Snow Day

Here we are on our second snow day of the year.  (The first was last week.)  This snow is powdery, so it's good for sledding but not snowballs or snowmen.

Nathaniel brought home 2 new sleds yesterday, so now we have 4.

That's Elijah running up the hill to the right.  He didn't want his picture taken today.

Lydia even helped me shovel snow for a while.  Here she is in her "snow blanket".

It's only 19 degrees, so I only had Gyunay outside for half an hour.  Lydia came in 10 minutes later.  The big boys lasted a while longer, mainly because I told them that they could "skate" on the small pond only when Gyunay was in the house.  They seemed to enjoy that.

At Home

Today, the kids had the day off for Martin Luther King Day.  It was really cold outside, so we all stayed in (well, except for chores like chickens).  The three big kids took advantage of Gyunay's nap time to paint some wooden snowmen that I've had for some time.

They had a really good time, and their snowmen turned out really cute.

Lydia's, Malachi's, and Elijah's snowmen

Making Pasta

I decided that it was a perfect day for pasta a la carbonara, so I made some fresh pasta.  I tried to get it done during nap, but I had too many projects going and was not done when Gyunay woke up.

He quickly got his apron and tried to help.  He loves to wear his apron while cooking with me.  Mamaw made this apron for Elijah when he was about 3.

Yum.  I'm looking forward to dinner!

First Snow of the Season

It's very cold, so they didn't last long, but the kids were eager to go sledding today.  I had hot cocoa waiting for when they came in!

Book Review - A Worthy Heart by Susan Anne Mason

I've really enjoyed my latest book, A Worthy Heart by Susan Anne Mason.  This is the first book I've read by this author, and although it is the second in a series, I felt that it was a completely stand-alone novel, and although I'm sure it would have been nice to read the first one, it wasn't necessary to enjoy this story.  The book is set in New York in 1914, when Maggie Montgomery comes from Ireland with one brother to visit another brother's family.  There are lots of characters to like in this story, but I am especially fond of Adam O'Leary and Maggie.  They are the main characters, and they are well-written, with realistic desires and flaws.  Adam's past landed him in prison for three years, and now he is trying to prove himself a changed man.  Maggie sees his worth from the start, but many others do not.  The many characters have complex pasts and interactions, and I enjoyed that.  Another romance, between Maggie's brother Gabe and heiress Aurora Hastings, blooms during the book, and although I did like both characters, I felt sometimes that their story was a bit of a distraction from the main storyline.   I was glad that the author didn't try to write phonetically the characters' Irish brogue, as that can be hard to read, but I was glad that she often acknowledged that they had an accent, or "Irish lilt" as it is put in the book.  There were also many details that firmly placed the story in its time frame of 1914, which I always appreciate.  There was plenty of drama and an unsavory character from Maggie's past, so the story had plenty to keep the reader interested.

I recommend this historical romance.  Although I received a copy from the publisher Bethany House for the purpose of writing a review, all opinions are my own.

Fabric

Now, I have mentioned before that Lydia loves fabric (http://barefootkentuckymama.blogspot.com/2015/09/fabric-and-bacon.html), but I should probably admit that she gets it from me.  My sewing area is in my bedroom, and for months it has been a fabric explosion.  Mamaw gave me some cash for Christmas, and I went to this cute little resale shop that we like and bought a shelf for my fabric.

Of course, this is just the regular cotton fabric.  My flannels and knits are in the two tubs to the right in the picture below. 

It's amazing how much bigger my room looks.  Nathaniel jokes about being able to actually see the wood floors we spent so much time installing.  There's still miscellaneous fabric on the sewing desk (left of machine) because I've always got several projects going at once, but it's really nice to have the fabric organized.  And I now have my thread organized, too!  (Rack on wall - thanks Mom and Dad!)  

And did you notice the little white frame on the new shelf?  Years ago, my aunt Karen sent me a card that I loved.  I've saved it and planned to frame it for all these years, and yesterday, I finally did it.  

The photo isn't great, but you get the gist.  I absolutely love this, and it is so me.  It makes me smile.

Happy New Year's Day!

I'm a bit late on posting any pictures from Christmas, but today is the eighth day of Christmas, so I'm still within the Christmas season!

This little man enjoyed his first Christmas.  He especially loved his backpack, which he is still wearing for hours each day.  Despite everything being new and different, he did great and really enjoyed himself.

As usual, family pictures are a challenge for us!

I loved cuddling with these little guys in a quieter moment!