and I actually wish that I had rolled them up with the marshmallows... that would have been super tasty.]

Enjoy.

Not sure that I would devote an entire package of rolls to this recipe (or as Pillsbury suggests TWO containers) But they were simple, used ingredients I had on hand, and turned out to be pretty tasty. We each ate one. And it was a way to use what would have just gone to waste.

Dishing it up

It's another race week at the Godale's. Mark will be running in the USA Track and Field 50K Championship. So, since Wednesday we have been carbing it up. [Not that we don't appreciate our carbs EVERY day!]

Monday
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Basmati Rice
Salad

Shortcut: I used popcorn chicken instead of making my own chicken pieces. And Chase and Ellis opted for straight chicken sans sauce.

Tuesday
Beef Stew

Wednesday
Old Standby: Spaghetti and Meatballs
Whole Wheat Pasta
Salad

Thursday
Penne with Vodka Sauce
Salad

Friday
(With Mark Gone. Just something fun for the girls)

Cheesy Crescent Dogs
Fruit Salad

My sister taught me this one. Take Hot Dog and cut a groove. Place cheese in the groove. Roll dog in crescent roll dough. Bake in the oven.

Family Yoga Time

Chase and Ellis doing their versions of Downward Dog.

I think they are both trying to extend back legs. They are about 3 moves behind the DVD. But hey, they are little. And this move is way more fun than the others. At least in their books.

It made my evening so I had to share.

I Can Use the Help

In an effort to Kick Start my March Bible Study, I am going to try this:

Bible Gateway Lent Reading Plan (NIV)

They have lots of reading plans, but I chose to join the Lent plan that will cover the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It allows you to subscribe, I chose the option to add it to my favorites bar. So now, when I read up on my friend's blogs, etc, I can go here and everyday there will be the next passage to read.

If you want to join me, today is the first day of Lent and therefore the first passage.

Can technology really give me the shove I need? We'll see.

February Study Break

Okay, I did it again.

I crammed.

I guess this is just symptomatic of my life. I find myself CRAMMING a lot of things [dishes, laundry, bills, work.] I just wait until it all piles up and cries out for completion. Some weeks are worse than others. I always PLAN on doing better next time [and SOMETIMES I do!] But so many times I find myself right here.

THE BOOK: Romans

THE HIGHLIGHTS: Paul reminds us that it is not by following the law, but by faith that we are saved. He also gives some great advice to Believers about how we should treat one another, help and encourage one another, and not be stumbling blocks for one another.

But for me, this following passage really spoke to me:

From Romans 8 (NIV)
18I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ¹⁹The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. ²⁰For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹that^i]"> the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

²²We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? ²⁵But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

²⁶In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. ²⁷And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

²⁸And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

³¹What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So. I have hope.

And have no doubt - I am groaning.

New Moon

* Update: Now I have a guy at work shrieking [over one missing word and one misplaced word. Apparently that is all it takes to be "shriek worthy" in his book. Somewhere he missed the whole concept of REVIEW. It is so we catch these things before release.] I guess it is just one of those days. It just happened to start right at Midnight... and looks like it might carry through the day.

The full moon gets the bad rap, but during last night's NEW moon all heck broke loose in the Godale house. Which roughly translated equals VERY LITTLE sleep for Mama.

Now, in fairness, I am partly to blame for my lack of sleep. I was so engrossed in a book that I stayed up until 2:00am reading.

But then Chase started SHRIEKING at 3:00am.

Ellis started SHRIEKING at 4:30am.

The alarm started SHRIEKING at 6:00am.

I am SO hopeful that the rest of my day will be shriek free.

I am not holding my breath.

Cat Revenge

I should be ticked at him. Him being the cat.

Why you ask?

Because he peed on Chase's jacket. [one that she left on the kitchen floor, instead of hanging it up on her hook...]

But you know what. I am not. I hate to say it, but she kind of deserved it. And if I were a cat [especially a 13 year old, starting-to-get-cranky cat], I might have been tempted, too!

You see, all week Chase had been torturing him. Cornering him ["Listen to him HISS, Mommy!"] Pulling his tail. Squashing him ["I'm just loving him, Mom."] And I have been telling her all week to be nice. That he could scratch her. Or pee on her pillow. Or some form of cat revenge.

And all she did was laugh.

So, she tomahawked his tail [where did this wooden tomahawk toy come from, anyway?] And then his head. And, he had reached his limit.

And Zack did what a grumpy old cat with little recourse might do. Peed on the coat.

It was a mess easily cleaned.

And a VERY valuable lesson learned.

Hose Us Down and Lock Us Up

I did not manage to contract Pink Eye for the first time in my life. And of course there is no way that I would have gotten it from my Father. That's just crazy! And if I did contract Pink eye, there is little chance that I went to work less than 24 hours after getting the antibiotic drops, sequester myself in my office and prominently display a bottle of Purell just in case someone needed to talk to me. That would just be cruel to my co-workers.

I did not KNOWINGLY walk around for an entire evening with Ellis' puke on my shirt. I mean, even if I was constantly cleaning it up, I would certainly have changed my shirt.

I did not drop an egg when taking it out of the fridge. And I was not AMAZED that it was sitting on the bottom shelf of the fridge with NO shell in it. So, I wouldn't have scooped it into a measuring cup and used it in the banana bread. [BTW, Ellis did not eat the bread...]

I did not go shopping, only to get to the check out and discover that my debit card was not in my purse. And that even though I had my checkbook, that my Driver's license was missing, too. And I tried not to be too angry and embarrassed, when Chase informed me [and the check out lady] that she had put them next to the cat bowl! And then of course, I would have had them BACK in my purse the next day. I wouldn't have had to ask where they went to again? Right? Only to have Ellis fish them out from under the Couch! Apparently, I need a padlock for my purse.

Dishing it up

Monday
Vegetarian Polska Kielbasa
(Sounds oddly in conflict. What is this stuff anyway?)

Acini Di Pepe Super Skillet Dish

Brown Kielbasa. Set aside. Saute carrots and mushrooms in same skillet until glazed and slightly tender (may have to add a dash of Olive Oil. The Vegetarian Kielbasa has very little fat to add to the pan.) Add 1 cup Acini Di Pepe. 2 1/2 cups of water (I use 1 cup water and 1 cup vegetable broth made with "Better than Bullion Vegetable Base" and 1/2 cup V8.) Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 10 minutes or until pasta is tender. Once some of the liquid has been absorbed I add the Kielbasa back in to warm through. Chase and Ellis really like this and it is fast and tasty vegetarian dinner option.

Tuesday
Vegetable Split Pea Soup

Wednesday
Butter Curry Tofu
Brown Rice
Salad

Thursday
Tilapia
Parmesan Couscous
Parmesan and Almond Asparagus
Salad

Friday
Crock Pot Pork Loin Roast
Potatoes and Carrots cooked with roast
Garlic and cream cheese mashed potatoes (for Mark)
Salad

Motherhood is HOT

Ehow.com suggests using a hot potato, a jar of hot water, a hot water bottle, or even a rock from the fire to heat your bed.

They fail to mention the high-fevered-sick-kid approach.

Of course, this approach does have its disadvantages.

Last night, Ellis slept [and I use that term VERY lightly] on my chest. Her steaming hot body was sprawled across me while she whimpered, cried, and sucked her thumb VERY loudly. At 1am she threw up on me. And peed at the same time. Oh yes. A special joy of motherhood.

But I was warm. Very, very warm.

When it rains...

It POURS!

Pink Eye Mamma is taking care of Pukey Ellis.

And wondering who is next.

And which ailment will it be?

Or will it be both?

Or something new?

Let the good times roll.

It took 34 years?

This picture doesn't do it justice. Apparently the Red Eye Reduction feature really works, BUT has it's limits!


On top of that I had been using Visine, which also took the edge off. [And yes I know, this is nothing since I didn't wait until my eye was glued shut before seeing the doctor.]

But here it is. My first case of Pink Eye. At the age of 34. My children have yet to be infected. I am bathing them in Purell. And thinking that the Antibiotic Eye Drop Fairy might just be visiting them in their sleep.

Anatomy Lessons

Here are a few lessons in anatomy, courtesy of Ellis. As heard in my living room this week.



Mom: Ellis it sounds like you have a frog in your throat.
E: I DON'T have a throat!
M: Then how does your food get from your mouth to your tummy.
E: I chew it and it swirls around in my head. Then it slides down a slide to my tummy.
M: Could that slide be your throat?
E: No! But it might be the "wrong pipe."
M: Oh.

Chase: Ellis. Smile, I want to see your gums! [Why? I just don't know.]
Ellis: I DON"T have any gums.
C: Yes you do. It's the pink part that sticks your teeth in...
E: No! I don't have any! Daddy wouldn't share his. I think his was too minty anyway.

Pride and Presidents

Today is Presidents Day. And although at our house the only real tribute to the day has been Chase doing the "We have no school today, Cha Cha Cha" dance, I thought that I should acknowledge Ohio's proud presidential history.

William H. Harrison
Benjamin Harrison
Ulysses S. Grant
William McKinley
William Howard Taft
Rutherford B. Hayes
Warren G. Harding

And the one with the closest ties to my life, since Hiram is the stomping grounds of my youth and later my Alma Mater, is James A Garfield.

Garfield was born in Orange in Cuyahoga County and then went to school at Hiram(when it was just an academy and not a college) He would come back and teach there as well. When the Civil War started he returned to Hiram and lead a large group of Volunteers.

So, here is some Ohio Pride. Saying happy Presidents Day to our eight. You might not be the best and brightest of the bunch. But you are ours and we are proud to claim you.

Mixed Emotions

I MUST be embarrassed about the tiny bits of strawberries on the fruit Kabobs I made for Chase's Valentine Party. Or I would be IF I simply cut the bite marks off the "Ellis" strawberries and used the the tiny parts that were left, right? I mean, even with the cost of berries, it would just be wrong to do something like that.

I did NOT spend Valentine's bumming over the lack of flowers. And did not read into the lack of flowers as if my husband was trying to tell me something. And I did not find out at 10pm that the flowers were delivered next door. So then, I didn't have to call Mark back [only minutes after talking to him] to tell him the flowers were beautiful and thank him. And HE wouldn't have fessed up then that he was a little hurt that I hadn't mentioned them when we talked. Oh, the woes of Valentine. Nothing like that could have transpired over some silly little flowers.

I did NOT have a 30 minute pre-bedtime conversation with Chase about what it feels like to get your ears pierced with the hope that it would SCARE her out of wanting to get her ears pierced. And my motivation wouldn't have been that the idea gives me the willies [akin to wiggly teeth] and that knowing my daughter we would have days of tears [secondary to my own issues!] And she would NOT have responded by informing that she was ready to do it and and we should go the next day. And I would not have been relieved to have her wake up in the morning and tell me that she was waiting until she was EIGHT.

And I PROBABLY didn't shed a few tears last night when watching Cars. It would be pretty ridiculous to cry about the Hudson Hornet thinking about his days as a racing car. Right? I mean seriously, who cries at animated Disney flicks that they have seen many a time. Especially one about Cars??? AND IF I was getting emotional about some animated cars, I wouldn't also have been thinking that animated car racing is almost as boring as real car racing. Would I?

Chase's Camera Skills

Yesterday, Chase discovered how to use the camera. And she went crazy. 150 pictures. But she was surprisingly good. For a 5 year old who had never taken a picture before.

Here are a few highlights:


*My mother's kitty Snickerdoodle was not being the most cooperative subject. We have about 30 pictures of her back, paws, her hiding, etc. But I thought that these two were very nice.

Winning Streak

I have to admit that I was bumming a little.

This was the first Valentines Day, in 14 years, that Mark and I haven't spent together. And we did a little gift exchange before he left and celebrated with the girls. Mark gave me a card and the girls cards, candy and a few little doodads. But just a card for me... and for the other 13 years he had given me flowers.

Our first date was on Valentine's Day and he brought be a bunch of carnations. It is a tradition. And I was a little sad to see it end.

So this year on Valentines, it was quiet at our house. I went to hang at my Mom's. Had a delicious dinner. Got home and got the girls asleep and curled up on the couch to read a book.

At 10pm comes a knock on the door. [Scared me to death.] It was George, the neighbor, delivering flowers. I guess they were delivered to them by mistake. His wife assumed they were from him. They enjoyed them all day until George asked who the flowers were from. Oops. No one looked at the card until then.

So I got a late night delivery. And Mark maintained a perfect winning streak.

And it was never really about the flowers. It was about knowing that we have some little tradition that is still worth keeping.

Spa Treatments

What better for Valentine's than a day at the Spa.

So I will give you preview of what you could get at Spa Godale.

Pedicure

Look closely. We separate your toes with mini-marshmallows.



Facial

I have heard that green marker masks can restore youthful complexions.








Bubble Tub

No wonder Chase has called it the Bubble Tub since the time she could talk. Very good for lifting even the grumpiest of spirits.



Perhaps a little unconventional. But just might be marketable.

Dishing it up

Mark is running the Austin Marathon this weekend. So mid-week he starting Carbo Loading.

Monday
Tilapia with dill and lemon
Baked Potato
Broccoli
Salad

Tuesday (just us ladies)
Grilled Chicken
Mushroom Rice Pilaf

Wednesday (Time for Mark to start carbo loading)
Whole wheat spaghetti
Meatballs (for Mark)
Salad

Thursday (more carbo loading)
Easy Tortellini Soup
Salad

Easy Tortellini Soup

Saute chopped carrots (or any vegetables you would like. The original recipe I had called for carrots) in butter until slightly soft.

Add vegetable or chicken broth and a splash of wine (if you have it/want it - we did vegetable and Merlot last night) to pot (enough to cover your pasta). Salt and pepper to taste. Add dried tortellini to liquid. (We had 3 cheese last night. Sometimes we have done spinach. So many types to choose!)

Let boil until pasta is tender. Last night I added Parmesan cheese and a little cream to make the broth almost like an Alfredo. Very tasty. Most of the time, just have straight broth. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Yum.

It is so basic, fast and simple and can be mixed up so many ways.

Friday
Mark is on his way to Austin. And I am sure he is having more pasta.
We are using left over meat sauce to make stuffed baked potatoes.

Cook potatoes in microwave. Carve out a boat shape in the halves. Load up with the leftover meat sauce. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and broil in the oven until the cheese is melted and browning.

I love these. And it gives me another way to use leftover sauce, without having more spaghetti!

Valentine's Week

Final Product

Stir

Lick

Around here, Valentine's has taken over the week. Creating Valentines. Wearing hearts. Cooking projects. Preparing for holiday parties. One for Kindergarten. One for Library Story Time.

Here was our first cooking project. Pink cupcakes. Chase and Ellis enjoyed licking frosting off the top. Mark declared that they were inedible. I didn't try one so I just don't know. I supervised and everything appeared normal to me.

There is a strawberry pie in the plans. A good way to use some of the Ellis berries. [See the prior post.]

Just NOT My Day

This has just NOT been my day. I feel the need to vent, so hang in there with me.

I started out by dropping and breaking a bottle of HOT PINK nail polish. Could not find remover, ANYWHERE. It was contained in the sink. I mopped up what I could with toilet paper and flushed it. Not thinking that it would smear all over the toilet, too. Thanks to a tip from the BBC show "How Clean is Your House," I was able to clean the remaining spots [for once, I wish it had NOT been FAST DRY] using a pumice stone. Worked like a dream.

Then off to the doctors. No big surprises there. Since they wouldn't tell me the results of the biopsies over the phone, I figured that at least on of the moles was bad. They both were pre-cancerous.

Then a quick stop at the grocery store. I am in charge of fresh fruit for the Kindergarten Valentine's party. Sticker shock. I hope I never get assigned that one again! About 40 dollars later we leave the store and head home.

I get a call on my way home from work. Serious drama. Has been building for the last week. A woman not even directly involved in a project is calling for a complete breakdown of all hours and who was working on them. She has been so nasty that I don't like talking to her or dealing with her and I don't even understand why she needs the info. So she went over my head and involved my boss. Oh, Fun Fun. At least my boss is on my side. Small consolation.

Got home and had more of the work call. While I was doing this, Ellis took the strawberries and took one bite out of each one. AHHHH! Guess the fruit kabobs will NOT have strawberries. I hope she enjoyed them!

And it is only lunch time.

Crimes of Fashion

It is just plain old hard to be a mommy.

I did not go to Hollywood video in my pajamas. And of course the pajamas would not be ones that I had been wearing for at least 24 hours. And ones that had some kind of grimy hand print on the leg. And if by some freak chance I did, it would because I thought that I could be anonymous there, right? It's not like they know me and my entire family by name. There is NO WAY that the girl at the counter asked "Are the girls home with Mark? Tell Ellis that Space Buddies comes out tomorrow."

I did not use Chase's curl enhancing shampoo because I didn't want to get out of the shower and find a different bottle. I did not then go to sleep with slightly damp hair. I did not wake up in the morning to find out that they should call it cowlick enhancing shampoo. [need I mention that I have 4!] I did not then find out that no amount of water, blow drying, or product helped. I did not consider hopping in the shower 5 minutes before having to get Chase to school and writing her a note saying "Chase is late because her mother was battling bad hair." [Chase was on time to school.] I did not then grab a hat. And wear the hat all day. And have to explain to everyone at I work about the shampoo... because they have never seen me wear a hat... Nope. Not me.

And just as surprisingly, I did not actually CLEAN out the refrigerator before loading the new food. That would be something that an organized, with-it mom would do. And since we know [with no double meaning intended] that that isn't me... it just COULDN'T have happened.

Dishing it up

It's been one of those weeks. Very light in the food department.

Tuesday, Mark picked up Chipotle on his way home from his track workout and on Thursday he had a work event. And if there is no Mark, I have no motivation to really cook. [That's right, honey.]

You will see that reflected here...

Monday:
Pork tenderloin stir fry
Brown rice
Salad

Tuesday:
Mushroom rice pilaf
Apple slices
Yup. That's it.

Wednesday:
Tilapia with dried tomato garlic oil
Baked Potato
Navy Beans, carrots and spinach in garlic sauce
Salad

Thursday:
A little embarrassed to even say. I think we ate popcorn, apple slices, cheese. All while watching Space Buddies. And called it dinner.

Friday:
Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
Salad

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

(Sometimes I make individual sized ones.
I just use small corning ware dishes)



Pie Crust. Betty Crocker is my favorite recipe. Or you can use pre-made. You can use one crust (top is best if you do that) to make it lower in fat, or two crust. Your preference.

Filling
(Basically creamed chicken and veggies. Also tasty served over biscuits)
1 lbs of cooked chicken breast, cubed
1 can of cream soup. (I like cream of 98% fat free mushroom, but you can use cream of celery, or chicken if you have it on hand)
Cooked Veggies, cubed (I like corn, potato, carrots, mushrooms, peas, baby Lima beans)
Half and Half/cream/ milk
V8
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Combine soup, half and half (enough to be a little runnier that you would want in a pot pie) and veggies in a pot. Add a splash of V8 (enough to add a little flavor but not a lot of color) Reduce slightly.

Pour filling into pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until pie crust is golden. I recommend placing this on a baking sheet. It tends to bubble over. But really yummy.

Urban Sprawl

The Little People decided that the playroom [The yellow room at the back] was cramping their style. Either that, or two small tornadoes came through and lifted the entire village and replanted it.

It was far too quiet. No arguing. Nothing, as I cleaned bathrooms and gathered laundry.

And this is why.

And I was already feeling uninspired and uninspiring. Watching dishes, laundry, and bills pile up. Apparently the toys were feeling left out. They wanted to pile up, too.

Anyone want to come and help me shovel out? If not, I might get buried in here...

Shadow

Update: He saw his shadow. Six more weeks. If I was asked to predict, I'd say it will be even longer than that!

This is a shot from today's ceremony. Same handler. Do you suppose that is the same hat that I am wearing in the picture below?

Happy Groundhog Day

Here's to hoping for an early spring.
While fully expecting six more weeks of winter.

The family with Punxsutawney Phil
(and his handler)

Danger

As long as I remain primarily a danger to myself, I can almost laugh at some of the things that I did NOT do this week.

I did not break up the ice on the front porch using an antique ice axe. And in the process I did not manage to stab myself in the leg. And I would never have been doing this wearing flip flops!

I did not climb up on my roof at dusk to deal with ice dams. And if I DID do such a stupid thing, I most certainly wouldn't repeat that action the next day, too. I would have to enjoy risking my neck to do such a foolish thing.

I did NOT forget to wear gloves while tackling the snow and ice on the roof. If I did that I would end up with fingers that were so cold that they would have been blue and red and even cool water would have made me scream in pain.

And I would not have had a large cup of fully caffeinated tea for the first time in ages. People live on this stuff right? And that one cup of tea certainly wouldn't have given me jitters for hours and kept me awake until 4am. I just don't think that is even possible.

No way. Not me.

I fought the ice...

And for now, knock on some wood - I WON. I took advantage of the sunny weather and got back on the roof. Much nicer in the light of day. Thanks to the warm weather the ice was loose from the roof and so I peeled it up and tossed it to the ground. Tomorrow I will wiggle back into the attic to see how things are holding up.

I thought I should report that I did not break my neck. And I did not make a hole in my roof.

I am thinking thinking I need to take a trip to good old Home Depot and see about some of those heating coil things.

Ah, winter. Please be kind.

Fighting with winter

The special joys of winter have definitely joined us. And I am not talking about the sun making rainbows through the ice cycles.

I am talking about bitter cold. Let's have our 3 year old furnace need a new motor. [in the words of furnace guy... "these motors are super reliable. I haven't had to replace one before. I have installed and serviced these furnaces for over 30 years." Leave it to us to get the defective one.] On the bright side of things - fixing it didn't cost me anything. Yeah for warranties. And it never dropped below 55 in the house, even though the heat was out for almost 24 hours. Yeah for insulation.

I am talking about ice jams on the roof. Two feet of snow on the roof, multi-levels of crevices to get ice. Drip, drip on my kitchen ceiling. Jennifer climbing around in attic insulation, moving it around, drying the drywall and placing a bucket. Then Jennifer climbing on the roof with a headlamp and a broom. Forgetting gloves and making my hands ACHE for ages. On the bright side of things - I know what the problem is and think I might have it under control for now. And prevented any water damage to my kitchen ceiling. I plan on getting back up there today while it is 40 degrees and sunny. Wish me luck. And don't scold me. I know that it is a break neck stupid idea. But no way will I let this winter weather make more of a mess. At least not without a fight!