The Snowman That Will Not Go Away

We once built a snowman
That was a pretty fun day
But he has started to wear out his welcome
That snowman that will not go away

We giggled after the second snowstorm
Seeing his new skirt and pretending he liked ballet
He was still fun to have around then...
That snowman that will not go away

After the third snowstorm he caught my eye one morning
He seemed to be swimming laps as if to say
Don't worry I'm enjoying myself here
Because I am the snowman that will NOT go away

He even is a little nosey
Peeking in at us though out the day
It seems we have a squatter!
It's that snowman that WILL NOT go away

Now he is nice and cozy
Settled in and seemingly here to stay
Maybe in the spring when we see him again and laugh
At the thought of the snowman, who would NOT go away

(Our yard guest was originally built about 3.5-4' tall, but he keeps getting taller.  The elements are definitely in his favor.)

Snow Clothes, Snow Pics

Snow can be great, it really can.  Getting young kids ready to go out in the snow can be great------ly difficult.  Some people joke it takes more time getting everyone ready than you end up staying out-

<Start Timer>
Before my kids put on their snowsuits they demanded to see which suit was bigger, they did not believe me.  Here they are comparing them to see which is longer.
Total time spent: 8 minutes

 Next little lady demanded that I NOT help her put her suit on.
Total time I spent watching her fuss with the suit: 5 minutes

I heard baby girl crawling into the dishwasher and stopped her before she discovered the lone knife that wanted to be washed again.
Total time spent: 3 minutes

Checking back in on little lady, she was putting the suit on backwards.
Total time spent shaking my head with my hands on my hips: 1 minute

Baby girl slipped and bumped her head.
Total time spent giving hugs and calming her down: 2 minutes

Little lady has succeeded at getting that suit on...

...now to get the 100 other necessary articles on. (We were in luck today and able to located all hats, socks and mittens quickly.  Sometimes this is where the not-so-committed-to-the-snow children give up).
Total time spent getting the endless articles on both kids: 8 minutes

Little man told little lady she looked like Aunt Sponge from James And The Giant Peach story.  She was not happy and I had to mediate.
Total time spent: 2 minutes

Running baby girl upstairs to her bed to nap while we are out in the yard.
Total time spent: 1 minute

And we are out the door ladies and gentlemen.  Total time spent to get there: 30 minutes

It is in the 20s today with little wind and sunshine, so not bad at all.  Some snowballs were thrown, lots of snow eaten...
Side note and opinions welcome-  I still have not made snow cream for my kids, I am a little hesitant to even let them eat snow from our area given the really, really bad air quality of the Providence area.  I'm no expert on the matter and wonder how much air quality affects snow contamination or if it is enough to matter???

 No sledding since our sled was froze to the ground the day before the storm and now buried. :(  Oops.
We filled the bird feeder, checked in on the barn cat, threw more snowballs, little lady said her face was cold and went inside (total time she spent outside, maybe 20 minutes).  Little man hung out with me some longer, but snow was too deep for him to walk in, then he went in.  He made it at least 30 minutes.

I then went around and snapped some pictures.
Good thing we got enough firewood in for a week-

Not so welcoming-

This fence is 4' high, snow is at least halfway up it all around the parameter.  This depth held up even after high winds all day.  The snow is very light because its so cold, so nothing is stuck to the trees.

This is where I fell climbing over the fence, true story-

 Empty chicken coop-

Whipped snow in the shed with mouse tracks-

 Some drifts went over the fence (if you can see to the right of the feeder)-

To deep for me to walk through-

 

Questioning what I am doing in thigh deep snow-

Cat tails from the frozen pond, I'm looking forward to hearing the peeping spring frogs-

Last picture of a partially snow covered fence.

Thankful the storm did not damage our area but praying for those on the islands and Cape Cod that are without power in these frigid temps (single digits most nights).

Some Beginning Notes for 2015

Please excuse the continued blog layout construction.  I think it is worth noting the primitive conditions in which I endure to blog.... for instance, my internet connection is through smoke signal and my computer is actually a typewritur.... oh lemons, where's the white out.....
_
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All that aside, we are off to a busy and exciting start here.

The basement is under construction: stud walls are up, next will be installing all the electrical.  This area is going to be the new playroom and storage.

 A meeting is set for THIS WEEKEND to see, for the first time, and review the design plans from our landscape architect.  We are super stoked and somewhat scared.  We look forward to having a nice outdoor eating area but fear the price tag that's going to come with it.  She is actually re-laying out all areas around the house but we plan to complete it piece by piece over a span of time (we try to pay for everything with cash).

Here she is doing some land surveying, and yes I took this picture of her secretly through a window (which is completely ok, if you are the one taking the picture)-

Other projects in the works or soon in the works:

• Completing the finishing details in the dining room (yawn, old news)
• Putting on window trim in the kids and living room
• Taking my Christmas decorations down (its on the list, but probably not blog worthy)
• Transforming the back entrance closet to a more function space
• Operation kid's rooms (more details later)
• Fence building/spring homesteading planning (we had this area cleared behind our property, see what happens when you are nice to the power company, it also helps them out)

 On the family front, the youngest turned 1 recently.  Since I like comparisons, here is the line up of each kid on their 1st birthday stuffing cake in their face.

Little man-

Little lady-

Baby girl-

All the above photos were taken with a 35mm camera and film developed at the one hour photo at Walmart (play along that it still exists).  How they got on the blog is magical, that is all you need to know.
:)

End of Summer in New England

Just a photo share of saying goodbye to summer in southern New England.  Glad we got to do it with family visiting.

Note: Fyi for my southern US friends (cause I get asked this alot), southern New England does have a real summer.  It gets just as hot and more humid than north east Tennessee, but a shorter season.  The beaches get plenty warm for swimming..... unless you're on parts of the Cape.
Another question I get asked alot by my northern friends, Tennessee has a winter.... and snow.... especially if you live close to the mountains.  Yes Tennessee has mountains.... and they are bigger than New Hampshire's mountains.

We had a family get together on Conanicut Island.  Here is where we stayed.....

And the view from the front porch.....
Overlooking the mouth of Narragansett Bay, Newport/Pell Bridge in the distance on the left:

Family get together pic last year in Upstate NY-

This year on the coast in Southern RI.
I'm looking short among this tall family-

Fun was had-

Last weekend of the summer was spent watching the sun go down.  Seemed appropriate-

Goodbye wonderful summer, looking forward to your return.