Valentine's

Happy Late Valentine's Day. It seems as if we do everything a day or two behind schedule around here. Although I did manage to have Valentine presents on the table by Sunday morning (yea me!). Everyone got socks this year with a little note that read "We make a great pair! Happy Valentine's Day!" I got the idea off of one my crafty blogs, but I cannot remember which one.

We made Valentine cookies Sunday afternoon. The dough was prepped and chilled and ready to go. You can imagine my chagrin when there was not a heart cookie-cutter in sight. Dah! So we settled for lips and mittens that we could decorate with candy hearts.

By the time dinner was over and we were ready to decorate cookies, Sean and I realized our happy-parent-selves were about to turn into pumpkins. We called it a night and wound up decorating the cookies this afternoon. The kids did not have school today (do they ever have school????), so we had a very leisurely time celebrating with Valentine cookies. They made a very tasty Family Night treat.

My Favorite Days

Thursdays are the highlight of my week. Thursday is the day my sweet sister and I combine our little broods for a few hours of sheer enjoyment. Our kids get along famously, and Sierra and I are the best of friends. I always feel renewed and refreshed, and reminded of the entire point of childhood - to have fun! Yesterday, a simple batch of cookies seemed reason enough for a full-fledged party. Because I know I will miss these days in the future, I cherish them now.

Let it Snow!

For those of us in the Willamette Valley of the Pacific Northwest, snow is a big deal. And snow in December is almost unheard of - at least the kind that sticks. We have been hunkering down for a couple of days waiting for a "big winter storm." The initial hit was at about 7:30 this morning. Glorious snow! It snowed for a couple of hours and at landed us a whopping 2-3 inches (don't laugh - like I said, it's a big deal here). I couldn't resist donning Sean's snow boots and grabbing the camera to capture the winter wonderland outside.

To while away the hours indoors we read stories, wrapped presents, ate yummy snacks and baked sugar cookies.

What a lovely way to spend a snow day. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Happy, sparkly snow to you,

MyLiege