Negative WHAT?!

It really didn't feel that cold today.  But when you get down around zero it all starts feeling the same.  I took this picture in our driveway just before noon today.  

What's new?

I have to first say thank you to those that sent Bed Bath and Beyond coupons my way. I am now the proud owner of a real set if knives. Now I just have to watch that I don't cut my fingers off.

So much to blog about today. Maybe since I haven't posted for over a week. Okay, over two weeks. Not a good start to 2008. But I have been busy at the sewing machine. Just trying new things and making some old standbys. PJ pants for Shawn and me, fleece pants for Stella (this is her third pair), a reusable coffee cup sleeve that Shawn ripped apart. It was a new craft I was trying. He thought is was pretty cool- S-Is this velcro? Rip. K-No, it's not. It's ok. I scorched the fabric with the iron. I will try to put a picture of this on the flickr link. I made a bag for my new yoga mat that Shawn got me for Christmas. I told myself that I wasn't going to open the mat until I had a new bag for it. It turned out so cute. And I just made it from extra fabric I had in my stash. Since then it has been one project after another. But small projects. Ones that can be accomplished in a naptime. I know you are just dying to see my crafts...go to our Flickr link.

Last Thursday, my friend Melissa came over for a Craft Day (Lori, remember these? Total tribute to you.) Well I haven't done a craft day since, geez 1994? So what did we make? headbands. They turned out great!! And we learned one thing: I have a smaller than average head and Melissa has a larger than average head! So if anyone wanted us to make you one (and you know you do!), we would need your head size. I wish I had a picture of us wearing them. Then I made Stella one that night. So her is hers. Oh I made those pants, too.


So speaking of headgear...we got this lovely creature in the mail last night from Suzanne and Balazs. HOW CUTE!! thanks you guys so much. everything was perfect that you sent.



Well, I am not the only one crafting around here. Nicholas made this airplane. We glued it together yesterday. And he painted it today. He is quite the artiste, huh? And check out his mouth. Didn't Picasso make that same expression whilst he painted. I thought so. Laugh now, but you just wait! someday.




Miss Stella has been loving real food lately. Here she is loving green beans and sweet potatoes.

OH, and if I might add (the sweet potatoes reminded me) if you ever "deep fry" anything you should try sweet potatoes chips. I have only fried things in oil twice before. So I guess about once a year. But these were so good I might have to break the pattern and fry a second time in 2008. You just peel and slice the sweet potatoes and soak the slices in cold water for 30 min. The thinner the better on the slicing, too. Then you fry them in oil. Then you sprinkle salt and cinnamon on them. Yum. Stella's sweet potato was boiled and Nick didn't eat his chips. I know I ate just about the whole batch.

Hear me Roar! (As in "I am woman...")

Nick and I shoveled the driveway the other day. It is beginning to form the gauntlet. It has been snowing a lot here. I didn't realize how much snow had fallen on Wednesday until we already backed out of the driveway. We hadn't shoveled for a few days so there was probably about eight inches. It had been freezing the week before. Like negative temperatures...how's -9 for you. Shawn said it was -18 one morning going to work. Then it warmed up and dumped lots of fresh beautiful (and heavy) snow. And unfortunately, I could not get that snowblower up and running so I cleared the whole driveway with one shovel.

Well that just might have to do it for today. It has been a nice peaceful day at home. I did have to fish Stella's nail clippers out of the toilet this morning. Guess the "fell" in. Why Nick? And tonight...we have a babysitter. Shawn and I are going tubing for a couple hours. Should be cold. But fun.

I forgot to give you this one...

I just had to post these cute pictures. They are from last weekend. I just forgot to post it! We went sledding that day and this is what Stella wore under her snow suit. We just left it on the rest of the day. She LOVES her bathtime!



OH and in case you are wondering where the pictures of Nicholas are...well I can't get him to sit still for a picture. Don't worry. I will get one or two!

How dark is it?

I get asked a lot by people who don't live up here about how much daylight we have now. Well, not much. Some days our daylight consists of very grey overcast snow-cloudy skies. But we are gaining light each day now! So here is a picture I took one morning last week. Note the time: almost 9am

Here is one at almost 5pm.


Hardly a difference. The sun starts to come up around 9:30am and starts getting dark around now, 3:30 pm. Today's daylight forecast was from 10:12am to 3:56pm. So in twenty minutes it will be pitch black outside. Pretty cool, huh?!

Stella and her new walker

Well, it just took one day and she got the hang of her new walker from Santa. I couldn't help posting these little movies...that I took with my new camera!!!!! I also took some pictures of Nicholas making snow angels but they are on a different memory card. I will be posting more soon (I hope!). I took these videos yesterday. Since she didn't nap in the afternoon I decided to make her exercise! She worked out for an hour. By the time Shawn came home she was really good!!

Merry (Almost!) Christmas

Well, guess we haven't kept up very well with the blog lately. Last month we were gone for a few weeks to see family and we just didn't back on our blog. As soon as we got back it was all about decorating for Christmas, shopping for gifts, and getting back into our routine. We finally got the cards out earlier this week. Hope they make it to everyone before Christmas! We did squeeze in some time for Nicholas to visit Santa last week (right before his swimming lesson). Speaking of swimming lessons...Nicholas just graduated from Level 1!!! This means he can go under the water, jump in from the side, kick on a noodle, blow bubbles under the water, and bob up and down. In two weeks he will start Level 2 where he will start kicking on a kickboard! He is really enjoying it and his teachers have been great with him. So anyway, back to Santa... Nicholas got to meet Santa and tell him what he wants for Christmas- dinosaurs.  Christmas morning is going to be so much fun.  

Yesterday we finished the shopping.  Last night Shawn and I got all the presents wrapped.  Today we are starting the cooking.  Tomorrow night we are having appetizers with our friends for dinner.  That is one of our little traditions we have started- appetizers on Christmas Eve.  We may have started another one this year- new "Christmas PJs" for everyone!  We just got a new Old Navy and so we went to check it out.  They had just about everything 50% off.  So last night we bought festive pajamas for the whole family.  As long as Old Navy has the same sale next year we can do this again next Christmas.  We still don't know if we are going to make it to mass tomorrow evening.  It starts at 6pm.  I am pretty sure it was at 5pm the past two years.  This year's time will be a challenge for us to do.  We will have to leave home by 5:20 (clean faces and dressed up) and we won't get done with mass until likely 7:30.  I just haven't figured out when the kids will eat dinner.  We normally eat at 5:30 and then Stella gets her bottle at 6:30.  I hesitate to mess up her schedule, too, since she has finally been sleeping through the night.  Shawn and I might go to mass downtown.  We need to decide.  I am very frustrated about it though.  As for Christmas day, we will stay home and be with each other.  I can't wait!!!!!  We are going up the street for a big dinner that night.  It will be nice to only have to make a couple of things but enjoy a big dinner.  

Here are some new pictures of the kids.  I know, that is what everyone comes to this blog to see.  You don't care about our pajamas!!!   Stella's hair is getting so long.  So I dug out this headband to keep her hair out of her eyes.  I normally do not like those headbows, but this style might work for us ; )    

Here is Stella and Nick grooving to Christmas music.  Stella's headband looks more like a sweatband from the early 80s!!  And Nick's dancing is really just running back and forth across his room.  

Oh, by the way, there are a couple more videos posted. See link on top right of this page!

Finally we return!!

Just couldn't help myself! I have received so many funny elfings in my email that I decided to give our family a shot. SO, we have been
elfed ! Enjoy and Merry Christmas!