Winter beauty, food and fun (7 Quick Takes)

~1~

A few months ago, my husband installed Christmas lights on our back deck. We have always admired our neighbors’ string of multicolored lights on their back deck. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I look out our bedroom window and see theirs and think how cheerful and friendly they are.

The couple who lived next door to us both passed away over the past few months, and their children are getting the house ready to sell. Their son removed the lights on their deck earlier this week. Now, when I look at our lights, I think of our neighbors, and I am especially happy that John thought to install them.

~2~

I’m not much of a winter person, but this snow was so beautiful.

I loved the icicles that dripped from our roof this week.

I’m wondering whether I’m enjoying winter more this year because I am mostly staying home and admiring it through the window.

Or maybe I’m just appreciating the beauty of each season as God delivers it to our yard.

~3~

I write thousands of words each week, but I struggle to spell the word “icicle.” Why doesn’t it have a y in it? I also have a mental block against how to spell “broccoli.” I have to stop every time to think about how many Cs and Ls it has.

~4~

When our boys came in from playing in the snow the other day, they wanted hot chocolate. You have to have cocoa after you’ve been outside in the snow.

I went to put some snow-covered clothes in the bathroom, and when I came back, our younger son said, “I’m making the hot chocolate for us!”

I looked at the stove and saw he had put the entire box of cocoa in a pan. I thoroughly enjoy his sense of humor. It’s hard to believe this little boy was born on the other side of the world and is just so much my son.

~5~

For our snow day feast, we enjoyed fondue. There’s something we really enjoy about cooking veggies and meat in a pot of broth together.

We seem to have more snow on the way, though. So, here we are, planning another snowy-day menu, while also thinking about treats to enjoy during that football game that’s happening.

We don’t have a team we’re excited about this year, but we can always find someone to support in a game. And our children just love eating in front of the TV, so now we have another excuse.

~6~

One of my favorite parts of the pandemic is that ordering food from restaurants is now an altruistic act since we’re supporting local businesses. In addition to our usual slate of carry-out options, I order all our ground coffee from Baltimore Coffee and Tea, and we have ordered packs of frozen pizzas from Pizza John’s.

John has been wanting to visit New Haven, Conn., to enjoy some New Haven-style pizza, but the pandemic continues to get in our way. So, he found a restaurant in New Haven that ships its pizzas frozen, and we enjoyed Zuppardi’s pizza for dinner one night this week.

I do cook occasionally. Really, I do. But this was a very busy week.

~7~

I often notice faces in our food while I’m cooking, but when I peeled off the cover for a can of chocolate frosting, I laughed at this face. It looks more like a “meh” face, maybe even a little disgruntled.

The other day, my younger son and I created a challenge for me to smile every time I saw him in the house. It’s funny how much harder that is to do than you might think it would be—especially when you’re in the middle of your workday.

Maybe one of my goals for Lent will be to smile more.

Read more quick takes on Kelly’s blog, This Ain’t the Lyceum, and have a wonderful weekend!

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