Cabin Fever

It's been snowing ceaselessly since before I woke up this morning and while it may be beautiful and we surely need the moisture . . . I'm starting to dread the next few months of winter. I'm ready to be back in flip flops and the frost has just begun! This is a view from our front porch - ristra and coyote fence included! So New Mexico I know.

The boys and I have been just hanging around the house all day. Luckily we got out yesterday and braved the elements to hunt down a Christmas tree. And I'm not talking about driving to a lot and pointing to a $100 tree. Oh no, our family treks out to chop down a tree in the Pecos Wilderness. Not to worry, it's perfectly legal with a $10 permit within the cutting boundaries. It was a teensy bit unclear whether were on private property or not, but what the heck - it was freezing and snowing and we had the kids out tromping around in the snow with tennies on. We grabbed the first somewhat suitable tree and made a run for it. The trip was only made better by a stop at Dairy Queen in Pecos Village on the way home. I think it's been like eight years since I've had a Blizzard - soft serve heaven as far as I'm concerned.

On days like today - and everyday of winter - I love love love our kiva fireplace. For the entire first year we lived in this house we never even used it, as if we were convinced it couldn't possibly work. Maybe because the previous house we lived in had a really cute kiva with no draw and it was basically like having a campfire inside the house.

Speaking of campfires, I think we'll make s'mores tomorrow night while we trim the tree. The boys have not experienced s'mores yet (probably because we've yet to get it together and take them camping for real), so I think it's about time. Who knows, maybe it will become a tradition. I'm big on tradition and now that we're finally past the itsy bitsy baby phase we can start creating some here and there. I'd love to hear about some not so traditional holiday traditions if anyone would like to share. Andy and I have always worked in restaurant kitchens during the holidays so it's kind of a stressful time of year - perhaps I can live vicariously through some of you.