snow time!

we have snow, and the most snow....ever in tulsa!  it is quite amazing at the amount.  no, if you live up north you wouldn't think 13"+ is all that much, but here it is a ton!  it literally shut the entire city down.

i grew up going skiing, so i love the snow.  as soon as i hear we are getting some, i immediately want to go sledding and have fun in it.  but, the key to having fun in the snow is bundling up in the correct winter clothes!  you can't go out in your regular clothes and expect to have fun and stay warm.  not gonna happen.  so, here is my gear for playing in the snow...

sweater leggings

long underwear top & bottom

wool sock liners

thick wool socks

waterproof ski pants

long sleeve shirt

fleece hoodie

scarf

down coat

beanie

glove liners

waterproof ski gloves

waterproof boots

yea, it's a lot, but it is sooo worth it!  we were outside yesterday for close to 4 hours and my body wasn't cold at all.  even if you never go skiing, you would benefit from having these items at least once or twice a year in oklahoma.  it might even make you like snow a little more!

the north face boots below are fabulous.  they are super warm and waterproof.  they also have a funny story.  back when we lived in dallas, one christmas mymichael's dad asked him what i would like for christmas.  mymichael told him that i would like a pair of hiking boots.  really?  hiking boots?  when he told me this, i was a little bit confused.  you see, hiking boots would NOT be the first thing that i would ask for!  boots, sure, but hiking?  i don't think so.  but, since mymichael had already told him that, i decided to go with it.  instead of getting plain hiking boots, i decided on some good winter "hiking" boots.  and i'm glad i did.  even though they aren't worn all the time, they still come in super handy during these times!

my boys...

now, once you get on all those layers, you may look like the michelin man, but that's okay, right?

oscar

mak

mymichael

a huge chunk of ice and snow!

i think oscar likes the snow!

i'm hoping we have no leaks in the roof...

sledding fun.  if you are in tulsa and want some serious sledding, head to 111th & yale.  there is a huge retention pond.  i wouldn't suggest for young kiddos...it's pretty steep!  dad, me, & mymichael getting ready to head down

it was freaking cold...18 degrees!

the "slopes"

happy snow days!

recipes {drinks}

with all this wonderful snow weather that we have had, mymichael and i have had the chance to try out a few new winter recipes!  soome of these are tricky....so pay close attention!!!

snow slushies

coke or your favorite soda pop

fresh snow

gather fresh snow from your front or back yard.  fill glass with snow & slowly pour soda pop over the top.

voila!  snow slushies!  absolutely wonderful!



the other drink recipe is for the adults.  mymichael has been under the weather for the past 5 days...sore throat...coughy...etc.  so, yesterday i made hima hot toddy.  i've always heard people using them to soothe throats and such, so i figured we would try it out. 

hot toddy

1 ounce whiskey or bourbon {we used whiskey bourbon...corrected by mymichael.  sorry but it's rather confusing!}

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 lemon

1 cup boiling water

pour 1 ounce of whiskey bourbon into a glass.  add honey and the juice from 1/2 a lemon.  boil 1 cup of water and pour into glass with whiskey bourbon, honey mixture.  stir to incorporate honey.

since we have SO much snow i started thinking about other things you could make with it.  here are some ideas i have come up with...

-snow ice cream

-snow banana split, use snow as the ice cream and top with chocolate syrup

-snow cones

those are just a couple...do you all have any ideas?

snow!

this year we have had some great snows so far.  i am a big fan of the 4 seasons and getting to experience different weather throughout the year.  i could not live somewhere where it is the same all year round.  in the spring i love the thunderstorms with the rain, thunder and lightening, in the summer i love beautiful hot days where you can lay by the pool and relax, in the fall i love the crisp cool air and smell of fire and in the winter i love watching big white snow flakes fall. 

a couple of weeks ago we had a snow storm come through that had the local weather guys all in a tizzy.  it was all the news talked about for a whole week.  the staple winter foods were sold out in the grocery stores and you couldn't find a snow shovel or fire wood anywhere.  yep, our big 6 inches of snow shut the city down.  it's kind of funny b/c currently the northeastern u.s. is under something like 36" of snow....or more.  just goes to show that it's all relative! 

the friday that the snow came down mymichael and i went to a movie with my parents and afterwards i convinced them to all come with me to take pictures of the snow.  it was 11:30 at night and i wanted to try out my new wireless shutter release.  so we loaded up the camera and tripod and headed out.  we also brought along some snow shoes to have fun in.  one thing i determined that night is that i am not good at working a tripod!  i definitely need more practice.  i would much rather just hold the camera.  my goal was to get some pictures of the snow without using my flash, which means that you have to leave the shutter open longer on your camera so it can get plenty of light in {remember...it was 11:30 at night}, which means that the camera has to be super still or it will all just be a big blurr.  it was a challenge and fun at the same time.  i think we got some pretty pictures.  here are a few...

the moon was so bright!

a sihloette {totally think that is spelled wrong, but i don't want to look it up} of a tree.  i think it looks like sticks of bamboo....look how smooth the snow is!

the picture below is not in black and white like the others.  it's amazing at how it looks like day but it's really night and pitch black.  letting that shutter stay open longer lets you capture all kinds of goodness!

this picture illustrates how an open shutter can give you that soft flowing water look...so cool!

i love snow...it's beautiful and white and soft and fluffy and pretty.....that is until it starts to melt and all the road gunk gets mixed into it.  i figure if it's going to be cold outside, you might as well have something pretty to look at and take pictures of. 

oh, i forgot to mention, we also made snow ice cream that night.  i hadn't had it in years and mom whipped up  a batch that was pretty yummy and super easy.  would probably be a fun little activity with some kids....if i had any....but i don't...so i just acted as the kid and enjoyed it myself.  i also usually try and fit in some sledding as well.  here are a few pictures from last year when we hit up the retainage ditch at 111th and yale...

note that not one of the happy sledders is an "actual" kid....dad, me, whit & mymichael {mom is a watcher and picture taker}

this is me taking out mymichael with an awesome snow ball...he totally deserved it!

ah...good memories!

 hope everyone's making the best of this crazy winter with some good memories!