No Electricity from 9 a.m. - 3:30 a.m.

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I was getting ready to wrap presents. Breakfast was done and we were gathering up the dishes when suddenly, the electricity went out. We weren't surprised at this because we had been getting quite a winter storm. The wind was blowing and Mother Nature was dumping a wintery mix upon the10 inches of snow that had already accumulated from the last snowfall. I gathered up the bags of gifts, wrapping paper, scissors, tape and gift tags and began to wrap. After about 2 hours, the electric was still out, and there was a chill in the air. My Hubby decided to go outside and get the snow and ice from the roof. I decided to bake some toffee graham cracker cookies. We have a gas stove so it would provide some heat as well. About an hour had passed and it was now 12:00. I fixed some grilled cheese sandwiches and made some hot tea. We had a couple of chunks of firewood left and Hubby used them to start a fire in the fireplace. I have a friend who lives close by and she told us that we could have some of the larger pieces of firewood. Hubby went to fetch enough to last us the night, just in case we needed it. He was convinced that the electric would be back on before dinnertime. I nearly finished wrapping the presents at about 5:00. After picking up the mess I had made, I made dinner. Dinner was canned Italian Wedding soup with bread and butter. I had to use one of those old style can openers that have a sharp point at the tip and you need to move it up and down to open the can. Following dinner we cozied up by the fire and tried to keep warm. I got out the scarf that I am knitting for my grandson. Hubby was in the rocking chair and kept dozing off. He was tired from working outside in the cold and the warmth of the fireplace was making him drowsy. The candles were lit and positioned aound the the living room and kitchen. The glow they emitted was quite festive. The pile of firewood that Hubby had collected from our friend was quickly growing smaller. Soon it was time to retire for the evening. It was 10:00 p.m. and still no electricity. We tossed a few more pieces of wood on the fire and crawled into our bed. An hour and a half later I felt my way in along the hallway and into the living room. The fire was out, but the embers were still glowing a bright red. I tossed a couple more logs onto the fire and waited for the hot embers to burst into flames. Hubby was on call for the rest of the night to add more wood to the fire. After the second trip at 3:30 a.m. I woke to hear the familar rumble from the furnace and turned to see the red eyed monster that was now flashing 12:00. The electric was finally back on! I quickly set the clock and alarm. Hubby put the coffee on for morning. Once he was back in bed we snuggled in and slept peacefully for the rest of the night. 6:45 a.m., I woke before the alarm. BONUS!!! There was water. A hot shower was mine! I thought for sure that the water had frozen in the pipes and that I would have to boil water for a sponge bath! What a luxury to take a shower. Moral of the story is that you never know when you'll be faced with the need for emergency supplies. Food, water, candles, matches, a flashlight, a manual can opener, and in our case....a source of heat.