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Record breaking winter weather in Texas

  For the first 17 years of my life, I lived in Wyoming.  Approximately half the state is mountains covered in lodgepole pine forest and the other half is high plains desert.  Most of the state is more than a mile above sea level.  It's cold and snowy in the winter (Sept.-Apr.) and mild in the summer with a few weeks of HOT (>90 F) daytime temperatures. For most of my childhood, my parents were part of the Casper Mountain Volunteer Ski Patrol at Hogadon, our local ski area.  Approximately half of the weekends of winter were spent cruising the slopes with my friends and parents.  I was about 3 years old when I learned to ski.  By the time I was in late elementary school, I was pretty good at it and felt confident that I could safely get down pretty much any slope that most ski areas had.   My dad was a regional ski and toboggan instructor for ski patrol for a few years, so he, my mom, and I would frequently visit other ski areas in Montana and Wyoming.  It was a great adventure! 
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Creamy Pea & Potato Soup

This hearty winter soup serves about 8 adults.  Most of my recipes serve 6-8 people.  I've never learned to cook for just the 4 of us.  This means that we almost always have leftovers, which also means I only have to cook 3 or 4 days each week. 1 lb. Bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces 2 Tblsp. Reserved bacon grease 3 carrots, diced (~1 c.) 3 stalks celery, diced, (~1 c.) 2 onions, diced 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp. Rosemary, crushed 1 tsp. Thyme ~1 tsp. Salt 1/2 tsp. White pepper 6 c. Chicken broth 2 Tblsp. Cornstarch 2 lb. Potatoes*, cubed (1 inch) with skin on (~6 medium) 3 c. Frozen peas 2 c. Heavy cream 1/2 tsp. Nutmeg Cook bacon in batches in a large stock pot over medium heat. Reserve about 2 Tblsp. of the rendered fat. Set the bacon aside. Add the reserved bacon grease back to the pot. Add the diced carrot, celery, and onion, season with a little salt, and cook until the onion is glassy. Stir in the garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, and white pepper.   Whisk the cornstarch into
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About Me

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 Howdy! Thanks for joining me!  I'm so glad you're here. I'm Jackie, stay-at-home mom to 2, wife, Christ follower, and imperfect human.   Things I enjoy: People Coffee/Tea/Hot Chocolate/other beverages, many of which are iced because I live in The South Eating Cooking Meeting people for the purposes of consuming a beverage and chatting Listening Hugs Board games Reading Learning Laughing I love my family and Jesus.  I hope that in loving them well, I can better love and understand the rest of humanity. What's with the blog title? I grew up in Wyoming, where tumbleweeds are prolific.  I met Husband while I was in college in Nebraska.  In the years since, I have come to identify with the tumbleweed.  My kids were born in two different states. We've lived in 4 states and 7 towns/cities over the course of our marriage.  Moving sucks.  I always hate leaving our friends/family/friends who have become like family.  But then we move someplace new and eventually make new fri
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