Winter Weather Advisory

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 12 PM CST WEDNESDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN QUAD CITIES HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 12 PM CST WEDNESDAY.

SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA LATE THIS EVENING. ALTHOUGH SNOW AMOUNTS WILL BE GENERALLY LESS THAN AN INCH...STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS...FROM 20 TO 30 MPH WILL CAUSE CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF THE NEW AND EXISTING SNOW. IN ADDITION TO THE BLOWING SNOW...WIND CHILLS WILL BECOME BITTERLY COLD. THE COMBINATION OF TEMPERATURES DROPPING INTO THE RANGE OF ZERO TO 10 BELOW AND STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS WILL RESULT IN WIND CHILL INDEX READINGS AS LOW AS 20 TO 30 BELOW ZERO LATE TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT A COMBINATION OF WINTER WEATHER FACTORS WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. DANGEROUSLY COLD WIND CHILLS AND BLOWING SNOW WILL CREATE HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS FOR THOSE WHO MUST TRAVEL AND VENTURE OUTDOORS. BE PREPARED FOR SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES. BE SURE TO CARRY A WINTER STORM SURVIVAL KIT IN YOUR VEHICLE.

Today was snow day #4, possibly #5 tomorrow! When checking the weather this afternoon, (which as a side note, I wonder if it is really necessary to know the temperature as there really isn't much difference between -2 and -10, they are both subfreezing and arctic!) I came across the above warning.

I can't decide if the most amusing part is where they call it "bitterly" cold, where we are told that with the windchills the temps will be 20-30 BELOW zero or the last line in which we are warned to carry a survival kit in our cars. Really?!

Always an adventure here in Iowa, think of the stories we'll be able to tell our children. Niles will really be able to say that he walked to school in the snow...he won't be able to say uphill both ways, but we can tell them he was in snow up to his knees & that I had to carry a survival kit in my car!

Cookies

Mrs. Gish Rocks!

Today I received a shipment of the best tasting and cutest cookies in the world. Check her out at www.mrsgishshomemadecookies.com I promise you'll not be disappointed. She does every occasion under the sun. The chocolate cookies are my favs. Don't you just love the braces?!

Spring Fever

I'm done. I'm over it. I want nothing more to do with the snow. However, this will prove to be difficult since we are expecting 4-6 inches of snow tonight. Who in their right mind finds this fun? I certainly don't. I'm sick and tired of my weather bug showing temps in the single digits with no end in sight!I was reading The Road of Life blog when I came across "Spring in a Can". You can purchase this snappy little set on Etsy. It is a paint can gussied up with some burlap & twine, a pack of dirt and a few grass seeds. You assemble in the dry, gas heat induced warmth of your home and voila in 5 days you have bright, green grass! It seems that, for now, this is my only hope of springtime. How sad is that?

So, as all you southerners bask in the radiance of the warm sun say a little prayer for me--that I can make it up my ice covered driveway without sliding back down as I lose traction and then that I'm able to scurry into our "cottage" without getting frostbite on any exposed smidgen of skin!

From now on, only sunny thoughts for me!

Snow Day!

Today we woke up to a Snow Day! This is my car this morning buried in snow--isn't the midwest fun?! According to Mark Schnackenburg, we are expecting a "wintery mix" (whatever that is) so school is called off for the day. Praise God! There was a break in the icy, watery, yucky precipitation that was falling from the sky this morning so I went out and unearthed my car. Who would have thought that shoveling snow in 32 degree weather would cause a person to sweat buckets? It was a great workout however, it is a chore that I think I'll leave to Niles! Enjoy the before and after photos!

Vail

I am sad to say that we are home from Colorado. We had a wonderful time skiing at both Vail and Beaver Creek. Niles and his fellow ortho residents atteneded a conference in Vail this past week--2 hours of class in the morning, 6 hours of skiing during the day, and 2 more hours of classes in the evening. Of course, the week went by way too quickly and we are now back in Iowa. The weather is about the same however, there are no snow covered mountians nor any white lights on the trees around here making it look like an idyllic snow village--we are simply back in barren midwest. In the photo below we just arrived at Beaver Creek ready for fun!

A Volvo made completely of LEGOS!