Yeah yeah I know...

I totally suck at keeping this thing updated. I know it. But really, I've been super busy!

Last week, I took a day and went to see Daddy. My goal was to visit some of the consignment/thrift stores in Midlothian, hit Michael's, have lunch with Daddy and be home by 5:15 when little guy got done with the afterschool program. Unfortunately, it was a half day last week, Kev had to work and I got a late start. What a mess!

I ended up visiting one consignment (cute kids consignment shop), Dress Barn Woman (found nothing), Michael's (found tons ha ha ha) and went to see Daddy. We had lunch together at American Cafe (what an awesome restaurant - so cool and great food) then home. Not the day I'd planned but fun nonetheless. I love spending time with Daddy. Any time I get to spend with him I'll take really. I love listening to his stories and hearing all the fun tales he can tell. He can really tell a story ya'll. One of the last great story tellers. He draws you in and wraps you up in it and despite the many times I've heard so many of them, they don't get old. I love listening to him tell them!

So, Thursday I decided to get my eyes checked because I'm telling ya, I'm blind in one eye and can't see out the other most days. So, not realizing we have good coverage, I see the ad for America's Best and hop to getting in the car and driving to Newport News to get my eye exam and two pairs of glasses for $69.95!

I get there and enjoy the store. Everyone is so pleasant and nice. The little gal who did my preliminary exams was darling. She tested the letters etc then the eye puff (blowing air in your eye) which I got a kick out of (I laughed, which made her giggle because apparently NO ONE laughs or giggles at that test, they all hate it). Then on to depth perception and color blindness. Yeah - keep in mind I am, and I do use the term loosely, an artist.

I FAILED DEPTH PERCEPTION AND COLOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OH MY FREAKIN' WORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I'm upset, frustrated, a wee tad angry. Not at her and I didn't let her know that, but yeah, sat stewing in my seat waiting for the doc. Not happy... nope, I was not happy.

So the doc comes in, looks at everything, checks out my eyes and says, wow, you have really pretty eyes! (Ok, I'm flattered, what are you buttering me up for??) You're really not in bad shape (and here's the kicker) FOR YOUR AGE.

OMFW again... For My Age. It hit me. I'm one month away from my 49th birthday and I'm now facing phrases like "Not Bad For Your Age". I was pissed. Not at her... she's doing her job. Just the idea of being reminded that I'm not "young" anymore. Well poop on that. I'm young if I feel young. I'm young if I look young and I"m young if I say I'm young!!!! DOGGONE IT I'M YOUNG!

Buy my eyes aren't. Along with the other things that have begun to fail me, my eyes have jumped on board and they are decidedly middle aged. Drat... Drat, drat and triple drat. Then she talked to me about proper eye care and I'm doing well and resting my eyes because of the computer work I'm always doing and not reading so much with my "helpers" (aka magnifiers). Then she dropped the bomb shell...

"I know the depth perception issues and color issues will be just fine when you stop overworking your eyes so much. Your bifocals will help."


MY WHAT????????????? MY BIFOCALS??? Egads, I thought I was gonna faint and scream and turn circles like the Tasmanian Devil in Bugs Bunny cartoons. My bifocals.... yeah, that's not sitting well with me at all.

Now, keep in mind, 12 years ago when I first got glasses, the doc gave me two different prescriptions. One for reading and one for driving. He told me that I was far too young for bifocals and besides, I didn't need to and shouldn't wear my glasses all the time. The same doctor prescribed bifocals for Kevin! HA HA HA - yeah - my husband, 14 years younger than me, got bifocals. The doc totally thought I was younger than him and it was okay to give my young hottie husband bifocals.! ROFLMBOPIMP (and for you folks that don't know cyberspeak - that stands for Rolling On the Floor Laughing My Butt Offr Peeing In My Pants!)

Oh yeah - it was funny.... Now? Now that it's me? Not so much...

To add insult to injury, the fact I have to have bifocals also limits the size of the lenses I can take in my new glasses. It also changes things considerably. Because I have to get bifocals, the two for $69.95 deal no longer applies. Now, for ONE pair of glasses, it's gonna cost me $282.81. Oh yeah - you read that right. Two Hundred, Eighty-Two dollars and 81 cents. I about had a stroke right there proving to everyone that I was indeed middle aged.

So, needless to say, being completely unprepared to pay that kind of price for my glasses, I had to take my prescription and leave, paying $60 for my eye exam.

On I go to compare prices with other glass places. I tried several. The least expensive I found was $230 and bi-jingos, that's what I've got! I purchased my glasses yesterday and I can't wait to get them. The first place did not have the transition lenses included so I didn't have to purchase sunglasses. The new place does. The first place was going to make me have the progressive lenses (at least she didn't offer me the option anyhow). Now I don't. While my bifocals will have a line, they have a larger reading area at the bottom so I don't have to keep moving my head around to find where I need to look. I picked out some gorgeous glasses too. Blue powder coated metal so it's not gonna chip off and make a mess and not be pretty. Transition lenses so I can wear them all the time (which I've been told is my plight now) and not have to switch to my sunglasses. The new place was so so nice about my not having had my eye exam there, very understanding. The kicker was that I may actually have my glasses by the weekend. PLEASE, please let me have them by Friday. I'm so tired of not being able to read things it's driving me crazy! And did I mention they are Vera Bradley's and adorable? That handbag is a photo of the pattern along the arm of my glasses and the blue is the blue of the metal. OH yeah... so so pretty!

So, here is the moral of this tale. Always be sure to read ALL the fine print. Always make sure you have the whole story before passing go and attempting to collect your $200. It will make a difference in the long run. And, just for my daddy, there are five little words you should always remember to pull out of your sleeve before closing a deal. They work. "Is that your best offer?" You're not bartering. You're watching out for number one. No one else cares if you're poor or not but you. So while you're taking care of your health, and purchasing apparatus to help do the same, pull out those five little words. It helped me get a great deal on a great pair of glasses and feel better about me too.


By the way, my glasses are HOT. And they make me feel HOT. (They're just like these only in blue!) So, I'm NOT middle aged, I'm a hot young thing who's doing something really cool for herself and looking good too.

Yeah - that's me... a hot young thing...
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Peace!
Lissa

It's a Giveaway!

Okay all your vinyl lovers! No - not the old albums we used to play on something called a "Record Player"... it's the new vinyl that we're putting on our walls for decoration. Many of us are loving making our own to use (Love my Cricut!) but a dear friend of mine (Hey T!) is a consultant for a company called Uppercase Living. Another awesome friend of mine (*Waves Kim) is posting a giveaway for her. I KNOW you've heard of the Awesome artsy way cool showcase blog called "Today's Creative Blog" that features creative blogs from all over the net. Well, Kim is hosting a giveaway for T and you've got to take a look!

RUN to Today's Creative Blog and read about T's Easter Giveaway. Then go to T's (short for Torreh - isn't that a gorgeous name?) site and take a look at what they're offering. They've got a special running now and it's well worth the run over. Uppercase Living has so many amazing things to offer! You won't want to miss a thing! (By the way - everything is buy one and get half off right now... hint hint!)

Don't forget to hang out at Kim's site too. You won't want to miss any of the exciting sites she's got featured at Today's Creative Blog. Sooooo much inspiration! You can't help but feel creative.

SO, why are you still here? Go on! Run! NOW!!

Peace and blessings,
Lissa

P.S. If you want some good reading, you must log into T's blog. She's a fun and excellent writer. The kind that makes you want to read more and more. I love her style, her sense of humor and her ability to make you "see" what's going on as though it was taking place in front of you. Check her out at "Just a Teaspoon". She definitely does NOT disappoint!

It's Official

I'm a Groovy Chick!



After all I am a child of the 60's and 70's and I've been groovy since being groovy was the grooviest thing to be! (Thanks Marsha!) But this is all different. I"m the Sketch Team Leader for the If It's Groovy blog team! In addition to my own sketches for Sketch It!, I'll be doing one, with variations, for the sketch team and very exciting.

We're publishing our first team blog inspiraitons on the First of April and I'm so excited to see what every one does! Our themes are so "groovy" and out of left field so be prepared for some fun!

Hello March!

Well, it's in like a lion right?

So far we've had 80 degree weather, our first decent snow fall in 6 years, rain, sleet, more rain, 35-40 degree days and more rain - all in the last 10 days! It's definitely pneumonia weather. It's still raining and nasty and I'm so ready for Spring to finally spring into action! I think I NEED it. The snow was fun and exciting, but I need the sunshine. I need longer hours of it too. I'm lethargic and I'm not feeling good and I think it has a lot to do with the sun (or lack there of!).

On a brighter note, woohooo!!! I'm the new Sketch Team leader at a wonderful blog I mentioned before - If It's Groovy. I'm so thrilled to have been selected as part of this great crew of "Groovy Chicks" and even more so by being asked to contribute in this way. The blog mom is awesome and the chicks are terrific and it's gonne be a great time! I've posted some new sketches on the Sketch It! blog and there will be more debuted after they debut at If It's Groovy!

Taylor returns to college tomorrow. Well, let me rephrase that, I have to take Taylor and Alex back to school tomorrow. He wants to leave around 3. I want to leave no later than 2. We're gonna argue about that for a while I think. He's not packed, washed his clothes, gathered up his belongings. He's also not cleaned up that room of his or done anything really constructive over break, but I guess that's what Break is for.

We had a blast singing Karaoke last night. Dalton got into singing We Will Rock You and did quite well. He's getting better about keeping up with the worde on the screen so I know his reading skills are definitely improving! (Either that or he's memorizing the song!) It's a slow day for me. Feeling creepy cruds deep down in my bones but I'm sure that will pass. I have another MRI coming up on Monday to help figure out why my back is still not right so hopefully we'll have some good news on that front soon!

Dalton is on Zantac for his stomach. The doctor says they are seeing more and more stress in the schools now a days and attributes the bullying to not only other factors but also to the economic stresses their parents are feeling. With the additional stresses in the home, I'm sure tensions are tight and much is filtering down to kids. It still doesn't make it right and I don't like what's happening not one bit. Dalton is only 8 years old and going onto Zantac just makes me angry. Each day I hear more and more from kids in the class and the playground and also from other parents regarding the children who are bullying Dalton. From what I can gather, this is an extreme power struggle these kids are embroiled in and I'm wondering just how out of control things must be for them elsewhere. I just have no choices but to shake my head, hug my little guy and continue to be there for him when he needs me. We have suggested methods for him to help be part of the solution and I do think things are already improving. I'm giving it another two weeks. We'll see then how it's all going.

That's it for me. How's your week? Any plans for the rest of the weekend?

Blessings to each,
Lissa

In Honor of Mom

It's National Women's History Month. (And yes, I know it's National Craft Month too but today Mom is more important...)

I wouldn't say that my mom is infamous except there are many others who would disagree. I wouldn't say that my mom was the most amazing woman I've ever known but that would be a lie, because she absolutely was. I could say that she was no one special but she wasn't just special, she was spectacular. She was the best person, woman, friend, parent, daughter, wife anyone could have asked for. She was amazing.


When my mom was a little girl, she had long auburn VERY curly hair. It hung in ringlets that she vehemently wouldn't let anyone brush. The story says she ran in tears everytime her mom came close with a brush. I have one of those ringlets (yes I do and you can call me gross all you want but it's an awesome piece of my history). It's still as tight as it was when it hung on her head. I can imagine screaming in agony after sleeping on that hair... It had to be terrible. My own hair is extremely curly and dries in ringlets. It's horrible to brush out every day. That's why I straighten it. Mom used to straighten hers too. With an iron! She and my aunt used to iron each other's hair so it was more manageable. (We're not so progressive are we?!)

She played piano and flute from the time she was very young and sang like an angel. Truth be told, she played every instrument. She could pick up anything and play it; play it well even! She had perfect pitch too. You could hum something and she could play it. She could hear a song and play it. She could memorize things like it was the simplest task. She graduated college with a degree in musical performance and music education. After college (she attended Peabody Conservatory of Music and Eastman School of Music), she taught both public school music and private music lessons too. She helped people find their inner voices no matter what instrument it was coming through. She could help you find that place inside you where music comes from and it would flow through your instrument - flute, voice, fingers on a keyboard... She was an awesome teacher and trainer.

She wasn't just an artist with music. She painted as well and just as beautifully! There is a painting in my kitchen she painted that is gorgeous! Daddy has several paintings she did. Daddy is an artist too! (And coincidentally played clarinet quite well!) He's got a huge oil painting in his living room he painted.

Her artistry flowed into every single aspect of her life. She was a culinary expert and could make mud look and taste like a delicacy if she'd tried. How that woman fed a family of four with four small cuts of meat or chicken, a starch and a can of vegetables is beyond me. It takes me twice that to feed this crew. How she made everything so good is just as unfathomable to me. Not only did it taste amazing, it looked amazing too! And she could bake! OH MY GOODNESS, could she bake! They (food experts) say you're either a baker or a cook but not both. They didn't know my mom. She could make cookies, pastries, cakes, candy, ice cream, oh gracious she could make anything!

And her artistic abilities never stopped... She made jewelry, arranged flowers, could make masterpieces with cloth and a sewing machine and sometimes by hand. You should only see some of the window treatments, wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, suits, blouses and all other items of clothing she made and home furnishings she covered. My house, my sister's house and my dad's house all feature things my mom made. The window treatments in my dad's house alone are worth a small fortune! She made foundation garments (ladies, you know what I'm talking about - camisoles, slips, half slips) that were GORGEOUS and so expensive with their beautiful lace.

Mom could crochet and knit. Her homes were always decorated so well it was as if we'd always hired a professional. No matter what my mom tried to do, she was not just successful, she turned it all to gold.

These are some of the tangible things she did. Let's talk about "service" oriented things... She cooked for the homeless at our church. She participated on the Alter Guild at church, was a member of the Junior Women's Club, Garden Club, various Music Clubs, sang in the Richmond Symphony Chorus, was the soloist for the church choir. She judged state wide music competitions, she taught students that participated in state wide competitions and won the highest of marks! She led parades through our neighborhood on holidays without batting an eye and inspired others to come and join in. They joined in with pots, pans, wooden spoons, kazoos, and anything else that they could participate with!

She would help us with school projects, taught us the responsibilities we needed to learn to take care of ourselves and our homes. She taught us how to cook and clean and style our hair to always look our best. She took us to the beauty parlor on very special occasions so we could be treated to be feeling special. She looked like a queen at all times and taught us that we should always always put our best foot forward. She never said the words, "You never know who you'll meet so you better always be prepared to give your best. First impressions are the most important ones." Despite never having said it, you know she lived it and expected the same from us. She led us as a family by example. Daddy was always so so busy with work that much of the family rearing responsibility was all on mom's shoulders. She took it all seriously and did it all well. Like I said, she led by example. I grew up knowing I was expected to offer nothing but my best.

Sounds like the perfect person doesn't it? Well, there's more. Whenever someone needed her, she was there. A dear friend of ours had a very difficult pregnancy. They put her on strict bedrest for most of her pregnancy and having a 2 year old already running around the house, being on bed rest was a problem. Mom stepped in. I remember vividly spending many days at the S* house watching and playing with their little one while C was on bedrest and mom tended to what ever needed to be done. As a result of all that, Mom and Daddy were blessed to be asked to be the Godparents to the new baby and this little one was named for momma. Another little Jeanne was born. I tell ya - there's something about what ever she touched. That woman (the new "little" Jeanne) is an amazing woman in her own right! When someone was sick, momma made food. When someone needed to cry or had a problem, momma had a great shoulder and advice if you wanted it (she never gave it unsolicited). She was a taxi driver, a therapist, a teacher, a mom, a friend, a chef, a wife, a daughter (and an excellent one at that!), a Faithful, Reverent, God Loving women.

Her love for the Lord began when she was very very young and just seemed to grow and grow. She shared that love with everyone and eminated His love with every note she sang or spoke. When momma smiled, she lit up a room and everyone who saw her was touched by her smile and the melodious sounds of her voice. She was amazing.

The one thing that shone through everything was that everything she did, she did with LOVE. Everything she said was with love. Everything she was, was love. Honestly, I think God sent her here especially for anyone who needed a touch of love at any given moment. My grandparents said she was forever bringing home "wounded" children. Anyone who needed some TLC, she would bring home. It was either a coat, or some clothes, or some food or just a friend, my mom would cling to it like it was her personal mission in life to ensure they were "healthy" again before venturing out into the world.

Obviously my mom was phenomenal. From the time she was born until the day she died, she touched people's lives and souls. I adored her.

12 years ago, March 3, 1997, Momma went home to the Lord. It still bothers me and beginning in January every year until the 4th of March when mysteriously, all that emotion goes away. I am thankful, grateful, blessed and adore the fact that wonderful woman was a part of my life for 36 years, 10 months and one day. Everything I've learned, done and love is directly related to her. I supposed I magically am "ok" on the 4th of March because I know where she is. I know that she is singing for God now, keeping company with all the other exceptional angels that inhabit special places in the Kingdom. I pray one day to be lucky enough to be in the glorious woman's company and His as well.

I leave you with this. No matter what, your mom will always be your mom. Whether or not she was a good one is not really the issue. The deal is this. We ALL make mistakes and sometimes the mistakes are huge. We're fallible. We deserve to be forgiven. It is through my mother's forgiving spirit I have learned to let go of some of the heinous things that transpired in my past through no fault of my mom or dad's. It is through my mother's memories I can say to everyone, NO MATTER WHAT IT WAS, no matter how hard your past, your own mistakes, the mistakes of your mom (or dad) they are just that, mistakes. They are errors in judgement. They are ommissions of sound decision making; bad choices. All of these things are normal human functions and we while we should all recognize our errors, omissions, mistakes, we should and deserve to be forgiven for the same. Just one of many lessons my mom taught me.

So, while you take time today (and every day I hope) to be thankful for your blessings, remember, those blessings didn't just happen to you. You earned them. You were blessed either because of choices you made or lessons you were taught. Sometimes our lessons are really hard and we hurt, but we learn. Thank those who helped you learn, even the hard way. Offer them your forgiveness and show them your beautiful spirit.

Momma was a beautiful spirit. I hope I have helped continue sharing her spirit by remember the things she taught me, shared with me, showed me and LOVED me into learning.

Here's to the most amazing, beautiful, phenomenal, wonderful woman I've ever known. I can say with certainty, everyone who knew her would agree. This woman's history was much more imporant than she ever knew. She touched more people than she ever knew. She meant more to people than she ever could have guessed. She is indeed a part of more history than she was aware. Thank you Lord for giving this woman to the world. They needed it more than they ever knew!

An awesome day and a bad mommy

Yesterday was a full full day! It actually kind of started on Friday when I had to drive to Longwood to get Taylor and another friend who lives in Williamsburg as well. I drove the 2 plus a bit extra to get them, then drove back. (We stopped on the way home at 5 Guys for a phenomenal burger which only solidified my yearning for our new 5 Guys to open here in Williamsburg!!)

We got back and of course, I was a bit wired but knew Dalton and I had a big day on Saturday so we had to go to bed. We stopped briefly at Lisa's for a hello and then home we went.

Bed time was bedtime but sleep was illusive. Not only did I not get to sleep until well after midnight, I woke up at 3 am and never was able to go back to sleep. *YAWN* I tidied house a bit (how is it two grown men can make that much mess in a day??) and was wired for sound when Dalton woke up at 8:30. He was so excited about his first Soccer game! I was excited for him too but a little concerned too as he had never ever played soccer before. I taught him a few moves from when I played in high school. Very basic dribbling, passing, kicking and of course, the old standby - never ever touch the ball with your hands. I told him he needed to be aggressive in attempting to steal the ball without beating up on someone and he needed to do his best to keep his eye on the goal and open opportunities to score as well as enabling others to score.


I stopped at my desk long enough to grab two batteries for the camera and off we went! At Taylor's suggestion, we parked at the new high school and walked over. Um.. yeah - won't do that again. We HIKED over to the field where we were playing and met our coach, teammates and suited up! I was fortunate to have found some great soccer gear at a local consignment shop that looked as though it had been bought and never used. Dalton got his jersey and was ready! If I do say so myself, he looks like a soccer player. He's muscular without being bulky, tall and lean for his age. His blonde hair was shining in the sun and as he ran, he really looked like he belonged on the soccer field. It was such fun to see him right in the game, understanding exactly what he needed to do, playing both offense and defense during different quarters to get a good feel for the game. He nearly scored a goal twice!! I was so proud!!

Taylor, Susan, Whitney and I sat on the sidelines cheering and having a ball. The sun was shining (70 degrees at 11am!) and we actually got some sun too.

As soon as the game was done, we high tailed it home to change into our class A uniforms, get the popcorn popped and bagged and took off for the middle school where we were hosting our packs Pinewood Derby races. Now we have a VERY large pack. More than 40 kids. We also allow for sibling races and this year did corporate races as well as a fund raiser. So, with that in mind and a six lane track, you can imagine how long our pinewood derby is. Yeah - we started the Derby at 2:30 and we didn't leave until after 6. It was a lot of fun, tons of activities, snacks, good humor, great racing and neat cars. The kids played amongst themselves outside the back door of the school while the adults cleaned up and got the gym put back together. And afterward, this sore and exhausted puppy was ready to take her little pup home for a quiet night. (All the while dreading the idea of standing up to make dinner in a kitchen that had been DESTROYED by the big guys the night before and as usual, had not been cleaned.)

A slight change in plan resulted in Dalton spending the night at Susan's with Walker and Welsey (who did extremely well in the derby taking 9th and 10th overall respectively). I went with Kevin to Lisa's for about 30 mins to say hello, love you and gotta go to bed. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow at 9.

It really was an amazing day all the way around!

As for the bad mommy part, well, I bought a brand new package of batteries from Dollar General so I'd be certain to have batteries for the soccer game and the Derby. Yeah - well, lesson learned. You get what you pay for. Not a single battery (and yes I had spares) worked and I have not a single photo of Dalton's first game or of the Derby. What a pain in the tush! How is a scrappy mom supposed to scrap with NOTHING to show for her day?? I know I'll have others from folks who will share, but it's a bummer to me to not have photos of my little guy in particular. :( Live and learn people - don't buy batteries from Dollar General. Take the extra few minutes and buy them at Walmart of the local Grocery. It might cost a little more, but you'll actually get working batteries!

Happy Sunday.

Oh yeah - did you Leap Forward with Spring Daylight Saving's time? Yeah - I did too. At 4am I woke up and have been up ever since... Darn insomnia!

A new journey

Remember last September when we had the Italian Celebration to honor my bff's mom? It was a HUGE celebration and so much fun. Ive (pronounced Eva) was full blooded Italian, born and raised in Southern Italy. She was a delight, a charmer, full of wisdom and wit. I loved her so very much and was incredibly inspired by her. The party was a celebration to honor her life but it became so much more. I spoke about the party and included some photos when I finally got back to blogging after a horrific summer (healthwise). You can read about it HERE . You'll have to scroll down throught he post through other photos etc if you're really interested!.

At any rate, it became a celebration of all life. Where it was originally intended to celebrate Ive's life, it became something that spanned the ages. We had children ranging from infancy through 14 there. The kids all played wonderfully in the backyard while the grown ups and young adults mingled, ate amazing food and just had fun. We shared stories about Ive and got to know how each of us had been touched by her. Thoughout the evening, my goal was to try and find a way I could begin to show her family members just how much Ive and that day meant to me and my family. I've finally decided what to do.

As a hybrid scrapper, digital scrapper and paper scrapper, I had tons of ideas. I've finally figured out I'm going to do a series of digital layouts. Once completed, I'll have them all printed out in a table top book for each of the family members. Lisa, Bob, Robert and Kenny will all have their own copies. It's not that I"m that comfortable with my own work, (though I'm not too shabby if I do say so myself!) it's just that the day was that extraordinary. The people who came are wonderful people, the laughter, phenomenal food (all homemade authentic Italian ONLY thank you!), Italian Wines (again - only Italian wines were allowed) and the air about the day was fantastic. We were even blessed to have a sweet baby born to some dear friends of ours on the very day of Ive's passing one year later. How much more blessed does it get!

So here is the start of Ive's book. The collage of photos at the bottom is one I put together for the party so everyone got a look at Ive from her childhood on. It was really well received and Bob has had it kept as was and we are looking for a large poster type frame for it. My goal is to have to completed by THIS Celebration Day in September. (Tee hee - think I'll make it?)



Thanks for looking!
Blessings,
Lissa

He makes me laugh!!

Check this out to see what's got Dalton all shakey shakey! This was shot last night about 10 pm (yes, he was still up and wide open at 10pm). Once you see the video, you'll know why!



And now you'll get to see why he's still sleeping and will likely be sleeping until around 10 this morning!



See that branch (yes, a whole branch) on the ground that's all covered up? That blew out of the tree last night when the 57 mph wind gusts started hitting. My wind chimes were singing so loudly and this morning, they're all tangled up!



Look at those cute kitty tracks. Aren't they sweet! He was SO ready to come back inside this morning after doing his business. So funny!



The front yard rope swing.



The porch with all the icicles hanging from the roof. And yes, it's still snowing.






These are the backyard photos. We're getting some really strong winds and temperatures that had gotten to 34 are on the way down again. It's the second of our snow systems coming through.

Taylor called me yesterday from Longwood about 5:30 SO excited because they were getting snow, snow and more snow! He and his friends had already been out in it and I know he's thrilled. They got a lot more in Farmville than we did here in Williamsburg to be sure. Daddy's snowed in too and I'm glad he's staying in out of this mess!

It's a SNOW DAY!! Have fun today!

Blessings,
Lissa