Winter Images

We decorated our gingerbreadhouse last night.
I use the term "decorating" a bit loosely but you get the idea!



And finally, after much anticipation, the snow arrived last night.
Not much hope of getting a lot of school work done today with a 4 foot mound of snow outside so we decided to make the most of it and enjoy it while it's here.

First Snow

Nothing like the first snowfall of the season.
The first sign that Christmas is just around the corner.


It makes me think of drinking hot cocoa in front of a roaring fire...and putting up Christmas lights.



Hmmm....might have to get onto that this weekend.
Just a light dusting so far, but winter is definitely here.

3 Boys.

3 boys....

1 hose...


Oh...yeah....summer's here.

When Will It End???

As a woman I reserve the right to change my mind.
Now having come from a country where snow is rare I have always delighted in seeing those little flakes floating from the sky...in fact I can say that the very first snow fall of the year makes me giddy with delight...(yes...I'm pretty easy to please) but after months on end of the fluffy stuff I'm ready for a change. This morning we woke up to more snow...now COME ON...this is supposed to be spring break. But no spring in sight here. These pictures were taken this morning on my front lawn. The kids had a ball, out there playing in it...making snow men and snow forts....it doesn't seem to worry them too much. But I'm ready for the sun...SO READY!

Oh, and I thought I'd better mention that my super sophisticated random number drawing system has selected a winner of my giveaway...the lovely Kyla at The Kreative Life . Thanks for all your wonderful comments!

100 posts....and a little giveaway!

These pictures are primarily for family and friends back in Australia who for the last few months have been experiencing record temperatures, bush fires and generally sweltering conditions. On our side of the pond we are also poised to set records...here in the wintery Pacific Northwest we are only an inch or so from setting the record for the snowiest winter ever...(well since they started keeping records anyway!).



We took the kids away last weekend for a ski trip to Schweitzer. Such an awesome place even if you're not much into skiing. The little village on the mountain offers a movie theater, coffee shops and some great restaurants. The outdoor hottub where we stayed was a favorite of the boys...Matt and I enjoyed the ski in/ski out location of our hotel. When the kids got tired they headed back to the hotel while Matt and I had a "ski date" and spent an hour or so skiing....just the 2 of us...Awwwwww!



I have to say though...we were a little nervous after hearing about all the bad ski karma that also went on that weekend. What with Natasha Richardson's tragic accident and then that family ski trip that turned to tragedy after their plane crashed in Montana. I am pleased to report that we survived our weekend unscathed and I have vowed to buy helmets for myself and Matt next season.

Anyway...this being my 100th post...( I can't believe I have had so much to say!)..I am celebrating by offering a little giveaway! A set of Lemon Dingo standard size labels with your choice of icon, text and color to the winner.( Check out all the designs at www.lemondingo.com ). To enter just leave a comment on this post between now and March 31st and my high tech number drawing system will reveal a winner! Good luck and thanks for sharing the blog journey with me :-)

Back to the Blog

So I've had a break from the blog and a lot has happened it seems in my absence. The bushfires in Australia have been devastating. Thank goodness none of my family were affected but my heart goes out to all the families that were. If you are crafty and want to help the victims, the Toy Society are collecting handmade toys for children affected by the fires. Other donations to help aid the victims can be made here.

A thank you also to Aimee Mobley for her lovely package of handmade gifts that arrived yesterday...just in time for Valentines Day. My kids will LOVE them.

I have to tell you I have had somewhat of an epiphany during my days of non blogging. I hadn't realised quite how much time my blogging was taking up so I am determined to try and limit my blog hopping. You know ...you read someone's blog and that has a link that you follow to someone else's blog and so on and so on. I really can get lost in the blogosphere for hours. So I am going to attempt "Responsible Blogging" ...we'll see how that goes. If you see my comments all over other people's blogs you know that I haven't been very successful!

Closer

How does nature do this? While we slept there were things happening in my garden last night. These tiny little icicle "thorns" were forming.



The closer you look the more wonderful the details are

First Snow

The first snowfall of the year is always exciting. This afternoon we got our first taste of the snow. While the kids were diving into their snow gear I was grabbing my camera and heading out the door.
And of course with the first snowfall comes the obligatory snowball fight. This snowball was aimed at me and I am a little surprised to see just how much Jack's aim has improved since last winter!

Rain

Just another gray old day.