Snow Day, part 407

I don't know about you, but I'm a little sick of snow days. Seriously. We've had so many that Hannah and Lizzie will still be going to school in August. And that's no lie. Well maybe it's a slight exaggeration, but still ... enough with the snow days!!!
We do still find things to do when it's cold and snowy and generally too yucky for school buses outside. Here are some of the things we did over the last couple of snow days that we've had. First, let me say that Hannah has a unique fashion sense that I let her indulge on weekends and snow days when I'm pretty sure that no one will see us. So please forgive her ensembles for the rest of this post. Thank you.

Okay, so the first thing we did was to build a fort. Why I said we could build it in the living room I don't know, but we built it there, and it's still there. Here is Hannah showing off the sturdy roof we put on it.

And here is the palatial inside. They spent most of Thursday in the fort (some of it with me ... don't tell Rob but we ate lunch and snacks in there), so I can't complain. Nor can I complain about the 3,467 stuffed animals that eventually made their way up from the playroom to also join in the fort-fun, even though they are now no longer in the fort, but taking up residence all over my living room. But it looks snuggly in there doesn't it?

Here's a wide view of the fort, which I'm putting in here really to show off my new rug...

We did manage to get outside for a little bit. The girls to build this daddy and baby snowmen pair, and me to take a picture of them. I particularly like the daddy snowman's pink hairband.And, of course, no snow day is complete without dress up. We've gotten away from the Disney princess garb and gone straight to the dogs (ha, ha, I'm so funny) Here is Hannah posing as a poodle.

And here is Lizzie just posing as Lizzie, although in the next pictures you'll see her as a dalmation:
See, here she is as a dalmation. She's holding a sign full of squiggly lines because she was too busy trying to figure out how to create actual dog paws to be bothered writing anything on the sign. Why she tried to write a sign at all is in the next picture...
...and that would be because HANNAH wrote a sign. Her sign reads, "The Dogs Are Here, Hooray" in case you can't read it or translate it.
Lizzie's time was spent coming up with these shoe covers that are actual dog paws. I'm frankly impressed by her creativity although not with my photography (although she was falling while I was taking this picture and I was using a point and shoot camera not my DSLR):
Here's a close-up so you can be impressed with the creativity, too. Please pray for no more snow days, because really, if you're so bored that you're making fake dog feet, it's time to go back to school...

Simple Woman's Daybook

For February 22

Outside my window... Much of the snow has melted from the previous two weeks, but it's still there. We've had bright sunshine for the last couple of days, too, but it's still cold. Not cold like you can't stand at the busstop for more than 30 seconds cold, but still C.O.L.D.

I am thinking... of spring. Of warm weather. Of complaining about heat and humidity. This winter has been hard on all of us, I think. Too much staying inside and breathing the same air. I want to open the windows and let springtime in. Only springtime is not (yet) cooperating.

I am thankful ... that my mom is on the mend. First she had the flu for about 37 weeks and then she fell and broke her arm. Here's hoping she'll be back to her weekly golf and domino outings SOON!

From the kitchen... hamburger is defrosting for dinner. We're having meatloaf and mashed potatoes which continues to be one of my most favorite meals even though I now make it with lowfat beef and don't put butter on the mash.

I am wearing... green shirt with the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania logo, black leggings, hot pink fluffy socks, and blue crocs.

I am creating... lots of web content and some stories for the Eagle. I'm actually waiting to hear about interviews with Carrie Underwood and Wynton Marsalis.

I am going ... nowhere tonight. Or tomorrow. Last week was very busy with Brownies and lots of repair people coming to the house, but this week seems much more calm, although maybe because it's only Monday.

I am reading... The Apothecary's Daughter by Julie Klassen. It was a free download to my Kindle and it's a regency sort of romance, I guess. I just started it. I want to plug "The Help," though, which is one of the best books I've read this year or last year. I'm really looking forward to discussing it at book club in April. So much fodder there!

I am hoping... that I can continue to stay on my eating plan. I have changed to the online weight watchers and am considering attending a local TOPS meeting (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) for weekly weigh-ins.

I am praying ... that Hannah will continue to "stay on green" with her behavior at school.

I am hearing... General Hospital. What can I say? I still love it after all these years!

Around the house... I love doing these posts on Mondays because the house is in pretty good shape from the weekend. I did spend time doing laundry today that needs to be folded, and dinner is in various stages in the kitchen and I do have to vacuum my new living room rug ... so wait, maybe things AREN'T as in great shape as I thought... House looks lived in though and I love that!

One of my favorite things... is houseparty, www.houseparty.com. I'm hosting my first party on Friday. It's a sandwich revolution party and I'm having some friends over to create sandwiches and go home with prizes and other goodies from the company. The company sent me lots of coupons to buy some stuff and I provide the place and get a few EXTRA goodies for me.

A few plans for the week ahead... My friend Kim and her baby are planning a visit (YAY!!), and then I've got dance class with the girls, and the sandwich revolution party and I have to figure out what I'm doing at Sunday school this weekend, but other than that I'm planning lots of relaxation and bon bon eating.

A picture I am sharing ... For Lent I've decided to pray the rosary. Only I didn't have a rosary. So I bought one. This is a handmade family rosary that has a decade for each daughter (using birthstones), one for Rob, one for me, and then one for my mother. Pretty isn't it? Now if I could just remember the Act of Contrition... (kidding, I found it online so I'm good to go!)

Our new addition

We'd like to announce our new addition! This is a much anticipated, long-awaited addition and we are all (well nearly all!) very excited about it. Here's a hint:

And if that didn't seem obvious, here's another hint...

So, what were you thinking? That FINALLY we got the long-awaited, much anticipated POODLE? Well, you'd be wrong. Instead we finally got the long-awaited, much anticipated (scroll down...)

DESK! I know, you're thinking who the heck waits for, anticipates, drives everyone crazy with shopping and mind-changing over a desk? Well, it would be this (now happy) guy, who is pictured here with the new desk ... which, incidentally required the removal of door trim to get into Rob's home office:

The desk is happily ensconced in our home, and came with its own set of rules and regulations, which include, but are not limited to, no touching, no sitting upon, no placing computers upon, and required daily polishing (but not with wax.) Here's what happened when Hannah and Liz blatantly disobeyed the rules. I know it looks like they are playing around, but seriously if you get a close up on Rob's eyes, you'll see the fear....

And finally, here's the desk in its polished, uncluttered form. As if the desk were not expensive enough (and it was more expensive than a pedigreed poodle ... just sayin') it also required the purchase of a PARTNER desk onto which Rob could put his computer, lamp and printer. You know ... the stuff that usually goes ON A DESK....

But you, know, we're all happy with the desk, because well, it makes Rob happy. Which is the most important thing. Except for getting a poodle.

Of mice and (snow) men

Did you hear we had some snow up north? We did ... and we liked it so much we had some MORE!! Yay. (Not!) Hannah and Lizzie are really enjoying the snow. Me? Not so much. Rob? REALLY REALLY not so much! By the time the snow finished fall we had another 20 inches or so. We cleared off the table from storm one, to better gauge the snowfall from from storm two. We didn't shovel the deck though, so you can see the somewhat impressive snowfall. I think probably six inches melted between storms, so the total after storm two probably topped out at around 30 inches. And the second storm was much heavier, wetter and harder (for old ladies with canes) to walk in. But it looks pretty, doesn't it?

Hannah decided to help Rob snowblow the driveway. They thought (wrongly) that the mail had been delivered and you never know when a bank statement that needs reconciling might be in the mailbox ... so off they went down the driveway...

Hannah bailed on the plan after about 10 feet. There were much more fun things to do than to get to the mailbox.

Rob did a great job though ... not that it mattered because he had to go out on Thursday morning and re-do the whole thing because more snow kept falling until about 10 p.m. on Wednesday. But again ... sure looks pretty, doesn't it?

Lizzie was THRILLED because we finally had some packing snow. Lizzie has been wanting to build a snowman by herself since the winter began. With a little help from Hannah and me, she finally got her wish. Here she is with the beginnings of the snowman:
The thing about packing snow, though, is that it's HEAVY so Lizzie had to struggle to get the balls of snow around the house. The hardest part of building the snowman was to actually find a place to put him, since the snow was so deep the snowballs kept sinking. We finally found a place near the front walk that was acceptable, so all the snowballs that had been made in the back yard had to be transferred to the front yard. Oh and in the interest of full disclosure, Hannah DID have a snowball, but she's kicking it.

Here's Hannah's snowball before she kicked it (and broke it.) You might also be interested to know that they are standing on the driveway, which had been clear at the beginning of the storm ... and the snow kept falling after this picture was taken:

Finally we had success! I didn't take pictures of the building of the snowman because, well, I was building the snowman. And since I weigh significantly MORE than the girls, snow that packed down under their feet still had me sinking up to my thighs. Yeah. It was fun. :) I donated my scarf to the guy and Lizzie gave him her hat and found sticks for his arms. I found some green milk caps to use for his eyes, and there you have it...our snowman:

And here's our OTHER snowman, in from trying to clear the driveway:

Lizzie was VERY proud of her effort as you can see. I was proud of her, too. She's very single-minded when she wants to accomplish something!

Of course giving the snowman your hat in the middle of a blizzard is not without a price. So here's Lizzie when she finally came inside. Happy, but FROZEN.

And here she is a few minutes later with a cup of hot chocolate, her pillow pet and snuggie, settling in to watch the movie Beethoven. Don't you love a happy ending? Well, that's not quite the end of the story. A little later I opened the door between the laundry room and the garage and saw a HUGE RODENT run from under my refrigerator to under the car. I normally don't mind mice -- I do live in the country, after all -- but this one was huge. And I'm pretty sure he was looking for a way into my nice warm house. I'm happy I foiled his effort though.

Oh and about 10 p.m. that night, Lizzie started with a stomach bug that had her vomiting on just about every bed and blanket we have. Good times.

Oh, and the girls had Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off for snow days. Then Monday is a holiday. Then it's supposed to snow on Monday night so Tuesday will probably be a snow day, too.

However, the zoo camp brochure came today so I can at least DREAM of summer fun!!

Say it Ain't Snow...

But it IS snow. Lots and lots and lots of snow fell on the MidAtlantic states last night and we here at the Raz Report took full advantage of it. Here's Rob measuring the snow on the table on our deck. It came in at around 18 inches and it was still snowing. I'm thinking we topped out in the 20-22-inch range.

And, of course, when you have that much snow, SOMEONE has got to shovel it. Here, Elizabeth gets to work. That's my car next to her by the way.

Rob decided to help Lizzie out with his giant snow blower. Even with this it still too several hours to clear the driveway.

Because, as you can see, we have a very very very long driveway...

Hannah and Liz had some fun playing on their swingset in the backyard. They'd slide down the slide into the two feet of snow and get completely buried. Fun times for 7-year-olds I guess! In her new snow parka and ski mittens, Lizzie enjoyed the cold weather and snow much more than last time. I was enjoying the fact that I was not the one who had to bundle them up to run outside for 10 minutes and then back in for 10 minutes, then back out. Etc. Etc.

Here they are trying to walk across our backyard. As you can see the snow is up to the top of Hannah's legs.

So, when you can't walk in it, you might as well just fall down in it and make snow angels...But instead of making snow angels, we decided to take the sled down the driveway that Rob had just dug out! The little bit of snow left on the driveway (maybe an inch) was nice and packed down and slippery, which was great for sledding, not so great for old ladies who walk with canes.

Sledding was fun, but CRASHING was even more fun!Oh, and I should have mentioned earlier that Lizzie HAS a hat, but she doesn't like to wear them because she thinks they make her look ugly. And you know what a slave to fashion she is...

More snow angels ... this time on the side of the driveway.

They really don't work so well in 2 feet of snow. They also don't work when you try to make them on the side of the driveway that dad has just plowed. All three of us got yelled at for that:

But SOME of us don't listen too well... But then it was back to some more sledding.We've been in and out of the house about a gazillion times, but really it's nice to just sit in the living room and look out my window at this gorgeous site. I hope those of you who got several feet of snow dumped on your houses are safe and warm and enjoying it as much as we are.