Still Snowed In

At least I am.  People are stirring and going to work and picking up garbage and delivering the mail.  The girls have half a day of school.  But I'm going nowhere.  I think Elise is going to the grocery store for me, so there's no reason to risk it.

I think I saw a little melting of roof snow just now, but the only problem is, more snow is predicted this weekend.  And next week.

I thawed the hummingbird water again this morning, and the little birds seem appreciative.  It's only 23 degrees now, so I guess I'll have to do it again before long.

Just some pictures from yesterday and this morning.  There's a lot of beauty when you can enjoy it from the warmth of your living room.  I have enjoyed seeing the pictures other people have posted on the community page of the falls and the elk and everything, but I have no desire to go see it in person.

Mike loved that you could see the mountains from the balcony, and I love it too.  I always teased him through the years about wanting to live in the mountains, but we could never seem to work it out.  Until now when I have to enjoy them by myself.

Garbage day is never pretty, but it seems particularly messy on slushy days.  I was glad to see them though.

My car this morning.  Going nowhere.

The picture doesn't show just how beautiful the glittery rooftoops are against the blue sky.

I took this from my bedroom window yesterday after Elise had been taking out garbage cans.

The Rooster Valley Facebook page had some beautiful pictures and videos of the barn and animals.

I just love all of them and had to post most of them.

I'm with these girls - staying in and staying warm.

This is Katherine's classroom and where Graysen started out two years ago.  It's just as cozy inside as it looks.

Nope.  Still not coming out!

I'm sure Wilbur is finding some hidden treats underneath all that snow.

 The pre-K building. 

  This duck either has short legs or is trying to swim - maybe a little of both.

Thank goodness for Elise and her creativity and patience.  She printed out coloring pages of unicorns and spent a good while discussing colors and other things with the girls.

Clouded leopards too.  

I got a little work done in my room, typing some interviews and podcasts, and only had the job of dressing Barbie and Ken every once in a while.  These poor creatures from the 80s have no clothes that don't make you want to burst out laughing.

From the size, this must be Ken's shirt, but it was really hard to seriously dress him in this, especially when the next thing Graysen brought me was a full-length coat with a fur collar.  What is that stuff on it?  I can't even blame it on tie-dye, although there are a few of those in the box too.

I'm not cooking much, as usual, but I did find this box of Krusteaz muffin mix that looked and was delicious.  I added a lot of raspberries to it, and the girls just loved it, and Elise and I didn't hate it either.  That must be why all 12 muffins were gone in 24 hours.

I did get to clean out the sewing room, and am not quite as terrified to go in there and sew a little.  The shelves still need a lot of cleaning out and simplifying, but it's a start.

I made Graysen's American Girl doll a dress and jacket, but she doesn't live here, so the old Mandy doll from the '80s had to model it even though it was much too big.  

 I made some mistakes but think I can do better on the next one.

  I spent WAY too much time turning these little straps.  I thought I used to have a method, but even after I watched several YouTube videos, I still struggled.

I love my new ironing board cover a little too much!

This is a pattern from a book by Joan Hinds.  I saw her demonstrating how easy it was to make the clothes on a Nancy Zieman Saturday morning show once and figured I could do that.  It's a little more involved than she made it seem but really cute clothes.

 Graysen wants the sundress next and then some pajamas and a sparkly party dress - and lots more!  I probably need to spend some time on Barbie and Ken clothes.

Elise and I are planning a sleepover for the girls Friday night since Emily will be gone for the weekend.  I was fine with one night, but she's getting a little ambitious and suggested two nights.  I'm not sure an apartment surrounded by ice and snow is a good place to be shut up with those two for two nights and two days.  I think we need to give Ryan a couple of days off to pay him back for the repairs and advice he gives us.   We'll see how that works.  We're stocking up on hot chocolate, waffles, eggs, yogurt, pizza, and maybe even corn dogs.  Can't wait ...