Ice Storm

Does your yard look anything like ours??

This photo was taken just after 5:00 pm.  That white stuff is sleet, not snow!!  The weather is supposed to get much worse between now and midnight tonight!

Earthquake

          "It's snowing still," said Eeyore gloomily.
          "And freezing."
          "However," he said, brightening up a little, "we haven't had an earthquake lately."
                    ~by A.A. Milne

I was upstairs, sitting at my desk...doing something on the computer, when the earthquake hit.  I knew exactly what it was, since I'd experienced an earthquake when I lived in Kentucky.  That felt like a slight tremor; this felt like...well, let's just say that I felt it!

The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 4.1 magnitude earthquake which hit at 10:23 pm on Friday (February 14th), seven miles northwest of Edgefield, South Carolina.  It was felt across South Carolina and as far away as Atlanta, Georgia and Greensboro, North Carolina.

I went downstairs to ask my husband if he had felt it.  He had been asleep in the recliner...and looked at me like I was crazy.  I said, "Check it out!  --Get on Facebook or the Internet...."  I received another "look" from him, like Yeah, right. However, he did switch the television to a news channel.  Sure enough, they were reporting that telephone calls and e-mail messages were flooding in to the newsroom from throughout the upstate....

Although the earthquake hit approximately 90 miles away from us, I was rocked forward and backward, and back and forth in my chair...and the items on the shelves of my desk hutch were rattling...for at least 8 seconds.  (If you think about it, that's a long time when you're being jostled unexpectedly by an earthquake.)

An earthquake of this size is not a common occurrence in South Carolina.  This earthquake was the strongest in South Carolina since a 4.4 magnitude earthquake struck near Charleston in 2002.

sources:
   USA Today
   WYFF 4

Did you feel South Carolina's earthquake on Friday night?  Have you ever been in an earthquake?

Snow Play

My husband worked from home yesterday.  The roads were treacherous.  The weather advisory was that anyone who absolutely did not have to be out on the roads not to be out on the roads!  At quitting time, my husband took T outside to play in the snow.

Throwing snowballs....

A "thumbs up" for playing in the snow!

It's Snowing!

Winter Lunch

This was T's lunch today.

• snowman-shaped sandwich on hearty white bread with snowflake sprinkles for buttons
• Whole Grain Popcorn for snow
• applesauce with jumbo snowflake sprinkles in white silicone liner
• Pepperidge Farm Snowball citrus cookie
• snowflake-shaped Swiss cheese slices
• Ritz Snowflake crackers

   ...and a spoon with a snowman and snowflakes design!

Linked to:
   Bento Blog Network
   I Heart Lunch

Snowy Lunch

This was my lunch today.

• grilled cheese sandwich on honey wheat bread with the snowman cut-out from yesterday's sandwich on hearty white bread
• Pepperidge Farm Snowball citrus cookies

In case you're wondering...no, I don't eat a grilled cheese sandwich every day!  haha.

Snowy Mountain Peaks

This afternoon, I baked some Snowy Peaks cupcakes.  I thought they would be a delicious winter treat.  Mmmm!  Ü

Here is the recipe (as I revised it*), in case you want to bake some Snowy Peaks, too.  :)

Snowy Peaks

1 box white cake mix, plus ingredients to prepare mix
4 egg whites, at room temperature
6 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line 10 jumbo muffin cups with paper baking cups.  Prepare cake mix according to directions on box.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling two-thirds full.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Cool in pan 10 minutes.  Remove to wire rack; cool completely.

Increase oven temperature to 375°F.  Beat egg whites in medium bowl with electric mixer at high speed until soft peaks form.  Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.  Pipe or spread meringue on each cupcake.

Place cupcakes on a baking tray.  Bake 5 minutes or until peaks of meringue are golden.

Makes 10 jumbo cupcakes

source of inspiration (*I did not follow the recipe exactly):  Publications International, Ltd. Cupcakes & Fun Stuff, Vol. 3, No. 41

Winter Sleigh Ride

I don't know if sleigh riding qualifies as a winter sport (the Bento Blog Network theme this week)...but if not, we can pretend, right?  It's definitely a winter activity, and that's good enough for me!  :)

This was T's lunch today.

• sleigh = peanut butter and jelly sandwich with colored sugar, sprinkles, and jumbo sprinkles to decorate
• Hello Kitty = peanut butter and jelly sandwich with jimmies and sprinkles to decorate  (The bow is two heart-shaped savory crackers with colored sugar and a jumbo snowflake sprinkle.)
• snow = popcorn
• snow-covered evergreen tree = Little Debbie cake (from my freezer!)

I used the sleigh cutter to cut off the bottom of the Hello Kitty bread to make it appear that she is riding in the sleigh.

The Hello Kitty toy is from a Happy Meal...not recently!

Linked to:
   Bento Blog Network

Snowman Party

Tonight for supper, we had a snowman party...more specifically, Snowman Party Stew.

When linking just now to the recipe at the Taste Of Home website, I see that I forgot to give the snowmen their ketchup scarves.  I had the ketchup bottle on the counter, ready to go...I just forgot.  ~Guess that's what happens sometimes when one gets lots of help while one is trying to prepare supper!  :P

I have to admit that the casserole tasted better than I thought it would.  However, after making it once, I know what I'd do differently next time!  :)

Still Winter

I have a number of ideas for wonderful winter meals floating around (like snowflakes) in my head...so I thought I'd better make one of them into reality since spring seems to be just around the corner!  :)

This winter meal is:

• snowflake-shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
• white cheddar cheese corn and rice puffs
• vanilla yogurt with snowflake sprinkles
• milk in a winter cup

Dessert is a snowman:

• 2 powdered donuts
• 1 powdered donut hole
• sprinkles eyes and mouth
• orange Tic Tac nose
• Xtremes rainbow berry sour candy scarf
• snowballs (miniature marshmallows)
• a dusting of snow (powdered sugar)

I just realized that I forgot to give the snowman arms.  Oh well...not all snowmen have arms, right??!  :)

T liked his winter lunch.

Snow Soup

Soup and winter...they go together like hand and glove.  The weather has been unseasonably mild this week, but no matter!  Potato soup is good anytime!  :)

Tonight for supper, we ate potato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.  Yum!

I thought I'd share the soup recipe.  It is easy to prepare and calls for ingredients usually on-hand.  (What could be better than that?!)

          Creamy Corn and Potato Chowder

          2 tbsp. butter
          2 tbsp. dried minced onion, reconstituted
          3 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2" cubes
          1/2 tsp. dried sage leaves
          3 tbsp. flour
          1 (14 1/2 oz.) can chicken broth
          2 c. milk
          1 (9 oz.) package frozen corn
          2 tsp. dried parsley flakes

          Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add onion, potatoes, and
          sage; cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

          Add flour; blend well.  Stir in chicken broth; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat;
          cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

          Add milk and corn.  Increase heat to medium; cook, uncovered, for an
          additional 5 minutes.  Stir in parsley.

Check out some other "snowy" meals....