Everyday Life for Four Seasons

It's nice to see the bright, blue sky!

It's still snowing. We haven't left the house today.



A group of children came over today and played with 'A' and 'H' while 3 of us moms from our MOMS Club put together some paperwork for our annual community project. This year we are raising money for a local playground renovation project - the playground at Kelley Park - and we are going to show up at the site in May to help build. Fun!

Today we went to story time at the bookstore, ran a bunch of errands (my new favorite phrase is "power-erranding," because I love that it implies that I do errands efficiently and effectively, which I do not!). Then the girls gobbled down some lunch in the library parking lot and we ended our outing with a quick trip to the library's $1 used book sale. I bought 16 books. The energy level in the sale room was pretty high. It's hard to know which books are worth buying when there are hands flying everywhere, digging into boxes, flipping through pages, tossing books back in and taking out new ones. And of course each shopper has at least one, and sometimes several small children wrapped around her legs.

Yes, it's snowing here again. The girls are sleeping and I am doing a little work on a website. Pre-made crabcakes are on sale at the grocery store, so Jeff and I are having crabcake and salad dinner tonight.

And since it's cold and snowy today, it might be just the right afternoon to curl up with a cup of tea.

The girls and I are back from a long weekend at the Cape. Jeff stayed home and painted 'H's' room while we were gone. We've lived in this house for 2 years and we're just starting to paint the interior. It's about time we get it done! All of the walls are a dingy shade of off-white, and some color is just what we need in our lives.

Her room is now two different shades of vibrant pink. Jeff did a great job on it - primer on the walls, 2 coats of ceiling paint, and 2 coats of wall color. When we get some things up on the walls I'll post some photos.



While we were away we had the chance to meet my cousin's daughter. She is 14 months old and just delicious!



Today we are getting over some colds, doing laundry, and sorting through paperwork. And *some of us* are whining a lot in the process. Sigh. My babies act like such babies sometimes!

This is the view from my mother's home on Cape Cod. It's really quite lovely here, even in the off-season. If you were to follow my heart to it's home, this is where you would end up.

We played a lot today. This morning we went to a playgroup and this afternoon the girls played in 'A's' room. It's so great that they are starting to play together.





Last night, long after we had tucked her into bed, 'A' got up and arranged this pile of diapers in rows and columns. What a delicious treat for my database-oriented brain! Jeff and I tried not to make a fuss over it in front of her (we didn't want to reward her 10 pm playtime behavior... goodness, what first-timers we still are...), but we were dying to photograph it and make it a permanent memory. How cute!

Not all of our food comes to us via truck. Some of it crosses the country on rail cars. It's better for the environment that way.

These colored pencils give the phrase "getting back to nature" a new meaning. They actually are sticks with a pencil inside. Needless to say, they are unique and very beautiful. The girls' grandparents got them on a recent trip to South America. I can't remember which country they are from - grandma, grandpa, do you know?

'A' uses them quite a bit in conjunction with crayons. She is great at abstract art.

Rainy here lately - seems that the spring thaw might have begun.

Our town celebrates the season every year with Winterfest. The highlight of the whole weekend (according to us) is sledding down Bath Street. The town closes off the whole street, which is on a hill, and piles it high with snow. Everyone brings their sleds and enjoys several bumpy runs down the street. Jeff and 'A' went together this year and they both had a great time. I got to hold 'H' in the sling the whole time - we kept each other warm.

Fun with quiet time blankets...

Happy Valentine's Day. Jeff had the day off today (not because it's Valentine's day, but because he spent all of last night on a plane). We went for a short (and very cold!) walk in the State Park.