It Got Cold!

It's pretty, but it got cold! I took this from the back door Monday morning - too cold to go outside! We hit zero one night. Today is the first day it has been above freezing since Sunday, I think. We broke the record for the longest streak of temps below freezing. (201 hours) I hope I don't live long enough to see that record broken again!

We were part of that rolling blackout thing that didn't work.

The first few times the power went out (Sunday night) it stayed off a few hours then came back on for a bit but by Monday it was off for 5+ hours at a time and would only come back on for a short period of time. Never got the temp in the living room out of the 50s - and that was with the fireplace going full force.

So grateful for friends that refused to let me stay at home alone with no power. They picked me up Tuesday and I stayed with them until yesterday afternoon. (they never lost power) We were doing pretty good until we lost water on Wednesday. (most of town lost water) I was not meant to be a pioneer woman. That collecting and melting snow just to flush toilets is not for me. The water did come back on Wednesday night but the pressure was really low and we were told to boil any water we were going to consume.

Hubby has been parking in the street the little time he as been home. He has been working really long hours. He even spent the night there one night. Found an empty spot on a floor and slept for a few hours. When I got home yesterday I shoveled the front sidewalk so it would be clear when he got home after dark. (it looks like snow but there was ice under there!)

This is why he has been parking in the street. You really can't tell how steep that driveway is from a photo. When the power was out we had to open and close the garage door manually - well it doesn't  matter if you are coming up or going down, you don't stop and get out on that driveway if there is ice. Though I doubt he could have made it back up by Tuesday anyway.

I don't think I will see any more iris blooms this year.

Apparently someone used our driveway for a slide!

I scrapped off  what I thought might be enough for hubby to get the left side tires on pavement this afternoon but when I took the picture it looks like there is still enough there to refreeze tonight so he will probably park out front again tonight. (that ice was several inches thick and I only had a small shovel) The driveways across the street had enough sun today to melt but ours doesn't get full sun at any time during the day during the winter. It will some when the time changes but that doesn't help today.

Our power seems to be stable and our water pressure is almost back to normal but we are still having to boil it before using for cooking or drinking.

We haven't had mail or trash service all week. I know those of you who live in the north think 7.5 inches of snow is nothing and just the snow wouldn't have been such a problem but the ice and bitter temps were just too much. We just aren't prepared for this kind of weather. We have had a few hours of sunshine and above freezing temps today so that helps. It will refreeze tonight but then I think we have a couple of days of more sunshine and above freezing temps so it should all melt away soon. So far we haven't had issues with the inside pipes but we will have to wait a little longer to assess the sprinkler situation.

I'll need to save these photos to look at in July, August and September when the temps are over 100!

 I'll try to post some kind of crafty pictures next time!

 

Brrr - It's cold outside!

 

Happy Valentines Day!

My Valentine flag is frozen mid-wave! 

I assumed when I made my last post that would be all the snow for this year - we rarely get snow, but here we are again. This time it is coming with ice, which is what usually happens here. We have only had ice once in the nearly 5 years we have been in this house. For the most part, we (Texans) are not prepared for weather like this. We don't have the proper attire to be out in it and we don't know how to drive in it. (even though some people think they do) It's starting to get dark now and we are supposed to have more ice/snow along with bitter cold temps overnight. Like single digit with wind chill below zero temps. Brrrr. 

Why don't we take a look around inside, where it's warm? 

This is the first 'tray' I bought to decorate. I've had it a couple of years and it's pretty much the same as past years.

The galvanized tray was fun to decorate so last year I bought this tiny tiered tray at Target.

Again, basically the same as last year.

I added a new tiered tray this year. Not a lot in it yet but there is always next year. 

The white cabinet in the living room. The pillow on the left is an old Lizzie Kate pattern (I think it said 1999) I stitched it this year and made the pillow. The pillow on the right was a gift from a friend.

I replaced the bow on the flat fold this year. I don't remember what year I stitched/finished that one but it was a Secret Needle Night kit from The Silver Needle. (I know it was before 2009) The orginal bow was out of the same cording that is around the edge but it had raveled and looked awful. The piece on top is a Heart in Hand freebie - I think from last year. (again stitched this year) I have it in a little 'crate' thing I found at HL. It may stay there, may not.

That seems to be all the photos I took. Hmmm. Mostly it's the same as last year with a few new things here and there.

Snow!

  

It snowed! It doesn't happen here often and when it does it usually doesn't stick. It started around 10:30 am yesterday and was still snowing when I took this picture last night. The only way to get out front without leaving footprints on the sidewalk is to go out the garage and the driveway is steep!

It's already melting. It's supposed to get down in the 20s again tonight but it looks like the roads will be dry so everything should be open tomorrow. 

I've got all the Christmas put away but I still need to clean and put the everyday stuff back. (have to find where I stashed it all!)

Have a great day!

Happy New Year!

Finally got out and took a night time pic of the front of the house. Hubby had to do it without his right hand man this year - thank goodness for Facetime! It's really hard to get a photo of the snowflake over the arch - it just looks like a big blob in pictures.

Hope you are having a safe evening!

Happy New Year!

 

A Little More Christmas

I still haven't walked out to the street to take a night time photo but I did take this on the side porch the other day.

This is the first time I've decorated the mantle outside. We haven't had a fire outside yet.

Finished this little Lizzie Kate Christmas piece this year. I mounted it on a door sign I found at Walmart back when they first started putting out Christmas stuff.

The little gnome is new this year - I found him at TJ Maxx and he just had to come home with me. Everything else was already in my stash.

This is a mix of new and old. Some of the Rae Dunn is new this year, a little of it is from last year. Everything else is previously owned. The stockings were made by my great-grandmother.

My tiny Target tiered tray. I've had fun decorating this little thing - debating if I want to go for a big one this year?

My favorite little white cabinet. 

Our Christmas was really quiet this year with just the two of us here.

Have you put away your Christmas decorations? I feel like I just got them out and I kind of dread packing them up. Wish I could twitch my nose and have everything back to normal. 

 

Just Trees

I'm really running behind this year! I've got all the trees in this post - hopefully I'll get some other pictures up soon - at least before I start taking decorations down!

I'm just going down the list in the order they showed up - I'll be here all day if I start moving them around. I'll get flustered (like when I can't make the text center at the top of the page. I'm so technically challenged and every time I figure something out, they up and change it before I come back!)

Anywho - I replaced a couple of my trees this year. Different tree, same ornaments. This is the tree with the kids ornaments on it.

Here is the big tree. I'm still really happy with this purchase from last year. 

This is another new tree, same ornaments. This is the fireman tree. I knew I had some more bead garland but by the time I found it I was done with the tree decorating so I might put another string or two on next year.

This was taken from the front door. I have three trees in the living room. The are all on one side - I'm thinking I might need one on the other side of the room for balance next year! 

This is the other new tree this year. Same ornaments. It's a little bigger than the last tree. That poor tree was tired! Found the bucket at Hobby Lobby and it fit perfect!

Same little tree in the master bedroom but I did give it a fresh bow. I need to take a nighttime picture when the little church is lit up.

This poor little feather tree is about worn out too! It's in my sewing room. I was planning on making some new ornaments for it but well, that didn't happen this year! Maybe next year!

Again this tree is the same one I've been using in the guest room for the last several years. I'm thinking it might be time for an upgrade in there too.

And last but not least, my vintage ceramic tree. I haven't had this thing out in over 20 years but I needed something in my little garden house on the front porch and this fit the bill. I did replace all the little red birds with multicolored bulbs. These things are everywhere this year and mine has just been hanging out in a plastic tote.

More pictures of the inside and outside to come. I should have taken outside pictures earlier - one of the outside decorations bit the dust this week. Too late to replace it this year so it's just out there unlit. I'm telling ya, if you wanted new decor this year you had to get it early! 

Hope you are all surviving this crazy year! It's definitely been a challenge!

Rudolf's New Nose

and ears and bow!

I made this sometime in the mid - late eighties. FIL cut it out and I think he stained it then I finished him out. He sat beside the Christmas tree for may years then ended up in storage, over looked year after year. This year I decided to give him a make-over. (I had already pulled one ear off before I took the above photo) The ears are made of felt and it was literally powder but I managed to trace it for a pattern. 

I gave him a new nose and a fresh bow. The eyes and eyelashes were still stuck on pretty good (surprising since it was stored in a hot attic for so many years) so I didn't replace those and I re-used the red bell. He's hanging out on the back fireplace this year.

I finished this little Lizzie Kate a few weeks ago. I found this door at Walmart and thought it would be perfect. The stitched piece was a little small so I added the top border and the background fabric. I also added the bow and 'lights' to the wreath.

Pattern name is Ho Ho Ho in a row (from 2011). I used the DMC threads with the exception of the white - I used WDW Whitewash.

Shout out to Priscilla for encouraging us to think outside of the box (frame!) for finishing these cute little pieces.

Tree tour coming soon. If you really want to see some decked out trees, check out that link above. Amazing!