Snow Schmow - and Happy Epiphany, or 12th Night, or Merry Christmas in Russia

Here I sit, having some MAJOR de ja vu.  I seem to remember that the week that we returned from Christmas break last year, we ended up getting out for a 'non snow' day that week (actually I looked back, it was January 15th and that day we got out because it was cold!, not because there was snow...). Just when things were starting to return to normal... whatever that is?

Today is the Russian Orthodox Christmas.  Russians celebrate Christmas today.  Catholics celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany.  The Scottish celebrate 12th Night.  In any tradition, it's an important night!  So have a blessed Epiphany!  Merry Christmas! and Happy 12th Night!

Anyway, they are PREDICTING 1-3 inches of snow for here tomorrow.  Now keep in mind that it hasn't actually started to snow yet.  They are just saying that it will snow, but we haven't actually seen the first flake.  Also please keep in mind that we are in the CITY school district.  For those of you who live near rural areas, you know full well that this means our buses do not traverse any really narrow, winding, hilly country roads.  We pretty much live on city streets, the whole lot of us who attend every single school in our district.  Now maybe it will surprise you to know that school has been dismissed for tomorrow.  Pause for dramatic affect... yes, that's right, they have already announced that there will be NO school tomorrow.

Don't get me wrong, I really do love a snow day.  I actually look forward to them.  They are guaranteed to happen here in the South because none of us know how to drive on the snow, we don't have snow tires and chains and such around these parts.  I actually am not a total idiot on the snow, I did grow up on a farm and my Daddy taught me not to brake and turn at the same time, yada yada yada.  But still, I promise you, if the first flake falls, it will look like the day after Armageddon in the morning because no self-respecting Southerner would dare set foot in a car until 10 AM, at which time all the snow will be melted and life will return to normal, albeit a very cold version of normal.  My friends north of the Mason Dixon are really impressing me with their thermometer reportings in the negatives. I truly cannot imagine living where temps regularly dip below freezing.  We have had below freezing temps this week (20-30 degrees) and I've felt like I was going to die of frost bite every single time I've popped my head out the door.  But I have next week to look forward to, when the weather man is promising 40's and sunshine! :)

Anyway, the kids are out of school tomorrow and you would think they hadn't had a day off in months the way they were dancing around the house.  I was not very wise when I informed them at 7:30 that there would be no school.  Why on earth didn't I tuck their sweet heads into their beds and snuggle up with the new book Lindsay just sent me, next to my roaring hot fire that I had stoked in hopes of enjoying a movie on the couch tonight?  Why didn't I think ahead, they could have slept late in the morning, thinking they were sneaking a few more minutes of sleep prior to the arrival of the bus.  Why, why, why?

A few photos from the week, just because I have some time on my hands now that I don't have to beat the bus tomorrow morning! :)  Yay for me, I don't have to remember the napkins.  :)

Brian and I cleaned out our attic this weekend.  He found this crown.  I said, "Can we toss this?"  He said, "That's from when I was homecoming king!"  Me, "So?"  Him, "Would you throw away your crown if you were homecoming queen?"  Me, "Um? YES!"  So guess what we did with it?  :)

Notice that Connor is in a different outfit (different day) but still wearing the crown!  Every king needs a good dog, don't you think?  And a double headed axe! I'm actually starting to get used to seeing him in this thing.

Have you ever seen anything more pitiful?  Seriously, he looks innocent, but believe me, he would snatch that pizza off the table at his first available opportunity.

Guess what the kids got from their third round of Grandparent Christmas?  Is this thing safe?  Is 15 miles per hour really wise?  Don't they need a license for this thing?  I guess it's better than a REAL go-kart, right?  Try to just ignore the junk in our garage.  That's what I tell my husband about twice a week too!

Speaking of grandparents, this is my mom with the little puppy, who is now named Rocky.  And who has gone to live with my friends, the Hills.  My mom isn't really a pet person so much, so this will tell you how irresistible this dog is.  I know what you're thinking... how did a woman who doesn't really like pets end up with a cowboy, living on a farm, raising a daughter that loves everything with four legs and fur?  Well, I don't know how it happened to start with, but that they are now divorced shouldn't really be a shocker! My mom is very happy to be the coach's wife and attend church every Sunday.  My dad is very happy to worship from his deer stand and have a wife that enjoys taking vacation time to attend National Finals Bull Riding Events.  All's well that ends well.

And how exactly a post about the Epiphany and non-snow turned into an "it's okay, really" about my parents' divorce (which was well over 20 years ago anyway) is just further testament to my focusing skills and my gnat-like attention span.  Gotta go, I think I just heard a chicken!

By the way, Kristine, you have to jump over to my friend Carrie's blog (Laugh or Cry Carrie in my sidebar), she's the one who first told me about the chicken thing and it stuck!  Plus, you and I are already friends with all the same bloggers and Carrie lives sort of near me and is really one of the funniest people I've ever met.  Plus she has two tiny Russians in her house, so y'all have lots in common.