And the Verdict Is...

They say a little rodent from Punxatawney has given us 6 more weeks of winter... And I guess I am supposed to believe that one simple shadow-spying event can predict the future every year... I just don't buy it. However, if Phil is right, all I ask is that we keep getting plenty of the white stuff to make it fun while it lasts.

Valentines Eve

Well, today isn't Groundhog day anymore, but it is Valentines. I'm not a big fan of Valentines Day, all the generic romance. I'd much rather go on a hike in the woods with my man than get a dozen roses, and luckily, that's exactly what I got last night. It started out as just a simple walk with the dogs...

While the sun painted a masterpiece just for us...

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Soon we found our way to Hawks Ridge, overlooking the city lights.

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Yeah, flowers just don't quite cut it for me...

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Watch Out Olympics

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Every Sunday, Chester Bowl has a ski race of some sort for the kids. Dang...we don't ski on Sundays... but when they announced they were having a race this last Friday night, we jumped at the chance to join in the fun. Well... I did at least...

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There were over a hundred kids signed up, from kindergartners to teenagers. I waited a while to catch a photo, since Caden was number 103... He's the one on the right, if you can make him out...

And Sierra came soon after...

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We didn't win any ribbons or medals (I guess a lot of the racers really take it seriously and train pretty hard) but they did get a poster and free food...

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That's all that matters, right? Free food?

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Can Houses Have Genders?

If they could, I guess they would look like this...

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Frozen Waves

We stopped by the beach to check it out, and I thought it was kind of interesting how the ice had frozen in these wave formations...almost as if it had frozen on the spot...

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Ski Bunnies

There is a ski resort (Spirit Mountain) just across town, which has a free magic carpet lift that I've come to love. It sure does beat pulling the kids up the hill with a ski pole.

Taron is able to ski down and go up all on his own, so I just help Ella. It really makes a grand afternoon, we've gone twice this week. I do feel a little like a freeloader just using the free lift and never buying a real lift ticket, but I don't think I could handle taking them both up on the lift quite yet. Soon, hopefully.

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Our fun isn't always fancy free; last time Ella skied over the conveyor belt and face planted on the railing, her nose was Mount Vesuvius for a good fifteen minutes (thank goodness for first aid stations), but she came out all right, and now keeps asking me to go again...

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Blue and Gold

Caden recieved his first scouting badge at the Blue and Gold Banquet on the 5th. I was a proud mama.

They did a few skits -- this was the lawnmower one ("all it needed was a big jerk")...

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Is There an Artist in the House?

On the days too cold for skiing we stay inside... I've been digging out the paints again, for the first time in years. It's definitely nice having a room where I can do this without having to clear the table for dinner every night.

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The kids love creating masterpieces...

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And I've even started a project of my own, it's the first time I've used acrylic paint and I love how fast it dries compared to oils, although there are some drawbacks. I'm just using the cheap 50 cent toll paints (like in the above photo), so I am free to experiment a little more. When I get better I may invest in the more expensive stuff. Here is a detail from what I have so far... a sneak peek at one little corner... it's still in progress...

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And Solei unwillingly let us see her latest art project from school, she will probably hate me for posting it, but I loved it, and thought it very fitting for someone as mathematically minded as she is...notice the gradations...

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Unfortunately, whenever I am in creative mode, everything else seems to fall apart. Luckily, Chris has been somewhat patient and has kept the complaining to a minimum...even when this happens...

Yikes...

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And So...

It looks like the groundhog may have been right. It was snowing again today. Actually, I think up here we need to double the sentence, say, 12 weeks of winter left. That's OK, it's not all that bad...

See ya next year, Phil.