Oh the weather outside is…finally nice and warm!
PRAISE JESUS!
The kids went back to school today, and I’m trying to get my life together because, of course, this was already supposed to have been a crazy busy week…so, while I’m running around like a crazy woman today, you stay warm, sip your coffee and enjoy a little life lately. I seriously love you people so much! xx
On Valentine’s Day morning, we woke up to icy roads, so church was online only which meant, we got to stay warm and cozy inside all day. My little Valentine’s burrito was very happy about that!
My forever Valentine.
On Sunday afternoon, we let the kids play in the snow. They had so much fun!
On Valentine’s night, we had fajitas for dinner, and then all six of us cozied up in our room and watched Crazy Rich Asians together. We, ironically, declared it the best Valentine’s Day ever.
At 1:00 AM, our power went out…and that’s where things went downhill.
Many of our local areas were “rolling” blackouts, so we assumed that was what was happening to us. The day started off promising because we thought they’d turn the power back on soon, so we made the most of it.
The kids played in the snow, they used their sleds…
…we had so much fun!
But reality set in quickly, and we just made do with what we had. Erika’s family did have power, so they were sweet enough to let us shower over there since we didn’t have hot water and the house was dark. We got our power back at 9:00 on Wednesday morning, but were without water until Thursday evening.
A few pics of the snow from Thursday afternoon.
I love these kiddos so much!!
By Friday, things were feeling back to normal around here. Her sass had returned 100%. 😉
Andrew snapped this picture on Friday night. I love everything about it. A girl, with her dog, reading a book while her cookies bake.
On Saturday night, we cozied up (again!) and watched Crazy Rich Asians for the millionth time 🙂 .
That’s life lately.
Please continue to pray for my neighbors and other Texans whose homes have been damaged this past week. It’s really been devastating to see, and my heart hurts for so many people right now. Sending so much love today and prayers to so many. I’m thankful for this community right here because I truly know you’re praying. See you all tomorrow. xo
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
Glad to see you enjoying the snow. Going back to school must be so exciting for the kids! ❤️✨
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Alexis Murrell says
You should get your house painted with the snow on it to remember when it snowed in Texas! It looks beautiful! Hope you have a great week!
Erika Slaughter says
Just FYI-if our power goes out and you have electricity, I’m moving in. Tab can stay here and make sure the water and house is good. I will abandon the ship and my post!
Mix and Match Mama says
Please come!!! I owe you BIG!
Elspeth says
So glad you guys are safe!! My prayers were with you all last week!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
Rachel says
We never lost electricity, but our water went out Tuesday night and we just got it back this afternoon! The school district is virtual this week because the schools don’t have water. Thankfully, I teach in the next town and their utilities are fine! Our home internet was out two days. My parents had water and electricity, but their propane tank messed up and the haven’t had heat since last Monday, still don’t, but it’s much warmer than last week! I’m exhausted.
Maggie Eterno says
Glad to see y’all are all ok and glad to have your back!! Praying for everyone!!!
Sarina says
All this chaos reminds me of how insane Hurricane Sandy was for NJ and the devastation these storms bring! Praying for Texas and the surrounding areas!
I look back on those 2 weeks without power though and have the fondest memories of the time spent with family and friends! So glad you all are making the most of it…. especially during a pandemic 🙁
Mix and Match Mama says
I absolutely love your perspective!!
polly pover says
Do houses like yours in Texas not have generators? In my part of the country, houses like your would definately have at least a small generator if not a whole house generator. Best few thousand dollars I have ever spent to keep my furnace running and some power in my modest house during outages!
Mix and Match Mama says
I don’t know anyone with a generator. I think it’s because it’s so very rare when we’d need one. The last time an event like this happened in our area was 2011.
Amie says
The Generac whole home generator was the LEAST fun purchase but has saved us multiple times so far! Granted, we have lots of hurricane issues here in Beaumont. Adult purchases are just no fun..haha
polly pover says
A few thousand would go a long way towards safety and comfort!
Shelby says
So true about going with the flow with the power outtage thinking it was just rolling, then 2 days later still none. The bad thing is that we didn’t start our generator right away because they told us it would be back on in an hour or 2…. so the house got really cold then was hard to warm it back up with just a small space heater on generator. I can’t imagine folks who didn’t have ANYTHING.
Glad your roads were good enough to get to a shower. We couldn’t go anywhere!
Also do y’all not have a generator?
We are building and we just added “full house built in auto generator” to our amenities after all this mess.
Mary Tyson Bradshaw says
After all you have been through with your house in the past year, I am just so so thankful that you didn’t have any pipes burst or flooding at your house!!! XO
Mix and Match Mama says
Oh, me too!!
sandi says
Mary, I was thinking the same thing! After hearing about all the devastation, pipes bursting and flooding that was occurring, and their home just getting finished from the previous flood… so thankful none of that happened. We are in a hurricane prone area, but those never occur when it’s cold. We co-shared a generator with our neighbor during hurricane Isabel; we didn’t have power for 17 days. But we did have a sweet surprise nine months later when our daughter Meredith was born. After years of infertility and a son born through in vitro, that was a fun memory of a not so fun two weeks!
Monica says
Hi Shay… so glad you guys made it through safely. Weird question…when you watch movies like Crazy Rich Asians with your kids, how do you handle the language and other adult situations?
Mix and Match Mama says
Anytime we watch something/hear something (either on purpose or just overhear/witness it), we talk about it. My parents always were quick to talk about things, ask us our thoughts on things, and I think it worked well for Sean and me.
Julianne says
Seeing pictures on the news of some of the houses are so heartbreaking….your house and remodel came to mind so many times and I so hoped and prayed you would not have damage after just re-doing it all after the flood! Glad all is well and back to normal!
Sarah says
I am so glad to hear that you guys are okay! I was praying that you weren’t freezing and having pipes and another flood!
Julia says
So happy to read your house wasn’t damaged again! We had four pipes burst and our whole master suite and home office flooded even though we were home when it happened and turned off the main water shutoff ASAP. Ugh! I’m looking at your new master bathroom pictures for inspiration though!
Joy says
Thankful you guys are doing well and everything is better. It was so heartbreaking to see that so much of Texas was dealing with power outage and etc.
Hilde says
When my kids were little, one of their rights of passage was turning 13 and being able to watch PG-13 rated movies then. I am not a prude by any means, having grown up in Europe, but I do feel that that PG-13 content is not appropriate for young elementary ages. There are so many age appropriate movies and documentaries, why not chose one of those for family watching?
Mix and Match Mama says
I’m really big on content over rating. I’d rather watch the show before I make assumptions or judgements about something. Have you seen Crazy Rich Asians? It’s really cute, and my girls who are Asian really love the music, the costumes, the food, the parties…they get excited every time. They’re not old enough to articulate all the reasons why, but I imagine it feels good to see people similar to them on screen having fun, being funny, falling in love, and living these big/bold lives. The women in the movie are quite remarkable characters. Smart, strong, bold, good mothers, entrepreneurs and independent. Plus, it shows how there are some Bible reading Christian Asians as well which is great for my girls to see. If they inspire my little girls, then it’s a wonderful thing. They certainly inspire me.
Hilde says
Yes, I watched the movie in 2019 while in-flight to Germany. I though that it was heartwarming and fun movie, that shows the importance of someone’s heritage, but then I am an adult who understands the more adult/inappropriate topics there were shown in the movie, such as sexually inappropriate material and strong language (F-bomb and S-bombs). I myself feel that cheating spouses, spousal abuse, raunchy bachelor parties, nasty rich-girl behavior/bullying, manipulative parents is too much for a young elementary age child. I would just show the wedding and shopping/makeover scenes to younger children.
Mix and Match Mama says
Well, you should try this one again if for not any other reason as to see that it’s really adorable.
Marla says
So grateful things are somewhat back to normal for you. How are your neighbors who had the house fire? Was there much damage ? I’ve also had them in my prayers .
Mix and Match Mama says
I was just over there! They actually seem to be doing pretty well (all things considered). They were about to meet with the restoration company.
Susy says
So grateful gif Shaeffer’s repeated listing of organizations helping Texas communities.
Jennifer Atmore says
I never lost power or water in Arl (very thankful), but I was very worried that my pipes might burst and cause my house to flood. And that made me think of you and pray that you wouldn’t see another flood!
Courtney says
This reminds me of “Snowmageddon” in Atlanta in 2014. The whole country laughed at us because it the amount of snow was minimal, but we literally are not prepared for ANY snow/ice in the South! Glad yall are ok and made some sweet memories!
Mix and Match Mama says
Thank YOU!!
Jennifer says
I’m just so grateful your home wasn’t further damaged & that the exterior remodeling of your home is complete. I feel so bad for everyone in Texas. It was quite the ordeal & not over yet for some, I’m sure! Sometimes “normal” has its perks! ?. How are your neighbors whose home caught on fire? I’ve prayed for them several times, just felt so awful.
Mix and Match Mama says
Thank you, thank you, thank YOU!! They seem to be doing fairly well (all things considered). Your prayers mean so much!!!
Sheaffer Sims says
Y’all had quite the week! So glad that the sun is shining today and that y’all are only left with minimal damage. And MY GOODNESS. MADELEY IS A MOOD. And I love it.
Diane says
Yay for sun! I mean what was that last week??? Count your blessings…everyday!! Just finished like 10 loads of laundry here in Houston…never knew you could sort darks into black, dark blue, light blue and other LOL! Prayers for all those Texans still cleaning up and making repairs! ❤️?? #txstrong
Esther says
So glad you and your family ok, Shay! Praying for all of Texas to recover wholly. And, I love CRA – one of my favorite movies! Love that you’re thinking about representation and identity for your little girls and how much that matters (I say this as an Asian American) – you’re an amazing mom! 😀
Kacy M says
Glad y’all are in good spirits! Literally was 16° last Monday and today 70° in Houston. Crazy!! That’s TX for ya. Have a great week!
Mix and Match Mama says
RIGHT?! It’s nuts!!
Detroit Duchess says
Madeley looks SO grown up!
~B~ says
I’m catching up with my blog reading late, but had to hop on to say I am ever so thankful to see all is okay. When I saw/read/heard about the devastating cold temps, along with many pipes freezing and breaking with subsequent water damage, my heart sank for everyone. I’ve been through a few nasty ice storms in my days and that time without power/water isn’t easy. But to see the damage the storm left in its wake your way, as you are not an area that typically experiences this, has been humbling. I have completely taken for granted what we prepare for here (in the upper midwest) as that type of weather is expected. I was so hoping you weren’t experiencing any water damage, again. So sorry for all that your state has endured and prayers for all who are still working through the damage the storm left.