Even though there is a strictly enforced Wildwood Snow Policy, this weekend’s snow tried to sneak in on a weekend so that we still had a full week of school.

That’s fine Snow, we don’t mind spending our weekends with you too.

It was just beautiful.  The first snow always is.  I hope that’s a feeling I keep forever – the mystery and awe I feel at the first blanketing of snow of the season.  (Sometime the only snow – when you live in the south.)  And I know – it is precisely because we receive so few that we love snow days so deeply down here ya’ll.  I get that.

We set the bowls for fresh snow out overnight and were quite satisfied with our there gigantic bowls full of snow come morning.  We wasted no time and consumed thee batches of snow cream throughout the day.  With one batch being made by the kids while they were outside and consumed whilst outside as well.  Which, is a little too chilly for me, but apparently great fun for the kids.

We were once again reminded that we own zero sleds.  Zero.  A number that seems ludicrous when you count the number of people under fifteen that live in this house.  Zero. Sleds.  That’s just wrong.

Our yard is rather flat, however, and snow is lovely all by its beautiful self so we didn’t feel sorry for ourselves and our lack of hills and our lack of sleds for too long.  The kids built forts and tossed snowballs and made snow angels and basically just stood and stared and walked around and celebrated the fluffy white goodness in any way they chose for the day.  It was more than satisfying.

Everything looks lovely when the snow has covered it.  (Let’s not talk about the unsightly way everything looks a couple of days after the snow has begun to fade.  The soggy revelation of blankets left outside and a box battered and shredded and muddy patches and all around grossness.  No.  Let’s not yet talk of that.)

Instead, this weekend – this glorious vision.

We sure will miss this place when we move.  (But – oh, the hope of ownership and roots.  It is tantalizing indeed.)

Hannah snapped a few lovely photos around the house this weekend too.

The light was just so spectacular.

Also.  Instant Pot to the rescue for a hot lunch of whatever we had turned into a delicious soup.

Let me tell you this easy peasy recipe.

Ingredients:
Use what you have – a mix of these items or whatever.  (That’s a lovely bonus of the Instant Pot soup method here – steaming all the veggies together just tastes good.)
Broccoli.  Potatoes.  Carrots.  Onion.  (You could add cauliflower or peas, corn, whatever.  For real.)  I cut the potatoes in quarters but I left the rest as is.  I put in about 3 or 4 cups total of veggies.
4 cups of water or broth
Salt. Pepper.  (Any spices you like.)
Set to manual high pressure for 7 minutes.
Use Natural Pressure Release for about 5 minutes.  (Or until you remember or you are done playing in the snow.)
Finish with Quick Release if you need to.
Turn on the sauté feature.
Add in one cup of milk and two cups or so of shredded cheese.
I was using the immersion blender here but London suggested we leave it as it was – we compromised and only blended it half way, so it was creamy but still had chunks of potatoes and carrots.
Serve right away.
(But it stays warm for a long time too – for those boys who just don’t want to come in and eat their soup.)

And that’s really a wrap on the weekend you guys.

I hope your snow was pretty and your soup was warm and your snow cream was sugary.

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