A Little Stressed

I probably won't be around to do much posting this week. Our women's retreat is this weekend - I'm in charge - and as usual, all kinds of little issues pop up all during the week before. It is going to be an awesome weekend. I know this because the fun-spoiling, lying, deceiver is doing his darndest to throw all kinds of kinks into His plan for the retreat. He won't succeed.
I'll tell you all about it next week - just pray I survive until then.

Potpourri Friday

It's Friday again - time to share with you my potpourri of happenings and thoughts and events that occurred during the week. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on one's point of view ;), not too much has gone on around here this week. Except it seemed to go by fast. And it's snowing. Again. Sigh.

I was thrilled this week to learn that my post about organizing all my patterns and ideas was featured over at Laura's, I'm An Organizing Junkie. She even gave me this cute little "Storage Star" to display! Isn't he so cute! I have to say that I am really enjoying my notebooks and have already found them immensely helpful. It is such a joy to decide on a pattern, find it instantly without having to search through every corner of the house, pull it out, take it to the craft/fabric store and have everything I need at my fingertips. I really don't know why I didn't do this years ago. Thank you Laura, for the sweet little star - I really love him!

I have been working on Michelle's nursery layette and have almost finished it. The crib bumpers have sweet little stuffed stars that decorate where the bumpers join together. As I was making the stars, I thought of how I should share about what my most very favorite craft/sewing tool is. I keep a pair of them next to my sewing machine always and they have simplified the most difficult of tasks. I have a spare pair in case they get lost. Because that would really frustrate me. And I have never seen them at a craft store, although they should carry them. But you can do what I did and ask your dentist to order you a pair. Or two. Here they are:
A pair of hemostats. When I was a dental assistant we used these all the time for suturing. I loved suturing. Tying off sutures has the most delicate of knots and it always fascinated me to watch a dentist with large hands do such intricate work- it really spoke to the crafty side of me I guess. Anyway, one day I was watching the doctor suture after a molar extraction and it occurred to me that those hemostats might come in handy in my sewing room. So I bought a pair from him. And they have been indispensable. For instance, you know how when you sew a long tube and you have to turn it inside out? I used to struggle and struggle with this. Not any more. Now I do this:



You see the secret is that the hemostats have gripped tips and the handle locks. So you just slide it down the tube, grab the end in the tips, lock the handles, and pull it through. It's incredible how easy it makes this task.

They are also great for turning and stuffing fabric. Like this:




I love how you can use them to smooth points without poking through the fabric and how you just grab bits of stuffing and stuff them nice and tight in the smallest of places. Everyone should have a pair of these.

They also come in very handy for docking puppy tales - but that's a whole other post!




And have you been watching LOST? Oh. My. Goodness. Just when you think there can't be any more twists or turns - you get a HUGE one. AARON? What's up with AARON? I dvr'd this episode - I have to watch it again. This show is going to give me totally grey hair. But I love it! It's the most mesmerizing tv in a long, long time.

Oh, and one more thing. I found a great little website that makes word clouds out of the most frequently used words on your blog.


These words are the words that represent me! I like that. I like that a lot.

Spring is Coming!

I can hardly wait!

Look Up

I have been blessed with a wonderful friend who often calls me early in the morning. Our conversation usually goes like this:

Me (in a very groggy, sleepy voice): "Hellllloooo."

Friend (in an annoyingly cheerful voice): "Have you seen the sunrise this morning?"

Me (yawning): "mm.. well, no. Actually not. Is it up already?"

Friend: "Oh, walk outside and just take a look. You aren't going to believe how beautiful it is!"

Me: "Ummmm....I'm not exactly dressed to go outside this morning. I'll check it out in a while."

Friend: "Oh - you'll miss it! Go on outside - no one will see you! Hurry up! I'll wait for you!"

Me: "Oh brother. Okay. Wait a minute while I crawl out of my nice warm snuggly bed. Ouch! I just hit my toe. Oh wait, Josey needs to go outside, let me get her out of her kennel. Okay, we are near the back door. Okay, the door just opened. Whoa! That's a mighty cold blast of air there! Whew!"

Then I look up.


How very gracious of God to give me a friend who helps me not to miss the beauty of a sunrise.

Potpourri Friday

Another week gone. Another weekend ahead. Yeah!! I have had some good quality time this week with "Bernina" in my sewing room. I am busy making baby quilts - and enjoying every minute of it. The hardest part of quilting to me is picking out the fabric. It makes me break out in a cold sweat when I get to the fabric store and try to pick the right colors, prints, and values that in the end will be a treasured heirloom. Yikes! But I have learned some techniques that have helped in this endeavor. For instance, after you have picked out your fabrics, lay them on the counter, stand back, and squint at them. Squinting at the colors makes the darkness stand out more and you can tell if you need more lights, mediums, or darks. It really works! So I am happy with the two quilts I have started this week - I have finished all the blocks for one of them and am ready to piece them together. The second one is laid out, all ready for my rotary cutter. What fun! And I learned this week also that we have a new quilt shop in town that gives lessons on how to use a long arm quilting machine and then they will rent you the use of the quilter for $20 an hour. I have no idea how long it would take to machine quilt a quilt, so I don't know if this is a bargain or not. But I think it is worth looking into. Which I will do. Next week. I have to learn these things one thing at a time!

The poor maternity sweater that I was knitting for my daughter has been shelved forever temporarily because my goodness, it was just taking too long! I told my daughter it might be ready in time for her 4th pregnancy! I needed to get started on some projects like baby hats and scarves and mittens. Stuff that can be finished quickly and given as gifts for the grandbabies. Honestly, I have knit blankets faster than that sweater was going! I think I bit off a little more than I should have.

I don't know about you but I sure have been blessed and challenged this week reading BooMama's and Rock's in My Dryers posts of their experiences in Uganda. In fact I can't read a single one of their posts without my throat getting all thick feeling and my eyes getting all watery. Several months ago I suggested to my daughter Tara, who has always had a heart of compassion, that perhaps we should someday go to Africa and see what we could do to help the women and children there. She would love to do that. It would be hard for me, as I'm pretty sure I would have to fly to get there. But I would do it. I would. And then this week I was watching the Today show while getting ready for work. Ann Curry was there interviewing a woman in the Congo who had been brutally attacked, watched her parents be murdered, and then was violated horribly by many, many soldiers. She was injured terribly. She became pregnant but because her body had been so ravaged she delivered a stillborn baby girl. She said she wished her baby had lived. And then when Ann Curry asked her what she wanted to do with the rest of her life she simply said, "I want to serve God". I cried. I felt so humbled by her. What a remarkable woman. I stood in my room and asked God, "What can I do to help? As soon as I got to work that morning I was reading some blogs and came across this post from Dawn of Call Me Grandma Dawn. I knew God was answering my question. I am sending some money. It won't be much, how I wish it could be more. But it's something. Then to top it all off, last night, we were watching tv and out of the blue my daughter Jessica said "I want to go to Africa. I want to help the people there". I nearly fell out of my chair. So later in the evening I told my husband about it, certain he would talk sense into me. You know what he said? He said, "I think that would be a great idea". What in the world? Is God speaking? I don't know. But I'm willing to still my heart and find out. Some ideas have been going through my mind. I want to pray about them more before I tell anyone about them. The idea of us going to Africa is impossibly large - I can't even begin to imagine how it would come together. And maybe it's not the going that is what is important - maybe it is something else. But if you have some extra prayer time, and you think of me, I would appreciate you remembering this whole thing. Because I'm sensing a God thing here.

I'm looking forward to a nice long Saturday at home. I love those kind of Saturdays! Sunday is a big celebration day in our church with the service devoted to the Argentina team sharing their experience on the Work and Witness trip they went on. I'm looking forward to hearing it all at one time. I've heard lots of bits and pieces, and of course Jess and Chuck's experiences, but this should be really good.

And it's a three day weekend! We get Monday off next week. It's President's Day you know. That about sends me over the moon for sure!

Happy Weekend!

A Fun Book Meme

Willow at Willow's Cottage had a fun book meme on her blog. So I borrowed it. I heart books! So if you want to do this too, be my guest. I think it's always fun to read what other people's opinions of books are.


1. A Book that Changed your Life: So many books have changed me. I think the one that has had the most spiritual impact on my life is This Present Darkness by Frank Perretti. It caused me to see how powerful prayer is. I have never doubted its power since. And I pray much more intentionally now.
And also, Gone With the Wind. I read that in the 9th grade. I got so wrapped up in that story. I think that was when I decided I wanted to write books someday.
And the Little House on the Prairie books were the books that began my love affair with reading. I was so little when I read those - and I loved them. I still do.
And The Happy Hollister's! Does anybody remember those - how I loved reading those books in the third grade. We moved so much when I was a child and my books were some of my best friends!

2. A Book you read More than Once: Two From Galilee by Marjorie Holmes. I read it every Christmas.

3. A book you would take to a Desert Island: Besides the Bible. War and Peace. I've always wanted to read it but I'm sure I never will. Unless I'm on a desert island with nothing else to do!

4. A book that made you laugh: I am not usually a laugh out loud kind of person. But when I read Skipping Christmas by John Gresham, and I got to the part where Luther is trying to decorate the roof of his house, I laughed so hard I was crying. My family was looking at me like I had lost my mind. I don't know if it spoke to my cynical side or what - but now I try to read it every year after Christmas. Because I don't really want to skip Christmas.

5. A book that made you cry: Little Women - when Beth dies. It still makes me cry when I think about it.

6. A book you wish you had written: Anne of Green Gables - these were written by a pastors wife for her Sunday School class. They are so sweet. After I read them I felt like I had just woken up from a delicious dream.

7. A book you wish had not been written: H*elter S*kelter. I don't know whatever possessed (bad choice of word!) me to read that book but I did. When I was in high school. It was the first time I realized how sick and demented human beings could be. I didn't need to know that. I really didn't. And I've always regretted that I read it. It's true that what you fill your mind up with - stays there.

8. Two books that you are at present reading:
The Shack by William P. Young
The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

9. A book you are going to read:
The Hospital by the River: A Story of Hope - Catherine Hamlin. I just ordered it from Amazon. It's a story about an incredible woman whom I admire deeply. She is an Australian woman who has carried on her husband's mission of restoring women's dignity and hope in Ethiopia. A must read.

10. A book you read and never figured out: Hmmmm....I can't think of an answer to this one. I'm sure there must be one but I must have blocked it from my memory!

And So His Blessings Just Keep Raining Down

I am still adjusting to the idea of being a grandmother in just a few months. Don't get me wrong - I am totally loving it. But the adjustment is in the psychological idea that I am old enough! Maybe it's a pride issue! But it has been so much fun. And I have enjoyed every single moment of it. I want to be the best grandmother I can possibly be.

So imagine our total and complete delight, when daughter #3 - Andrea, announced that she and Jayson are expecting a baby too! So I am not only going to have one grandbaby this year - I am going to have two! I find this completely and totally amazing! Why is God blessing me so?

I'm so thrilled to think there will be two little cousins close in age to grow up together. They are even next door neighbors! Isn't is perfect?

And one thing is for sure. These babies are going to be very, very warm. I keep finding the most adorable quilt patterns and I can't stop myself. They will definitly be swaddled babies!

2008 is a very huge year for our family. Here is what we are celebrating this year:

Our 30th wedding anniversary
Our 20th anniversary pastoring our church
My daughter Andrea's college graduation
My daughter Jessica's high school graduation
First grandbaby in June
Second grandbaby in October
My 50th birthday in November. Which means I will be a grandmother of two before I am 50. Hee hee - my husband cannot claim the same!

We were planning a family trip to Italy in December to celebrate everything. But now that there are two babies coming, that idea has been put away for a while.

Sigh. I don't think it gets any better than this - does it? Because I don't think my heart can take any more.

My Fairy Tale Come True

Last year I had the most fun writing a post for each of my daughter's on their birthday. You can find them here, here, and here. But I started doing this after my oldest daughter Michelle's special day. So this is my special tribute to her - as we are celebrating her 28th birthday this weekend!

Once upon a time in the cold, cold land of North Dakota, a little girl grew up with a dream in her heart. She wanted nothing more than to marry the King of her Heart and have lots and lots of babies. So every day she prayed to the King of all Kings that He would hear her prayer. And the King of all Kings, who delights in answering the prayers of little girls hearts, was busy watching over the growing up years of a little boy in the land of Lincoln, knowing all the time that the little boy and the little girl would be a perfect match. And He finally arranged a day that they would meet on the college campus they both chose to attend. And it wasn't long at all before they fell in love and got married and the little girl became the Queen of her Domain and lived so very happily with the King of her Heart. The King of her Heart was very busy going to school to prepare himself to be the Bearer of Good News to all the kingdom. The Queen of her Domain was lonely some of the time. And so it was decided that the time was right to begin their family and they began dreaming of little prince's and princess's that might someday bless their home. And soon the King of all Kings who always delights in answering the prayers of Queen's of their Domains hearts brought into their family a perfect little princess on a cold February day. What a delight the little princess was to her parents. She was beautiful, charming, and had lots and lots of dark hair. And she cried. A lot. The Queen of her Domain couldn't have been happier and when the little princess began to talk and say the word "mama" she just knew there could be nothing sweeter this side of the Kingdom of Heaven. She was so grateful to the King of all Kings for allowing her to be a mama - there could be no higher calling in all the land.

The princess had a personality from the very beginning and a determination to do everything early. The King and the Queen had their hands very full. And they delighted in this sweet child who blessed them every single day. The small princess continued to grow and learn and explore. She couldn't wait for the day she could ride a school bus. That day came sooner than the King or the Queen wanted, but they did their duty, bought the sweet little princess a panda bear backpack, and took her to kindergarden. The little princess loved it. The King and Queen held hands as they watched their chubby-cheeked, long blonde haired daughter enter the big school. The King and the Queen went to their first parent/teacher conference and were mildly confused to discover that the sweet little princess' desk had been moved to sit right up next to the teacher. It seems that the sweet girls vocabulary skills were SO advanced that the teacher needed to keep her close to her - at all times.

The princess grew and grew and made many friends and worked hard in school. She got her driver's license and an after school job. She started saving her money and soon bought her own car. It wasn't new, and it wasn't even pretty. But it did get her where she needed to go. And it taught her financial responsibility. And she earned the approval of her parents. She became a strong leader in her youth group and her own relationship with the King of all Kings began to flourish. While she was in high school she discovered a young prince that captured her attention. Could he be the one that would one day become the King of her Heart? Alas, it didn't seem to be working out that way. So she prayed about him. And never forgot about him.

Her parents looked upon her with such pride, knowing that in spite of them, this girl was going to go far and they sensed that the King of all Kings had a very special plan for their girls life. So when the high school senior princess graduated and expressed her desire to go to school far away to learn how to be a nurse, the King and the Queen reluctantly realized they had to let her go to persue her own dreams. Because they had enrusted her life to the King of all Kings long, long, ago, they were comforted. The far-away school in the land of California was very expensive. And the Bearer of Good News did not possess all the riches of the land. So the King and the Queen began a journey of faith that included working during the day and doing a paper route to deliver the news of the kingdom at night. They didn't sleep very much. But this journey of faith did much to increase their relationship with the King of all Kings and they watched as He over and over again provided the treasures necessary to pay for the far-away school. The young princess was on a journey of faith as well. And the King of all Kings never one time failed her. It was a time that has been recorded in the King and Queen's life as a time of rich and sweet fellowship.

The young princess fulfilled her ambition of becoming a nurse. How proud the King and Queen were of their young lady. The princess loved her parents and never failed to express her appreciation and gratitude to them. Life was very, very good. Three more princesses had made the family complete and nothing made the King and Queen happier than just being together. The day came when the princess became reacquainted with the young prince she had known in high school. This time was different. They realized they had many common dreams and goals and a love began to flourish. The young princess was so exicted that once again the King of all Kings had heard her prayers. She was realizing that the King of all Kings delights in answering the prayers of a young princess's heart. The young prince asked for her hand in marraige and a royal invitation was sent throughout the land to attend a magnificent marraige ceremony and wedding dance/reception in honor of this new union. What a happy day it was! The young princess had found the King of her Heart.

The young King of her Heart and the Queen of her Domain made their home together in a town nearby her parents. Life was very, very good. And then one day the Young King and the Young Queen gave her parents a very special gift. They announced that they were going to have a young prince or princess of their own! Rejoicing swept throughout the land and the Queen of her Domain realized she was going to be the Queen Mother! Her hands set to work immediately sewing and knitting little things for the young prince or princess.

The Queen Mother spends a lot of time reflecting on the goodness and graciousness of the King of all Kings. She marvels that He has been so very good to her by entrusting her with the life of this special princess. She stands amazed that because the King of all Kings hears the prayers of a little girl's heart, she has been blessed over and over again. She looks forward to the future with much anticipation as she watches her young Queen daughter become a mother. Because she knows that this is the highest calling in all the land. She knows that her young daughter's heart is about to be blessed in ways that cannot be written in words.

They are all definitely living happily ever after!

Happy Birthday my sweet Michelle! You have been such a blessing to my life - words will never adequately express how I feel. You are the one who made me a mama and now you are the one to make me a grandmother. You are so special to me and a day never goes by that I don't thank the King of all Kings for hearing the prayers of my heart and giving me the blessing of you.

Political Analysis

Don't worry - this is NOT a political blog. But if you want to get a good chuckle and some real creative thought on the presidential candidates - all in good fun - go here. And smile!

In The Womb

National Geographic had the most amazing program on Sunday night. We happened to Tivo it and watched it last night. It is a documentary, In The Womb, and it shows how a baby grows from conception to birth. Oh. My. Goodness. It was amazing to watch. People who don't believe in a Creator, after watching something like this, well, I guess they never will believe. Because only God could think up such a plan. Psalm 137 has fresher meaning to me today - especially the verses that say "we are fearfully and wonderfully made" and "He knew us as we were knitted together in our mother's womb".

For those who missed it, it can be rented from Netflix. You won't be sorry.

Becoming Organized

Part of my perfect weekend included organizing all my patterns, ideas, and magazine clippings that I have been collecting for years. This is something I have been needing to do for so long, and surprisingly, it didn't take me long at all to complete it. I mean, I expected this project to last several days. And I completed it in two days. And not even two whole days. Two partial days was all it took to put all my plans, dreams, and wishes into organized notebooks. Now, I can instantly locate any pattern at the touch of a finger.

Here is how I did it. First I gathered up all my patterns I have been collecting for years. This includes patterns from the internet, patterns torn from magazines, patterns taken from craft and fabric stores. Patterns, patterns, everywhere! Isn't that such a cute idea for displaying valentines? I'm going to do that someday - now that I found my pattern!


Then, I collected all my magazines that I have collected for years. Do you save magazines for years because of ONE article or idea in it? I sure did. Here are just some of mine. And truthfully, this was the longest part of the whole process. I went through each magazine one by one and made sure I didn't throw anyting away that I would want to use someday. Wait a minute - how did that Western Horseman sneak into my stash? Chuck???

Then I took each pattern and placed it in one page protector. I considered putting each page into a separate page protector but I ultimately decided to put the entire pattern, no matter how many pages, into one protector. That way, I could just pull out one page and take it to the store to buy my supplies. And I don't have to keep track of more than one page at a time. That is a good thing for me. I put each pattern into a pile. I had a pile for knitting, crafts, sewing, quilting, and weddings. I included a stack for weddings because I am our church's wedding coordinator and I have an abundance of wedding stuff. And I have four daughters. And I have two of those daughters that are not married. Yet.


I found several 1 1/2" notebooks that had been sitting around the house. I labeled each one according to each stack of patterns I had created. I found some colorful scrapbooking paper I had on hand and used them for the covers. I printed labels for each book binding.


I then put in page dividers that separated my projects inside each book. For instance, my knitting book is divided into a baby section, a clothing section, and a toy section. My quilt book is divided into a baby section, a wall hanging section, a blanket section, and a miscellaneous section.


My craft book includes anything that doesn't fit into the other categories. Things like paper dolls - I love paperdolls. I've collected Mary Englebriecht paper dolls from their magazines for years! And look at this cute idea for embroidering on a sweater. I totally forgot I had that pattern.



So, now when I decide I am going to make a certain quilt, I simply pull the page from its notebook, take it to the store, and buy my fabric. I'm totally excited about how much easier this is going to make my life! And by the way, this is fabric I purchased before the ultrasound - so don't think you can guess from this fabric stack what the baby is!


Here are my completed notebooks. And if one notebook gets too full, I just buy a bigger binder and simply transfer all the patterns to it.



The whole project just took a short amount of time and I think I spent $2.79 for an extra binder. Not bad. I would pay $2.79 to make my life easier any day.

The Perfect Weekend

I just had the perfect weekend. Did somebody just ask, "What is a perfect weekend"? Well, let me just tell you some of the things that make up a perfect weekend.

Staying up late Friday night watching movies and eating popcorn.
Sleeping in Saturday morning with my husband who never sleeps in.
Drinking coffee and eating cookies in bed together watching tv.
Working out on the treadmill. (Technically - this isn't great but necessary to work off the cookies!)
Spending the afternoon organizing my sewing/craft room.
Eating leftover potato soup for dinner. (No cooking!)
Watching an old Disney movie, "Those Calloway's" and eating more popcorn.
Going to church on a snowy Sunday morning.
Having your kids over for dinner after church.
Sewing with your daughter while the guys watch football.

It just doesn't get any better!

Potpourri Friday

I hear that this weekend is a big weekend - as in a big football game that's going on. It won't be affecting me though. I don't do pro-football. It kind of feels like a holiday is happening that I won't be a part of. Like I'm a minority. And I'm good with that.

Instead, I will be spending my weekend organizing my crafts and sewing patterns. I am constantly printing patterns off the internet, tearing ideas out of magazines, grabbing free patterns off the tear-off pads in discount hobby stores. And I have a mess. And I can never find the pattern I need when I want it. So I have recycled 5 notebooks and I am organizing all my patterns and ideas in them. If I finish it this weekend, I will post about it next week. I think it's going to be fun. While I was rummaging through all my "stuff", I found some piles of fabric that were the beginning of a quilt top I started several years back. I had used scrap fabric I had on hand and cut out a bunch of squares and triangles and started to sew them together. For some reason, most likely I lost interest, they were delegated to the "to be finished at another time" pile. Except that it had been so many years that I didn't know where the pattern was and I wasn't sure I even liked it anymore, and I couldn't remember what it was supposed to look like. That's what began my going through all my patterns. I decided that I was just going to gather it all up and give it to a lady in my church who loves to quilt. But then I got to playing with the squares and triangles and I began to remember what it was supposed to look like. Then I found the pattern! I got inspired and started joining the triangles into squares and the squares into strips and the strips into a blanket. I'm really liking it. I hope to get a major portion of it finished this weekend as well. I don't like having UFO's around the house. A UFO is an UnFinished Object. I have had a goal this year of finishing up all those UFO's. It's a good feeling - cleaning all those up.

We have been doing the Beth Moore study on Daniel this year at church. This week was amazing. I got a little lost in the video portion of chapter 9. There is lots of prophecy and numbers and signs and dreams and stuff. So I wasn't looking forward to the homework too much. But my goodness - it was amazing. I learned new things and was reminded of others that I have forgotten. Things like:

* We need to understand the times in which we live and we need to know what God wants us to do.

* Prayer is not a passive, nearly "do-nothing" reaction. Nothing shakes the heavenlies like prayer.

*Scripture reading is a way God speaks to us and prayer is the way we speak back.

*Prayer warriors of the Word often coupled their requests with remembrances from scripture like a lawyer cites a precedent before the judge hearing the case.

*None of us are righteous enough to earn the ear of God. He hears and He acts because of His great mercy!

*I will never pray an anonymous prayer.

"God's answer guarentees His action. But maybe not on MY timetable.

That is so much good stuff - I have been trying to process and digest it all week long. I really needed to be reminded of these things - I've been struggling with an issue in my life - and this was all so reassuring to me. I'm so thankful that God speaks to us - we only need to listen.

The first episode of LOST was on last night. Fortunatley, I wasn't looking for any answers to this crazy show! Because all it did was provide a lot more questions! I can't believe how hooked we are on this program. We recorded it on the DVR, all three of us piled into our bed, and watched it without commercials. For those of you who watch it, what was with Charlie - was that real or imagined? How did 6 of the cast-aways get off the island? Why do some want to go back? I hear there are only 7 more shows this season, due to the writers strike. I'm thinking that is not going to be enough.

Oh, and I found the sweetest blog as I was blog surfing this week. It's called Little Cotton Rabbits. Check out this post - it is absolutely adorable! I just can't stop looking at her pictures of thing sweet little things she makes. What a creative talent.

I am so glad it is the weekend. I will enjoy just being in my home, cleaning and cooking, sewing and organizing. I will enjoy going to church Sunday morning and worshipping with my "family". I will enjoy sleeping in a little bit and drinking coffee with my husband and just "laying low". It's much too cold, icy, and windy to do anything else!

Happy Weekend!