We might have to go to the North Georgia Mountains to see some snow.

The poor kids get so excited for the snow, and then…Nothing.

Monday it was for sure — definite snow.

By Wednesday it was a wintry mix.

We will know tonight.

Last year, we got a bunch.  It stuck, too.

It  was perfect.

We built snowmen, forts and they got to do some sledding.

Lauren wants to move to Michigan.  She wants an ice rink in her backyard or a pond to skate on.

Her cousins live there and they get to go snow skiing, and they have snow pants.  Snow pants are the coolest.

Lauren wants snow pants.

She got to wear snow pants in Michigan, here when she was about 4.

Last year, too.

Mom, can I get some snow pants??

Um, we’ll see.

That means “no” in mom speak.  We all know that.

I grew up in Michigan.

Snow is fun.

Cold is not.

Not seeing the sun for six months can get you down.

Sorry sweetie, we are not moving to Michigan.

Love ya, but no.

I’ll let Brooke let you know how I feel about that.

She is crying about the money.

Not the pain.

So here we go…

A few days later, she made this t-shirt and wore it proudly:

Gotta love that spunk!!

1. My mom packed me a PB&J sandwich for lunch almost every day from 1st to 8th grade. I didn’t eat any them. Not a one.   She knows.

2. One of my greatest joys in life is buying new socks and underwear and t-shirts for my family. I love to open them up and throw them in the wash and enjoy the newness of them.  After that they are just laundry.

3. I love where we live, but sometimes I just wish I could get a pizza delivered to my house.   Without Nate having to do it for me.

4. My wedding cost $39.00. I think it was a good investment.  Better than my brothers’.

5. Sometimes I want to have more kids, just so I can listen to Raffi again. 

6. I am not good at laundry. Not so much the washing, but the putting away. My kids usually go to the laundry room for clothes instead of their rooms. The odds are better that they will find them there — usually in the dryer. I have so many “socks without partners” they have been given their own cabinet. 

7. I have never seen a Batman movie, a Godfather movie, or a Harry Potter movie. But I also haven’t seen a High School Musical movie. Now, that is something to be happy about. 

8. The only 4.0’s I ever got in college were in softball and piano. I don’t play either that much anymore, but I think I will start again.  I’m pretty sure I would have gotten a 4.0 in film class if I hadn’t gotten knocked up.

9. I don’t like to drive boats. In fact, it terrifies me. I love going out on the boat; I just hate driving it. I don’t know why, though, because I am not really afraid of anything else. I know it’s weird, and irrational, and quite silly, actually, but I can’t help it. I have this irrational fear that I will flip it over and we will all die. Or that I will run into another boat, or hit a tree stump and we will all die. Or that I will stop too suddenly and we will hit our heads and get thrown from the boat. Oh yeah, and we will all die. Or that I will run over a wakeboarder and he or she will get killed. By me. Actually, I think we should just not go out on the boat anymore.

10. The day my parents told us they were getting a divorce was one of the happiest days of my life. I don’t think my brothers shared my joy. 

11. I really should be banned from Target.   Seriously.

12. I have an incompetent cervix – which, I am certain, was named by a guy. 

13. I just bought 4 tickets to Dave Matthews Band, but I probably shouldn’t have bought them. I am having a bit of buyer’s remorse. Nope, I’m over it. 

14. I really like it when the dogs sleep with us. Sometimes I wake up with 2 kids and 3 dogs in the bed. They usually kick Tim out. Doesn’t really bother me.

15. I am always cold. I wear a coat to bed every night in the winter. And three pairs of socks. The tip of my nose usually feels like an ice cube. And the tips of my fingers and toes, too. There is always a fight over the heating pad. I should probably just go ahead and get an electric blanket. 

16. I have way too many Christmas trees. I bought 3 more this year. I really need to stop that.  I have 12 now.

17. Following politics is not something I should do. It makes me a little crazy. I had all kinds of crazy dreams. My favorite one involved Obama, RuPaul, and an October surprise. I also had my share of nightmares. I don’t think I got a full night’s sleep from the end of August until the election. I fell asleep on election night pretty early and missed some of the best parts. But I am sleeping soundly now.

18. I don’t really function very well if I am hungry or tired. But mostly tired. No, mostly hungry. Well, actually, I’m not pleasant to be around in either case.

19. Sometimes, I think “mom” or “momma” is the greatest word in the world. Then there are times when I think, if I hear that word one more single solitary time I will go completely and totally bat sh** crazy. Usually when I am tired. Or hungry. Hmm. Interesting.

20. I am not a good homemaker. Suzy the homemaker I am not. Well, technically I am, but very inefficient. Horrible, really. I would rather paint than clean. Not painting on canvas, but painting rooms. I think I painted some rooms in our old house 3 or 4 times each. I know I painted the kitchen 3 times, the foyer 4, the living room and dining room 3 each, and all the bedrooms twice. I used to watch a lot of TLC. Trading Spaces. First with Alex, then with Paige before she got fired. Ty Pennington before he got all Oprah on us and started building houses that people couldn’t afford to maintain. I’m doing better now, because I have painted all the rooms in our new house only once. Except for one, but I painted it forest green and was a really bad idea. I’m not quite sure what I was thinking. 

21. We tried to watch Scream once, but we had to turn it off after 5 minutes because we were too scared. I think Drew Barrymore was about to die, but we turned it off before it happened. That reminds me, I used to hate slumber parties when I was little because of the inevitable Halloween or Friday the 13th viewing. I have been told that Scream isn’t actually that scary. You must be crazy. 

22. My DVR is always full. We have over 150 hours on 4 TVs and it is still full. 

23. I really would like to hike the Appalachian Trail someday. I don’t know if I am cut out for it, though (see 15 & 18), and I don’t want to do it alone.  I am trying to convince Brady to do it with me.

24. The only magazine I actually read cover to cover is Entertainment Weekly. All the other ones just have pretty pictures.  Or are going bankrupt.

25. I keep thinking of more, but those are a little more PostSecret than Facebook.

We were so saddened but the death of Leroi Moore from injuries from his 4 wheeler accident. Just awful.

I haven’t exactly told them about the tickets yet, but I am not being sneaky, I am just waiting for the right time. Maybe Valentine’s day. Anyway, I am pretty pumped.

The only other group I would love to see right now is Coldplay, but I am not a big fan of the basketball arena they always play there. I saw Jack Johnson in August and it was outside and it was awesome. It was the first concert I ever went to where the guy was younger than me. Okay, he is two months younger than me, but still… I am getting old.

I think I have seen the Beach Boys 12 times. Yeah, I didn’t have many friends growing up. I have seen Elton John and Billy Joel probably 3 times each and once together. Let’s see — Barenaked Ladies a few times, Tim McGraw, Goo Goo Dolls, No Doubt, Rod Stewart, Alanis Morrisette, I know I am forgetting some. But the best Christmas present, ever from my hubby –Bruce Springsteen tickets. I heart Bruce.

I am thankful for my church. We started to attend church regularly about a year ago, and it has been great. We have met a lot of wonderful people and it makes us pretty happy. I think it is a really good fit for us.

I am loving Facebook. I have caught up with some really good friends from college and high school, and can connect with friends I have made here.

And, this week, I am pretty darn thankful for our new President. I will be especially thankful if he does what I hope he will do. My hope is that he will end bitter partisanship in Washington, and will stop pitting Americans against each other. We have a common pride as Americans, and I think the way politics has been for the last 16 years or so, at least, has been awful. I think he has been a great example so far; trying to be above the personal attacks, listening — even including — those on the other side instead of ignoring them or calling them names. I think there is a place for every American in his administration. He seems to be a very thoughtful person, and I think he will be a great example. I think intelligence should be applauded, not mocked. And I think this is a good thing for our country. After all, we’re all in this together.

I will be very thankful if everyone gives him a chance.

You see, when he was a puppy, he would come into the room (before he was big enough to jump on the bed) and he would bark or lick me when he wanted to go out. We a morning person I am not, so I wouldn’t exactly jump up to let him outside. Then, he would bring me a sock. That worked. I would grab it from him and up I would get, and out he would go. Now this was when he was a puppy, and he would chew. He chewed everything. So that sock would be history in a matter of a minute or two.

Well, two years later, he’s not much of a chewer. And when he wakes up in the morning, he jumps off the bed and grabs (in his mouth) random presents. He brings the usual stuff — socks, shoes, stuffed animals. But also, hangers, books, flashlights, and screwdrivers. Yes, apparently these things are readily available for my boy to get.

So every morning I get presents. Sometimes two or three. Because I know he won’t chew them anymore. He knows better. I just grab them, say thank you and put them above my pillow. It is actually pretty fun. We sometimes try to guess. What will Buck bring us today?? My only wish is that he could bring me a cup of coffee in the morning. Now that would be a great present.

He does know that's Buck, right? He doesn't think it's me does he?

Wow, that is exciting. What a day.

The main thing I am doing today is watching the inauguration. I love this stuff. I can’t wait to hear President Obama’s speech. Michelle is wearing what appears to be yellow. I’ll have to get a closer look. I thing she always looks pretty good, though.

Happy Tuesday!

Two of my favorite families.