Let is Snow, Let it Snow

Do I like snow?  No.  I live in Northern Indiana though, its a fact of life that it will come sooner or later.  This winter has been the craziest winter I can remember (and its not even half done yet!).  Temperatures in the 40s and 50s in winter is insane and yet this is what we have been dealing with.  Well, it will snow then it will be 40 and it will all melt and the next day it will be 20 and we will get 3 + inches of snow. 

One thing that is annoying me to no end though...  The weather melts the snow and come the weekend there isn't enough for them to open the tubing hills.   UGH!  Will it be open this weekend?  I have no idea.  We got snow yesterday, today and we are supposed to get some tomorrow.  Of course, though, if they open this weekend we will not be able to go.  Why you ask?  Chrissy's got a cough.  Its back.  UGH...  It was so nice to have about a month without it.  I know this will inevitably come make its rounds to me.  BLAH...  The joys of being a mother!  Anyways, enough of me complaining.  On to what I want to share with you today...

So since it is still winter I have purged my house of anything Christmas, but leaving snowmen up is ok.  It is winter after all.  I did take down most of them but here and there you will find a snowman...  So I want to share with you a few homemade snowmen in my house.  One was made by a dear friend and the other was made by my mom.  I can not take credit for making these!  I will share how they are made with you though!  Hope they don't mind!!

Here are the snowmen:

Aren't they so cute!!!  I love having them out.  They make me smile because they are so cheerful and I just love handmade gifts.  They make me feel so good...

So here is how they are made...

So go to your local home store and grab some patio pavers and some white latex paint.  Paint the entire area letting it dry really good.  Sometimes these pavers have a tendency to suck up the paint.  You will know when it has had enough coats! 

Next decorate it!  Simple.  You can see from the 2 above that I have that you can use buttons, paint, feathers, and just about anything you can find to decorate him or her!!!

Now, if you have never googled painted snowman pavers do yourself a favor and do it!  Oh my the ideas that are out there!  I am itching to make some of these!  I would have never thought I didn't have to just make snowmen.  DUH!  Why didn't I think of this before!!!  I might just have to make one for every season!

Here are a few that I found that are inspiring to me:  (sorry I don't have links to where they came from nor taking credit for them...  I was just searching google images) 

Enjoy the inspiration!  Go get some pavers and create something!!! I'm so going to make some of those pumpkins this year!

Until Tomorrow!!!

52 Week Organization

52 Week Organization.  My friend signed up for a weekly email to organize her house.  She found it on Pinterest.  Got to love Pinterest.  I don't think I have the discipline to do a whole year of organization.  I know that is on my New Years resolution but...  LOL...  anyways...

So the she told me this week was the kitchen counters.  Well, that worked out for me because that's what I had planned yesterday anyways!  I figured going from the pantry to the kitchen cupboards and counter tops would only make sense!  I didn't do any fancy organizing here.  Just cleaned up, put away, and moved around to make it flow better.  Here are the before pictures:

And since I said that I was going to finish the other side of that other cupboard I stuck to my word and did it.  Here is the before picture:

I know its all horrible isn't it!  Well I'm happy to say it doesn't look like this anymore!!!  AND it feels GREAT!!!!!!!!  Even Jake said after dinner that he felt happier.  What a relief!  The key to doing all this organizing...

ACTUALLY PUT THE ITEMS WHERE THEY GO WHEN YOU ARE CLEANING...

If you just set them in another spot you will have clean it again when you get to that point. Whether it is today or tomorrow or a week from now.  DO IT NOW.  You will thank me!  So I started with the cupboard.  This is what transpired.

The mason jars where on the counter below this cupboard.  Jake made some drink called apple pie(Maybe I'll have him make it again and I can blog the recipe)  and when they were empty they just got put on the counter top.  The middle self is my plastic containers and what I did with these was make sure they all had matching lids before I "saved" them.  If they didn't,  in the trash they went.  (Well, until I knew that I didn't need them for anything)  So the lids are in a small box to the right.  That is where they will go after they are washed.  (I have a ton more plastic containers but think about the time of the year...  my refrigerator is filled with them!  I know those all have lids though!)  The bottom shelf are my Pyrex bowls.  The rest of the Pyrex is a cupboard below the counter top because those are baking.  This cupboard I am saving for my storage bowls.  Pretty isn't it!  Once again all the Pyrex lids are on the right in the loaf pan. 

Now to my counter tops.  No real special organization went into these.  Like I said above... just put the items away when they are in your hand.  EVEN if that means walking across your house a bazillion times like I had too!  Plus its exercise...  So I started where the mason jars were since they were being put away anyways...  I moved the coffee maker.  Jake and I don't drink coffee.  Friends and family do so having it on the counter is a must.  Jake is going to plug it in behind the refrigerator but I forgot to make him do it last night.  Opps!

The desktop computer was a mess, cords everywhere.  I moved all that stuff and dusted and organized the cords a little better.  How nice does that look!!!  Then I moved to the counter by the stove...  The spice rack moved to where the coffee maker was.  That makes much more sense to me.  I will use it more with it being there.  The few items left on the counter are the medicines that we take every day...  peanut butter...  (Jake uses this every morning for breakfast)...  dog treats...  I hung my bananas...  Command hooks are my favorite!!.  That's all I did!

Now this little piece of counter is my most hated.  This little area usually becomes the catch all for things that need to go downstairs and well just "crap".  This is where my walking back and forth took place. 

Doesn't that look amazing!!!  (Now don't call the fish police.  We cleaned the tank last night...Here's hoping the clean water doesn't kill the fish now!)

So there you have it.  Counter tops...  Can make you feel amazing!  I do have running to do today and I go back to work tomorrow but I am going to try to keep up organizing like I have the last few days.  Its a lot of work but it makes you feel soooooo good!!!!

Oh by the way, remember my blog post that there was no snow?  Guess what?

This is my backyard!  Over 7 inches!!!  We even had time to go out an play last night!  Jake came home early to surprise us and Chrissy got to go sledding down the hills in our backyard!

She went a little off the path on this run!  We all had a blast!!! 

Today I am going to do my running and hope to tackle the outside of the refrigerator and the area by the microwave...  fingers crossed!!!

Until Tomorrow!!!

Snow?

Last time I checked I lived in Northern Indiana.  That means winter is full of snow and ice.  This year however seeing snow has been a treat for us...  I'll show you what I mean.  It's December 30th and this is the view out my window from work:

See any snow?  No, also no ice.  Rain and 45 degree high today!  It is a heat wave!  HA!  OK seriously, we have only had 2 (or 3, I can't remember) good snowfalls this year.  Crazy right?  So much for a white Christmas.  Really I am OK with it.  I think its pretty.  ON THE GRASS, I do not like the stuff.  I HATE driving in it.  I am one of those people that others get mad at because "I've lived here all my life and snow falls and I drive like I've never seen it before."  Now I feel for those people, I really do because I have the same feeling when it rains and people start driving like that.  It's rain people, but I digress...

Having a child does make snow a little special.  When their eyes see that white stuff and they get a twinkle and want to go out and play in it I get giddy and want to play outside with them in it too.  I want to go tubing, ice skating, and sledding, make a snowman, throw snowballs, make a snow angel, and well I think you see my point.  Now let me state that I won't be able to move the next day after doing all of those things but what fun! 

OK so here is how we've spent the last few snowfalls this year.  1st time was a Thursday.  Yes I remember what day it was because we were at dance class and people were walking in covered in mounds of snow!  I just got there about 15 minutes before that and not a drop or flake of snow did I see.  I went to the front of the building and sure enough...  SNOW!  The first snowfall of the year and we were in class and OH Crap I didn't have a snow brush...  Thankfully I had gloves to clear the snow off my car!  2nd time I was at work...  I was so excited to wake up and take Chrissy to the window and have her see the snow and hear her say, "Can we make a snowman?"  Of course honey...  When I get home from work!  So all morning I'm watching the snow fall and thinking I have to go out at lunch to get snow pants...  I go out at lunch and it seems warm to me...  Oh no...  So I get back to the office and all afternoon slowly watch all the snow melt away.  No snow to make a snowman by the time I got home.  Boo...  3rd good snowfall happened this last Tuesday.  Finally I was home, it was my day off, and Chrissy and I didn't have anything planned!  She ohhed and ahhed over the snow again and then went to play with her Christmas gifts...  I ate breakfast and said to her "Why don't we get ready and go out in the snow!"  To see her face light up  was amazing!  She dropped everything and ran to her room so we could get everything on! 

Now getting a kid ready for the snow reminds me of the scene in a Christmas Story where the mom is getting Ralphie's brother ready...  HAHAHA!  It is so funny!!



Back to my story...  I get Chrissy and I ready.  Outside we go!  She is kicking and running around.  She falls, She can't get up!  HA!  She makes a snow angel, I help her up! She makes snowballs (pretty well I might add) and throws them at me!  She then asks "Can we make a snowman?"  Sure!  So I start getting the balls rolled.  She helps a sec and decides I can do it.  Fine, I got the 1st ball in line,  off to make the 2nd ball.  Bet you never really thought about how heavy snow was all smashed in a ball.  (Well at least I never did.)  I get the second ball to the base and think to myself Holy Crap how am I supposed to lift this thing!  I looked around I didn't see anyone, I bent down, tried to hoist it up with my butt to the road.  Didn't budge.  Chrissy's looking at me like WTH its just snow.  Pick it up already.  I try again...  Still nothing.  (At this time I'd like to thank my dad for the many snowmen we built over the years and thank you for being superman and hoisting the body up onto the base with ease!)  So what is a mother to do when your kid wants a snowman and you can't lift it...  I take my foot and bust off half of the ball...  I hoist it up take the snow I busted off and patched it back in.  Chrissy's eyes gleamed.  I can only hope she saw me as I saw my dad back in the day as Superwomen...  LOL!!!  We get the head on and Chrissy goes searching for the perfect rocks for the eyes, mouth and buttons. I was in charge of getting a carrot for the nose.  Thankfully we had carrots from Christmas leftover!  I also found a hat.  Yes it was a white ball cap.  That's all i could find that I didn't care if it got lost.  So below are some pictures of our adventure in the snow. 

Yes I know she doesn't have gloves on... We were just about to go in when I realized we didn't take a picture with the snowman!  Opps!

So there you have it!  Our adventure.  Today is raining.  No more snow.  The snowman in the front looks drunk because he is leaning so much!  I did read today on WSBT Facebook page:

WSBT-TV


This is kind of scary to think of... On December 31, 2010


High: 46


Low: 29


Precip: Trace


Snow on the ground: Trace.




The forecast for December 31, 2011:


High: 45


Low: 29


Precip: 0


Snow on the ground: Trace in spots






You know what happened the next few days in 2010? 39 inches of snow in 2 days! What's in the forecast for Jan. 1 & 2 2012? Heavy lake effect snow. Deja Vu???
 
Heavy Lake Effect Snow...  Come on!  Can't we just have normal snow.  Like back in the day when I was young.  Snow started falling November 1st and stopped March sometime.  It was always snowy out.  No real craziness like we've had here the last few years!  Oh well!  Maybe we can get in the tubing, sledding, and ice skating Chrissy still is asking to do!
 
Until tomorrow!  (I think I'll talk about New Year Resolutions...)
Oh ya, My Laptop is fixed!  I'll be able to blog from home now too! 
 
So back to where I was...
Until Tomorrow!