“It doesn’t matter where you’re from—or how you feel. There’s always peace in a strong cup of coffee.”
—Gabriel Bá, Daytripper

And if you can have that cup of coffee with a kindred spirit, even better. Today I got to catch up with an old friend over coffee and I’m feeling wonderfully recharged. There’s nothing like spending time with someone who’s known you forever to remind you of who you really are. If you know what I mean.

Tim and the older kids are at Ski Club tonight, so Will, Lily, and I are watching movies. And then it’s supposed to get very, very cold so we’ll be hunkering down for the rest of the weekend. And no school on Monday!

If you have a minute, check out these cool links:

• Happy Home Fairy included our Soap Snowballs in her roundup of 8 Ways to Make Snow Without Actually Having Snow! Lots of other great ideas, including Frosty Fluff and Snow Dough.
• 6 Toddler Games for Tired Parents. Really funny.
• Have you seen this Led Zeppelin tribute from the 2012 Kennedy Center Awards? Seriously, you must stop what you’re doing and watch it. You won’t be sorry.
• A great way to use holiday cards post-holidays.
• One of my biggest goals in life is To Use My Crock Pot. This should help.
• Heart-shaped page marker origami would be a sweet valentine for your favorite readers.
• DIY Gift: Terrarium Kit.
• Tagging this for next Christmas. Especially now that the younger ones are getting suspicious about Santa’s handwriting.
• Amazing handmade rainbow igloo. This could keep squirrelly kids busy all winter.