Okay, really only about 2 1/2, but that was more than enough for Miss Bit. (Don't you LOVE how well her ensemble matches? ;oP) We layered and bundled and headed out in 20 degree temps. My goal was to check out Rt. 5 and the other roads to see what were our chances of a snow day tomorrow.
This was Rt. 5 at 10:00 this morning. 
This is looking across Rt. 5 down another road. Please note that although 5 has been plowed the other roads (including my street) haven't. In fact, our street is nothing but a solid sheet of ice at this point, having been driven on and compacted. I'm terrified about tomorrow... The thing is, we so seldom get any sort of snow/wintery event here, it wouldn't be in the city's best interest to keep and maintain a large fleet of snow removal equipment. So, they do the best they have with the equipment on-hand. The primaries are kept cleared and the secondaries hit when they can...On the plus side, I have the day off! Hooray for snow days!!!!! :o) 
Lil spent most of the trip riding in the sled. We decided to check out the wilderness trail and took the scenic route to "the big hill". May I just say that eight inches of snow and and pregnancy are not necessarily the best mix? My hips are so loosey goosey these days and my back is so achy I was left huffing and puffing after B and Lily. 
As we were beginning our trek, I noticed a set of tracks in the snow and immediately deduced they were cross-country skiing tracks. I called them to B's attention and he said, "Thank you!! I couldn't quite place them." :o) We were passed by three different people cross-country skiing. One gentleman said it has been 15 years since he last had them out and he was happy to "wear the rust off" on the trail. 
We made it to "the big hill" and boy was it BUSY! I have to chuckle because we live close by a "good" sledding hill. There are NO hills here, for the most part, so people were congregating at the hill at the high school.
Lil struggling up the hill. 
She was SO cute! 
The "hill" had a really steep side and a shallower side. B and Lil went down the steep part and Lil took the shallower side herself. She had such a good time! :o)I had to chuckle, though. Growing up in Blacksburg, there are SO many hills on which to sled, there were times it was tough to choose which one to use. Sometimes it was "Dead Man's Hill" through the cow pastures at Papa's. That's were I tore all the ligaments in my right ankle (remind me to tell the tale some time). Kids in town would go to the municipal golf course to sled. Here, kids come to "The Big Hill". :o) 
Lil took one last trip down the driveway (we have the best hill in the neighborhood, you know) and then we were in to have cocoa and lunch. Since then, I've cleaned the kitchen, done laundry, written lesson plans, and had my hips and lower back seize. ;o) ****************************************Today's Sparklies:1. The snow looked like diamond dust sparkling in the sun. (We were all a bit snow-blind when we returned from our adventure and everything had the loveliest pink cast to it...).2. Being out in the fresh air today. Oh how I LOVE weather like this! I was MADE for snow. :o) 3. No school tomorrow!!!!!!!!! :o)4. I wrote all my lesson plans from now until my last day (March 31). Woo hoo!5. Lil and the snow. Oh she's such a neat-o kiddo. :o)6. B and I are watching "Funny Farm". Both my step-dad and Papa and Pawpaw LOVED this movie. I've seen it more times than I can count, and yet, I found myself longing to see it. Knowing B would enjoy it as well, I got it for him as a late birthday gift. :o)7. B did the taxes yesterday. Hooray for getting that nasty job out of the way.8. I cleaned out the coat closet (and still can't find Lil's snow boots...) and have a stack of sweaters, jackets and coats to pass on to Jessie. Milestones:Hannah loved snow so very much, I KNOW she would have been beyond excited to not only be out in it with us and Lily, but to have tomorrow off as well. I miss her. ********************************I suppose the meatloaf won't make itself so I'm off to cook. :o)
I called the OB's office today and I don't have gestational diabetes. Woo hoo! Everything came back normal--like I predicted--but it's nice to have that reassurance. :o)We're supposed to get between 8" and 12" of snow between tonight and late late late tomorrow night. Here's hoping! :o) If we do, I'll be sure to post pictures. Happy Friday, everyone! :o)
Flour tribute in a moment. Here are some better photos of the Bit's hair. What a goofy kiddo. :o) I didn't realize just how cute her cheeks were until we chopped the hair off. She is in LOVE with this new 'do and couldn't believe how quickly we fixed her hair this morning. 
Silly posed shot. I couldn't help but include it. 
"I want to make a silly face, Mommy!" Okay. :oP
And, the cut from the back. 
And the side. Oh, and the big girl riding her bike. :o)
Me, 28 weeks with Bean. I've gained seven pounds. Not too bad. :o) Now, the flour. OH, the flour. :happy sigh: The "real" name of the flour is "Virginia's Best Self-Rising Flour" but we call it Elliston flour for that is where it is milled. Well, that, and Granny Tess (my step-grandma) called it that. I was fairly young when she told my mom this, so I've only heard the story and I may be wrong (correct me, please, Mama), but I do believe Mom asked Granny Tess how it was she made such delicious, beautiful biscuits, that the Gold Medal flour she was using just wasn't working. Granny replied she needed to use Elliston flour. 
You can't argue with these results. :oP There is no specific biscuit recipe. I throw some flour in a bowl, cut in some shortening, add milk and mix. The trick is to not overwork the dough--it's quite tender. It's one of those things you just have to get the feel for. The first few times I made them I was a nervous wreck. Now, I throw 'em together and oh, are they divine.Elliston flour is also my go-to for waffles and pancakes, and I've been known to use it in place of all purpose flour and leavening agents in some recipes. The only trouble is, the only place I've been able to find it (until this evening when I found this site), is Blacksburg. I've been known to stock up and bring home 25 pounds of flour, lol! Brien and I have been "hibernating" the past few weeks, craving comfort foods. Today, we had chicken cooked in the new crock-pot (such a lovely lovely slow cooker!) with chicken stock, a can of cream of chicken soup and a can of cream of mushroom soup. I shredded the chicken and put it back in the sauce. We served that over the biscuits like this:
It was SO warm and filling and utterly delicious. :o) Served with some steamed broccoli (this seems to be the one food I'm craving more than any other these days...) it was a perfect meal. :o) Thank you, Elliston flour, for making this meal possible. ;oP******************************************In other news, there is a rumor going around that we might be in for some significant snow accumulation Saturday. I'll believe it when I see it. However, I don't believe in messing around with winter weather around here (I'm fairly certain they don't have that much snow removal equipment here so snow and icy roads have a tendency to linger) and I know that some of the imports from warmer climes can get antsy when driving in those conditions. So, instead of fighting with everyone at the grocery tomorrow evening after dinner (the snow is supposed to begin tomorrow night and continue through Saturday) I went tonight. I figure 'tis better to be safe than sorry, and heck, it's nice to have the meal planning and shopping for next week finished and out of the way. :o) As for the snow...we'll see. ;oPMeanwhile, I've not yet heard from the doctor's office, I expect I'll have something to share tomorrow evening. I know I don't typically post on Fridays, but I'll make an exception in this case. :oP*********************************Today's Sparklies:1. My hair is fabulous! :o) I was able to use my products in my hair, and style it the way I usually do and it looks GOOD. No, there are no pictures because by the end of the day it's not looking its best. I'll try to get a decent photo and post it this weekend. 2. Dinner. YUM!3. Elliston flour--how I love thee. ;o)4. Lily and her hair. She is so stinkin' cute (yes, she's mine, I'm biased ;oP).5. Snow???? :fingers crossed:
6. The student today who was worried I wouldn't be able to go out and play in the snow because of Ellie. It was so sweet he was worried about me not able to have fun. No milestones.
Wow, what a day. I'm beat. I'm seriously exhausted. Who knew going without food for 17 hours could do such a number on you? Who knew all that disgustingly sugary glucola on an empty stomach could make you so ill? Who knew I would have a HUGE sugar crash when my body had expended all the energy it absorbed from that much sugar? Who knew the lady jabbing me would hurt me so badly? Oh, who knew...? I was stuck only four times, but trust me, it was enough. I managed to get my stack of tests graded (HOORAY!) and made friends with many of the ladies in the waiting room with me. :oP Lil and I made it home in time to do laundry and a clean the bathrooms. Then we went to our hair appointments. Isn't her hair wonderful?
She's looking forward to not having to deal with the "rat's tangles" she gets during the night and I can tell you her hair looks SO much thicker than before. :o)B came to pick her up so I could have my hair done without worrying about a bored child. He drove her by Taco Bell (at her request) and almost had a meltdown laughing (he managed to keep it in to avoid hurting the Bit's feelings) when she asked him about the speaker. He told her what it was for and she responded, " Why is there a microphone there? I'm concerned." LOL!Then, at home, she decided she wanted to try some of Daddy's hot sauce. She dipped her finger in, got a little bit and declared, "Dat's not hot." Then, took a larger finger full and said, "Oh, wait, it's hot if you get lots of it!" What a kiddo! Meanwhile, my hair hadn't been cut since July, and my last color appointment was October 2008. The hairdresser we saw (oddly enough, another Melissa in my life) had had 2 1/2 hour block-out cancel on her and offered to foil my hair. I jumped at the chance. I'm a blonde again! ;o)The cut isn't quite perfect, but it is workable. If nothing else, it's lighter and the ends are once again in decent shape. I'll be seeing Melissa again and I know we can get my hair just the way I like it. I've just been spoiled the past 15 years or so, having Jessie do my hair. :oP*********************************Today's Sparklies:1. Getting the tests graded while I waited.2. Getting the glucose tolerance test out of the way. Whew!3. Lily was a darling whilst having her hair cut today. Yay!4. Waylen:
"I can has ice cream? Puh-LEEZ?"
"Okay, fine, I no can has ice cream. :sigh:"No milestones.*****************************Please excuse the quality of the photos--they were taken with the iPhone because that happened to be the camera at hand at that time.
It's after 8:00, which means no more to eat or drink except water. That includes gum and mints. Woo hoo! I am SO not looking forward to tomorrow, if only because I really don't like being stuck. Ugh. As I said yesterday, I'm not too worried about this, though. My guess is all is well as I had to do this with Lily four years ago. We'll see what happens. I'm happy about one thing, though. This three hour period tomorrow will give me PLENTY of time to grade the adjectives tests I have hanging over my head. ;o)On to more random topics. I'm currently engrossed in NOVA on PBS. Tonight's episode is about monarch butterflies. Monarchs are, and have always been, my favorite butterfly. There is something beautiful and regal about them that I love. The migratory patterns are utterly fascinating and how they know where they are supposed to go is mind boggling. The fact I'm watching this program in HD makes it all the better. I swear I can see the individual scales on the wings. :oP*************************************Today's Sparklies:1. Feeling Miss Ellie rolling and tumbling in her home. She is definitely a sleeper, as there will be LONG periods of time with little to no movement, and then, suddenly, she's awake and rolling around. She's not much of a kicker or a jabber, she's more of a somersaulter and roller. Her movements are far more subtle than Han's were, and she is definitely more low-key than Lil--goodness knows I didn't think that would be possible, lol! 2. Lily is my joy and delight. What a sweet sweet girl she tries hard to be. This evening, she cleaned her art table all by herself and tried her best to be thorough. Even when she's being persnickety, she's still a doll baby. 3. Sharing the kitchen with B this evening. He was "in charge" of dinner tonight (bella burgers and "russel" sprouts a la Hannah) and I helped prep the ingredients and then cleaned up behind him. It was WONDERFUL having him there with me, the two of us working as a team. Typically if one of us is cooking, the other is off doing some other chore, so this was a nice change of pace. 4. I took the bull by the horns and called a local salon to make appointments for Lil and me to have our hair cut. I'm beyond desperate at this point, as I haven't had my hair cut since this summer. Eek! Lil as well. And, unlike Bri and me, her hair is fairly thin and fine and she needs a cut to give her hair the appearance of being thicker and fuller. I'm REALLY looking forward to the cut. :o)5. I get to sleep in the tiniest bit tomorrow since my appointment isn't until 8:20 and I'm usually at work by about 7:30. Woo hoo! ;o)6. This monarch program on NOVA. WOW! No milestones, more of a dull saddness.
The case of Morgan Harrington, the young Virginia Tech student who went missing in October appears to be over. Morgan had gone to UVA to attend a Metallica concert with a group of friends and disappeared. Today, a farmer checking on a rarely visited cow pasture, found some skeletal remains. Morgan's parents were called in to identify the remains.
Reading that, my heart actually lurched. This child (I don't care that she was 20, she was still their child) has been missing since October. I'm sure these parents were clinging to the hope she was alive and out there somewhere, such as the case of Elizabeth Smart. You would have to. How could you not?
So, to not only be told it seems they have found your daughter's remains, but you have to go and identify them (after there has been severe decomposition) has to be their worst nightmare. I can tell you, prior to losing the Monkey, I would have been upset to hear this. Now, however, I'm sickened and saddened as I have an entirely new appreciation for what this family must be going through.
I'm sure on the one hand they are relieved she has been found. Now there will be some closure. On the other hand...oh, that other hand. I could cry for this family, I really could.
Losing Han has made me an even more empathetic (who would have thunk it?), sympathetic person. Because now, you see, I get it. :o(
********************************
Here's hoping everything goes relatively smoothly tomorrow. :fingers crossed:
Kelly very generously shared many of the pics she took this weekend, sending them out last night. Kelly, thank you thank you thank you!! :o)This first one is Uncle Ron with Grace.
Hee hee! It's amazing this outfit will be TOO small within a week or two. Boy they grow and change SO fast.
As I said last night, I made the cake, Kelly frosted it, and the girlies decorated it. See?
One sprinkle for the cake for every two for the mouth. ;o)
Lil looks a bit nonplussed for some reason. Hmmmm...
All those sprinkles lead to green tongues. ;o)
Ah, Gabe-Man! He is such a sweetie pie, and boy has he had a language explosion! :o)
Allie with Miss Tiny. 
Oh how Gabriel loved it when we sang to him. He was also quite insistent we use the Thomas plates Jessie had purchased. ;o)
Lissie and Grace. 
Ella giving Grace a "squishy" face (not to be confused with the "squishy" Lil loves to eat). 
This child is utterly bewitched by her baby sister. It's beautiful to watch. :o) **********************************There's not much to say here. I didn't "pass" my glucose screening last week so I'm headed in on Wednesday for the fasting 3 hour test. Ugh, ick and ugh some more. I went through this with Lily as well. :sigh: They wanted my blood sugar to be below 130 after an hour and instead it was 147. No, it's not really high, but, it's not where it needs to be. My guess (based on having gone through this with Lil) is that all is well. However, I need to do a 12 hour fast and be jabbed numerous times for this to be substantiated. And, if it turns out I have gestational diabetes, we'll go on from there. When you begin a pregnancy as a bigger girl, these things are bound to happen. *************************************Today's Sparklies:1. Lil and I had to visit the vet's office today to pick up Waylen's antibiotics. Oh how I love that place. :o) We have the most wonderful friends there. In fact, I was joking around with Dr. B when I somehow wound up behind the desk that apparently I thought I owned the place. She said, "If you ever quite your job we'll hire you." Hee hee!2. Lily had a wonderful day at school and for some unknown reason, decided to be the best child she could be today. I'm NOT complaining, just making an obesrvation.3. New Lily-isms: "benember"--not to forget something"hycheeda"--the spotted critter that runs on the African plains"hyneenahs"--those laughing critters that are Scar's companions in "Lion King" 4. Anyone else out there see the correlation of the ugliness of a piece on the Antiques Roadshow to it's value? The uglier the piece, the more it's worth. I'm looking at a very, um, interesting chandelier thinking it's got to be worth a fortune. Uh, oh, it looks as if it may be a fake...5. Brien. Just Brien. It's wonderful to know that I have a husband with whom I can share those items I hear on NPR that I find fascinating and he will too. No milestones.
This was Rt. 5 at 10:00 this morning. 
This is looking across Rt. 5 down another road. Please note that although 5 has been plowed the other roads (including my street) haven't. In fact, our street is nothing but a solid sheet of ice at this point, having been driven on and compacted. I'm terrified about tomorrow... The thing is, we so seldom get any sort of snow/wintery event here, it wouldn't be in the city's best interest to keep and maintain a large fleet of snow removal equipment. So, they do the best they have with the equipment on-hand. The primaries are kept cleared and the secondaries hit when they can...
Lil spent most of the trip riding in the sled. We decided to check out the wilderness trail and took the scenic route to "the big hill". May I just say that eight inches of snow and and pregnancy are not necessarily the best mix? My hips are so loosey goosey these days and my back is so achy I was left huffing and puffing after B and Lily. 
Lil struggling up the hill. 
She was SO cute! 
Lil took one last trip down the driveway (we have the best hill in the neighborhood, you know) and then we were in to have cocoa and lunch. 
