How to survive a cold spell . . .

Here I am by my lonesome self this weekend. DH went to the beach to help his brother with a home improvement project on their beach house. I've been enjoying the solitude but it has been cold around these parts--record breaking cold! I vowed not to go out this weekend, but I ended up making a run to Joann's to get some notions for a pair of pants I want to make. That was basically it! So--how does one keep comfortable in this cold while being frugal with energy?

First of all--keep the fire going.
Fortunately DH had gotten the fire started before he left early yesterday. I've been keeping it going by throwing the wood on every hour. The cats have been hanging out right in front of the wood stove. I really thought that I'd have at least two of them in bed with me last night. Greg ALWAYS sleeps wedged between DH and me. He never even came upstairs!

Second--keep a warm latte handy at all times.

Third--cook something in the crockpot. This was throwing off some lovely fragrances all day!
I came home from my errand to have this for dinner:
Split Pea with Ham Soup topped with a dollop of sour cream! There's nothing like homemade soup in the winter. I had been craving split pea soup so I indulged myself! I discovered that Hormel has packages of cooked, cubed ham for sale at the grocery store. You get around 2 cups with was perfect! I didn't have a ham bone handy so this worked out well and it was 99% fat free! Good stuff!

Oh--one more thing--actually two--Have some good movies or cable handy along with your favorite knitting project! I have almost finished the body of Silken Scabbard. About an hour this afternoon will take care of that. Tonight will be spent watching the Ravens game then the SNL Presidential Bash! I have to record two other shows--Big Love starts back tonight and the Mentalist is on a special night. I love my DVR! I would like to watch the Inauguration Concert this evening as well.

Things are a buzz around these parts. I'm so glad that my school system decided to close schools on Tuesday. Our Superintendent didn't want to but the BOE voted to do so. We directly border DC and have a lot of metro stations. It will be a zoo. A lot of main roads into DC are being closed and all the bridges from Virginia into DC are closed. Given that many of our employees live in DC and VA, that would have meant that many people would either be hours late to school or not make it! We were closed on Inauguration Day when I was a kid. Given our proximity to DC, this should be a holiday. The funny thing about this Inauguration Day is that many, if not most, of the locals aren't going anywhere near the city! A lot of people have been interviewed on the radio and many of them are going out of town! They are saying that literally millions of people will be on the mall for the festivities. They will have huge jumbotrons set up for the masses to see the swearing in ceremony. That's the best part, if you ask me--especially when your new president is such an incredible speaker. I remember working half day on Clinton's first Inauguration. I drove home like a bat out of hell to hear his speech. He didn't disappoint! Having a leader who communicates well does much to inspire trust in our government. Let's hope that congress doesn't impede his programs. I think that the country is so desperate for change that they will cut him some slack. Here's hoping.

I wore my Surplice Camisole Thursday to school. I didn't think I would ever wear it as I was disappointed with it. I rather like it as a layered piece though.

Now for the last Bushism of the Day:
"So I analyzed that and decided I didn't want to be the president during a depression greater than the Great Depression, or the beginning of a depression greater than the Great Depression." --George W. Bush, Washington D.C., Dec. 18, 2008

Kitty Cam: This is how Mikey is spending his cold winter days: