Today brought a new winter woe: an ice storm. The results are breathtaking to look at, but scary too.

Before the storm really got going, and the ice built up, I raked most of our roof — well, a 2-foot swath around the edge of it, at least. It was grueling work that tested my resolve. Basically, raking the roof involves hoisting a long roof rake up in the air and dragging down any snow or ice or whatever is up there. Although not a usual need for people in my Connecticut town, this year’s incessant snow (and ice!) has made it necessary to prevent the roof from leaking … or worse.

It would have been overwhelming if it weren’t for little bits of encouragement. Will watched from the window while I worked, yelling encouragements and supports. It’s amazing what a little “Just a little bit more, Mommy!” or “Just try your hardest!” from a sweet boy can do. He’s the reason I got three-quarters of the edge of the roof done. (I would have done it more, but I couldn’t reach the rest.)

Anyone else dealing with roof raking?

Switching gears a bit, I want to tell you about a new food resource that I have been working with behind the scenes for the past month or two. I think you’ll like it (I do!).

A few months back, I was asked to be a brand ambassador for Foodily, a new search engine for recipes. I wasn’t sure if that was something that I wanted to do, or a direction that I wanted to take this blog in … but then I looked at Foodily and was sold. It was something that I could really get behind.

See, Foodily is different from other recipe search engines because it’s super visual. When you search for a recipe, it shows you the actual photos that go with the recipes side-by-side so that you can see what looks good. They say that we eat with our eyes, and this site really grabs onto that concept … and lets us make decisions based on what really tickles our visual fancy. Another cool thing is that it’s also really customizable searching. Looking for a fabulous chocolate dessert without flour, nuts or coffee? No problem! Just type in what you want and don’t want in the recipe.

What I also love is that Foodily doesn’t just search blogs or just search websites — it does it all. So you get a great broadbase offering of the recipes that are out there. I’ve even got a number of recipes on there. Once you select a recipe, Foodily redirects you to the original blog or website where it came from.

But don’t take my word for it … check it out. And let me know what you think.

Disclosure: I am a paid brand ambassador for Foodily, however the opinions expressed are my own.