Ice storm Kahn

“Oh, we’re busy busy busy and we have a lot to do, and I haven’t the time to explain it all to you…” So sings Kevin Kline on our “Philadelphia Chickens” CD that no ride in the car can be without! (Written, illustrated and directed by Sandra Boynton, it is a great children’s book and CD, don’t get me wrong – I just believe there is a limit to how many times a mother can hear the “Belly Button” song!)

King for a day! Lauris had the slice with la fève

We finally managed to bake our King’s Cake, and although it didn’t turn out quite like I remember it tasting in Clermont-Ferrand, I enjoyed giving it a shot. The King’s Cake might be a tradition that stays with us from France, where the grocery stores and bakeries were filled with beautiful gâteau des Rois for the whole month of January. If you would like to read more about the history and significance behind this tradition, here’s my post.

We used a  fève that Lauris found in his King Cake last year in France 

Then today we were hit by Winter Storm Kahn, which took the form of an ice storm here in the Upstate. For those unfamiliar with what happens when frozen precipitation falls from the sky here in the South, I’ll set the scene: yesterday the local stores had a run on milk and toilet paper, this morning schools and hospitals were closed, and by early afternoon most local flights such as the connecting flight my sister was on from Charlotte, were cancelled. You see, it’s the south. Both of the state’s salt trucks were already running overtime. And the majority of vehicles remaining on the roads are people who “know” how to drive on icy roads. The boys and I stayed at home, only venturing out for a brief foray clad in snow pants, hats, gloves, coats. Meanwhile my wonderful husband spent his afternoon picking up my sister so she would not have to spend her vacation in Charlotte. A wonderful city (as we learned last weekend), but we would much rather have her here with us.

That white stuff his paws are in, it's snow/ice/something cold and frozen

And so the festivities leading up to the very first birthday of my youngest son begin! There is a bizet torte in the freezer (although the whipped cream is holding up a lot better than last time!), a birthday cake in the works, and as long as we don’t run out of milk or toilet paper this will be a great week!