Lots of Snow Meant Time to Knit!

Last week we were pretty much snowbound because we live on a hill, and our street is low on the list to get plowed.  

It sure was pretty, especially at night!

This little angel was totally buried for awhile, but now her feet aren't covered any more.

There was lots of time to knit and bake.  (The knitting kept me from eating all the baking!) This is another Interrupted Cowl made with Bamboo Bloom yarn. In sorting through my stash I found some more of this yarn and have already started yet another one.

While I don't expect to wear this any time soon, it is finally finished thanks to Judy L's UFO Challenge.  These socks were supposed to be completed in January but they are done now, too.

They don't quite match, but it was an interesting pattern that results in a right and left sock.

This is what our driveway looks like now, so we should be able to return to our normal weekly schedule thankfully.  However, I now have lots of new projects waiting to be finished thanks to a bad case of "startitis" and easy access to my stash.

This sweet plant decided to add some color to our kitchen this past week.  I got the start from my sister, and it's been a consistent bloomer ever since.

.On Saturday we were able to venture out for our first trek through Seattle's brand new tunnel and a visit with the grand kids for the first time since it started snowing.  If you have youngsters to read with, may I recommend  There's a Dinosaur on the 13th Floor  As you can see, they loved it and so did our daughter.  Me, too!  Have a fun week!

Happy Boxing Day!

Out front

Without a doubt, this was one of the most unusual Christmases ever.  First, I did something to my back that caused me to bail out of our choir singing, and then it snowed on Christmas Eve and into Christmas Day. (On the radio today they said it was the first time ever that it has snowed here for two days in a row!) Today, however, I am once again upright and felt well enough to do my usual Tuesday afternoon at the hospital teaching knitting.  I worked with four moms-to-be who are spending the holidays in the hospital, so who am I to complain? As promised I have some finishes to share:

Booties for a friend's new grand daughter,

several scarves,

a hat,

And a Monster named Louie. (If you've never tried one of Rebecca Danger's monsters, you should, as they are FUN!  Now, I need to get back to the needles.  There are four birthdays coming right up before the end of January, one on the day after tomorrow and two before January 11th. Yikes!

Our Backyard

Snow Here but Not There........

We've been back home for a couple of days and have enjoyed watching the snow melt. Here's what it looked like here last Monday when the schools closed for two days. (And thanks to our son for the photos!)

The railing on our front deck.

The plum tree in our front yard.  Fortunately it is staked!

This is the bird feeder hanging outside the window in the family room.

Meanwhile, this is the view from the back patio where my sister and brother-in-law are staying in Green Valley, Arizona.  We were there, too, enjoying the sunset.  We had just returned from a delightful hike in Madera Canyon and also saw this bird feeder.

Now we know why we never seen any of our state birds in our backyard.  They are all wintering in Arizona in Madera Canyon! (They don't like our yard in the summer either.)

I counted at least 12 wild turkeys there, too.

and Mexican Blue Jays filling their tummies

along with one very happy humming bird!

One afternoon, I was sitting on my sister's patio when I heard a snuffling sound and expected to see someone's dog.  Instead what should appear but this javelina, and in broad daylight no less.  As soon as I noticed him (?), he went down into the nearby canyon, but just as I was telling my husband what I'd seen, the little guy returned.  Thus, the photo! That's just a bit of our Arizona adventure.  More soon, but not much knitting has been accomplished recently.

January Begins with Snow! And a Finish!

Yesterday on the way home from church, the rain turned into snow, and as we came up our hill it it was snowing in ernest and continued most of the afternoon.

It was too warm for it to accumulate, but our driveway looked a little snowy. I guess it was the snow that covered Portand and then headed to our mountains after leaving a little trail. All gone this morning, and not much by Midwest standards, that's for sure, but that is OK with me.

This little guy turned 4 today, and I finished my project just in time.  He loves legos and all the Superheros, so I hope it fits and that he likes it.  Whatever, it should be warm!

This was rather like making a sweatshirt!

And I'm finally back to work on the Scoreboard Scarf. It's going to be very, very long. The last game of the season was yesterday, so the end is in sight, except I am behind six and a half games.  The good news is that there will be a lot more blue on the next part!  Go Hawks!

Guess where we are headed this evening?  Off to celebrate turning four! Have a great week!

Snowy Surprise!

Yesterday morning, much to our surprise, we woke up to this

and this.

Then our Chicago daughter sent us this, taken of their backyard:

Now that's real snow, isn't it?  Check out the swings; I don't think anyone's going to use them anytime soon, do you?  The ice on "their lake" is said to be 22 inches thick!

Despite the snow on our hill and theirs, we made it over to our local daughter's house no problem.  Here's Dad and Max examining their neighbor's frozen Seahawks fan.  It's hard to see but there are lots of little snow people at its feet.

It fits!  She does NOT like it tied, however.  Have a warm and cozy week!

Still Snowy in Seattle...and Bellevue~

Looking out our window at the moment, I see snow coming down HARD and our rhodie which appears to be pouting, not without reason.

We seldom see icicles.

Max isn't worried.
This is great knitting weather! Where shall I begin?

Snowed In!

We woke up this morning to the promised snow, not as much as the pundits predicted, but enough to close the local schools, including the UW, and to keep us homebound for the day. Our son had things to do, so he was inspired to do some shoveling. Don't know whether he'll make it back up our hill except on foot though.
We've been trying to keep up our normal walking routine which has been a challenge, especially on Sunday when it was snowing. I tried to brush the snow off before we went inside, but it took a while for my coat to dry out! As you can see in the first photo, there's a lot more snow in our frontyard today. (No walk today either!)
On Monday we braved a trip down our hill and across town to meet an online friend. Becca and her husband will be moving here soon and certainly got exposed to the "real Seattle" on this visit.
Meanwhile, Max hasn't let a little thing like snow interrupt his schedule!
And Opa took this picture for Sophia. (Mocha wanted equal time on the blog with Ginger and Max....)

Oh, the Weather Outside Is Dreary.......

On Tuesday evening we had our "snow event" which had been predicted for more than a week. According to the forecast, the snow was to begin during the rush hour; thus, on our way home from volunteering at the hospital that afternoon, we saw buses decked out in chains but NO snow. No snow, that is until about 7:45 PM, when I glanced outside to see lots of fluffy flakes, falling hard. In no time at all, the view from our front door looked like this:

And outside looking in, like this:

Dick thought our neigbor's house looked especially pretty. However, during the night, the temperature began to rise, and rain began falling so that by morning, all that was left was a mere trace and a few strangely parked cars that had been abandoned during the height of the snowfall. Today the thermometer reads 55 degrees!

In case you're wondering whether I've abandoned my stitching and knitting, I haven't. I've been taking stock of bags of UFOs and trying to decide which one should be finished first. I also joined the Mystery 220 group and am for the moment caught up...at least till Saturday when clue #3 will be posted. Mocha is quite curious as to what this will be. I think I know....we'll see.

Another project I started before Christmas and had hoped to finish. Life got in the way, and I spent about a week like this: (Mocha and Ginger liked the new routine!)

Fortunately, I am fine now and back making 15 of these these little widgets:

Can you guess what they are? They are to be attached to something I'm making for a certain little gal who loves pink and knows how to defend her territory. Doesn't she look like she's saying, "Hands off!"

Maybe in the next post I'll reveal what these are. Meanwhile I'm going to go make some cranberry bread. I am trying to relearn how to bake gluten and dairy free, a real challenge. (Oh, and in case you are curious, that strange looking flower in my header is witch hazel. Every January it begins to bloom, and it's right on schedule.) Happy January!