brrr.....

with the wind chill below zero, it was a great day for staying in pajamas all day!

we are experiencing a bit of *winter* around here this year. first there was the *blizzard of '09* resulting in a white solstice. my sweet mom was here last week for some very frigid temps when we nearly tied the all time record for consecutive days below freezing (mom is from alabama and NOT a fan of winter). it was forecasted that we were to get another significant (for wnc) snowfall last night through till tomorrow. that didn't exactly happen but it was extremely cold today!

daddy did rise and go to work today despite the bit of snow we did have and the low, low temps. he was back home before lunch though as the compressor they were working with froze up. they wisely decided to call it a day. that meant we got daddy for the rest of the day!


since we didn't get the snowstorm we hoped for outside, we made our own inside. these borax snowflakes are so fun to make. the crystals form in a matter of hours and they sparkle so lovely! we are hanging them from the wreath that hangs above our seasonal table along with our snow fairies.

pipe cleaner snowflakes submerged in borax solution awaiting the magic that is to come.

after 5 hours.

one the kids made with aunt heather earlier in the week.

hope you all are staying warm!

one small change

yes, i am a little late to the party. this has been on my mind and is something i am working toward but i am just getting to actually blogging about it. don't know what the heck i'm talking about? suzy at hipmountainmama has started a challenge. your mission, should you choose to accept, is to make one change each month until earth day that will make a positive green impact on our planet.

there was much discussion and contemplation of what we would do this month. sienna had a lot of input....mostly to stop using our car! i love that idea, but it isn't feasible for our family right now. we have several ideas that we would like to start in the warmer months, but this month we will be taking it small (that's the idea, right?). i am vowing to reduce (strive to eliminate) my plastic baggie use. honestly, given the rest of our habits it's surprising that we still use these things, but we do. they are so easy to grab...and then so quick to toss. no more!

this will likely mean some expenditures. sienna has a laptop lunchbox which i am loving really. i believe we will be getting one for jasper to both streamline the lunch packing process and to reduce the need for so many miscellaneous containers. as for matt and i (yes, we are all packing lunches 3 days a week now), i will be getting more of the reusable cloth snack bags. we have a reusable sandwich wrap and various small glass containers that we use already. he could benefit from a food thermos, too. luckily, our children's consignment shop carries most of these items and we can cash in our credit without forking out a lot of extra money.

i will be checking back in at the end of the month with how i did. don't worry, even though i am late blogging about this, i will go for at least a full month, though i intend for it to be a change that sticks for much longer than that!

there are many blogging friends on this challenge. you can find the whole *community of change* here. it is fun to visit their spaces and see what changes they are making. i have not had the time to visit them all, but two of the most creative and inspiring (to me) ones can be found here and here.

it's not too late to join us! won't you? every little change helps secure a brighter future for our children on this planet.

p.s. just for the record, we do use the wax paper bags, too. although they are a better environmental choice than the plastic baggies, i am striving to also limit their use also. they almost certainly end up in the trash can without reuse.