How Cold Is It?

Friends … it's cold!

Here in Missouri we have been experiencing negative numbers in the temperature department. As I am a homebody, and love nothing better than a full-out snow day, this would typically not bother me in the least. In fact, I love cold, miserable, snowy days!

But, when you live in a 100 year old house with no central heat, it's not ideal. Thankfully this 100 year old house was built much better than houses built today, and it is insulated well! By shutting all of the bedroom and bathroom doors, and curtaining off the kitchen, we have been successful at keeping the living, dining and sitting room at a comfortable temperature. At night, we use space heaters in each room, along with electric blankets. So, we are all nice and comfortably warm at night.

With school being cancelled, we have all cozied up on the couches in our comfy clothes, thick socks, and blankets and have watched lots of movies and all 23 episodes of the first season of Arrow. We have sat at the dining room table and played board games. And every person with an electronic device has been playing another one Words with Friends. We have had some excellent family time!

However, here are some cold facts from the past couple of days (the negatives, if you will) …

• When I went in the kitchen tonight to fix dinner, I put one of our thermostat-controlled electric heaters in there to start to warm things up. When I went in a few minutes later, the thermostat read 48 degrees! It was 48 degrees in my kitchen! My olive oil was starting to turn solid. Chicken I had left out on the counter all day to thaw, had not even started to thaw. It was cold in there. It only took a few minutes for the temperature to come up to a comfortable level while I was cooking. But, seriously, 48 degrees!
• We keep extra milk in the refrigerator in our garage. I went out to get a gallon today and it was frozen solid!
• I have been only letting the dogs out to potty as infrequently as they can stand it, and I only leave them out long enough to go and get back in the house. But, the last couple of times I let them out, Quincy couldn't even walk from pain to his feet from being in the snow and cold for those couple of minutes. I had to carry him back into the house.
• The girls are not able to sleep in the basement. It's just too cold down there. So, Brynne is bunking in Dawson's room on a mattress on the floor and Kyndal is now occupying Eli's bottom bunk in his room. I guess this really isn't a negative because they all like to sleep together anyway.
• I have so much laundry to do .. but my washer and dryer are in the basement. Again .. brrrrr!!! Thankfully we have all just been lounging in our pjs and comfy clothes and do not have anywhere nice to go.

The good news is that the frigid temperatures will end tomorrow. It's supposed to get up above freezing and pretty much stay that way for the foreseeable future. That means everybody will be going back to their regular schedules, and eventually their own beds. Honestly, even with the cold, I have enjoyed our bundled up days. I wouldn't mind the cold temps sticking around a little longer.