The snow lay on the ground

-Day 5 of the ice storm saga~ Our power was restored tonight, and we are all thrilled.
Even better than the lights, is the wonderful heat-hot water in my bathroom, and the ability to use my washer and dryer hoorah!!!

Things were so incredibly difficult, my body has really had a difficult time keeping up with everything demanded of it. Getting up around the clock to keep the fire stoked, the children all camping in the living room, because it was the only room with heat. Cold, and dark reduces even the largest home into a small central area.

My bedroom, the living and dining area, the kitchen and Alexandras' room, all on the main floor, had the most light, and the only source of heat...

I am going to put down some of my thoughts on life in the dark, because, i just may forget it until next time....

We are back in survival mode. After the power shut off, and came buck up 7 times Thurs. afternoon, at 4:00 p.m. we lost power for good.

Our preparations were a very good idea, the only thing i didn't consideer in my menu planning and food was the small detail of an electric oven-

Nicole made chicken tortilla soup, and later we had graham crackers and herbal tea in front of the fireplace, by candlelight.

Ashley read stories to the children-they all fell asleep pretty early with no lights, or noise. I got up with Ben at 5:00am, because his thermals had gone into hiding, so i had to find them-i crawled back under the covers and fell asleep.

It had been a difficult night. Alexandra woke up around 11:00pm, and wanted a bowl of cereal. She kept insisting it is too dark in here, turn the lights on.

The sound of ice coating the trees kept me awake most of the night-It is so quiet and looks like a scene from the chronicles of Narnia-the icicles hanging off everything.

The trees are covered in ice, and are all groaning from the weight. The terrifying sound of limbs snapping and crashing to the ground is so unique, even sad.

I love my trees, the native pecan, oak, sycamore, magnolia and the shade trees around the house have all been damaged.

From the house I can see 5 trees with huge limbs on the ground, the freezing temperatures in my room woke me this morning, the fire was dangerously low,and there was no wood left in the house.

I collected some wood from the porch and added kindling to get things warmed up and going, but it took a while.

I found one of my camp coffee pots, and even though the electric started won't work on my stove, we are able to light the gas with a match....

We had coffee, milk and homemade don-nuts for breakfast, it is very hard to cook in a dark kitchen-i put some mirrors around the candles to reflect the light. We ate breakfast in the formal dining room, the windows face west, and we have a lot of light in there.

We took the wet laundry out of the dryer, and hung it on hangers in the sun room to dry. I had the boys carry in a lot of firewood ,put 2 cases of water in the garage,along with 3 gal. of milk

We picked up every room, swept the floors, put away laundry and fed the animals.

We have spent a lot of time watching the birds. It is all bird channel all the time. I have 8 pairs of cardinals-some very fat chickadees, a woodpecker, and one very mean blue jay. Without the distraction of the t.v., computer, and video games, my children have kept very entertained by my birds.

After getting everything in order, i retreated to the warmth and comfort of my bed.

I am in extreme pain from the r/a and fibromialgia. I have so many layers of clothers on and i am under 4 blankets with gloves on because my fingers hurt so bad. Keeping me company are 2 tea cup chiahuahuas and Nicoles' crazy cat Miss Kitty.

The ice has turned to snow, and we have snow on top of the iced branches, and the ground blanketed in big, fluffy snow.

Ashley got Mr. Chaucer her bunny out of his cage so Christian could cuddle hime, she said her bunny was cold-Christian turned a brown and black bunny loose in the living room-a very dark living room-we all joined in the bunny hunt.

We finally found him hiding behind a cushion on the couch!!!

Andrews' lizard Gordon has taken up residence on my sun porch as we have a gas heater in their. He is under a blanket, they are hoping he survives this weather...

And so our days have gone...very busy, very cold, very exhausting, but at night huddled together in front of the fire, reading the chronicles of Narnia to my children as they drift off to sleep together, i must admit, life is simple and sweet. More difficult than you can imagine, but there is a beauty in the simplicity, and i know God is with us...he has met our needs, and preserved my family safely through this time...

I don't know how long it will last, but for this moment, i am enjoying, the light, and the heat, and being able to use my washer and dryer....later today i will begin preparations for round 2, when Andrews' friend delivers another rick of firewood, and i start getting things in order all over again...