Snowed In

EGADS!! December 17th already?? Things have been quite hectic around here. This is always a crazy time of year in our household but this year seems like time is going WAY too quickly.

I have been scrambling to get some much needed production spinning done for here. The latest batch was 2 lbs of wonderful cashmere/silk blend which will make some lucky soul a beautiful sweater! It is spun DK to light worsted weight. Sorry I didn't check specifics like WPI, etc. Note to self...must document more to share. Thanks Jenny for teaching documenting is important and thanks to you readers for being patient with me. :-) I'm a WIP!
While trying to production spin and trying to knit a Christmas present, I have to admit I'm feeling a little of Yarn Harlot's Christmas deadline insanity this year. Although I don't have the overwhelming knitting schedule she does, I am beginning to feel a little anxiety as the days tick away. Will I get everything done?? To add, my munchkins have been home from school a LOT in the past three weeks starting out with 2 half days for teachers' workshop and ice/fog then 2 full days for an ice storm last week and then again a full day today for a snowstorm. Mother Nature is laughing as she's tampering with my Christmas preparation time.

We seem to be stuck in a weather cycle lately with storms in the Midwest over the weekends. A week ago, we were graced with an ice storm. Luckily, A. and I were able to leave early for the weekend to go to Indianapolis for a much awaited Hannah Montana concert. We drove the 6 hours roundtrip in driving rain, sleet and ice but we made it! All the while I was worried about getting there, getting back and having less spinning time for my deadlines but do you know what?? It doesn't really matter because the look on my 9 year old daughter's face when Hannah came out singing A.'s favorite song was absolutely PRICELESS!! And of course, in our rush to "beat the storm", I hurriedly packed and forgot my camera. DUH! However, it was a fabulous time.
This is the view outside yesterday morning. We woke up to a foot of snow and it was still snowing and blowing until midafternoon. We were definately snowed in.
Just a view of the table and bench on the deck... Isn't it funny? We received about 14 inches total and school was cancelled for today. It was a nice day to be snowed in although an albeit exhausting one. My wonderful hubby, who is in denial about snowstorms, has yet to break down and buy a snowblower. After 7 hours of shovelling out our driveway, (mind you, we live in the country and it is about 400 winding feet downhill to the road) he exhausted as can be, proclaimed, "If I ever get out of here, I am buying a snowblower". Mother Nature won that battle! :-D However, he is my hero. I pooped out after 3 hours of shovelling and bed never felt so good last night!

This was our reward after all the shovelling. The sun finally came out...frosty blue sky and sparkling snow. It was absolutely beautiful!

Stay warm, cozy and safe all of you who are battling the winter weather! I will be travelling later this week so I wish you all the warmest of holiday seasons!

Ice, Snow and Knitted Daffodils?

DECEMBER ALREADY??? Mother Nature decided to start December with a winter storm watch from yesterday afternoon until this morning. It was 15 degrees Friday night and that was without the windchill factor. It had been a chilly week and a windy one. We got a good dusting of snow which then turned to freezing rain and later just rain. As you could tell from the picture I took of the driveway, with the reflections of the trees, it was wet this afternoon!

I'm behind in my knitting and spinning projects so I took advantage to cozy in last night and work on them. Sorry, no pictures, some are for Christmas. I'll show later. However when it warmed up above freezing today and was raining like crazy, I took advantage of the weather for something else...
YES, that's ice and yes, that is a daffodil bulb. I have been late in getting my bulbs in this year. It is not the first time I've planted after a light snow. However, it warmed up enough that the ground was saturated and soft. I had at least another 30 bulbs to plant out of 70 or so. So out I went with raincoat and trowel. In hopes that I can see this, next spring.

We moved here last December. In the spring, one of the things I missed the most was my daffodils. At our old house in WI, I scattered bulbs every year for about 6 years near the woods. I would stand outside and toss the bulbs in the air and wherever they landed, is where they were planted. Later on, I tossed tulip bulbs, grape hyacinths, snowdrops and crocus also. Each spring, after a grey long winter, I would be excited to see my own sunshine in the backyard.
So last spring, when I was flowerless, I purchased this yarn. It is a soft buttery yellow 70% baby alpaca, 30% silk laceweight. It is Alpaca With a Twist, Fino. Along with the yarn, I picked up Fiber Trends, "Spring Blossoms Shawl" by Eugen K. Beugler. I figured since I didn't have daffodils yet at my new home, I'd have to knit some! So when the grey winter days stretch out too long this year, I will be knitting my daffodils and awaiting the arrival of a little sunshine in the yard. I love surprises and hopefully some of the daffodil bulbs will survive deer and critters.
A daffodil story to share...many years ago, when my children were still tiny, my husband was out of the country on business during our birthdays. Our birthdays are two days apart and in the middle of March when it is still cold and dreary in WI. Anyway, one night, I had an unexpected knock on the door. I was alone with my little ones and it was after 9 pm so I was startled that anyone would be knocking. I went to the door and turned on the porchlight to find my mom standing there with a huge grin on her face and a bouquet of daffodils. She had picked the daffodils in her yard that morning and had driven all the way from Arkansas to Wisconsin (about 11 hours) to wish me Happy Birthday!! What a total surprise! I loved it and it will always be a great memory. I think of it every spring when I see daffodils. Thanks, MOM! I love you.