Movies for a snow day.

Might have seen a few of these
bumper stickers growing up. But yeah! Snow!

Since Birmingham is incredibly hilly and has maybe 2 trucks that throw sand down for the entire county- we usually play hard defense with snow storms (Or is it offense? I don't watch football that much). Here in Jefferson County everything shuts down 24 hours before the wintry mix threatens to stall out your car and prevent you from getting the VIP bread.

But! Sometimes we here folks get lax (and tired of getting made fun of). Like this past January where we were told there was going to be a light dusting of snow only to get 2 inches of ice without warning - everyone forgot for a second we were in Alabama - went to work and school (Ha Yankees! See! We Ain't Skeered!) and then (whoops) couldn't get home until the sun thawed it all out two days later.

JTS's drive home the next day. This is what happens when
you combine ice with no salt or sand and drivers that
have no experience with winter conditions.

Ever since that debacle (JTS narrowly avoided spending a night on his office floor and stayed at a friend's house) we have decided to go firmly back to our Alabama roots, Yankee laughter be damned. In the past two weeks school/work has been cancelled for 5 days I think? We are told to sit home, stay off the roads, and wait. And wait. And wait. And, as usual, nothing happens. It's just cold and grey (Birmingham is truly the ugliest city in winter) and then comes the hour's worth of snow. I remember rolling dirt into my snow to make a better snowman as a youth.






So it got me to thinkin' about my favorite winter movies. Movies that give you a warm cozy feeling and make you want to curl into a window seat in a Connecticut farmhouse and read your favorite book as you watch the flakes fall.

Here are my favorite snowy winter movies (in no particular order) that make it easier to pretend it's actually snowing.

1. Beautiful Girls - If you've never seen this movie hop on over to Netflix and get it. A super young and extremely talented Natalie Portman, Michael Rapaport before he got weird looking, and a cast of female leads to break your heart. They tried to make a t.v. show out of this move, October Road, that, like a lot of shows now, was just starting to get good when they canceled it. But I think you can watch it on Hulu and it is well worth it.

2. Little Women - I don't really need to sell this one. Lovely cast, lovely story, lovelier Christian Bale. Enjoy with a cup of cocoa, a quilt, and a knitting project.

3. Wonder Boys - I keep meaning to read the book but I just love this movie SO much I can't make myself. I spent so many years in the academic world of English majors I can relate to the literary institutions (and people) this movie pokes the gentlest fun at  (like "Word Fest"). It makes snow seems so warm and funny.

4. Grumpy Old Men - My brother and I loved this movie so much that we could quote Burgess Meredith lines hither and thither. Funny, sweet, and endearing.

5. The Family Stone - This movie gets panned all over the place but I love a sweet, wholesome movie. Get out the tissues! First for the cringing, then for the sadness, then for the sweetness. Also, good with cocoa. Or red wine.

30 Minute Playlist - January Cheer Up

One of the many things that got left behind in the wake of illness was my love of music.  So as I navigate my new voyage post illness /post pregnancy/ post baby I'd like to circle back and pick it up. (Don't you just love waterskiing metaphors?)

Since I can be a bit fussy when it comes to music I'm giving myself 30 minutes to come up with a playlist to enjoy for the month. The 30 minutes keeps it honest and real and quick (also good for Lil' D - because she don't got time for perfection).

Please enjoy my first attempt : A January cheer up mix for long, dark days.

Update on a snowy day.

We're not in Miami anymore!

It's amazing how quickly one can forget the concept of "winter." I've always trended a little toward having SAD when it gets dark and dreary in January (probably the cause of my aforementioned funk). So over the years I had developed some tricks and tools to get me to April. Mostly they involved whisky, dark bars, and Radiohead so I'll need to come up with some new, family-friendly tricks for the future.

Flash forward to after two years in balmy Miami and I completely forgot what winter was like.

Much like Alabama seems to be perpetually surprised by snow (What! Snow?! It accumulates on roads fast!?) I have no tools in my SAD prevention toolbox anymore.

And let me just take a moment to say, man, I really miss Miami's weather right now. Not just the temps, but the delightful sunshine.

While I wait for JTS to be able to leave work (when no one knows how to drive in snow + they neglect to salt the roads + there are only like 2 plows in the county = he may never get home) I'm going to make a little winter dance party mix. A dance party for one chair dancing baby and one adult.

Stuck inside with no whiskey.

But with hot chocolate and marshmallows!

It totally has the same effect right?

Old Man Winter vs. Unsettling Optimism

I hate winter. Words cannot describe my hatred of winter. Super hate. HATE with all capitals.

I hate wearing the same clothes over and over again with little to no variation because they are the warmest things I own. I hate shaving my legs only to get out of the shower and have the hair grow out all anew while I shiver and clutch my towel. I hate having no sunlight. I hate having to put lotion on all the time. I hate using conditioner. I hate static. I hate how it's always cloudy but when it's not there is that fake winter sun that gives no heat. I hate how we don't get to hibernate like bears. I hate how Obama left out "no more winter" in his campaign promises.

Basically unless there are Christmas lights up, it's snowing, or it's my birthday the entire season of winter can shove it.

But at my life coach camp I learned all about being positive and grateful. So I have decided to refocus my grump into thinking about what I actually do like about winter.

So here goes:

I like whiskey. Whiskey is a perfect winter drink. I like fancy dining. Nothing feels more cosmopolitan than a fancy restaurant in the winter. I like fireplaces with warm fires. I like hot chocolate with marshmallows. I like warm covers with warm puppies.
And I LOVE my snow pants.

But most of all I've decided that I will look forward with great glee to the beginning of Spring. Only 60 days away peeps! We can handle that. Even though it won't be considerably warm then- think of all the flowers and the birds and thoughts of water sports to come.

Hopefully I can keep this going for a little while longer, it's around the cold days in March when I really start losing my mind. If I lose it again this year- I'm going to have to move to Florida. And none of us want that. Hear me Obama? I expect change and soon.

Its been a long, hard winter for Daisy. She misses her shorts.

In a not so distant past your faithful author Daisy was a poet. The other day I was reading an old book and happened upon a little ditty I wrote one spring tucked away as a bookmark. The poem reminded me that winter, although depressing and mind-bogglingly long might be necessary so that spring and summer are all the more lovely.....Hope you enjoy (and don't worry, I won't be posting poems often)


After Months Of Winter

We will undress and sleep
under white cotton sheets.

You like to use my blue linen shirt
for a pillow. I like open windows,
how the smell of lemon and sea mix
with your slow, timed breath.

When I wake up I will melt butter
for the artichokes in a teacup,
place your blood oranges in a bowl,
come back and graze your nose,
sip the salt off your shoulder.