Hello, February!

I now remember why I moved south. And why I don’t think I want to move north again. I’m not sure what happened to some of my hardcore winter gear – I don’t own a snow shovel, warm gloves, ice scraper or snow pants. I do still have my warm down coat, cozy Sorel boots and a pair of silk long underwear. I forgot how much work it is to put all that stuff on so you can go outside and “enjoy” the sunshine. How to walk on ice without going ass-over-heels. That walking in 10 or 12 inches of snow is an awesome cardio workout. That below-zero temperatures and windchills are, well, COLD.

The powdery snow we have is perfect for snowmobiling or cross-country skiing. I do miss those activities! The sun is shining today and I’ve gone out for two walks with Baxter today. It’s a whole 11 degrees warmer than the weatherman said it would be. The snow will (hopefully) be gone by next week. And the groundhog saw his shadow, so spring can’t be too far away.

I’ve been enjoying being at home. We knew the storm was coming – the weather forecasters were causing mass hysteria about it. Here in southwest Missouri, we seem to have been right on the edge of things – we got a lot of snow and ice for around here, but not as much as other places. Like, say, Chicago. I had plenty of time to stock up on books and chocolate, plus I had a stash of new scrapbooking/card-making supplies to play with and a few ideas for new horseshoe beading designs.

Since I just finished a mess of deadline work, I’m content to “waste” the day away with a good book, work on some craft projects, make up a pot of chili. I have to force myself to work out, though – my body is also content to just sit around and relax and it would be so easy to slip into that mode. And a 15-minute stroll down the icy road doesn’t count as a work out, as much as I would like it to.

I am not quite finished scrapbooking January's goings-on. This project is a take-off from Project Life, using a calendar I found at Michael's and then scrapbooking photos, souvenirs and events from the month. It's a fun project to document the year. I'm also printing off blog posts on a monthly basis to include in the calendar binding. It will be neat to be able to look back! Life is what you make it!