They're Back!

Not only can we see our grass again but the robins are back!

I counted 14 in the tree alone.

They seemed to be feasting on the crab apples.

I'm also fairly certain I heard the chatter of the red-winged blackbirds too.

Spring is in the air.

I know that there's always some sort of snowstorm the last

week of February or the first week of March...

If we could just get past these next few weeks, I think we can make it.

(I'm also in denial of this week's negative temperature forecasts.)

Think warm thoughts!

Four Decades

 After yet another snowstorm, we finally had some warmer temperatures!

Cool talon-looking icicle.

Nolan sewed some pillows.

He did a great job.

OK, so it's my birthday.  The big four-o.

The boys treated me with breakfast in bed.

My mother also surprised me with a pinafore apron.

I've been wanting one for a while.

I can't stand a regular apron.

The strings on the neck drive me nuts!

It's a bit old-fashioned, but I don't care...

it's much more comfortable to work in.

My angel food cake.

Yes, I made my own birthday cake.

Dwayne's grandma used to make one for everyone's birthday.

I have taken over the tradition... so I got to make my own.

Actually, I shared it with my mother-in-law who's birthday is also this week.

The weather was really beautiful today. 

We walked 1/4 mile in knee deep snow to get to the sledding hill.

You can see poor Casey jumping because it was so deep.

It was perfect sledding weather.

We had a blast.

Someone's hat print in the snow.

Connor air-born.

It was lots of fun until we had to trudge the 1/4 mile back through the knee deep snow!

Even the dog was tired when we got home.

Art Class

Art class.

When we first stared homeschooling the boys took art classes at the library.

They were good and the boys learned a lot but it just wasn't what we were looking for.

So, enter Artistic Pursuits.

We have used these books for several years and love them.

We have been working through several units in our art book that

uses self-hardening clay.  It was great... until we ran out.

Then the relentless winter storms came.

Then I forgot to get the clay when we finally made it to town.

(And actually, I'm not sure our non-super Wal-Mart carries it.)

That being said, the following project is not from our much loved art books.

I, the homeschooling mom, turned to Pinterest for a project...

and it actually turned out well.

We did some 3-D hands.

It's very simple.  Connor liked it so much he did two.

Quilt

It's finally done!!!

I finished Nolan's quit top today.

I'm much too short to hold this full sized quilt top up myself.

I got the boys hold it up for me so I could take a picture.

That worked great until the ceiling fan hit the quilt...

apparently it's time to dust the fan!

The lighting was great either. 

I had to lighten up the pictures so you could see the dark border.

Now the fun stages of quilting begin!

Since I don't like sewing machines, I plan on hand quilting this.

Should be fun!

Winter Wonderland

OK so it snowed again.

It's a winter wonderland... wonder when winter will leave?

It is beautiful.

Casey's doghouse is still buried... and obviously well insulated.

This is the drift just below our picture window that faces west.

It measures 18 inches.

Bless her heart, she followed me to the front yard where she bottomed bellied out.

A drift hanging from the carport.

I ventured out to the barn lot to measure some drifts.

This one is in the boar pen, which is unoccupied at the moment.

This drift is 36 inches.  I broke the top of it trying to get the yard stick to the ground.

To the right of the building is where i measured the 36 inch drift.

Our poor lane hasn't seen this much snow in decades!

I measured the drift on the north side of our lane. 24 inches.

In case you wonder why we don't leave our house when it snows... the road is just as bad.

In case you've never experienced living on a gravel road,

there's a healthy layer of ice under the packed snow (the darker gray area).

That ice will be there for some time.

It's quite slick to walk on, let alone drive!

The boys literally skated and slid all the way to grandma's house!

We took the kids down to the other end of the farm to see the barn lot.

It had already been plowed.

This barn lot can have some crazy and deep drifts!

One year they were taller than me!

The boys playing on one of the snow piles.

More cool roof drifts.

Icicles are always fun!

We have a similar picture with Dwayne & Connor when Connor was little. 

Icicles on the pole shed.

An icicle that wound it's way down some random piece of wire.

The cat apparently sleeping with his face against the house...

which pretty much sums up how everyone feels about this winter.

And I hear there's more snow in the forecast.

Rain or Snow?... Yes

We woke up to lots of fresh snow...

and it was still falling....

in large flakes.

It's very pretty.

The snow piled against the gate.

We had to shovel a path for the chickens.

Dwayne standing in our lane.

It was plowed out the night before.

This was the snow depth on top of the dog food can.

This was the snow depth in the lane.

I think we got more than the "3 - 5".

The reason we needed the lane plowed out...

the drifts were pretty good sized.

We went for a walk and when we came back it was raining!