Valentine's Day Party, a day early...

Yesterday afternoon the boys and I got the farm ready for the big storm that is coming - 12 to 18 inches is what they are predicting! We picked up all the skiis, sleds & snowshoes and made sure that all the animals have fresh, warm bedding, food and water.

This morning I had to unhook the new trailer from the truck so that I could take the boys down to the bus stop. It maneuvered into its parking spot so much easier than the old, longer trailer did! The boys were watching while I was turning the handle to raise the hitch off the ball on the truck. The youngest says "Mom! You need to stop!" I asked him why and he says "'Cause the front trailer tires are off the ground!" I was putting the same amount of effort into turning the new hitch as I used to with the old one, but the aluminum trailer is so much lighter...

Later on this morning I am going to school for a Valentine's Day party. We are doing it today with the assumption that tomorrow there won't be any school, due to the weather.

The party was great fun! One of the mothers brought in pizzas for lunch - ZUM, ZUM!! We also had cupcakes and I made chocolate chip cookies, which were a BIG hit. All the kids really loved opening their cards from each other and pigging out on all the goodies.




Here he is passing out cookies and making sure that everyone only got 2!







Why do kids like candy that looks this yucky?









Afterwards, Haley and I ran some errands. I got the horse trailer registered, mailed the old license plate back to
the previous owners, picked up some oyster shells for the hens, bought some vanilla beans & chocolate covered espresso beans (unbelievably good - we're totally addicted!) at The Fare Share Market and bought some groceries at Hannaford - in particular the vodka to soak the vanilla beans in! There's NOTHING like homemade vanilla extract...

After returning home I made Mrs. Millman's Chocolate Frosting from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbookand then went out to the chicken coop to hang the oyster shell feeders that my father helped me make many, many years ago - they still work great. It's pretty crazy that we've been here for over a year and I still hadn't mounted them! Now the boys and I are going to eat supper and then we're going to make Moist Devil's Food Cake, again from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook,for tomorrow's Valentine's Day Party - if there is school. Otherwise we get to eat it!! Boy, that would be a bummer....

Dad just called and said that they are predicting 24 inches of snow. That will be alot of snow! Everyone is tucked in nice and snug for the night. The yard is clear and ready for plowing. I'll fill some water jugs, just in case we lose electricity, and get my baking done tonight.