8:00 pm on Friday. Do you know where your family is?

When I hear how cold it is in other areas of the country (Chicago, Iowa, etc) I feel guilty for even mentioning how cold it is here. But we really do not see days and days of single digit temperatures very often here in Black Mountain, especially following a week of 60-70 degree weather that forced the lilac and spice bushes to start budding, and brought a promise of spring only a few weeks into winter. So we are working hard to keep the water lines from freezing, the wood stove burning, and Alex and Kelcey's cats and plants alive. I do appreciate this bitter cold that keeps us inside, warm and cozy. I enjoy these days where soup is the only option for dinner and there is not even a moment of thought given to the many projects that we would be tackling on a not-so-bitter weekend.

Here are some photos of where the Five Carmonas were at 8:00 last night:
9 degrees outside & 61 degrees inside.

1. The tireless, never-complaining wood stove: chug-chugging away
(an honorary member of the family in the winter)

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2. The mommy: creating sign-up sheets for volunteers for the homeschool group

3. Nimuae: connect-four marathon with dad

4. the daddy-o: claiming he can beat Nim in connect-four blindfolded
(which, to the amazement of all, he did!)

5. Noah and Gita: relaxing with an episode of sponge bob