New again

Happy 2016! We rang it in by heading up to VT to spend time with the folks. Anna is home from college, and Meg and Nate came as well so we were quite the merry party. I took no pictures, but imagine the traditional beef stew, a peanut butter cream pie, tons of fudge, countless rounds of Settlers and Blokus, knitting, reading, sledding, and a bonfire. Abi assembled this years when she was home in November and it was one of our best. Burnt straight up and was gorgeous. Then it was back home and this week trying to adjust to the normal routine with nothing big planned for quite a ways out. Just how I like it. The tree came down yesterday and the house has been put back to rights. It looks so open and clean, and I love it! Looked like we were finally going to get winter last Tuesday when it iced and snowed, but other than two days of cold this week, we're still having a freak winter. In the 40's today and I hung the laundry out (3 loads, if you were curious).

My seed catalogs came! I swore I wasn't going to do a garden this year, but maybe a few strawberry plants??

First snow of the season. They really are obsessed with cold foods.

It's going to be a fun winter, they both can finally walk  in the snow, and both love sledding and playing in it. 

A birthday gift from Steve. I've been using  a peeler to make my zucchini "noodles", this is much more fun!

My favorite gift is that Steve takes my birthday off and stays home with the kids (or takes them out if I want the house) and I get a whole day where I don't have to be anything but me. No responsibilities at all. Bliss. I browsed the sales at Old Navy, spent gift cards at Barnes and Noble, took myself out to lunch (all alone...no one to talk to, no one to get stuff for, no dishes to do...it was bliss!), got some makeup, and went to the thrift store. And then came home, put on pj's and we ordered a pizza and sampled cupcakes and watched Loony Tunes. It was a pretty perfect day. :)

I decided this year to complete a few projects and knit everywhere...and that resolution lasted a couple miles until we hit a bump and 13 stitches went flying off and I hyperventilated trying to get them back onto my too-small-for-the-project-needles. I'll confine my knitting to stationary locals from now on.  

Sooooo, on Sunday morning I gave Hud a bath. And decided to trim up the back of his hair. That looked good, so I did around his ears. And then I got cocky and tried his bangs and he'll be getting repaired tomorrow. Sorry, bud. Hen thought it looked good, haha. 

A perfect sunny day today

We played in the backyard for a long time after our walk.

And took some sun baths. :)