Snowtober 2011!

This past weekend was one for the books! We live in New England so we expect the weather to do whatever it wants most of the time, but when we heard we were getting a major storm in October, we were a bit confused. . . snowstorm in October? That hasn't happened . . . ever since we've lived here and my parents have been here for over 20 years!

The plan was to go out on Saturday to Salem, MA where they get decked out for Halloween every year! Since we've been here we haven't had the opportunity to go. . . this year was no different. The storm was slated to start sometime Saturday afternoon, so we opted to stay home with the kids, since it was rainy and cold already, and watch as the storm came in.

Since we were home I decided it would be fun to do some baking projects so when my hubby went out to get food for the baby, I added a few things to his list:

While he was out and I was feeding the baby, I heard the birds quite a bit louder than usual and looked outside to find our whole front lawn covered with hungry birds! I think they could feel the snow coming and they were doing their last minute shopping before getting out of town. It was a bit like the movie "The Birds" because they were everywhere!

After I got over the shock of the birds and fed the baby, we got down to business! Since we had two cake mixes, we decided to make cupcakes and a cake. One recipe I found on Pinterest. It called for cake mix and pumpkin, just two ingredients! You can find the full article here. So I made the pumpkin cake and we made regular cupcakes. . . but the decorating was the most fun part of all!!

After cake and cupcake decorating, came pumpkin carving later in the day with my niece! The kids got to clean out the pumpkins and my hubby did the carving.

And as if we hadn't done enough, we roasted the pumpkin seeds!

We didn't do this all before the snow because the snow started at around 3:30 pm and was still going when we went to bed at 1am after the power went out in the middle of our movie.

In the morning we woke to a beautiful winter wonderland:

We had a great weekend! In the words of my son "This is the best day ever!" Yeah we didn't get our power back until Tuesday morning, but we spent Sunday at my brother's house then at night we lit the fireplaces. On Monday the kids had no school so we spent the day at my aunt's house. There's nothing like getting together and just hanging out because there isn't much more to do.

I'm kindda looking forward to more "Winter Weather" just so we have an excuse to just be together and enjoy the day! Having no electricity is no fun so I do feel for those who have had to go 4 or 5 days without. But the temps went right back up into the 50's and the sun came out. We now have everything prepared for the next time!

Wordless Wednesday

Winter

I've never been a big fan of Winter. It was always a season I had to "get through" in order to get to the seasons I do enjoy, namely Spring, Summer, and my very favorite Autumn.

However, since crocheting and knitting I've come to have a fondness for Winter that has allowed me to step back and take a look at the positives Winter brings. Below is a list of reason I think Winter is now not only bearable, but one to look forward too just as much as the others.

There is beauty in the barren trees. It's a time when you get to see the shape of the skeleton that makes up a tree and see through the branches to the other side. When they catch snow or ice, it is glorious!

Long sleeves and socks! I love to be "toasty" and in the Winter cuddling up under a blanket or dressing in those long sleeves and socks, makes it easier to "weather" the cold. A nice toasty fire is also something that can only be enjoyed in the Winter.

Then finally, dressing in lovely warmth-bearing accessories is the most fun. Wrapping your fingers in those gloves or your head in that scarf helps keep the wintery cold out and the cuddleness at an all time high!

I'm not going to say that Winter has become my favorite season, but I will say that I've come to appreciate the soft falling snow, the slush and the cuddles that come in the Winter. There is always an excuse to get closer or drink something that warms you when it's cold outside. So, it may not be my favorite season, but it's wrapping itself into the reasons I do love living in New England.

Images courtesy of:
Knight27
Tactile Baby
Handmedowns
Yarnobsession

Crochet on the road

This past weekend my family took a road trip down to Newport, RI. If you are in the area and you haven't been, I highly recommend it. We had a blast at the beach, on Ocean Drive, and at the downtown warfs. It was Vlad's first time at the ocean and he loved the waves and all the water activity.

Mommie of course can't go for a long drive without carrying some yarn project. So this is the project I decided to take. Can you guess what it's going to be? I'll give you a hint, it's part of my Fall/Winter line! I'm very excited about what's coming down the pike. I just need to find the time to get it all together in a timely way. Trips are a great way to catch up. . . kindda!