Things That Make Winter Bearable…

     A CHICAGO WINTER is not so different from a Michigan winter, but both are very different from a Georgia winter. Growing up with hopes for a mite of snow (flurries, even) around Christmas time is a far cry from braving the buckets of white mush that the heavens dump over these northerly regions this time of year. Not that I’m complaining. Too much.
     After four years of snow and ice in rural Michigan, you’d think Chicago wouldn’t be so bad with its paved sidewalks, regular snowplowing and salting….but you’d be wrong. The sidewalks may not be covered in feet of snow, but they are slicked over with sheets of ice. Where there’s no ice, there’s puddles of slush and mud deep enough to drown in…or at least to get your best jeans wet up to the knees. And rue the day you step a little too close to the curb, only to catch a wave of chilly side-spray from a speeding taxi. So, living in the city in winter time is not all sugar plums and bonbons (not that I ever thought it would be), but here is a list of the few things that will keep me going through the next six months of this gray winter “wonderland”…..

Starbuck’s Coffee…the best part of waking up
(especially since Patrick gives me all the free gift cards he gets from work because he doesn’t drink coffee!)

Hot Tea made with my awesome tea kettle
(when it starts getting dark at 4pm)


Lamb’s Wool Throw
(Over the couch….Soooo soft!)

Hot Chocolate (no-sugar) + Lite Whipped Cream
Chocolatey Delight…even on a diet!

So it looks like most of the things I need to get me throw winter are hot beverages. Does a body good!