Snow Flurries

Ready, set, go! Sledding is serious business as you can see by the look of concentration on Pea's face. Or maybe that's just because she's snacking on a handful of snow.

Mama may or may not have ventured down the hill a couple of times, too.

Making the snow angels. Rae had to make a "choir of angels."

After the fun, the snowsuits are hung to dry by the fire...

and we enjoy hot cocoa with enormous marshmallows to warm us to our toes. I followed the recipe on the back of the Hershey's cocoa can, but added some cinnamon with the sugar (left over from baking snickerdoodles.) Yum.

Bearing The Cost

"Once more, a little whispering laugh passed through the leaves, and she thought she heard them say, 'I was separated from all my companions, exiled from home, carried here and imprisoned in this rock. It was not my choice, but the work of others who, when they had dropped me here, went away and left me to bear the results of what they had done.
'I have borne and have not fainted; I have not ceased to love, and Love helped me push through the crack in the rock until I could look right out onto my Love the sun himself.'" ~ The blood-red flower of Forgiveness, Hinds' Feet On High Places by Hannah Hurnard

From The Mouths Of Babes

Babies are a common topic around our house right now, as you might guess. The other day, Raegan was happily chattering about getting to help feed and dress our newest little one and summed up her feelings in general,

"Babies are such nice mammals."

Yesterday the girls were having trouble listening and obeying quickly. We were taking a trail walk and had a pie baking in the oven and I strongly suggested that we hurry back so the pie wouldn't burn. When they lagged, I decided that maybe not having a slice would be a good reminder to mind Mama. At home Morgan solemnly asked if they really had to miss out on dessert. I told her that sometimes I needed to take drastic measures to help them remember to be good.

"But not like calling the police, right?"

note: They did eventually get pie...

Three Little Kittens

Three little kittens,
They lost their mittens,
And they began to cry,
Oh, mother dear,
We sadly fear
Our mittens we have lost.
What! Lost your mittens,
You naughty kittens!
Then you shall have no pie.
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.
You shall have no pie.

The three little kittens,
They found their mittens,
And they began to cry,
Oh, mother dear,
See here, see here,
Our mittens we have found.
What! Found your mittens,
You darling kittens!
Then you shall have some pie.
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.
You shall have some pie.

The three little kittens,
Put on their mittens,
And soon ate up the pie;
Oh, mother dear,
We greatly fear
Our mittens we have soiled.
What! Soiled your mittens,
You naughty kittens!
Then they began to sigh,
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.
They began to sigh.

The three little kittens,
They washed their mittens,
And hung them out to dry;
Oh mother dear,
Look here, look here,
Our mittens we have washed.
What! Washed your mittens,
You're such good kittens.
I smell a rat close by!
Hush! Hush! Hush! Hush!
Hush! Hush! Hush!
I smell a rat close by.

nursery rhyme from kididdles.com

Bee My Valentines

Busy little sweethearts making valentines.

Choosy Nester

Lady G has decided that the old bench on the front porch is a much better nesting place than her freshly cleaned coop. So she has figured out how to fly out every day around noon to lay her egg here. Then she startles me with her very loud announcement in front of the window, and wants me to put her back in her pen.

It wouldn't be so bad if the egg didn't crack every time because there are no shavings to soften its landing.

Terminator...

...you look fabulous, dahling!

Poor Old Blue

Of all the many cars I've owned, my truck was by far my favorite. But she was getting older and needing some work (don't we all?) So many tears were shed when we traded her in.


Now meet Frieda. She is German. Sie ist sehr hübsch, ja? (That means she's a looker.)


Our happy dilemma: how to fit three car seats in there.

Anatomy 101

My girls know that in a couple of months we'll get to have an ultrasound and find out the gender of their new little sibling. Pea's instructions to her sister on how to interpret the results, "If it has a pink dress, it's a girl." Makes sense to me!

While on the subject, Rae solemnly informed her sister that she wouldn't have much time to play with her when the baby came, because she would be far too busy helping Mama and Daddy with him.

A Peek

Our 11~week old baby!

Raegan insists on having a baby brother; Morgan says, "No, it's a 'her'!" Guess we'll find out in a couple months...

Cheers!

Here's to new beginnings and new ventures! I love a clean slate, a fresh start. And while most of my resolutions fizzle out in a couple months, I am hoping to spend more precious time with family and friends. Maybe I'll even blog a little more often (sheepish grin). But don't hold me to it!

How about a sneak peak of one of my new ventures? I began a class a few weeks ago to learn a new "skill". I am so excited to say that I designed this and made it entirely with my own two hands. Can you guess what it might be? I'll give you a hint: it isn't finished yet, but when it is I'll wear it on my wrist.

May each of you have a wonderful new year, full of unexpected blessings and surprises!

Christmas

...past.

Christmas present.

Christmas future.

It's Just A Guess

...but I think *that* one is a double yoker.

Power's Out

So we went on an archaeological dig.

It's dark and cold in the Egyptian desert at night. And sand gets everywhere.

The work is tedious and difficult.

But, the "priceless ancient artifacts" are worth it!

*Interested mamas can find these fun adventure kits here. =)

Birthday At The Nutcracker

Raegan and the Mouse King!

Admiring the Midsummer Night's Dream costumes...sublime!

Lovely Seattle.

Well, now I'm just showing off my excellent photography skills (ha ha). Still a darling picture, because of the little darling in it!

Birthday #6

A half dozen years now under her belt. It was a "wonderful" day with ballet practice, macaroni and cheese, and presents. We already had some birthday fun yesterday, and will have some more on Saturday. Tune in again for more pictures.

There's a sad story about that pitiful little cake (it was *not* baked in a bundt pan). I won't bore you with the details, but the moral of the story is, "Never bake in a hurry." =)

Hair History

Some of my groovy hairdos for your amusement:

"The Mrs. McGillicuddy"

Oh, wait! That's a wig! It IS terribly appealing, don't you think?

"The Bangs"

I believe this is commonly referred to now as a mullet.

"The Eighties Business Woman"

My favorite era...not!

"The Susan Powder"

It got a little dicey here.

"The Pixie"
Here we went darker. Nice duds there, Farmer Browning!

"The Platinum Pixie"
So many colors, so little time...

"The Burgundy"
Hair coloring disaster. I've only shown you the toned down version; the first run was not pretty.

"The Monroe"
Whether Marilyn or James, I'll leave it to you to decide.

"The Rapunzel"

Letting it grow as long as possible. (Long hair IS fun; I miss it a little.)

And here's the current style:
My own color. My own design (with a little help).

What daring coifs might the future hold?