and now for SNOW!

Today really pulled me out of the funk I had been in because of the ice prison... The snow was more than anyone expected, and it was SO much fun to play in today. I just had to wait for Eric to take an afternoon break from work.We went outside and started on our snowman! The snow was really powdery, so we brought out the squirt bottle and it made things more manageable.
Our neighbor, Toni, took this pic from her balcony. We share a breezeway. She takes care of us; we take care of her. She often leaves little presents by our door.
Here's Toni, obviously not wanting Eric to take her picture! Her little dog's name is Coco.
Coco really enjoyed the snow, too!

The final product: meet Mrs. Myrtle! Isn't she precious? (Notice the bowl of snow...that comes into the story later.) Hey, there Mrs. Myrtle! Don't you love her licorice mouth?

Well, after we were thoroughly frozen, we walked about a block to our neighborhood Starbucks. Eric got the caramel apple cider...

...and I tried something new - the SALTED caramel hot chocolate. Oh my goodness, this drink is HEAVEN! It tastes just like toffee. Mmmmmm! ...Eric guzzled half of it while I went to get a stirrer.

We walked home and thawed out again, and I made SNOW ICE CREAM for the first time. Oh my goodness, this stuff is so good!

Tasty!

Eric added lemon juice to his ice cream, which turned out to be a good addition. He had never had snow ice cream either, and he's from up north!

We will definitely be making this in Chicago to introduce his family to it. Mmmmm...so good!

Today was definitely what I needed!