As February Draws to a Close

We had snow in October, snow after Christmas, and now February has brought winter back in full force.  We must have gotten at least a foot of snow last week, and almost every morning since then we've gotten up to more.  Yesterday it snowed and this morning we had snow and wind.

It was amazing to watch.  I'm attempting to insert a video of it, so we'll see how it does.  UPDATE: I published and it seems to work just fine.  It's fun to watch in full screen! Brrrrr!!

In two short days March will be upon us and I think I'm ready.  Spring is starting to sound very good.  ♥

The Big Snow

For once the forecasters seem to have hit it right. We've had a little snow over the past week, but then we began to hear that a big storm was coming, followed by yet another one.  And we have snow! Over a foot with more to come starting later today.  It's gorgeous and only in the twenties, so we have it much better than the south.  I hear Texas is a mess--single digit temperatures and no power; they're having a very bad time.   

But here at the resort we are enjoying a beautiful, cozy day. Coffee cake for breakfast, cups of warm coffee and tea, a little counted cross stitch and a fun books to read.  The big grandsons have taken off to do some skiing.  Ahh, the young!! Meanwhile, D is enjoying a little sledding.

Here are a couple of pictures from here at the Resort this morning.

View out the back--not a black and white photo!

The front view.  Boxwood marshmallows!

  Brrr!! Stay warm!!  ♥

Hello!

Well hello there!  Here it is, Presidents' Day weekend and Valentine's Day all in the same few days.  How quickly February passes.  And today is the birthday of one of our nieces.  Party on!

It's been a beautiful day.  Snow was forecast overnight, but it didn't begin until about daybreak.  It's cold, very cold as in the teens, and so even though it snowed almost all day, we got maybe three inches of very light, fluffy snow. We are supposed to get more over the weekend so we'll see how it goes.  

I don't have a lot of Valentine decorations, but I did make that runner last year with a kit from Shabby Fabrics so this is its first appearance.  I do love it!

I still use the four red hearts on sticks that Daniel gave me when he was five.  They warm my grammy heart each year when I get them out. Treasures, that's what they are.  

And of course, we must have the appropriately colored peanut M&M's in a bowl.  

I'm continuing to stitch away on my counted cross stitch.  I ordered a few more patterns for the Prairie Schooler Santas from more recent years and they came.  I saw a framed piece someone from the Instagram group for the Santas did and I'm hoping to do something similar.  It will probably take me a year or so though, so don't hold your breath!  :-)

And last, I ordered a new Instant Pot cookbook by the Six Sisters and it came.  I think it's going to be a good one!

Hope everyone is keeping warm!  This cold seems to be affecting a large part of our country.  But it is winter! ♥

As December Ends

Well, I don't think anyone will be sorry to see this year end.  It's been a strange one for certain.  But then I have to remind myself that almost every generation has strange years.  Black plague? World wars? And on and on.  So, we count our blessings, keep moving forward and remind ourselves of what's truly important. And I'm sure it's not "stuff", but people that count.

We've been inundated with snow today.  Lots and lots of snow, and wind, so it's hard to tell just how much snow has actually fallen.  Dan plowed this early evening and now we've settled in for the night beside the fire. We are supposed to get more snow overnight so we'll see what the morning brings.  I made a big ham and split pea soup for supper in the Instant Pot, just the thing for a wintery day and there's lots left over for the next few days.  

When I was downstairs earlier I realized I didn't take any pictures of the family room to share so here's one:

That's the sewing machine I learned to sew on.  I haven't tried it since bringing it up when we cleared out Mom and Dad's house, but one of these days I will.  I probably need to take it out of the cabinet and have it gone through first, though. 

Happy New Year to one and all!! ♥

And the Snow Came Down

 

And I'm thrilled I'm finally getting the camera figured out and was able to capture the snow as it fell.  It was so beautiful!  And yes, I had Christmas music playing.  ♥

Snow, A Finish, and New Little Gadgets

It's four days later and winter has indeed arrived . . . and stayed.  We've had at least a foot and a half of snow, alog with wind, and cold temperatures.  As I type, the wind is howling and I'm thankful to be indoors, dressed in a cozy fleece top, jeans, and warm slippers. Ah, the life of a retiree!  

I finished the doll outfit and I'm so happy with how it turned out.  The directions were easy to follow and it was actually fun to do.  My American Girl doll, Samantha, is happily wearing it and is glad to be so cozy and warm in this weather.  

The kit came from Mary Maxim and I also ordered the black pants, top and boots because I really wanted those boots! They make the outfit.

I followed the directions in the pattern to make the pom poms at the ends of the scarf and for the top of the hat and they turned out okay, but not very full.  I'd like to make at least the hat again, and if I do, I want a better pom pom since it'll probably be a stand alone piece, so I googled pom pom makers and found one made by Clover with great ratings.  I ordered yesterday and the UPS man dropped it at my front door this morning.  

A set of four, making different sizes, wasn't that much more than ordering one singly, so I went with the set. There are lots of videos on YouTube showing how to use these, so I'm looking forward to trying them out soon.  ♥

Snow!!

Wow!  Winter has arrived!  As I type (I'm old school, I don't think I'll ever use the term key-boarding), Dan is out on the 4-wheeler plowing at least 8" of the white stuff.  It's been coming down heavily as he's plowed so I'm sure it's continuing to pile up.  As this storm winds down sometime later today, another is slated to arrive tomorrow, followed by much colder temperatures.  

Plowed and already turning white again. . .

Brrrr. . .

As I sit warmly inside, I've found this to be perfect knitting weather.  I'm currently working on a doll sweater set for my American Girl doll.  I've finished the front and back, and am alternating between the sleeves (almost done) and the scarf.  With this weather, the doll is in need of some warmth.  :-)

Oh, and I need to show another potholder.  I found the snowman fabric and matching snowflake design in my stash.  I had no idea it was there, but then I remembered back and realized I'd bought them to make a table runner.  Well, potholders seemed to be a better idea.  I was only able to make three because of the amount of the snowman cut, but they turned out so cute!  I gave two away, and still have this one.

The red/white stripe was just the perfect choice for the bias tape and was leftover from a pillowcase project from last year.  I love puttering in my sewing room and knitting in my living room! ♥

And . . . It's Still Winter!

Yes, indeedy, it's still all white and cold out there.  And it's even officially Spring Break at all the area schools!  I notice many people have headed for warmer climes for the week.  Our neighbor, sporting a deep suntan, brought over a box of chocolate covered macadamia nuts yesterday to thank Dan for plowing their driveway numerous times while they vacationed in sunny Hawaii. I'm proud to say I wasn't even jealous!  Oh, and did I mention that it's snowed all day?  Yup, still coming down.  

Dan and I spent several days in Coeur d'Alene last week while he attended meetings and I lounged in luxury in our room overlooking the lake at the Coeur d'Alene Resort.  Several people asked me if I planned to shop and the answer was, "No."  I went to relax and read and snooze, and I did all three.  It was a great time!  We did it last year for the same meetings, and plan to do it again next year.  Yay!!

Cameron is settling into his new life is Rwanda.  It was a huge culture shock and it turns out that while they usually have some trainees from Europe and America, this time he is the only one.  All the rest come from various countries in Africa and though they all speak a little English, most don't speak it well.  It's a nine-hour time difference from here (it was ten before daylight savings time), so connecting takes some work.  So thankful for email and smart phones!

Cam and the other trainees

And speaking of daylight savings time, let me just say that I HATE it!  Please, can we not just pick one time and stick with it?  As far as I can tell, no one is a fan of this continual change.  I read a good op ed while in Coeur d'Alene that said those who tout it by saying the farmers are for it are lying deluded.  Farmers hate it! Just makes for longer days as they wait for crops to dry out, and cows and other animals are not fooled and follow their usual routine.  My theory?  Those who want to golf after work are behind the whole thing.  Oh yeah--and the supposed energy savings?  Not exactly true.  Studies show it a dead even or maybe even uses a little more.  I grew up without daylight savings time and seemed to live quite well that way, as did everyone else I knew.  

And that's my soapbox for the week!  ♥

March or January??

We have snow.  Oh, do we have snow!  And cold.  Is it really March?  Or did the calendar go backwards and we're back to January.  Dan has plowed our driveway so many times that there's nowhere else to pile the snow. He shoveled the roof day before yesterday.  The highs are in the twenties and the lows are single digits.  Baby, it's cold outside!!  But it's beautiful!  

Not much else has been going on here. Our grandson Cameron left yesterday for six months in Kigali, Rwanda, with Youth With A Mission and that's kinda occupied my mind for the last week or so.  He should have landed this morning (seven in the evening their time) after a twenty-two hour journey.  Needless to say this grammy was traveling right along in her mind. 

Oh, wait! I have been working on getting all my files transferred from my old computer to my new one.  It's taking a while because I'm looking through all my folders to see what's actually in them and deleting stuff I know I'll never need or use.  It's turning out to be quite time-consuming, but I think it'll be worth it.  

It's sunny out today and I'm thinking I need to go stitch a seam or two sometime today.  I got a new doll pattern book recently and while I'd love to get started on a dress or two, I'm one of those crazy people who only has one project going at a time and I need to work on the Snowy Day quilt first.  I saw this little picture on line today and it fits my day, I think.

Here's to a beautiful, sunny winter day in my sewing room--hopefully! ♥

It Snowed, I Sewed

And the snow came down!! And down!!  We got up to another four inches yesterday morning and it continued to snow throughout the morning adding another couple. This was the lacy view out our bedroom window:

So what's a girl to do when she's caught up on her housework (miracle!!) and has leftovers for dinner? Why she sews, of course.  My longtime pal, Kathy, and I have been in conversation about our dolls this past week and she tipped me off to a free pattern on the internet for my 10" Tonner Ann Estelle doll.  I made a test run of it on Tuesday and it turned out to be a good fit.  It's a sleeveless dress so here's Ann Estelle modeling it with her white sweater turned back into a cardigan:

I learned a few things as I made the blue dress, so yesterday I headed straight down to my sewing room (see paragraph above) and decided to make another.  I rooted around in my stash of doll fabrics and came up with a odd shaped scrap someone gave me years ago. Would it be enough?  Yes! By making the skirt a little less full and shorter, I decided I could squeeze out a dress that would be perfect for the 4th of July.  And here's AE modeling it for you all.  I think she'll need red sandals to really set it off.

This pattern has many possibilities and I'm looking forward to trying out some more ideas.  Meanwhile, I'm perusing adorable shoes in AE's size (which, unfortunately are not cheap!) because cute dresses need cute shoes.  

I have yet to get started cutting and stitching on the Snowy Day quilt, but maybe today?  ♥

Apparently the Groundhog Lied

We've had winter, winter, winter for over a week, so I guess the groundhog's prediction of an early spring doesn't hold true, at least here.  The super cold has given way to temperatures in the twenties, and much snow.  It's coming down as I type.

Here's a picture I captured this morning between snow storms as the sun was trying to burst through.  

Bruder Bear said it looked so peaceful, and it was.  So very beautiful!  

And now I can hear the snowplows on the highway below us.  Busy night for them I'm sure.  ♥

I Think I've Got It!

No, not the flu!  I think I've got the fabrics to make the snowy day quilt!  I actually did write yesterday's post and then go downstairs to pull fabrics.  As I was looking at the pattern (printed for free from the All People Quilt website) I realized that it seemed to be made of flannel fabrics.  Hmm.  Then I remembered that I had a small stash of flannels, some going back years and years. Could I have what I needed? Why yes, I think I do!

I only have one fat quarter of green, but I think I have enough of it to make all the trees if I cut carefully, and it's okay with me if they're all the same.  Actually, all the fabrics are fat quarters and will take some figuring and maybe some piecing, but again, it's doable.  My biggest question was what to use for the background.  Then I spotted a blue that was in my pile of bib fabrics.  It has white stars and spots and I think I'll be perfect.  Snowy day quilt, you're on!!

And here's the view from my sewing room window today.  It did snow enough to turn everything beautiful! 

And it's below freezing so it'll be here for a while.  ♥

A New Year . . .

. . . and it's a cold white one here at the resort.  By Christmas Day we had a foot or so of beautiful white stuff, and a little more came down in the days that followed.  And then it turned cold.  Cold as in it was one degree last night at nine o'clock.  We've had some fog and that, coupled with the cold, has resulted in hoar frost that covers every little branch, twig, and spider web. It's a fairy land out there, people!

Box Elder at the end of our deck

View out the front door

Look at that brilliant blue sky!

I am loving every moment of this incredible beauty.  It's warm and cozy here in the resort and we were blessed with a lovely Christmas season with family.  Bruder Bear and Karen drove up to our home town on Christmas Eve and then on Christmas Day drove our parents up here for a day of feasting and visiting.  BB's son JR and daughter Kirsten and husband Tim also came.  Ann, Eric and the boys were able to run over for a hour or so (Eric's parents were spending the holiday with them) and we had fourteen of us catching up with one another . . . and putting a puzzle together!

Peanut M&M's are a must for puzzle work!

My Dad was particularly pleased to have so many of his family around!  (And the cookies didn't hurt, either!)

At 92, his biggest gift was family together

We celebrated Christmas with Ann and family on New Year's Eve and had a great time.  We dubbed the event "The Pizza and Present Extravaganza."  :-)  An excellent time was had by all.

And now, it's 2016.  A whole new year before us.  ♥

Tires

As my faithful readers are aware, the winter season is bearing down on us and that calls for changing tires on our Tundra and Explorer.  Many years ago (as soon as we could afford it) we elected to have our snow tires mounted on their own rims so that Dan (who worked his way through undergraduate school at a tire shop) could easily change them at home.  Before that, he was able to change out the tires on each vehicle's only rims at the company shop where they had tire equipment for the company trucks.

With the advent of our snow this week, Dan changed out our tires on Monday.  On Tuesday our nephew, JR, stopped by to pick up some things we were storing for him and asked if Dan could help him change his tires. He'd tried for two days to get into our local Les Schwab Tire Center, but no luck.  The line of cars, even at 7:30 in the morning, was in the hundreds.  Dan was happy to be of help and in the process he added to JR's skill set.  Out came the compressor and the air gun, the floor jack, and the snow shovel so they could clear off the new falling snow around each tire.  

They had a good time, and in about forty-five minutes, JR was set to go with snow tires all around.

 Consultation in progress.

Air gun in hand.

Smile for the camera!

Dan now refers to our place as "Les Buck's Tire Shop and Waterbed Emporium, East Moscow Plant."  Too funny!

In Case You Were Wondering...

We woke to snow this morning!  

It was beautiful and we actually still have some of it since the high today was a cool 35 degrees! And we may get more tonight and tomorrow.  It always seemed to me that when I was growing up, the first snow came around November 4th so this seems right on schedule.  Dan is changing out the tires as I type, so we're ready!

A Lazy Saturday

It's been a cozy winter day here at the resort.  We got up yesterday to four inches of new snow, which made for a gorgeous fairyland outside!

I worked all day at the shop and then we went out to dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant.   Mmmm, it was delicious and the really special part was that it was a gift from our nephew JR as a thank you for some help we extended after he had vehicle woes earlier this week.  

After a great night's sleep (unless you count the part where Dan had a dream that he was being chased by a bear and woke me up with his yelps), and sleeping in, I have enjoyed a thoroughly lazy day.  There were new magazines and catalogs in the mail and I actually looked through all of them, I had leftover burrito for lunch (and it was so huge, there is still some for tomorrow's lunch!), and I've played on the computer (lost my game of Spider Solitaire).  

The snow has melted some, but the trees against the sky have been lovely to see.

It's been such a great winter!  Some years it's dark and dreary, but we've had enough snow, interspersed with sunny days, that we truly can't complain.  And spring is not far away.  Which reminds me.  The moose is back.  I said to Dan that I suppose that means no tulips again this year, but he said that if it continues to hang around, he's thinking of calling the Fish and Game and asking that they relocate it.  I'm thinking that's not a bad idea, especially since there are kids around here and moose can be so unpredictable.   

Oh, and in a kitchen update, the brussel sprouts were delish.  We'll definitely have them again.  Here's a picture of them just out of the oven (link to the recipe is in my last post):

I'm pondering tonight's menu as I type.  We have leftover meatloaf, but I haven't used my new food processor yet, so perhaps the meatloaf will wait and I'll try pizza.  Hmmm...   :-)

Winter... and Moby!

I just happened to look out the window a little bit ago and laughed to see huge flakes of snow falling.  Since it had been raining earlier, I assumed it would soon turn back.  I just looked again and realized it was still snowing and that it was beginning to cover the ground.  

I don't know how long it's going to last, but it surely has brightened up a dark and dreary day.  And now it's off to the laundry room, and hopefully, the sewing room.

Which reminds me!!  I totally forgot to mention that my Bernina 830, Moby, came home last month!  He seems to be completely recovered.  I'm hoping for no relapses.  :-)

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

The sky is blue with big white clouds around the perimeter, the snow still lingers, and it truly is a beautiful day in the neighborhood.  One of the things we love about the Resort is our neighborhood.  On our part of the street, which dead ends just up the hill from us, there are six houses and all but one has an acre or more for its yard.  We are not on top of each other.  We enjoy our neighbors, but each of us enjoys the privacy we have. Down around the corner, the houses are on more normal lots, but they are a ways away.  Sometimes we hear voices or music, but not often.  It's peaceful here, and that's one of our favorite things.  

Here's a picture looking east.  Notice the beautiful blue sky!  The snow of two weeks ago is gradually melting away, but much of our yard is still white.  The hills across, however, are becoming bare:

You can compare this photo with the one here, posted following our big snow.  

Snow, Snow, Snow!!!

Greetings from the land of snow.  The weatherman said we'd get some and get some we did!  About two feet of it!  Hard to believe the official start to spring is just nineteen days away.

Here's my sweetie, shoveling the roof.  The snow we got was wet as well as deep, and there's a chance it will rain soon, so he had to get it off.  We don't relish the thought of our roof caving in.  :-)

He spent most of the morning plowing out our driveway and then went across the street and plowed out our neighbors, then up the street to do another neighbor's driveway while they are in Hawaii (the dirty rats!) for three weeks.  Dan mounts a blade on the front of our 4-wheeler each winter and it sure helps him get the job done. 

I've been getting no sewing done since I finished up the bibs.  Right now I can't seem to decide on a project to start, but I'm hoping to remedy that tomorrow.  Stay tuned!  (Now I'll have to come up with something so I can report back.)

And a Wintery Happy New Year to All!

We were under a blizzard warning yesterday and it did snow! Here's the Christmas tree on our front porch (and no, it wasn't flocked before):


Looking out the front door:


Looking out our bedroom window:


Today it's lightly snowing and it's so very beautiful outside! We're heading into deep freeze temperatures now, with a current temperature of 19.

We here at the Resort hope you are warm and cozy, and we send our best wishes for a blessed new year to you all!