Snow day

We got out early yesterday due to the forecast. It flurried all day yesterday, and the blizzard was going to hit last night. All kinds of advisories and warnings. Bread and milk bought, cars gassed up. General hysteria abounded, mostly on the part of the newscasters. Weather forecasts every five minutes all evenings. Schools cancelled last night for today. 

We got maybe four inches. 

States in New England had a real blizzard, but not us. Oops.

It's nice being off, no question about that! Stayed up later, slept in, made eggs and pork roll for breakfast. Bread pudding in the crockpot, meat loaf planned for dinner. Laid on the couch and finished the book I was reading. Finished Amary's hooded cowl last night, plans to start Joey's hat today. Facetimed with Manda, Ben and Amary last night. 

Ralph used the snowblower on our yard and Mom's. No paper delivery, due to the state of emergency, which is now lifted. 

So it's a snow? day, rather than a snow day. And more is predicted for Friday.

Holly

Another winter storm- maybe

We might get a clipper, then a blizzard. Or not. Depends on how the storms track. And depending on which forecaster you're listening to. There will definitely be weather of some sort.

Today is our usual day to shop, so we were at Perk's a little after it opened. It wasn't crowded (yet) which was good. And I remembered to take the list with me, also good. I bought the ingredients to make a new to us dish called tater tot casserole. 

Stephen White is one of the authors I want to catch up on this year. Last night I read Line of Fire, which is a play on words. It had a twist I didn't see coming, and which kept me up til midnight finishing the book. Today I'll start the newest, and the final book in his Alan Gregory series. 

I'm working on a hooded cowl for Amary, that looks like a turtle shell. The yarn is very thick, and it uses an N hook, which is huge. I hope to finish it today. Next up is a hat for Joey for his birthday. 

Hallmark has been running sappy romances, now that Christmas is over. They're good to have on in the background. 

Yesterday I made chili in the crockpot, and a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Because it was me making them, the raisins are implied. Ben and I have a running argument about raisins in cookies- he thinks there should be a warning, I think they are implied in certain kinds of cookies. 

And now it's time to go to Bertucci's for lunch with Frank and Charlotte!

Holly

Weather Pornographers

That's what my friend is calling the media, and it's so true! We're supposed to get something starting late afternoon tomorrow. Maybe. 

Yay, I have 102 crocheted angels stockpiled for Christmas! And I dis-assembled the legwarmers I made mom for Christmas, because the yarn stretched and they kept falling down. I did four rows on a replacement, but I have to get to her house and see how it fits. 

I just moved a bunch of books from Calibre to the Nook. I have some authors I want to catch up on this year. 

Amary is 18 months old! Incredible! Yesterday Heather, Eddie and Julie picked us up and we went to Pizza Hut for lunch. Julie had a certificate from school that she'd gotten for reading, so she got her personal pan pizza for free. 

And that's my updates!
Holly

Rain, Rain, Rain

and worse, it's freezing rain! We had planned to meet a group of Cooper people for brunch today, but I was on facebook and saw that the rain is icy rain. It's so bad that all the bridges are closed! All of them- The Barry, Whitman, Franklin, Ross, Tacony and Burlington-Bristol! I don't ever remember that happening before. Terrible accidents on the interstates. So we are in, possibly all day. 

Last night I finished #90 of the 100 angels that are part of my yearly goal! I hope to do the last 10 today. Then I'll rip apart mom's leg warmers, which turned out way to big, and redo them.

We think tonight's dinner will be lasagna from the freezer. A good dinner which also warms up the kitchen from the oven being on- a win win situation. 

I'm reading another new to me author, Sarah Morgan. I'm on the last of a trilogy about the O'Neil family, and enjoying it. 

We picked up Moose from the spa yesterday, all cleaned and oiled inside. Even though I'm not in sewing mode at the moment, it's good to have her here all set up and ready to go. 

And the beat goes on!
Holly

Midweek

What a week so far! Sunday night the weather hysterics called for icy conditions. Monday morning I got up and checked the outside temp, which was 34. The back driveway looked wet. I took two steps away from the stairs, and the next thing I knew I was flat on my face on the ground! I yelled, and Ralph came running out in his bare feet. He was slipping trying to help me up. Finally he kind of towed me over to the steps, and I was able to roll over and get my feet under me and get up. I was soaked to the skin! My very expensive knees were OK, just sore superficially. I took the fall as an omen and called out from work. 

Later that morning Ralph had a dentist appointment, to get 3 implants for a bridge. He came home swollen and sore. We laid low all day. Tuesday morning he walked me to the garage. 

He's starting to feel better now, and my legs are less achey. Tonight I went to a county school nurses' meeting, to hear a very boring speaker. 

I'm still working on my angels, snowflakes and bells. I have 58 angels made, 44 snowflakes, and 30 bells. 

The Xmas tree is down and stored downstairs, but I have to put away the rest of Christmas. 

And that's midweek here!
Holly

January

We've finished our first full week of January. We had school on Monday, off Tuesday for Three Kings Day, and the kids had a half day on Friday. 

Tuesday it snowed, less than two inches, but enough to incite hysteria in the media. We took Moose, my Janome 6500, to the spa for a cleaning and routine maint. It's been at least 3 years since I had her professionally cleaned. I take the bobbin case out and clean as much as I can on a regular basis. Since I'm in crochet mode, I thought it was a good time for her to go in. Her name is Moose because she weighs 37 pounds. 

I read 133 books last year, 47 on the Kindle or Nook. That's about my usual. 

My first crocheting goal of 2015 is to make 100 each of angels, snowflakes and bells for the 2015 Xmas tree. It'll take me at least the whole of January. 

It's been cold this week! One day it was 9 when I left the house at 7 a.m. That day we had a high of 23! 

We got Chinese food for dinner last night, something we do 3-4 times a year. We had plenty for leftovers for lunch today. 

We have a couple of birthdays in January. Joey will be 2, Zac will be 14, and Jim will also have a birthday. January 29 would have been the birthdays of both my late friend Linda, and my late grandmother Elizabeth. 

And so it goes, with my first post of 2015!
Holly

It's just another New Year's Eve

and I want to get one more post in for 2014. This time last year I was at Manda and Ben's, and we stayed up til 9pm their time, then called it a night. I don't know how much later we'll make it here! 

We went out for a late lunch at the Seven Stars Diner. I got a chef salad, and brought home enough for at least 2 more meals. We stopped at the new Home Goods in Deptford, which is an OK store. 

I binge watched Stalker earlier this week while finishing Mom's crocheted legwarmers. Now I'm binging on Sleepy Hollow and crocheting stars for next year. 

This morning Lowe's reduced the holiday items again, and I got the tree I wanted. It's nicely shaped, and has pine cones on it. It was reduced by 75% of the original cost! 

I'm so boring. I save yarn wrappers all year and count up my usage at New Year's. In 2014 I used 16.87 pounds of yarn! 

I've written out my sewing/quilting and crocheting goals for this year. I'll keep the list and see how many I accomplish. Manda likes the white snowflakes for the tree, and I told her that when I visit this summer, I'll make a bunch for her. I don't even have to look at the pattern anymore! 

I haven't counted up my books read in 2014, I'll do that tomorrow. When the crocheting goes up, the reading goes down! 

Happy New Year to all!
Holly