Good afternoon!
I have a ton of pictures this week--mine and Leah's. So grab a cuppa and off we go!
Monday and Tuesday
Blizzard.
Can you even see the partridges...
...snuggled together on the side of the snowbank to try to protect themselves from the wind?
Even in the two blizzards we had in a row...well, especially during the blizzards...the birds come to eat at the Critter Cafe.
Even with their feathers blowing backwards and having to stand on one leg at a time to keep their feet warm. Even when sometimes when the sparrows tried to take off and the wind was so strong they hovered in the air like hummingbirds and had to give up and land wherever the wind took them.
It was hard to get close up pics because my camera kept focusing on the snow whipping by.
But eventually the blizzards subsided and the sun came out again.
Happy birds, indeed.
Wednesday
Leah and Aaron were going to make a trip inside Costco but it was shoveling out day after the plows. Me--I was nice and warm inside doing laundry. Got everything put away, too!
Thursday
Leah dropped off Costco groceries. (That's where I get most of mine for the month.)
That night Leah was over for Craft Nite. She took out my trash and made trips to the garage with the donation bags...all gone!...
...and the summer clothes bins. Finally! It is almost March--LOL!
I should have asked for help a couple months ago--duh! I've learned my lesson and next time Leah is here we are going to tackle the studio together. ;)
I had found a stack of pre-made signatures...
...in one of my rust-colored rolling shelves (Ikea).
Bottom shelf on the left. Here I thought those were all precut and folded cardstock pieces for cards. Just goes to show you how long it has been since I have been on top of things around here. Have done practically no crafting since I got so sick from the vaccines a year ago, to be honest. And these are my "in progress and use every day" carts! Sad. This must change. I know it won't be a rapid change, but this must change. :)
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
I sorted through the scrapbook paper to find what I wanted to use for covers for all the pre-made signatures. Since the new beautiful Ink Drop paper and the wonderful handmade papers are my favorites...I thought the first batch of bookcards should be these. Sorry to my pen pals who thought they'd be getting some of the new stuff soon--LOL! I am out of practice. Been about five years or so since I have mass produced these so this batch will get me back in the groove.
I got set up watching shows on my laptop while I worked. Watched Dexter:New Blood, second season of The Missing and Young Wallander.
If I had a couple of sheets of the same striped paper I would cut one horizontally and one vertically for variety..
Had quite a stack when I got done.
Next is folding them all in half like the ones on the right. These are all regular size...half sheet (American measurements) that fit in our invitation size envelopes.
I now have started a scrap box that I can use for mixed media or cards, too.
I figured out that I don't ever really have extra spoons. I just have some spoons most days now. If I want to do crafts or art--well, I just can't do anything else--LOL! But I am keeping up on my own (except for anything requiring stools or heavy lifting--due to legs still). Leah isn't cooking for me anymore and only comes once a week--tada! That is vastly improved from a couple months ago.
Meanwhile it is melting and melting because we've been in the upper 20s for a few days. The layers of snow are disappearing from my patio and all I can see now are sunflower shells and rabbit poop! LOL!
Once it is melted down I can sweep it up and put it in the trash...but it makes me want to splurge and get no mess seed next year, I tell you!
Now--pics from Leah to share.
I have been fascinated by the ice house/igloo the boys were making with Mama.
It was coming along and looked beautiful in the sunlight with the food coloring in the bricks.
Half the time it was too cold to be out there with the below zero wind chills.
What was really interesting is what happened to the ice bricks after being out for a while.
Sun? Not sure--but all the color faded right out of them so that they were all just clear ice blocks!?? And then we had a warmer stretch back a while ago...and you can see the ice was melting. :(
Melted the waiting ice blocks on the deck, too.
But then it got really cold again. Don't you love this icicle and frozen puddle!
And what the heck happened to the ice blocks? Surging up like mountain ranges from the ocean!
Does anyone know what would make them get all lumpy when they refroze? Maybe the mysterious food coloring effect? LOL!
Leah got pics of the blizzard from their place.
And a short video.
The winds were gusting at 50-60mph so there was a lot of drifting.
This was McFamily's front door!!
And it is even covered! See how it managed to blast snow even on the backside of the porch light?!
But drifts are wind sculptures. This is looking from their patio towards her garden beds--which you can't see right now but those are what the posts belong to--LOL!
The other way was a huge drift the boys just had to climb in the neighbor's yard.
Seeing these pictures made me remember how excited us kids got when there were big snow drifts like this. We made caves, too!
Ian and Liam had to carve a tunnel, of course, in this drift next to the side of their house.
I remember one winter when I was a kid in Fridley, Minnesota where we had a drift that made it up to the eves in the backyard (rambler--one story house). Us three kids were delighted!
Anyways, today Leah is picking up Cashwise groceries and asked if I wanted a short visit with the boys, too. Yes! So they should be here any time. I had best do a quick double-check and get this posted. Till next week, my friends. Have a good one. :) :)
16 comments:
Those are some BIG birds. They look well fed at the Critter Cafe. Loved seeing the boys in the tunnel and the ice blocks that seem to thaw and refreeze as the temperature changed. Hope you have a good week, dear Rita.
I love the pictures of your Critter Cafe. Your grandson's ice house is really cool. What a fun thing for them to build! So glad you are feeling well enough to do all that organizing. Have a wonderful week (I got your snail mail card today). :-)
You have got to have the most popular Critter Café around! I'm so happy you are feeling up to doing at least a little of your crafts. I know that must make your heart happy! The boys look like they are sure having fun in all that deep snow. I always wanted to build an igloo when I was a kid. Take care Rita and enjoy your week!
My backyard is still almost waist deep in snow, but your winter makes ours look like nothing!
What great pictures! Thanks for sharing them all, and I'm so glad to hear how much you accomplished this past week, Rita. A very uplifting post indeed. :-)
Ha! Fridley! I once worked up in Brooklyn Park (good grief...50 years ago). Lived in an apartment in Hopkins. Remember one big blizzard when early one morning I pulled open the curtains to my deck and could only see a tiny bit of light in the upper right hand corner of the sliding doors. Completely snowed in with a massive drift. Luckily, there were other ways out.
Love the Critter Cafe and the igloo. Gotta make the most out of the weather we're dealt with whether it is feeding the animals or helping children have fun. Have a good week.
You have really had a lot of snow, duh, no surprise as you live in ND. Thanks for including Leah's video of those gusting winds and it looks like that porch canopy is securely bolted down, but those snowdrifts were serious ones (understatement). It's clear the boys are enjoying the winter activities of igloo building and snow caves. Amazing that the food colored ice breaks turned clear in sunlight and no idea what caused ripples when the bricks refroze. Perhaps someone else has an idea.
Your craft supplies are plentiful and years ago I also had a similar stash (not as large) when I did photo cards that were sold at craft shows in VA. Before we moved, I donated unused stock to a local nursing home so folks there could make their own cards and some days wish I still had some, but there's always re-ordering.
The critter cafe is very busy, but I was thinking the residue left behind will be a major cleanup. But, it's good you care for the partridges and rabbits too, Rita.
The boys are so cute! Love their snow tunnel! The wind was awful in those blizzards....Spring cannot come too soon:)
My aunt and uncle lived in Brooklyn Park! I remember when we had that blizzard we couldn't use the back door for some time. Seemed too huge of a task for my dad to think it was worth the bother to shovel it for a while--LOL! Back in the days when the men and boys did the shoveling my brother was just as happy to wait--LOL!
You have quite the winters. We do too, i guess, but I think you have us beat. 🤓
I have my cuppa :) So Much Snow! Wow! We're expecting highs in the 70s today. You have been busy. It can be hard to pick what to do when so much needs doing but the energy isn't endless. Snow tunnels and building with ice isn't something we can ever do here. It looks like such fun :)
I do enjoy sitting here drenched in sweat looking at such nice photos
What an incredibly productive week. You put me to shame, realizing what all there is to do in my house that I am not doing and should be getting on to. I think you might be the ultimate motivator!
That's a ton of snow. Love those partridges -- however do they survive in that?
Cool pics of the critters. I don't know how they manage in those blizzard conditions. I'll bet they breathe a sigh of relief when winter is over. Ah yes, the joys of animals....they all have to poop and sometimes make mess.
It would have been nice to get the excess out to the garage, thanks to Leah. It must feel so good to be getting on top of things again. I hope the Immunotherapy keeps working in your favour.
I remember getting your booklet letters years ago. Take your time with these new ones.
Is Dexter: New Blood as good as the first series? I've been debating whether to start watching it or not.
I have no idea why the ice bricks re-froze that way but the igloo is taking shape. I remember the snow drifts in Wyoming. They got pretty high too. The kids loved it.
I'm so happy to see you doing things that are more like your normal. It must feel so wonderful.
We've been dealing with torrential rains for the past couple of weeks. Severe flooding, evacuations, homes under water, 9 flood-related deaths so far but countless loss of animal life, both wildlife and farm animals. It's been been heartbreaking and overwhelming. :'(
I hope you enjoy the rest of your week and the weekend.
Love and hugs,
Serena xo
You have the snow too! Drat, maybe we can package it up and send it somewhere warmer. heeheehee...I saw Jenny Matlock on your side bar. Gosh I miss her posting. I also have a card to send to her. :-) But I have not heard back from her in quite some time. She had such a hard time with her pain. She was a good friend, we met at a cross country meet in 2012. She and her husband came to our son Nick's XC meet in Phoenix. That was so sweet of them to meet us there. SOmeoen took photos of us but I never got them. Made me sad. Enjoy this week and I hope you get lotsof sunshine. HUGS
That's a clever way to make ice blocks. I wouldn't have thought of doing that. That's interesting that the color faded from them after being in the sun. Those huge snow drifts remind me of when I grew up. My parents' home was on the east side of a lake, so we got the northwest winds blowing snow in the winter into huge drifts...perfect for snow forts! I see things haven't changed with the draw to make forts in snow drifts. :)
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