What Ana Does

When I decided I wanted navy chevron curtains in my dining room, a few folks told me I was crazy; I'd get tired of the crazy design. But I sewed them together , anyway, and hung them up. And I still love them. So there. Chevron Curtains! I closed them today, something I hardly ever do, because the sub-zero wind is just blowing through the crappy windows. It's a heat-conservation thing. I just had to share. 

It was 1 degree when we woke up this morning and 8 degrees when we got to the bus stop. So yeah, they waited in the car for their (late) busses to arrive on their first day back from Winter Break. Waiting for the Bus  On a high note, the blisters on Alice's nose are healing. Yay!

It's been Alice's luck to always get the cold room. In New Jersey, her room was an addition over the garage that didn't get insulated very well by the pervious owners. It got so cold that I'd set up a space heater on freezing nights. When we moved to our newer house, I didn't think there would be a "cold room." But, I was wrong. The windows in our house are crappy and some don't actually close all the way -- letting in gusts of freezing air in the winter and warm air all summer. I spend some time each year adding weather stripping and calking around the edges, but it's a losing game. However, in Alice's room, the window is actually separating from the house. Cracks are visible around the perimeter of the window and opening/closing the windows makes the whole thing wobble in its place. Not so good. And obviously, this just allows outside air to pour into the room. Alice's room is routinely 10 degrees colder than the rest of the house. Es...

Apparently our Russian-novel-themed winter isn't over yet. It's April 14 and there's snow on the ground and it might stick around for a few days -- as our temps are not getting out of the 40s. So, This Happened. Great.  This weekend I had been contemplating storing the hats, scarves and mittens for the summer. Mother nature must have taken that as a challenge. 

This week was a disaster with the arctic vortex that swooped down and plunged us all into below zero temps. The dog didn't want to "go" outside, I can't blame him, and the kids had a "snow day." Or, a "too cold to come to school" day.  I can't blame the school district, they can't have kids outside waiting for the bus in -34 degree weather. So, on Tuesday I worked from home with these two delightful co-workers.  My Co-Workers Hard at Work Wednesday, the buses weren't working, so we had another "snow day" but, luckily, the day care was open. So I finally got into my "actual" office. And left the house for the first time since Saturday. Yippee!

With all the snow and freezing temps, we've enjoyed a lot of time in the house (no cabin fever here, I love puttering around the house!) and with our neighbors over this winter break. On Sunday we ventured out to paint ceramics. Alice picked chicken salt and pepper shakers and Leah painted an owl bank. Not to be outdone, I painted a bowl. Can't wait to pick them up next Sunday! While Dave is watching football, this is a fun activity for us to stay out of the cold and get creative. I love time with my girls.