Snow and outtakes

What's this? Two blog posts in one day? You'd think I was trapped at home because of a blizzard or something. Oh. Right. I AM. This is what the beehives looked like this morning:

That was around 10am. There's several more inches of snow on them now and it's still coming down. We've seen many trees fall around us today. I'm hoping the ones close to the house will stay steady and strong. But, please, don't think I'm complaining. It's been a pretty fantastic day. We've spent lots of time snuggled up on the couch watching Christmas movies. We played inside and outside. And I finished up all of my gift making. This snow day was just what I needed.
And, because I have a little extra time, I'm sharing a few extra photos. We did a last-minute holiday card photo shoot last week. I thought I'd share the finished product along with a few outtakes. I love my silly family. They were so cooperative. Though, I admit, I had to bribe Walter with hot chocolate and marshmallows to get him to pose for a few pictures.

We're so EGG-cited!

It's here! It's here! Our first egg is here! A tiny green egg appeared in the pine shavings this morning.

The green color means it must have come from one of the easter eggers. We're all betting it was Love.

We cracked it open, scrambled it up, and split it three ways. Just as Walter had planned.



Good work, ladies! Keep 'em coming!

A visit with Santa

Walter really wanted to go to the North Pole to see Santa, but he settled for the mall. He spoke so quietly, I'm not sure Santa could hear his requests. Good thing he wrote a letter as a backup.

Polite little cookie

It's amazing how a project like decorating Christmas cookies can turn our (sometimes) demanding, rude, loud, little boy into the sweetest, most polite little darling you can imagine.
"Can I use the red frosting, please, Mama?"
"Your reindeer is so cute!"
"Will you put sprinkles on this one, please?"
"I'm making this snowflake for you."
I love working in the kitchen with Walter. It's a good place to be.

Giving thanks

Our Thanksgiving holiday was spread out over a couple of weeks with a variety of family visits and delicious meals. There is so much to be thankful for this holiday season.
-- Family members that traveled many, many miles to be with us. Bonus – Walter had a reason to get out the globe. 
-- And the family members that traveled just across town.
-- Wonderful meals and the great conversation and laughs that went with them. 
-- Gracious guests who laughed with me as I filled the house with smoke while cooking one of those meals. (whoopsies!)
-- My sweet husband who cleaned the kitchen after that meal.
-- My sweet boy who managed to stay in a pretty great mood, despite a runny nose, late nights, and a heavily-sugared diet. 
-- The opportunity to get out in the fresh air and burn off some of those calories – including a chilly, but sunny, walk on the bay at Grandpa's house.
-- And the opportunity to snap a few photos in the middle of it all.

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

For the birds

And now for Pinterest project number two... 
Walter and I cooked up some cute birdseed treats to hang outside. 

This was a great activity for us. We only needed three ingredients - gelatin, water, and birdseed. It was quick and easy and Walter stayed interested from start to finish. 






They dried overnight and we hung them outside this morning. I didn't get a chance to see what happened to them, but Walter tells me he saw a blue bird pecking at one and a squirrel ran off with another. I like to think that they were just as pleased with our presentation as they were with the food.

You can find the recipe and instructions for the bird feeders here.

Projects

Walter and I did a Pinterest project today. Are you on Pinterest yet? You should be. It's awesome. Anyway, as I was saying, we did a project from Pinterest today and I was going to share it with you but it's not quite done yet. So I dug through my photo archives and found a different Pinterest project. I did this back in September but never got around to sharing it. Behold, the purple chandelier.

A cheap-o chandelier off of craigslist and a can of purple Rust-Oleum is all it takes. Oh, and a handy husband who's willing to take down the nasty, old ceiling fan from the back porch and install the new, purple chandelier in it's place. The porch is feeling a bit more festive now.

That other project will here soon – as soon as I can find some daylight to take some photos. 

Stash-busting for good

About a month ago I was looking for a knitting project and discovered that I had built up quite a large stash of yarn. Lots of odds and ends from past projects. So I grabbed a little ball of yarn and made a baby hat. It only took a couple of hours. One night, one baby hat, one less bit of yarn in the stash. So the next night I made another one. And then another and so on. I figured I'd eventually find a place to donate them, and today I did. My internet browsing led me to this site which is hosting a craftalong and accepting donations of handmade warm things for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. I'll be sending out my hats tomorrow. 

There is still plenty of yarn left in my stash and plenty more organizations accepting donations. I see many more hats in my future. If you're in the making/giving mood, here are some free patterns and organizations to get you started. 'Tis the season.

Patterns:

Baby hats

Scarves

Mittens

Chemo caps

Organizations:

Halos of Hope

Wool Works

Ahoy, Matey!

And Happy Halloween!

Disney World

We rode, we splashed, we ran, we flew, (some of us took Dramamine), we spun, we coasted, we explored, we drove, we ate, we got up early, we stayed up late, we watched, we met, we high-fived, aaaaaaand we're home. Phew! I'm too exhausted for many more words than that.








Ok, a few more words. When Kristin and I were at Disney World as kids, the Dumbo ride was broken. Kristin was crushed. 30 years later, she finally got to ride Dumbo. It was our first stop when we got to the park. :)

Chicken update

It's been quite a while since the last time I reported on the chickens. They are now almost three months old and they are getting so BIG! They certainly aren't chicks anymore. 

The ladies (yes, they all turned out to be ladies. Phew!) have been spending a lot of time outside. They wander through the woods and return to the coop each evening to roost. I love pulling into the driveway after work to see chickens in the yard, welcoming me home.


Molly has been getting along well with them, but she occasionally needs a stern talking to.

Walter is the only one of us that has any luck catching them. His favorite is still Love, and it's obvious why. He tucks her under his arm and she snuggles right up to him.


We think we are only a month or two away from our first eggs. You can be sure I'll be reporting on that big event as soon as it happens. Walter already has plans to scramble the first egg and split it three ways.