February 1 - Storm Ella!!!

I know, I know, this is nothing new and the photos all look the same, but here we go again. Another day off school (#6 if anyone is counting - that means summer vacation won't start until after June 23rd) and more shoveling snow and movies and popcorn and sewing and . . . snow. Becca standing in the snow - we're supposed to get another 8-12 inches, but over two days this time - day #7 off school tomorrow? We're also supposed to get some ice and sleet tomorrow.
Alaina in the forts and trails of our yard with a huge snowball, or is it an ice patch?

Becca's cozy coupe further buried

My little groundhogs popping up out of the snow forts - do you think the groundhog will say more winter tomorrow? This storm is making it's way through PA too, I think . . .

Snowiest January on Record

The forcast said another 6-12 inches - but NO - we got ANOTHER 16 inches from storm Denis!!!Still wish I could remember the "C" storm's name . . .Our driveway was perfectly clear before we took this yard stick out to measure.

The kids are loving it! Making forts that are acutally deep enough to duck behind,

They have made a series of roads in our yard leading from fort to fort.

This is the snow bank at Angel Trace, we have been trying to remember if the stop sign was always as high as the road sign posts or if they raised it . . . not sure.


More fort building (using the sleds they got from Santa as shovels) . . .

Starting to make those roads - they just walked back and forth for a while, then shoveled out snow to make them.

Trying to stay away from Dad and the snow blower . . .

All around the mulberry bush (or rose of sharon) remember the post last summer with the robin eggs? Same tree.

Looking down our road.

Driveway starting to get cleared out.

Looking out the window at the back yard. This is our cherry tree - closest to the camera, above our rock wall that you can't see for the snow - it's almost leveled out it's so deep. The apple tree with the kids' homemade swing in it is next - you can't see the swing but you can see the ropes hanging down if you look closely, and the real mulberry tree close to the road which you also can't see - but you can see the bank of plowed snow across the street. It's amazing how deep this is - everything is buried!

The rose of sharon and our mailbox before the kids got out there. That's it for January - it was history making. I hope the kids remember it.

Guess what? The forcast calls for more significant snow this Tuesday and Wednesday - Here comes February! Bring it on!!!

Just amazing!

Oops! I almost forgot Becca's car - I told you it would be covered - well, it's almost gone. After we finish shoveling it will be.

Alaina's Sewing Up a Storm!

In all our stormy-mess Alaina has been keeping herself busy. She's made three pillows (done before the new year actually), three pillow cases, and two blankets for the dolls in our house. She's working on a dress and another blanket too. She's amazing! Making the pillows

The paper under the pillows was a genius idea from our friend Wendy Tibbitts - it was a practice sheet for Laina - we did a couple of pages of straight lines for her to follow on the machine without thread and one squiggly line page - it got her used to the machine pretty quickly.

She wanted to put a heart on this blanket - so she pinned a heart shape and followed the pins as she sewed it on.

Pillow inside it's case.

Pillows and one blanket inside the doll beds. I need to get some foam so she can make them mattresses, they are sleeping right on the wood for now.

funny how it seems mean to make them sleep on hard beds . . .

I never did like dolls - they're just too real looking and that makes them a little too demanding doesn't it?