Monday, March 2, 2009

Snow Day

The sky has opened up and dumped loads of snow onto us. We have gotten used to not having much snow since the mountains tend to block the storms from hitting us hard. Yesterday evening we received rain and snow but by the time we went to bed everything just looked wet and cold with no white covering. The schools called last night (yes, there is an automated system that calls parents to let us know) telling us that there would be no school today. We didn't inform David of this because he would have been up at 4 a.m. to take advantage of extra play time.

But during the night I woke up several times due to brightness that was streaming into our room. Looking out this morning I was amazed at the total coverage of snow on everything. It is so beautiful!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Kim,

I LOVE the look of freshly fallen white snow. (When it is so clean!) Living in a suburb of Chicago we see it alot! It is beautiful!! So enjoy it while you can!

I hope that you didn't think that I was being a "smart aleck" when I mentioned your square pan in my last comments! I DIDN'T mean to be if I came across that way! Sorry! I am just a person who tries to follow directions to the exact, precise, specifications. So, with that in mind, would this be a correct statement?? The reicpe could be made with the same exact ingredients in either a 9x9 or a 9x13 pan. The 9x9 would just make thicker pieces?

I also have another question. I've noticed that you and your husband take David to a lot of neat, historical places. If someone was to visit the DC, and Virginia area what places would you recommend as "MUST SEE" places of interest. The childrens ages are 11 and 13. THANKS!!

Have a great week!
Blessings,
Janet

Kim said...

Janet- I actually laughed when I got your question about the pan size. When I posted the picture I wondered if anyone would notice the shape and size of the pan. I used the same amounts of ingredients and just cooked it a minute or two longer for the smaller size- when a toothpick comes out clean it's ready. I tend to change around recipes and presentation to suit the pans available, what my family's like or dislikes are (I'm allergic to mushrooms) and how many I am feeding. I have been known to start with a recipe and by the time I finish tweeking it there is little left of the original.
Now for visiting DC or Virginia with teens and preteens- the Holocost Museum is a must. I really loved how they hand out cards to everyone with the name of a real person that was a victum of the Nazi's. As you go through the museum you read more about who "you" are. At the end of the tour you find out if you lived through or died during the holocost. If you go to the information desk at the end of the tour they will gladly give you more information packets to take home. There is one area of just shoes that the Nazi's took from the people in the concentration camps and the smell is just terrible. The museum is free.
The Smithsonian's are a must- the Air and Space (but it isn't as much hands on), the American History museum. A little hint- we went during the Cherry Blossom parade and after going through the Natural History museum we went to the basement level cafeteria and ate lunch. There is a large hill right outside and David decided to roll down the hill. Before long there were at least 30 kids and parents rolling down the hill with the Washington Monument in the background. I mean how awesome is that.
Arlington National Cemetery is so awe inspiring. When you see all the graves of the men and women that gave their lives for our freedom it really hits home that its not free. The tomb of the unknown soldiers and the changing of the guards is so quiet that you can hear a pin drop, even when there are hundreds watching. I have a great uncle buried there. The National Archives and Library of Congress preserve our heritage and that is great to see, but many kids get really bored. The Smithsonian's art museum has the nations most beautiful art work and usually some exhibit on loan and on display from a foreign country. You need to see at least the outside of the White House- tickets can be hard to get for inside- but the mansion is beautiful. All these activities are FREE, o.k. all our tax dollars pay for them so they really aren't free but you have paid for them even if you haven't enjoyed them.
We hear that the spy museum is good, but haven't been ourselves but it isn't free. Ford's theatre is opening up this spring with a museum, but since this is a working theatre the schedule is very limited. We once saw David Copperfield (the magician , not the play) perform at Ford's- it was remarkable to sit in the second row and think about what had occured just a few feet from where we were. Also David Copperfield puts on a great show! I love the architecture of Washington and just walking around the city and looking at the buildings makes me happy. But be very mindful of parking since it is easy to get a ticket and hard to get a place to park.
If you visit Northern Virginia Mount Vernon is great, but it is $15.00 per person for anyone over the age of 11. The house is kept in the shape that it was when George and Martha lived there.
If you visit more of Virginia I have to say my favorite place is Williamsburg. The entire area has been painstakingly restored (with private money) and while there is a fee it is based on what areas you would like to see. Original records were used to restore the area. We once stayed in one of the historic houses in the restored area- the Williamsburg Inn serves these homes. Check out history.org to get really excited about a visit there. There is also a Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg (the lobby has a waterpark inside!)
I would say when to check out the web sites to see what is going on in town for the time you plan to visit- you really don't want to plan to ride the subway on the day there is a march or protest in town. Any other time the subways are safe and not over crowded. Or to plan to visit the American History museum on Thursday and have missed a wonderful collection that you would have loved to see but closed on Tuesday when you were at another museum.
Part of the fun is in the planning anyway.

Kim said...

Oops- the great hill to roll down is next to the American History museum.

Anonymous said...

Hi Kim,

Thanks for giving me all the wonderful sights to see in DC and Virginia. We are trying to decide WHERE we are going to go on vacation this summer. We have given serious thought to the DC area since our youngest have never been there. If we go, I'll let you know ahead of time and MAYBE, we could meet for lunch somewhere. I've always thought it would be neat to meet this way!

Anonymous said...

Take care and have a GREAT weekend! Even though we are going to have warmer weather this weekend; it looks like its going to pretty stormy! But, I think Spring is finally on its way!!

Blessings,
Janet

Kim said...

Janet, I think it would be fun to meet up. I love to show off my Virginia since there is so many different areas you can never get bored.