Snow Times

You may have heard (ALL OVER NATIONAL NEWS) that western WA got some snow. It was really great! The kids loved playing in it and they built these cute little snowmen in our front yard. School was cancelled and they got to play outside all day, with hot cocoa breaks in between.

The snow kept coming down all day long. I had heard it was supposed to be quite a lot. Before it got too dark that night to take a photo, I snapped this one out my front door:

For us, this is an incredible amount of snow. It wasn't so bad. I can handle snow, and it looks so beautiful and peaceful out there. Then the freezing rain started. I woke up to this:

Our massive trees around here were already heavy with snow. We had freezing rain coming down on top of that for an entire day which made a good half inch coating of ice over everything. Trees started snapping. You could literally hear them creaking under the weight of the snow and ice. Branches began crashing down everywhere. Fences were broken down, power lines snapped. It was horrible. Luckily we don't have any trees in our yard. But I felt horrible for all my neighbors because they have tons! We were all without power and it was cold, cold, cold...

Everything is back to normal now. All of our snow has melted and we're back to our usual rain. We've been watching for flooding, but it hasn't happened yet, so I don't think it will.

What kind of wacky weather have you been having?

For the Love of...

My friend Sharon just started a new linky party, and I just had to join in. She was doing the Fave 5 Friday posts that I did for awhile, and this new one will be replacing it. As much as I loved doing Fave 5 Friday, I'm not very good at remembering to post on a certain day every week. With the new link party we have all weekend to link up, and there are themes! I'm especially excited about this!

This week's theme is home. Home is something that can be described in so many different ways and I'm interested to see what everyone posts for this theme.

Seattle is technically not my home. I live about 30 miles south. But I love Seattle. I love the feel of the city and all of the things there are to do and see. However, raising a family in a big city just isn't for me, hence, the suburbs.

This is a photo of the few fall colored trees I have in my yard. In western Washington we are more known for our evergreens (pine trees) which I LOATHE. Sap and pine needles are icky. I love these few lone trees that I get to watch change color.

A huge part of home for me revolves around food. I love to cook and we eat dinner at the table as a family every night. It's the one time of day where I know we will all be together and reconnect.

This is my home away from home in the summer.

And my favorite picture is this one. I asked my son to draw a picture of what home meant to him. This is our house with all 6 of us in it. And the dog. 

Click this button, head over to Sharon's blog and check out all the links. You have until Sunday night to add your own post as well. Show us what 'home' means to you.

Finished Quilt and a New Restaurant

I finished my sample quilt! I think I was excited because I've never ever finished a quilt in a week before. Next week I'll be driving to West Seattle to drop it off. I hope she likes it. I can't wait to see a quilt I made hanging on the wall of a fabric shop!

I didn't get creative with the quilting. I quilted it just like it showed on the pattern cover. As this is my first, I decided to follow it to the letter. I think it will be nice for her customers to see an example of the finished quilt in person, rather than just a picture.

Next week when I take this in, I will also be picking up the pattern and fabrics to make a sample for the class I'll be teaching next month. I'm so nervous!!! I hope I don't ramble on while teaching. I tend to do that.

In other news, a brand new Ivar's opened just a few blocks from my house on Tuesday. If you aren't familiar with Ivar's, it's a fast food seafood chain that is Seattle through and through. Their food is so delicious. We just had to go. I put on my walking shoes and rounded up the kids and the hubs. We were way more excited than is normal and/or appropriate for a fast food dinner. We ordered clams, fish and chips, and a TANKER of clam chowder. Yeah. A tanker. 32 ounces of creamy clammy goodness. I got a hilarious snapshot of the hubs carrying his loot:

My kids even got their photo taken with a giant clam. All in all, I'd say it was a great evening with the family.

Selina