What Does a Snow Day Look Like?

We finally got our long-awaited snow day today! Unfortunately, since it was really a sleet, rain and ice day, I didn't go out and practice my cross-country skiing. Instead, this is what the day looked like:

Early call from coworker telling me I didn't have to go to work.
Couldn't go back to sleep because I was too excited about not having to get up.
Made a pot of tea and watched the early news and the Today Show.
Cleaned the kitchen.
Rescheduled the home visits that I was supposed to have today.
Studied for my school social work class.
Finished knitting a gift for someone awesome.
Built a fire in the woodstove to offset heating costs on this day at home.
Made another pot of tea.
Started knitting a black, raglan sweater for myself using the Knitting Fool website that creates a pattern (for free) after you enter your measurements, gauge, etc.
Ate lunch and did more knitting at the Red Brick Coffee Shop with a friend.
Mailed a package of clothes to my godson.
Received my snowshoes in the mail!!!
Got a haircut.
Made Hoisin Chicken and Parsnip Mashed Potatoes.

I'm not listing these things to gloat. I'm just grateful for this gift of an unexpected free day. I needed it.

My Snowy Life

Snow makes me happy. It's a necessity for me. It's part of why I like it here in Michigan, in the snow belt where we know all about "lake effect snow." I ran the snowblower after work yesterday but you wouldn't know it this morning. My paths are hidden under a few more inches of snow.

I like how the snow looks like it's snaking around the items left on my back porch.

My garden looks cozy under a blanket of snow (below).

I try to keep the birds fed.
Yesterday I saw 4 cardinals in this tree but they are shy this morning.

Winter Gardening

Okay, so it's not quite gardening but thanks to encouragement from my cousin Suzanne, I am growing sprouts in my house! It's very exciting. I bought a sprouting lid that fits on a Mason jar and I'm growing alfalfa sprounts in there.

I also bought a tall tupperware at Goodwill, poked some holes in the bottom, and I'm growing mung bean sprouts in there. I started them 3 days ago and have been rinsing them twice a day and I think they are about ready to eat! The bean sprouts taste almost like fresh peas from the garden, although not as sweet. I plan to try them in a Peanut Chicken Pasta Salad recipe this week. Fun!