Seeing the Big Picture....

I saw a cartoon the other about southerners and snow, of course, the first day it was all 'yeah, snow! It's so pretty, I'm eating snow ice cream, school's out!'  By the fourth day however, it was a totally different story! The poor little stick figure was laying there, almost dead because of boredom and beginning to go insane.....so very true in Oklahoma!

We don't get much snow so it's fun, fun, fun at first.  That first or second snowday is like a little gift.  You get to sleep in and finish projects that you don't normally get to work on.  But the difference between us and the northern states is that we expect that snow to melt away in a matter of days, not weeks!  We want to see blue skys and sunshine as soon before the end of the week.  We don't have the equipment to clear the roads so we're stuck in our homes with our families!

We got out over the weekend to see how the roads were and take my son over to a friends for a few hours.  As we were driving out in the country, I looked at the snow covered hills.  It was so peaceful looking, like everything was covered in a powdered sugar blanket.  I began to think about all the plants and animals that were tucked safely under all that snow.

You see, snow is a great insulator and we've had record low temperatures this last week.  We've also been under a severe drought.  I've been praying for moisture each week.  So suddenly we have a lot of moisture and record low temperatures, God has a way of taking care of his creatures.  I wondered how many animals and plants would have died if we just had been hit with record low temperatures without the protective covering of the snow blanket.

I began to be thankful for this snow.....the precious moisture will be appreciated as it slowly melts into the ground.  The animals are thankful as they are able to burrow under the snow and stay warmer.  My little brain sometimes just gets so carried away with wanting what I want, when I want it and I forget to stop and look at the wonder of nature.  I need to just stop, look, listen and be thankful; for whatever comes my way.  I need to trust that God is faithful and He will provide for me.  If He cares enough to water the plants in Oklahoma, I'm sure He cares for me!

Stir Crazy!

So my hubbie is officially stir-crazy!  Being stuck inside a house with two moody teenagers and cabin feverish husband is not my idea of a good time.....I don't know how many more days I'll be able to cope without hiking to town to see other people!

There is hope!  One of the nearby neighbors has a tractor with large wheels that can move in the snow so tomorrow, he'll hopefully be able to plow our drive.  He is using it today to clear their very long driveway and some of the older neighbors. By tomorrow afternoon, my husband may be able to get in his truck and drive in the one lane that is cleared to town and mingle with all the other stir-crazy men in this town!

I, on the other hand, like being stuck at home.  I'm a bit of a hermit anyway, so this just gives me a reason not to go out!  I have plenty of food and staples to last for at least two weeks so I'm in no hurry to visit civilization.  It must be a man thing as my daughter is happy at home and my son is crawling the walls!

The official snowfall for yesterday in Claremore was twenty inches.  On our property, some places have four foot snowdrifts so walking anywhere is tricky.  I walked up to the road and it took me about forty-five minutes just to walk up and back.  I was winded and tired, sweaty and cold and ready to go back inside! 

They've already called off school for  my daughter today and my guess is that she won't be back until Monday, that's if we don't get anymore!  Oklahoma is just not prepared for winter weather like this! We don't have the equipment to clear the roads like northern states do. It just doesn't make sense to purchase it since it only happens occasionally!

We broke the record for snowfall yesterday, we had more snow in a twenty-four hour period than since they started keeping records in 1900.  I told the kids to really look at the snow because chances are, they won't ever see this much snow in Oklahoma the rest of their lives.  I'm taking plenty of pictures too.  I'm hoping to post some tomorrow once I evict my husband out of the office so I can get to the computer I download pics on.  Maybe he'll get to go to town and I can get something done tomorrow!

Snow Day Beef Stew

Since we're snowed in and probably will be the rest of the week, I've just turned my house into a clothes pit.  It is hard not to be grinch-like on snow days.  My kids get all dressed up, go outside for five minutes, roll around in the snow and then come back in before I even sit down!  Then they proceed to strip off all the wet, snowy mess in the sunroom and parade it all before the wood stove to dry.  So my sunroom looks like a dirty show store and my living room looks like my dryer has quit!

Oh well, we don't get much snow and I know for a fact no one will be visiting us unexpectedly!  Unless you have a snowplow, you won't be coming down this drive-way.  So I'm just going with the flow, let the snow day come, I'm putting on stew and heading outside to take pictures of our massive snow! 

Snow Day Beef Stew
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into cubes
1 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onions

Add oil to a large dutch oven or large pan with a lid. Brown the meat, season with the salt and add onions.  Cook until the onions are tender.

Add the rest of the ingredients:
1 cup chopped celery
2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence
3 cups beef broth or beef boullion
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper
2-3 large potatoes, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 sweet potato, cut into 3/4 inch pieces (I add if I have...)
1 cup chopped carrots (I use baby carrots and do not cut)
 Cover and simmer until potato and carrots are tender.
Add 30 minutes before serving:
3/4 cup frozen peas

This is not a tomato based stew that is so good!  Add cornbread and you've got a great snow day meal!