Power-Less Days

We have been without electricity for four full days now.



By this point, we are almost done with our initial whining and bellyaching about missing our little conveniences...almost.
We sadly are watching more and more trees split and fall from the weight of the ice.



The roads are clearing which means we can go out to eat (always a special treat).



This has been a very good lesson for us; very eye-opening to the obscene amount of electricity we use all day long...as well as how much we use items that require electricity to distract us from other things - like parenting.



Best of all we have had some really great family moments. We've had to problem solve quickly and creatively and rely on the help of many great friends.



So with gratitude and humility, we remain warm inside the homes of friends and public places and eager for some of this ice and snow to melt.



More soon...when I can blog from home...

"It's All Gone Extremely White"

(as Svea quotes Lola from Charlie & Lola every time it snows)

A Must "Read"

I developed an actual roll of film the other day that had this picture on it.



I think I took the photo 10 months ago when I checked out Flotsam by David Wiesner from the library.

This book is phenomenal.
Please look at it, study it, talk about it, "read" it.

Blowing Doilies

We woke up to a few inches of snow this morning, which makes Henry and Svea run in circles yelling, "It's Christmas! It's Christmas!"



I'm going to let the pastor in the house explain that one.

Anyway, by 3:30 pm, I was out of tricks and all of our mittens were wet from trying to form the too-powdery snow into snowballs, so we went inside to warm up and inspect our supply of googly eyes and doilies for Valentine's.

They were not as interested in drawing or cutting or gluing anything when they realized they could blow the doilies across the table. It started with nostril air, but by the time they had moved the game to the floor, they realized they could RACE the doilies by blowing with their MOUTHS. Amazing, the skills.







Henry always won, of course.
I don't think Svea cared.


Today felt long, but good.
I read this poem over at wish jar and found it quite the challenge. Tomorrow, definitely tomorrow, I will start trying to love winter.

For today, thank goodness Henry and Svea invented a game I would have never come up with.

Twelve Things

Twelve things I'm learning:

1. There is nothing like laughing with your children at something you all find genuinely funny.

2. Everyone needs a job (as in a role to play).

3. Sometimes words aren't enough, only experience will do. We are still in the "if you don't wear your jacket, you're going to be very cold" words-of-warning phase, though bigger ones are already peeking around the corner...ones that involve gravity, velocity and balance.

4. Parents are nicer after naps, too.

5. There is no "can you hold it?" when a child needs the potty.

6. Sometimes it's funnier when the kids don't get the knock-knock joke.

7. There's a difference. There's a difference between baby doll Boobah, baby doll Jesika and baby doll Margo. There's a difference between this Batman action figure and the Batman action figure that came in the exact same box as the first one. There's a difference between her orange juice and his orange juice that came from the same carton and are in identical glasses. My job is to remember that this is important and to keep all the differences straight.

8. You can't hurry the learning pace of a toddler.

9. Get over it, already.

10. Almost every single thing that comes out of my mouth can and will come out of theirs. Even abbreviations.

11. Screaming while you run in the house makes you go faster.

12. And everyday, it gets a little easier and a little better.








I love Flickr's Big Huge Lab.
Thanks for the help with this mosaic.

The Seas of Rotherwood

After hiding in the car (while in the carport) to talk with Angela on the phone to see how new baby Liam was, I entered the house to hear "PADDLE! PADDLE! PADDLE!" screams coming from the hallway.







So much for lacrosse at this point. Those things are PADDLES.
I, Husband built the boat at those pirates' demand, and voila.

I need to talk on the phone more, I guess.

Hippy Potty Mas

Just finished this baby quilt and pillow for a friend due next month.



Most of the front is made out of some burp cloths and a sheet I found at Ikea last November.

The back is a soft white sheet with stripes that I found at a local consignment shop. It wasn't very easy to sew on, but it's so soft I couldn't resist.



I had enough for one extra quilt sqare, so I sewed some scrap terry cloth on the back and stuffed it full of polyfill.

Very fun to make...