When we made the decision to stay in Massachusetts instead of moving back to Georgia, we agreed that we had to do something to embrace the change of seasons. By now ya'll know winter is the hardest for me - it's cold ... snowy ... and it consists of bundling and unbundling small children any time you have to go outside. But I'm committed to this place ... and so this Winter I've been committed to appreciating the season that we're in, and finding the good things. After all ... There is a season for everything, right? (Cue the music...)

One of the ways we've embraced Winter this year is by making a list of all the snow-day activities we want to do. Then when there's snow on the ground, we can bundle ourselves up and make some fun out of it. After all - my kids adore the snow - and I just can't imagine their little lives without it anymore. So one day this week, when we were surprised by a couple of inches of snow, we decided to take a cue from Ma and Pa in our Little House in the Big Woods book and try our hand at making Maple Candy.

As you can see here, I poured way too much maple syrup in our pie pan of snow, so then we rushed outside to add more snow, thinking that would help it solidify; but all it really did was turn it into a big pie plan of mush. We ended up with something that resembled maple snow cream ... but we did end up with a few pieces of soft taffy at the bottom. Next time I'll use less syrup and boil it a bit longer so it hardens a little more. Regardless, it was delicious, and we made a happy Winter memory - so all in all, I'd say it was a big win.