Snowed In

What does a heaping pot of chili (recipe next week!), dozens of mugs of hot chocolate overflowing with marshmallows, four batches of banana chocolate chip muffins, a surprising experiment in making Tiramasu (future post!), two seasons of Master Chef Jr (my kid’s guilty pleasure, and mine!), dangerously competitive family marathon’s of Clue, homemade granola to serve a legion (future post!), a couple of great books, two heart-grabbing movies, and the zip fly sled add up to?

Snowed in!

Mother Nature decided we needed to take the week off! For those of us perched on a hill, the only way down was daring the sled! For the most part, my brood of seven huddled by the fire in our PJ’s, ate yummy food, watched movies, played games, narrowly escaped the emergency room on the zip fly sled, and relished the sweet time together!

Following were some of the favorite moments of the week!

1. The Zipfly sled has the Mason seal of approval! These sleds are spectacular on grass, ice and snow! Everyone in your family needs one!

2. The Good Lie: What can I say except this heroic movie is based on the true story of the Sudanese Lost Boys. It is a tale of true resilience and sacrificial love! Accompanying Oscar nominee Reese Witherspoon the main characters are played by the actual men and women who lived the true story! I recommend parents previewing the movie first for difficult content!

3. McFarland, USA: This is a great family movie currently showing in theaters! It is the story of a poor California community of immigrant “pickers,” who dare to live a life of dreams. Kevin Costner is the cross country coach, and he inspires these boys, and they inspire him, to do the impossible. This movie will have your whole family cheering!

 

4. Ironically, the week before the blizzard I piggy-backed on my husband’s business trip to sunny Santa Monica! While he was working, I found myself dreamy in a gem of a local bookstore. The owner made the visit a lot of fun. Here are just three of the many books I came home with!

Fifth Business by Robertson Davies: This is the first in the Deptford Trilogy. The book was a New York times hit by the Canadian author in the 1970’s and has just been brought back as a Penguin Classic. Not only is he a great storyteller, but he lends an aura of the mystical that I love. I’m fifty pages in so I’ll keep you posted!

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante: I have not started this one, but Carolyn from the bookstore said she couldn’t keep the Italian series on the shelf. The story is set in 1950’s Italy and follows the lives of two best friends.

Outline by Rachel Cusk: I was not familiar with this very acclaimed young British writer. I read the book in a day. The book was smart, inventive, and left much to ponder.

5. Coconut Oil: Best kept secret in the pantry! I cook with coconut oil all the time! It’s super low in cholesterol, great for the immune system, and anti-viral! But it is also luxurious for dry skin, hair, and hands! I put it on my Winter-dry face every morning!

 

Winter’s been fun but my heart is pining for Spring! Bring on the daffodils!

Live in Hope,

Farrell