On Saturday when the snow started to really come down we made it to the store so we wouldn't get trapped with nothing to eat.  I decided I wanted to make crock pot stew.  Perfect for this kind of weather and it's soooo good.  So yesterday I put Allie in her bouncy chair and put her just outside the kitchen were she could see me and I put on Christmas music.  I started to chop the veggies when she started to fuss.  So I put her bouncy chair right beside my leg and bounced it as I chopped.  I call this making stew "The Mom Way".  :)  She fell asleep pretty quickly and I finished up.  About 30 minutes later Matt says he hears a popping noise coming from the crock pot.  I look up and it is pouring black smoke from the side.  I quickly unplugged it.  It left a pretty good black mark on the counter but we got it out.  So now I am stuck with a broken crock pot and $10 worth of uncooked meat!  Thankfully we live close to the Roth family so Matt walked 5 blocks in the ice and snow to borrow theirs.  Thanks to the Roth's for saving my stew!  and thanks to Matt for walking all that way for me.  :)