Texas has been in a state of emergency. We have been seeing single digits over most, if not all, of the state. Icy roads have ended school temporarily, meaning we had a whole week at home with the kids. Also shut down the need to go to work for many people. My husband stocks shelves at the grocery store and even he was told no shifts - which I was grateful for. The roads are finally thawing and we are just getting above freezing. The windows in our old house are all single pane. Every single one of them had frozen shut inside and out. We have ice inside!
So I thought 'It will be a fun time'. At first, it wasn't. Firewood was sold out in the stores when we went to looking for it. So I pulled out the heavy blankets, was keeping all the shades and curtains drawn, and we were bundling up as much as possible. They are still telling people to not use much electricity as the state grid isn't strong enough to handle all this. But then their "rolling blackouts" plan failed leaving most of our town in particular freezing in the dark anyhow.
So how were we to pass the time?
Four kids, shut inside, for the next "several" days, according to our governor. I needed to get creative so we could avoid our version of cabin fever. It would be one heck of a time. With below freezing temperatures dropping to single digits, and then in the negatives, we saw lots of snow again. Ice is still everywhere. And that gave me some ideas!
She blinded me with science!
Mama just happened to remember that Pinterest posted picture of frozen water balloons. Inside, there was food coloring. You put them outside to freeze. The next day (or in our case, a few hours) you remove the balloon and you have beautiful colored ice orbs!
Before the storm, we went to the Dollar Tree and I picked up some balloons. The kids helped me get the food coloring into them and I filled them with water. My husband laid each one in turn outside on the already frozen ground. We had a light layer of ice, with snow falling.
Didn't take long for the snow to fall heavier and faster. Until there was easily an 3+ inches there. Icicles hung from every edge - doors, windows and eaves. By the time it stopped, we had 6 inches.
It is beautiful! But SOOOO cold! We couldn't take very long outside. Every step outside had to be done with several layers, good gripping shoes - the works! But so worth it to bring fun to the kids. I even saw where you could make these orbs glow with very small glow sticks!
Sadly, our power went out. For 3 days. We abandoned trying to wait for it to come on and went to stay with my in-laws. They still had power and we were grateful to finally get warm again. Before we left, however, we learned how to make a fire with wet wood! The kids helped us drag sticks in from the branch that my husband cut down. They enjoyed helping out. They also ripped up the cardboard boxes we used to feed the flames. I considered this a valuable life lesson. Should they ever have need of starting a wet wood fire, they know how to do so!
Back to the balloons. I found that though we laid them out the night of the big storm, the part resting on the ground didn't freeze! This was lesson one for us. About the snow providing a protective layer that prevented the under side from freezing. The part exposed to the falling snow did. The kids loved when I showed them that. So I moved them up and flipped them over to freeze fully.
After getting word that power was turned back on, my husband and I went to check it out. We wanted to make sure it was and check that the pipes hadn't burst, despite taking the recommended precautions. We also needed to wash the children's pants. They have been outgrowing their jeans rapidly during these cold months. One of my sons rips the knees of his athletic pants like paper all the time. While at the in-laws home, the gas line froze to the washing machine. We learned lessons on using a hand crank version. Definitely need a wringer with one of those! Perhaps Nona shall be getting one for her Mother's Day gift this year... We had a discussion on severe weather prepping. It is amazing what things you find yourself in need of!
While checking out the house, I checked on the orbs. Each one was covered in a thick layer of slick ice. Under the ice, you could see that the balloons were starting to split from the expanding ice. But they were pretty underneath. I took photos to show the kiddos until we could bring them home. It was fun to watch the progress. Both with the weather and the orbs. They also helped their aunt start building an igloo in the yard. I couldn't handle being out in the cold much. Made me hurt so much.
Another way I love to pass the time is by working puzzles. This is a favorite pasttime for me. I find it calming. A way to clearly process my thoughts and find peaceful focus. Especially with this Nene Thomas fairy one!
Wherever you are, whatever your situation is, I hope you are able to find little fun ways to get through the days. As well as stay healthy and warm.
