Snow...I mean...Ice Day!

Unless you have been hibernating in a cave I'm sure you are well aware of the massive winter storm that ripped it's way across the country this week. I have enjoyed saying things like, "This is the worst winter storm we've had in my lifetime!" & "This is the most ice we've ever had in one storm in my entire life!" It really will be a storm that I remember well. My sister's family was without electricity (thus without heat & water) for 48 hours. That's pretty rough stuff for spoiled people like us. Thankfully my brother in law's grandparents (who hadn't lost their power) lived close enough that they could get there in the storm. Crazy business, this ice stuff!
I took a vacation day on Wednesday. We only had 17 doses on the schedule & I just couldn't see any point in making the effort to get to work if there was no work to do. Mike's work shift was cancelled so we had a whole day at home together! It was great until I got a little cabin feverish. Then I went outside & took a couple pics of our little Maggie Magnolia.
She is totally encrusted with ice. I was so excited this fall when she set several bloom buds.

Here's one wearing his winter coat of ice. We will see how she does this spring. Hopefully this awful weather will just make her heartier & stronger!

We decided that we would use our day off to work on some projects. I haven't really done anything crafty since Christmas so I made the choice to whip out a project that has been hanging around for years...literally, years. Like maybe 8 or 9? I don't even remember anymore. I got the sewing machine out. Got the project out & spent about 10 minutes trying to figure out where I was & what needed to be done next. That's always the biggest hurdle when you work on a project only maybe one day a year. Shameful, I know.

The super ironic part is that I had chosen (8 or 9 years ago) to make a quilt out of this book.

Yeah, I know it's entitled, "The Weekend Quilt." Who knew a weekend could span years???

And let me just say, if you can do one of these

quilts in a weekend, you are Wonder Woman.

Just sayin'.

I finished sewing the strips together & then cutting them. This was the hard part of figuring out where I was. Did I need more strips that were ABA or more strips that were BAB? Oy...

I finally got it figured out & I even got a few squares sewn together! I absolutely refuse to take a clearer, better focused, more up close picture because then you will without a doubt see that this quilt (should it EVER get finished) will not be pretty. I don't think a single corner will meet up. Ugh. Precision is just not one of my strong suits. I'm just going to have to deal with it. Oh, & I'm pretty sure that I will end up with birds flying all different directions because it just didn't occur to me to double check & plan to make them all fly the same direction. Obviously details aren't my strong suit, either!

What IS my strong suit?

Perhaps that's a question for another post...

Another project I got done was to roll up all of our change from the change jar. I don't know why, but this little job gives me intense satisfaction. I even used to hoard change as a kid. Then I'd count it all out & make my mom bring me coin wrappers home from her work (at a credit union). My dad used to laugh & say I looked just like Ebenezer Scrooge.

Do I look like a cold hearted curmudgeon?

I hope not...

While I was sewing & using the seam ripper & counting change, Mike was working on this set of bookshelves for our dining room. I think they are going to be fabulous! And yes, your eyes are not deceiving you - they are quite tall. Eight feet tall, to be exact. That may seem a little wacky but we have 9 1/2 foot ceilings & I think they are going to look great & hold a ton of stuff!

They have lovely Craftsman details & when they are finished I will post some more pics. The only sad fact about them being eight feet tall? They cannot be built in the basement & then brought upstairs. Our basement stairs have a turn in them & the shelves just can't clear the space. Therefore, the shelves are being built in the dining room. Yep, the sawdust is taking over & Mike is getting in shape running upstairs to the shelves & downstairs to his workshop.

What have you all been doing to keep busy during your snow/ice days?

Can you keep a secret? I'm thinking I need to look for a job with the school corporation so I can get more of these days off! They are so fun!