wishin' it was spring already...

I hate winter. Have I mentioned that lately?

Yesterday and today has been "freeze your butt off" cold. School was cancelled. Yesterday's coldest temp was around -8 F. This morning, my sweetie was nice enough to walk Skye for her first potty of the day, and it was -14. Yes, that is a minus sign in front of the number. UGH!

Today we spent the better part of the day dealing with a frozen water situation. We get our water from an old spring house at the edge of the woods. The water then goes into two different holding tanks, then continues down to us as needed. Well, the main gate valve was not covered properly (for whatever reason) and it froze. Lee and Daddy made a reflector around the valve and had a Coleman propane heater on it for many hours. Meanwhile, we were doing our best to scrounge up breakfast and lunch that did not require lots of pots/dishes/etc. And of course, no toilet flushing. Thank God for baby wipes and hand sanitizer. Hours passed and then finally....water!! So now the gate valve is really super-duper insulated.

Then later tonight, after washing up most of the dishes, we noticed that the tub had begun to collect water. Yep...another problem. The main drainage pipe was frozen. Luckily, the toilet has a seperate drain directly to the septic. So, the water in the tub was just handwashing water and dishwater. Anyway, now that's been taken care of, too.

And....we're getting lots and lots of snow as I'm typing this. School is already on a two-hour delay, and I'm guessing they will decide to close it for tomorrow, too. We've been hearing 1-3", other forecasts say 2-4", and we even heard a forecast earlier that said up to five in low-lying areas and up to 12" in the mountainous regions.

Winter sucks.

Here are some fabrics that make me think of spring, sherbert, and warm sunshine. The colors are actually a little less intense in person, but you get the idea.

that #@^$ white stuff

We got some of that horrid white stuff on Sunday...and someone had lots of fun!

Being that I hate snow...and I certainly didn't want to get out in it, or take a chance on slipping and hurting my back again...I chose to take these photos from the safety of my living room window!!!

Lee built a fire, and they stayed warm in between sled rides. Of course, Morgan came to the door to get the obligatory marshmallows for roasting. And faithful Ben kept them company. They had a great father-daughter afternoon.

yes...I'm weird

I've been tagged by Jhoanna at One Red Robin:

Rules - People who get tagged need to write a blog post of 6 weird things about them as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says “you are tagged” in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

1. I eat popcorn with a spoon, ever since I was a little girl.

2. I fold clothing before putting it in the dirty laundry hamper.

3. I have fingers that are crooked/twisted. Especially my left index finger . (Caused from cracking my knuckles sideways for years when I was growing up. Don't let your kids do this!)


4. I absolutely, positively hate to get dirty, especially my hands. (When I was little, an elderly neighbor bought me a sandcastle playset and told my mother that he needed to see me play in the dirt at least once - and no, I never did. He swore that I was the cleanest child he'd ever known.) I guess this is why I'm a terrible gardener!

5. I stir corn into my mashed potatoes. Now Morgan does the same.

ok...and number 6...I almost didn't put this....because it's really weird....
I shave my toes. Yes, bizarre, I know. (Because Lee teased me endlessly for years about how my big toes were so hairy.)

Now...I'm not going to follow the rules *exactly*...so, if you haven't done this yet...consider yourself tagged!

On the mend...

First of all...thank you for the well-wishes!

My back is not the greatest yet, but it is healing and feeling much better...considering the pain I was in at this time last week. I can move now without wanting to scream. Still using the heating pad, still taking the Flexeril (at night only now). Continuing with the chiropractic, too. No more Percocet needed, thank God. It's good if the pain is unbearable, but it makes me so space-y and "out of it", and I really hate that feeling.

Then yesterday, I had another migraine complete with vomiting. Fun fun.

Yesterday, we also had something happen that set our tiny corner of the world on end, but I don't feel like going into it right now...maybe never. (I always struggle with how personal I should get here in blogland.)

So...as promised, I still have several projects to share, and they are coming soon. Please bear with me!

OUCH!!!

Double OUCH!! And that's putting it mildly. Here's the scoop:

Yesterday, we'd had snow overnight and school was on a 2-hour delay. (Lee always takes Morgan to school on his way to work.) So I needed to take her to school. I went out to sweep the walk, continued down the driveway, and cleaned off the car and let it warm up. Then I made sure I could get the back door open - the latch is messed up and it's tricky...and of course it was mostly frozen, I had a hard time with it. Well, as I turned around to head back to the house....walking was excrutiatingly painful...I couldn't even stand up straight. But I *had* to fight through it and get the Mo to school.

When I got home and walked into the house I was completely in tears, yelping in pain. I called Lee and told him I needed to go to the chiropractor.

Long story short - I have a severe sprain/strain to the lumbar and sacral regions and a displaced tailbone. Yikes!!! My chiro could barely adjust me because my muscles were in such spasms. His office is closed on Thursdays, so I have to go back tomorrow for more adjusting.

I'm not real hip on taking a lot of meds, but I must say that I'm quite thankful for my left-over percocet from my kidney stone last year.

finding my groove again...

Hello! I'm still here....really, I am.


I guess that break was just a little too enjoyable, because I'm finding it hard to get back into the groove. I've been reading the same thing from some other bloggers, too, so at least I'm not alone in my post-holiday laziness!


Our Christmas was so wonderful. I hope all of you reading this had a wonderful one, as well. I found myself enjoying it more after it was over though. Not in a bad way. What I mean is that I just felt so pressed for time and so busy in the days before, that after it was over and the dust had settled, that's when I had time to relax and enjoy the tree, and the bits of Christmas beauty all around me. So much in fact, that we just took down the all the decorations and the tree yesterday...January 7th! We've never left the tree up that long. In fact, I'm usually tired of it and want it down on the 26th. Hmm...so different for me this year.






I love this picture of Morgan. The joy and excitement on her face! She had just started to open a gift from her Grandma and Papaw that she had been really, really, really wanting. I'm so glad Lee was able to capture that moment!


*****

As some of you know, I'm a massage therapist, but haven't really been too active in many moons. This past Friday and Saturday I worked at a resort spa. It's mostly an on-call situation at the moment, so they don't even know when they'll need me again. Boy was I sore yesterday!! As you can imagine, bodywork is physically demanding...and let's just say that I'm not in the greatest shape lately!! That needs to change!

*****

Stay tuned...I have some things to show soon...

would you want these knees?!......and sadness...

the knees of a speed skater.....

******
and on a different note:
I'm so sad this morning upon hearing the news of James Kim. I've been following this story of survival and hope regarding the whole Kim family. I understand that Kati has had a big impact on so many in the crafting/blogging community. My heart and prayers go out to them all.

And let us remember that today is, of course, the anniversary of the attack at Pearl Harbor, too.

wicked wind!

This past Friday, after a lot of the country got snow, we got that same storm system in the form of drenching rains for first half of day, rapidly dropping temps (71 degrees F at 8am and 29 degrees F by bedtime) and high wind warnings.

Well, for those of you that don't know my husband, he loves to tease and BS about things. Anyway, late Friday afternoon, he was outside making sure everything that could possibly be secured down, was. He rushed back inside and yelled that Morgan's trampoline had just flown away. I, of course, stood my ground and said that I was not falling for it. But he started yelling about how we needed to go catch it, and rushed back outside.

Imagine our surprise when he was completely serious!

Ok....here is where the trampoline normally sits:



And here is where we found it:


Here are some limbs that didn't fare well:


So after retrieving it, Lee decided that he'd better weight down the legs with cinder blocks!:


Now that's wicked wind!!!

the season's official start...

Monday night was Clarksburg's Christmas Parade. Once again, we were involved because of the model railroad club. Thankfully, the weather was good...not too cold, and dry. (Although I was really glad I had worn my wool socks.) Morgan helped carry one of the trains, and I helped to carry the banner. The clubhouse was kept open for all the foot traffic to pop in and check out the displays. Lee stayed there mostly, because that morning, he'd gone to the doctor (strep-type throat and brochitis).

These photos were taken while still waiting in the line-up.

Anyway, it was fun. The parade-goers (the little ones especially) loved seeing their favorite Thomas the Tank Engine characters. This year was the best so far, because we were much further up in the line than previous years. So after we got done, we actually got to see the rest of the parade.

Ollie and I want to welcome all you new visitors!!

Wow...my site meter has exploded lately!!! Seems as though a lot of you have been visiting me from Anna Maria Horner's blog, and also from Maria's One Hour Craft. Hello to you!! This little blog is still just getting off the ground, but I'm so glad you've stopped by. Please take a minute to leave a comment and say hi...I'd love to hear from you.

Please meet Ollie. (Morgan thought it should be a girl, but the name Ollie popped in my head as soon as he was finished, and it's stuck.) He's my first attempt at a tiny teddy, and he's certainly not "heirloom quality", but I think he's bear-y cute!! Heehee!

Ollie is thread jointed, so he was quite happy to pose for his first photo shoot.

she went to skate and became a Viking warrior princess...

Night before Thanksgiving, we went to SkateWorld.

A man who visits a few times a year came by, and made balloons for kids all evening long. His name is Gilbert Adams and he is a 3-time world champion balloon artist. He's currently setting up a website, and you can check it out so far here.

After the skate session, we had an opportunity to speak personally with Gilbert. Very interesting fellow. He spent several years in both the Air Force and the Army, and is a Desert Storm veteran.

p.s. - hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

won't you join me for tea?

Ahhh, the weekend. Made cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Mmmm. Then while the oven was already hot, I made some cherry chip cookies.

As they were coming out of the oven, Morgan was setting up a teeny tiny tea party. See the cherry chips on the plates?! Even some Littlest Pet Shop guests joined us.

Morgan went to her first speed skate practice today, even though she had the jitters about it. She did great, and now she can't wait to go back next time!

Have a great weekend!!

she can see clearly now....

Well, Morgan inherited my bad eyes. She mentioned last week that things on the chalkboard and overhead project have been fuzzy. When I spoke with her teacher about it, she said she had recently noticed that Morgan was getting up, or leaning in, to look at things. We took her for an eye exam Monday evening and her vision was 20/40.

Yesterday after school we went frame shopping and at the fourth store she found what she liked the best. An hour later....she was seeing great!

It's hard to tell in these pics, but the frames are a gorgeous purple metal. She was in a silly mood...can ya tell?!?!!

an update...

Dark Brown Allova Micro-suede
Dark Brown Vinyl
Beige Cotton Crinkle Gauze
White Muslin

What do these things have in common? Well, they are all part of that huge project I've been working on. That project that looms over me like a bad dream! Within the next several days, I should be able to reveal this project in it's entirety.



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I've also been working on a butterfly pouch from the Omiyage book, handstitching bits here and there when not at home (waiting for my daughter at school, etc.).



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Look at the weather we've had lately! ACK!!! We've barely had fall, and already, the snow is flying.

a sea of leaves...

...and they're still falling. With the rain and breeze we've had lately, we've had leaves swirling everywhere lately. These pics were taken on Friday, and they're all taken around our home.

Not sure what tree this is, but I love the vibrant red berries. A good splash of color amid all the dreariness. If you look closely, you can see the rain dripping off.


I think we're already past peak fall colors, but we still see some beautiful reds and oranges when we look out our front door and up the hill.


With the rain and chilliness, even the neighbor's cows that use our field across the road feel too lazy to do anything!


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Lately, a H-U-G-E sewing project has been ruling my life. And remember...I like working on small projects!! "Oh what have I gotten myself into" moments have frequently been occurring. More on this project soon.

successful Asian fabric hunt

This weekend, my hubby's model railroad club is having a show at our mall. My daughter and I went out this evening to eat dinner with him and hang out for a bit.

After we ate, I walked down to Joann Fabrics to check for good cloak fabric for dh's Jedi costume and to search out Asian fabrics. Mission successful! Found some possible cloak fabrics, and will make a purchase after dh's approval (I have a 50% off coupon good through Monday!!!!) Anyway...back to the important stuff...heehee!...I managed to find some Asian fabrics, and they were all on sale for $1 less per yard. Cool thing about the Omiyage projects, they take such small amounts of fabric, so I was able to buy pretty much every Asian themed fabric I found. (A pitiful selection to be honest. But, since I had none in my stash, it's a good start.) The ones I liked best I got quarter yards, the others I got as eighth yards.

It's hard to tell in the photos, but most have gold highlights. They are sooooo rich looking. I think by carefully combining with current stash fabrics, any further Omiyage projects should look much more authentic.

I couldn't resist posting the second picture. That's our youngest furbaby, Skye, in the lower right corner checking out mama's new stuff. She approved :)

I've done it!

Well, time to do the next internet thing...so I've created this blog! Hopefully, I will be able to post regularly, depending on the time I can devote to my quilting and sewing, etc.