More Blizzard pics

My brave little New Englanders decided to try out their Christmas hats, gloves, snow pants and sleds this morning during the great Blizzard of 2010.  Little princess, heading out with only her eyes exposed to the elements, let out a high pitched squeal as she sank up to her hips in the deep snow.
As you can see from these pictures, visibility was not good.  These pics were taken around 11 a.m.-- not at dusk, as the lighting would suggest.  The kids had a blast, especially when their daddy showed up to plow us out.  Poor daddy, he has been out plowing since about 3am.  Once the snow stops, he will have to go out and do it all over again!  He's tired. And not as thrilled about the storm as the kids are.
It's hard to tell how much snow we have, since it has been blowing and drifting.  On our deck, it looks like close to 2 ft!

Up to her hips!

Sledding

Climbing deep snow in order to go sledding!

At the top

Sammy has almost disappeared!

They're sitting down...can only see their heads

She fell and almost disappeared!

Just snow

Our handsome plow guy -- I've got a "thing" for him:)

The deck again

Thank you, Jesus, for a warm shelter from the storm, for hot food and drinks, and for the company of my family.  Please protect and bless all those who are cold, hungry and alone.

`*~*^*Holy Moly!*^*~*`

Blowing,

Drifting,

Howling,

Piling.

Biting,

Freezing,

Nipping,

Stinging.

Ethan braving the blizzard to uncover the hot water heater exhaust pipe so that we could have hot water!

The poor grill lost its cover sometime during the night

Notice the amount of snow on the picnic table--it's still snowing, too!!

 Blizzard of 2010

The Sights of Christmas

Clara's Dream

We had the opportunity to attend a premiere performance of "Clara's Dream," an adaptation of "The Nutcracker" in which two of my students danced.  Prior to the ballet, there was a lovely tea: "Clara's Tea."  We were served by some of the dancers.  It was very nice and my littlest one was thrilled to see one of her classmates and friends at the tea also! 
They were so adorable all dressed up, delighting in their friendship and the beauty of the ballet.  It was a special afternoon.

These pics were taken with my phone, so the resolution isn't great.  You will notice from the photos that College Girl is home! Yay! Sammy enjoyed himself also.  It was a sweet way to spend an afternoon.

Advent Candles and stuff

 I had mentioned in a previous post that I am a bit Advent-candle-challenged, racing around each year searching for purple and pink candles at the last minute.  Well, this year, on the first Sunday of Advent, I actually did an advent candle craft, yes, craft!, with my kids.  I got the idea from Catholic Icing. I was a bit hesitant, but they came out great!  We melted pink and purple crayons (I used the microwave for melting, but Catholic Icing has different instructions) and painted the melted crayons onto white pillar candles.  It looks lumpy and handmade and I love it!! 

My two helpers mugging for the camera

Final product

Notice in the close up shot that our candles have been "blinged."  My little girl believes that everything is better with bling.  So, we added some sparkle to the candles, and honestly, I like it.  I must be part princess:)

One of the BIG pluses of this project is that I will have Advent candles for many years to come!  These are big 6" pillars!  

We have begun our Jesse Tree, and our Advent reading.  I have to mention a book that I purchased this year to add to our Christmas library.  It brought tears to my eyes when I first read it.

It is the nativity from Joseph's perspective.  How often I have felt compassion for "poor" St. Joseph.  The awesome responsibility of raising God's own Son must have overwhelmed him at times.  He didn't even have the benefit of an Immaculate Conception (except as his wife, of course!).  This book probes the tender and awe-inspiring thoughts Joseph may have had as he gazed upon his newborn Son.  What a beautiful book!

I hope your Advent is leading you smoothly and surely to the joy of Christmas.