~Random Ramblings~

I thought I could put up a post a tell everyone what's been going on lately.

To start off with, I am super excited about the weather today! The wind might be blowing, but air temp is 32* almost above freezing! The weather has been so drastically cold, every time I would walk down our not-too-long, but not-too-short driveway to get the mail, if I would inhale through my mouth it would instantly make me cough. The air has been (and is in general) so dry out here! Even my ears would be hurting by the time I got back inside, AND I would be wearing a hat that covers my ears! It has been insane so far, dealing with the already negative air temps and then adding 10-30 or so mph winds along with them!

It is cool to see the snow drift (or just plain glide) across our back field.  The snow drift in front of our front window keeps growing.  According to the Weather Channel, we are due for PM snow showers, and it could also bring sleet with it.  Joy...NOT!

Leaving the weather. . .

Some of you may know, but I started a children's choir at our church the first week of Advent.  We had been having choir practice before the 7 o'clock services.  This is my first time directing a choir (even though the kids are between the ages of 8 & 12) but I was still kind of hoping that someone could help me out.  Well, after directing the kids the whole 4 weeks of Advent, we took Christmas and such off and are starting back up this coming Wendesday. 

When my Grandma Karen (and Grandpa Doug) came out in November, she and I went to the church and recorded about 7 songs on tape.  Yes, I can play the piano, but the choir songs are a little more complicated, so I asked her if she could help me record some songs so we'd at least have music to practice and perform to.  (I will eventually figure out all the sheet music and will be able to play the piano with the kids...Eventually.)  Now that we have passed Advent a Christmas, I'm down to 1 song to go along with the church calendar.  All the other songs are just whenever, but I want to be able to have them sing a song each month that corresponds with the church calendar.  Thankfully, one of the high schoolers at our church has a choir background, and come to find out she alsos does a little piano and she does guitar!  I am way more relaxed now that she can help out with the choir and the music.  She and I can even play our guitars along with the kids, so then we don't have to deal with the tape player.

After calling all the families last week, we have decided to do choir on Wednesday nights.  Well, there are only 8 kids in the choir, and I hope to eventually get more in.

To make it fun, and since all the families except one have older kids in confirmation that same night, we are having practice from 7 o'clock to 7:30pm, and then from 7:30pm to 8 o'clock we are having activity time.  Hoping everything works out.

I am also super excited because I get to sing in a homeschool choir.  YAY!  That starts February 3rd, and it is on Wednesdays from 3-4 o'clock.  My Wednesdays are about to be filled with singing. lol. . .

Well I think that's all for now.  Keep checking back for more.

=) 

~Friendship~

Today I got a package from a friend back home.  I had sent her a scarf and some bookmarks I made for her bday, and some other little things for exmas. 

Well, she said that I should be getting something soon.

Today I got it.  Great gifts from a great friend!

She made me a hat.  I'm not sure how she made it, so when I call her later I'll have to ask her.  Let's just say this:  She made my scarf look like nothing!  Great Job, Holly!

She even got me a watch! Thank you!

Thanks, Holly!

=)

~Photography?~

Well, I decided to mess around with the camera.  Here are some pics.

I thought they looked neat.  This is inside our front window...

OK, then we made home-made pizzas tonight for dinner.   We had to cool the sauce off before, so.....

we stuck it outside!  The air temp was around -20 or so degrees and the thing was so hot that even after around 20 minutes it was still steaming!

Now, I know this pic isn't something that would probably truly happen, but...

I still thought it looked sweet.

As you can tell, the pic is blurry.  Well, the moon looks like a heart and I love it!

(get it?  heart? love? never mind)

=)

~Darn Snow~

More darn snow... Actually, more darn snow and then drifting.

Oh darn...

Chloe decided to go outside and lay down IN the snow!  CRAZY DOG!!!!!  The other half of the porch (not shown lol) is NOT covered in snow!  She decided to lay in the half WITH the snow.

I guess that's what we get for getting a snow dog.

(We did make her come right in after I got the pic and Mom realized she indeed DID lay in the snow!)

Dad got to go out and shovel again.  I thought this picture looks neat with the pointsettas (spelling?), the lamp, and the candle warmer in the front.

 

{Giggles} He looks like a tiny elf coming out of a pot of some sort. lol

=)

~January 6th~

Today is "Cuddle-Up Day"...  Don't touch me.

=)

~Kenzie and her Earrings!~

YAY!!!  Kenzie FINALLY decided to take out her earring studs and put in dangling earrings.  I have been trying to convince her to take them out and put some other earrings in, but she never would.  Well, I told her I would make her a pair of earrings if she would just take out her studs and wear them.  Well, finally I convinced her to take them out and now she has two extra pair of earrings (that I made for her) to wear.  She said her ears feel better and she is way more comfortable about changing them out now.

WAY TO GO, KENZIE!

Modeling the new danglies...

=)

~A Day of Relaxation~

Well, we are taking a calm and relaxing day, just hanging out and not leaving the house. 

Hanging out on the couch and watching TV.  (Mom and Dad are actually lounging around on them right now.  Dad's watching football while Mom is resting. Dad will probably fall asleep too...)

Zack and Kenzie are down playing the Wii.

Yesterday Zack decided to clean up the Wii area and orgainize it a little more.  He put the straw umbrella in the bed post, hung the GH guitars on the wall, and cleaned up the floor.  His drums are there too.  I couldn't get the picture with the umbrella unless the drums were in it too.

I decided to hang out with my puppy dog for a little bit.  Yes, she is on my body, on my bed.  It really hurts when my 120lb Saint Bernard -who thinks she's a lap dog- decides to come plop down on me on my bed while I'm listening to my iPod.

Then I just couldn't take being under much more, and she decided to take a 20 minute nap on my bed.  She has only had one dog bed -when she was little- and once she out grew that one we never could find her a reasonably priced dog bed for her to lay on.  I think she's liking the fact that she can get on a twin sized bed right now and sleep.  She doesn't get up on it unless I give her permission, but she doesn't get off when I want  her to.

I think today is a perfect day to doze off since according to Oriental Trading's calendar it is Festival of Sleep day.

=)