Snow day sleepover

These two are still great buddies, even though busy schedules make it hard to get together!

 

 

Snow day

It got to be very predictable this month - every Thursday would be a snow day.  Of course, Thursday is the day I go to work, so it always threw a bit of a wrench in the works.  One of the most wonderful things about my job, though, is the total flexibility which means I can still revel in a snow day with my kids! 

 

Grandma Lucy's Pecan Rolls

I have two favorite recipes that top my all time high list of things to eat and cook.  One of them is Grandma Lucy's veggie soup.  I've adopted this over the years so it's not quite the same, but it's close enough to be recognizable as hers.  I've added more veggies (sweet potatoes, greens, chickpeas...or whatever else we have on hand).  There is some family discussion about whether green beans belong in this soup, but I'm firmly in the ABSOLUTELY NOT camp on that one!

The other recipe is her pecan rolls.  I don't know for sure that I have her sweet dough recipe,  but I use one from one of her old cookbooks so the odds are pretty good.  I also have no written recipe for the rest of the rolls.  My mom showed me; there's no measuring involved so there isn't much to write down!  Just tons and tons of sugary, nutty goodness rolled up and baked.  

I got a craving for these; one batch of dough makes about five pans, so many had to go in the freezer to keep us from plowing through all five pans in five days!  The same day I made them this year, a very similar popped up in my "Timehop" app from LAST YEAR.  Apparently, this is how I survive February...

No troubles with self-esteem for this one...

Visit with Grandma

We made it down to Oma and Papa's for another visit with Grandma before she had to go home. I was hoping that she would have been able to stay at our house for a visit, but that didn't work out since we didn't have much of a house for much of her visit.  We made the best of the time we did have though!

Dry cleaning

After we moved back home, our clothing was all delivered from the cleaners.  Most everything in the master closet and coat closet, as well as any bedding and curtains, had been covered in a layer of drywall dust.  The insurance company had a vendor pick everything up, clean it, and redeliver it after we moved back in.  For the low, low price of....$8000!  WOW!

At least the Super Ru cape and the Buzz Lightyear snuggie were dry cleaned...

 

Snow day with guests

Grandma was visiting Oma and Papa, and the roads were clear enough by Wednesday that they could still come up for a visit.  We were hoping that Grandma would get to watch the boys' basketball games, but both of those were cancelled. We had a good visit with Grandma, with lots of games, cards, and crafts.  Oma and Papa even got some snow playtime in with the boys.

Snow day!

We had a couple of "snow days" earlier in the year, but there wasn't any actual snow to play in.  This was the first one with enough of a covering to get out and play.  I was much appreciative that mother nature waited until we weren't going to be trapped in the Residence Inn for a snowstorm!

 

Progress...

After two months in a hotel, we were so excited to move home.  However, it wasn't exactly how we left it - hardly any furniture and no kitchen counters made living a bit of a challenge.  It felt like a huge accomplishment once the TV was hung and operational and we had a rug.  We still didn't have any actual seating, so made do with the camp chairs.

5th grade Valentines

I didn't take a picture of the valentines this year, but the kids attached a mustache sticker to a note that said, "I mustache you to have a happy valentines day."  Brady's teacher snapped this great picture of the kids with their 'staches.  It's the last year Brady will do class valentines...what a great way to go out in style.  

HOME!

It all started at 1:00 pm on December 7...and began to come to a close today!  After two long months, we are moving back home!  ServiceMaster spent the last two days cleaning every surface of the house and moving in furniture and boxes.  We have a ways to go, but we're HOME!

Rudy's Valentine

Rudy and Mary Emma are tight.  Rudy is not cool with any teasing about “Memma” as his girlfriend, but he will freely admit that she is one of his very best friends.  I loved the Valentine Gram she sent him through school this year:

Hi, you’re the best freind ever.  I wish I could live with you not in the hotel or your house but my house. 

Whoops

The last few weeks have been a frenzy of painting for me.  I'm trying to get almost all of the surfaces painted that the reconstruction crew isn't painting: the walls and ceilings in the bonus room, Brady's room, Rudy's room, and upstairs hallway and stairwell as well as all of the baseboards throughout the house.  I was just about done with the painting and starting to rehang doors...

Hm...something doesn't look right with Rudy's closet!

(Funny that we had never noticed that Rudy's closet was bigger than the other closets!)

What if...?

"What if Rudolph's nose burned out on that foggy Christmas eve while they were their trip?"



Rudy's mind is always working.  Almost from the day he (finally) started talking, he frequently opens conversations with "What if..." or "Did you know..."

Score!

My dad talked Grandma and me into visiting an estate sale with him.  I saw this P. Buckely Moss print, but it was marked too high for my tastes, even with the my penchant for Christmas decor.  One of the guys running the state sale saw me admiring it, and quoted me a bargain price that I couldn't resist!

So excited...now, the question is, do I have to take it down after Christmas every year or can I hang it all year long?