Get Out Of Here, Winter Storm Juno!!!

       
      Anybody want some snow?!...Come and get it!...PLEASE!!! ^_^ No worries, Y'all. I'm not gonna start this post complaining about the blizzard conditions of winter storm Juno! In fact, I've hardly noticed the fact that we're in the middle of a snow storm! LOL
      

      Oh yes, I've seen the wind whipping around, and across, the backyard most of the day...with a few hours in between of stillness.
 

      And I've seen the occasional 'critter' trying to get out and do a little prowling. ^_^ See the footprints?!...
 

      I think this was the neighborhood cat. :-) He likes to prowl across my patio area, and in and out of the woods.
 

      There was also an occasional bird flying by...very low. Struggling with the wind.
 

      And an occasional human! ^_^ But not 'us' humans!! LOL Hubby and I aren't the least bit interested in strolling around in wet...cold...white stuff!! ^_^

      We've been just enjoying our time together, watching tennis...playing Scrabble...doing laundry...crocheting (that would be me, not hubby!^_^) and eating! :-) In fact, part of what we were eating was a delicious bean salad that a new neighbor of ours walked over to us during the lull of the snow storm! :-)
      It just so happens that our new neighbor is a member of our congregation. (Jehovah's Witnesses) Her and her husband recently moved into our area! :-) How nice to have them so close by...within walking distance during a storm! We can support each other through it, if need be...But so far, we're just winter storm Juno eating and sharing buddies! ^_^
      

      As I said in the beginning of the post though, we've hardly noticed that we're in the middle of a snow storm! :-) If it wasn't for the snow piling up, we would think this was just a vacation in Florida!! LOL

      Okay...maybe a reference to storm Juno feeling like Florida is going a bit too far!! ^_^ 
 

       But it has been a really good day!...I've eaten Cheetos and bean salad until I'm about to pop! And I've beaten hubby...BADLY!...in a mean game of Scrabble! ^_^ In fact, so badly that I'm not sure he'll ever play with me again!! LOL...*slapping my own hand*...Bad Wug!!...I giggled my way through the Scrabble game. I couldn't help it. ^_^ Hubby was so funny trying to make up big words...only to have me come right behind him and get more points with my little words!! LOL If I get him to play with me again...which isn't at all certain at this point!...I'll explain to him more vehemently the whole double and triple letter scoring thing...instead of just taking advantage of a snowed-in victim!! Ha! Ha!

      By the end of our game I think he was wishing that he had chosen to brave the storm!!...Maybe sledding would have been nice! ^_^
 

      At the moment, while the snow is swirling again outside, we're sipping on green tea and watching a fabulous tennis match between Venus Williams and Madison Keys! They have a set a piece, and we're heading into the third! :-) The snowfall from the storm is suppose to be all over by 10 p.m. Tomorrow it'll be all about digging out!...We'll cross that bridge when we come to it! For now....GO Venus and Madison!!! ^_^ And YOU all have a good rest of the day too! ♥

Snow TRAPPED!

TRAPPED! Another snow storm!
Will this "STUFF" never end?!
We've be wolloped, punched, and socked,
and now?! Another one on the chin!

'Adding insult to the injury',
there will be an inch of ice!
I guess winter thought we needed
just a little 'SCARY' spice!

Do I sound bitter? Sick of it?
About to lose my snowed-in mind?!
Well, that would be correct!
That is, the brain cells I can find!

TRAPPED! Sick of snow,
and it's icicles everywhere!
Good thing I have crochet!
It will replace my pulled out hair!

Veni, Vidi, Vici.........Sorta!

      If you don't know the quote, Veni, Vidi, Vici, let me translate. It literally means: "I came, I saw, I conquered"......I decided to apply it to storm Nika! ^_^ 'It came.....I saw it!.....but it WILL NOT conquer!! LOL

         The Header photo is what the backyard looked like just as the sun rose this morning....Pretty, right?! :-) But what you can't see...because I'm not going out there to get the cold, wet, frozen photos. NO!!!...is that we got about 10 inches of 'the white stuff'!!...Not the most we've ever gotten, but...trust me!...it's enough!! ^_^

        During the day yesterday, as the snow was falling fast and furious, it looked so peaceful...calm....almost 'Disney cartoon movie' like!...especially with the birds flitting between the snowflakes on occasion. ^_^

     

     Then, later in the day, a trench needed to be plowed!! O_O ...
 

     This morning...the trench is still there...but with some snow in the bottom of it! LOL...

      Hubby is outside shoveling...and helping other neighbors to shovel. He's gonna need a big hug and a kiss, hot apple cider, and a nice warm bath too maybe, when he gets back in here!...And he may also need some quiet time, so that he can thaw out in private! LOL I'm gonna talk 'YOUR' heads off...so that I can be 'tick-a-lock' lip girl for him when he comes back in. ^_^ ....................... Yeah....right!! ^_^

     I never saw a word I didn't wanna manipulate! LOL I come....I see it.....I conquer!!! LOL

     Other than snow, I wanna share a couple of videos I came across this morning....Actually, I saw them referenced on television this morning. :-) They're well worth sharing!...A bicycle guard dog (don't miss the ending)...and a fantastic mother/son wedding dance (don't miss the ending). ^_^ Enjoy, Y'all!!...And have a great day!! :-)



Snow TRAPPED!

TRAPPED! Another snow storm!
Will this "STUFF" never end?!
We've be wolloped, punched, and socked,
and now?! Another one on the chin!

'Adding insult to the injury',
there will be an inch of ice!
I guess winter thought we needed
just a little 'SCARY' spice!

Do I sound bitter? Sick of it?
About to lose my snowed-in mind?!
Well, that would be correct!
That is, the brain cells I can find!

TRAPPED! Sick of snow,
and it's icicles everywhere!
Good thing I have crochet!
It will replace my pulled out hair!
 
     (This poem was from a storm we had LAST year!...But some parts of it applied!! ^_^)

Snow...And Owls....And Snow Owls....And Crochet!!

 (First Snow 8x8 Fine Art Photography by MarianneLoMonaco)

            You'll have to bear with me a bit this morning. My mind...you know...that old thing!...is all over the place. :-] It's trying to decipher aches and pains...*What is that?!...Where is that coming from?!...OUCH!!!*...and communicate with a snow-trapped husband...*NOT FUN!*...He really needs something to do with himself!!!! LOL...and schedule crochet time around a still slightly lame left hand! But...WILL DO!! ^_^ 

      And it all starts with the white stuff!...yes, snow....But not lots of it. Just enough to fall to the ground, along with some rain, be wet...and freeze! You know, just enough to cause problems!

      Me?!...I'm gonna find a positive way for my brain to decipher it. So, here goes!....Snow!.............Owls in the snow!...

     Snow Owls! :-) ...
 

(Snow Owl Wood Jewelry Box by Mmim)

      Crocheted Snow Owls!! :-) ...
 

(Crocheted Snow Owl Beanie by JillyBeaniesBoutique)

 

     Flowers! :-) ...Flowers with owls under them!! :-) ...

(Aqua Bliss Owl Necklace by RachelleD)

 

      Hmmmm....flowers with owls under them....Wait!!....How about crocheted flowers with owls under them?!! ^_^ ... Ha! Ha!...Let me guess. You saw that coming a mile away, right?!
      
      Now, to put the story completely together...my friend Cindy (of CinLynnBoutique) has some cute beaded owl jewelry in her shop right now. She said today was the last chance to get them...and I flew over there and bought me some...before they disappeared!! ^_^ or, as they say, flew the coop! ^_^ ...
 

      I bought these (above)...And I almost got these (below)...because I love the salmon orange color...

      But nope!...the red and black were more up my alley. :-) 

       I wanted to get her permission first before I bought them though, because I wanna deconstruct them, and make crochet flower and owl beaded necklaces out of them!! ^_^ She's such a great friend. She said YES!!...

      They're great AS IS too!!...It's just that I have a particular vision for these 'babies'!! ^_^ So, stay tuned for them in my shop soon!...In fact, I may start the flowers even before my owls get here...EXCITING!! ^_^ I haven't made any necklaces for a while!
      
      I also hadn't listed any scarves. But I did yesterday. And I listed another one in my Wuglyees shop this morning! :-) I call it my 'Winter Peacock' scarf! :-) ...

      There's more where these came from too! ^_^ I'll try to list the others today...we'll see how it goes!...with all of the aches and pains, and white stuff, and communicating...sorta, kinda...with my hubby! ^_^ ...*His communicating is all about shredding stuff, and organizing stuff, and DOING SOMETHING!!!!....Ugh! The cooped up mind is a terrible thing to waste!! LOL...By afternoon I'll mellow him out though...make no mistake!!! ^_^*
      Have a good day, Everybody! :-)

Snow TRAPPED!

TRAPPED! Another snow storm!
Will this "STUFF" never end?!
We've be wolloped, punched, and socked,
and now?! Another one on the chin!

'Adding insult to the injury',
there will be an inch of ice!
I guess winter thought we needed
just a little 'SCARY' spice!

Do I sound bitter? Sick of it?
About to lose my snowed-in mind?!
Well, that would be correct!
That is, the brain cells I can find!

TRAPPED! Sick of snow,
and it's icicles everywhere!
Good thing I have crochet!
It will replace my pulled out hair!     

I Can't See Birds Or Flowers Today!!

(Cashmere Cockatoo Turquoise Recycled Wool Gardenia Flower Pin by thejunebride)

     At least I can see flowers in this shop!...*sigh*...The snow has completely covered the backyard now...

     We're in the midst of a very bad winter storm. It started around 7 p.m. last night, and it's been coming down at a good clip since then! As a matter of fact, at around 11 p.m. we already had about 3 inches on the ground!!

     As of right now we may have as much as 6 inches!! O_O ...And now...there's freezing rain falling on top of it!!...It's gonna be such a good day.....NOT!!!

      I sure hope birds can eat food with 'freezer burn'!! LOL...Although, eating apparently wasn't their most important priority yesterday!...At least not from my feeder! O_O I heard them out there early yesterday morning, and then.....nothing...not a peep!...for the rest of the day! O_O Curious!

     I should have known at that moment that while the weather people weren't sure what kind of storm it was gonna turn out to be, the birds did!! ^_^ They 'high-tailed' it outta here before the storm hit! They're probably somewhere in Florida (waaaaaay south of here!) laying on a chaise lounge, with their little bird legs crossed, and sipping on some mint juleps next to a swimming pool!! ^_^ ...while people around here are buying road salt and de-icer and absconding from the stores with every kind of snow shovel known to man! ^_^

      They may also be looking for warm scarves, gloves and hats!...I say, if they are, I've got the scarves you need, and a few fingerless gloves and hats in my Wuglyees shop! :-) ...And if you're looking for really pretty hats...even I would buy these myself!...check out the shop where the above cashmere flower came from!...

 (Cabled Cashmere Hat from thejunebride)

       She has these hats in some of the prettiest colors too! Just click on the photo to go by her shop and check them out! :-)

      Funny story: Hubby and I were joking around last night about what people were probably doing during the storm. I jokingly said: "They're probably online shopping! ^_^ I'm gonna go over to my shop right now and there's gonna be a sale. You just watch!!!"

     He said sarcastically: "Righttttt! *wink! wink!*...Of course I was sure there wasn't gonna be a sale. I just was making a joke...Lo and behold, there wasn't "a" sale. There were three!!!!! ^_^ I was floored!! I mean...it's "AFTER" Christmas and I'm not having a sale in my shop!!! ^_^ ...Surprised?!......Surprised is not the word!....FLABBERGASTED!!! ^_^ ....and Oh Yeah!.....VERY happy!!! :-)

      Now I just have to wait for the storm to cal down some, and for the authorities to make the roads more drivable, so that I can get their items shipped! O_O ...The Postal Service may have the motto: 'Neither rain, sleet or dark of night, will stop us from getting your packages to you,....' Or something like that! ^_^...but "I" am NOT the postal service! I'm a falling 'white stuff' dis-liking Wug!! LOL

       I'm sitting here with breakfast in bed (eggs, bacon and oatmeal with peaches, cinnamon and honey)..."Thank You, Baby! :-)" ♥♥♥...waiting out the storm with my 6-foot honey. :-) I'm in no hurry to ship, crochet.......or flip left and right.......at this moment!! LOL 

      I'm sure that'll change this afternoon when the freezing rain and snow stops, so if anybody else wants to order something to be shipped 'NOW'S THE TIME'!! ^_^

      If you're snowed in, rain-soaked, hiding inside in your air-conditioning, or whatever.....what are you doing with your time?! :-] ... Whatever it is, have a good day Everybody!! {The poem below was not about this snow storm, but I think you'll get the 'drift'! LOL}

Snow TRAPPED!

TRAPPED! Another snow storm!
Will this "STUFF" never end?!
We've be wolloped, punched, and socked,
and now?! Another one on the chin!

'Adding insult to the injury',
there will be an inch of ice!
I guess winter thought we needed
just a little 'SCARY' spice!

Do I sound bitter? Sick of it?
About to lose my snowed-in mind?!
Well, that would be correct!
That is, the brain cells I can find!

TRAPPED! Sick of snow,
and it's icicles everywhere!
Good thing I have crochet!
It will replace my pulled out hair! 

"Heavy, Wet and Mashed Potato-Like......"

(Umbrellas Barrettes by cynicalredhead)

       Oh! If only it were just rain!! But nooooooooo! Overnight the backyard was blanketed with the kind of snow that the weather lady referred to as 'heavy, wet and mashed potato-like'! Great! That's just what I wanted in my backyard!...Snow potatoes!.....NOT!!

       We knew this storm was coming though. That's all the weather people have been talking about for about a week!...{They get so excited when there's something besides puffy clouds and sunny skies around! LOL}...So, since we knew it was coming, hubby took some photos of the backyard 'pre' storm...

      Not very exciting, right?! :-) But what it looked like then is nothing like what it looks like now!...What it looks like now is sorta like a mountain resort location. Somewhere you might wanna go on a vacation to go skiing, or snow-shoeing, or snow-mobiling or something!...See!...

       All we need now is some pretty snow Parkas (coats), puffy gloves, some knit ski hats,...and skis, ^_^...a ski lodge made of logs, with a huge fire in the fireplace, and an 'on call' waiter that's dedicated to toting hot chocolate and hot toddies to us all day! ^_^

     I say 'all day' because it's still snowing! And it's suppose to continue 'all day'! And it's suppose to freeze some too!...But guess what?! I'm not gonna say 'UGH!' or 'Aargh!' or anything like that...because I just saw the news and saw that the seven states in the mid-west got a slew of tornadoes last night...I think the news said 80 of them!! :-( The damage is terrible!!!...especially in Harrisburg Illinois!...And they're not outta the woods yet, because they're due to get the same thing today!!! O_O ...Soooooo, a backyard full of snow doesn't seem so bad in comparison! 

       Okay, enough about the weather! Let me tell you about a couple of other things. One being my blue and red crochet necklace...

       It got chosen for a new treasury!...

         According to Barbara Gene, of BagsnBling, it's one "item from one of my favorite shops"....Thank you Barbara. :-) ...You can click on the treasury photo above to go over and check out all of the great items she chose if you like. I liked this one...

(Gathered Clutch Bag by andreacreates)

      It's a handbag...with flowers! Is there any wonder that it caught my eye?! :-]

        My other news is announcing the winner of the Giveaway for today! :-) It was so hard wading through all the entries!... ^_^ Ha! If I was a sensitive sort my feelings might've been hurt at the fact that here I am giving away a book of my poems and I only got five entries. And of those five, there were only three individuals! LOL

       But I'm not the sensitive sort. I'm realistic. I know that not a lot of people are into poetry these days....and even less people are into reading a book of poetry! ^_^ So to those of you who entered the Giveaway....Thank You So Much For Making Me Feel Appreciated. :-) ...Now, the winner?!...

       It's YOU Cindy!! :-) I'll send it out to you right away...And because there were only two others...Becky and Velma...Guess what?! I'm sending you books too!!!! :-) Just send me your addresses please, to the email here. 

      Now, this month's Giveaway, for March 15, 2012, will be kinda different. This one is a thank you from me to you 300...301 as of today!...followers!! :-) Since I can't wrap you up in a big hug and say...in person...what a pleasure it's been swapping stories with you, then I want to send one of you something that "will" wrap you up! It's a soft, soft, charcoal gray and green afghan lap blanket that I crocheted myself! :-)

       Remember now.....my photo-taking skills are not that great!!!...

        I'll put another couple of photos, and the size and description of it, on the right-hand sidebar link a little later today.

        The rules for entering the Giveaway are different this time because for this one you just have to comment! For the next couple of weeks, all comments will become entries in the Giveaway for the afghan...unless you specify that you don't want to be entered.

      Lastly, a quick update: As of yesterday, hubby is filing for unemployment. A lot of paperwork and tedium, but necessary stuff. After talking it over with his representative, it became clear that games are afoot with his company. After all of the not so nice things that his manager,...boss, or whatever his title is....said,..including the fact that he didn't want him working there anymore...apparently he said to the representative yesterday that he was 'surprised' that my hubby is taking the position he's taking to ask for his vacation time and to be able to file for unemployment!....Really?!!....Surprised?! O_O

       What did they expect for him to do?! Say,..."Oh, I'm sorry. I'll come back to work and work all day long and kiss your feet and ring finger, sacrifice my wife's health and dedicate my life to this company. I was only kidding about all that stuff I said!!" O_0...Kinda unrealistic considering the fact that hubby was pushed into making this decision in the first place by unfair working conditions and broken promises!....Whatever. It's apparently done now. All of the paperwork is going in today....if hubby can get past the piles of snow to get to the mailbox that is! ^_^

        I'm not gonna think too deeply about it. I'm just gonna crochet! :-) I'm almost done with the second fingerless glove even!...

         Sorry that the post was so full today, but I've got other stuff to show you tomorrow, and a 'Virtual Date Night' to plan. I didn't wanna leave any of this till later. :-] So, have a good day Everybody!!...Leave me a comment and tell me all about YOUR weekend plans. It's a Giveaway entry too, don't forget! ^_^ {And believe it or not, the poem below was from last year! ^_^}

Snow TRAPPED!

TRAPPED! Another snow storm!
Will this "STUFF" never end?!
We've be wolloped, punched, and socked,
and now?! Another one on the chin!

'Adding insult to the injury',
there will be an inch of ice!
I guess winter thought we needed
just a little 'SCARY' spice!

Do I sound bitter? Sick of it?
About to lose my snowed-in mind?!
Well, that would be correct!
That is, the brain cells I can find!

TRAPPED! Sick of snow,
and it's icicles everywhere!
Good thing I have crochet!
It will replace my pulled out hair!

      On a side-note, I can't believe we're down a 'Monkee'. :-( Davy Jones died of a heart attack yesterday!!