Tag: Snow

Chunky Snowflake

This snowflake was a little different than the typical ones you see in detail that are intricate and delicate. It has that distinct outer shape, but lacks the inner delicacies. It hadn’t melted, so it wasn’t that it had lost it shape that way. It was probably because this was a more wet, sticky snow, but I thought it was interesting. Normally when you can pick out the snowflakes individually, there are always the tiny details.

Yesterday, my goal was to get started on some of the pre-projects I needed to get done before anything happens on the craft room. The big one being getting a comfortably usable workspace set up in the garage for me to be able to work on the cabinets.

The plan there was to add wheels to a couple of smaller cabinets I already have in the garage and attach my current workbench top to them both creating a movable, sturdy workbench. So far, I’ve got the wheels on, which was much easier and also much harder than I anticipated, but it is done. Today, I have to work on setting the top and figuring out how to secure it.

The other piece I needed to get done yesterday was getting my HVAC people out to do the ventilation in the new space. The plan for them is to add new vents and a return to where that room is going, creating a new zone and then to add an exhaust fan.

I call my guy to let him know we were ready to move forward and I find out he is sick. With THE sick, apparently. Of course, I scrambled to double and triple check my calendar to see when he was out to give me my bid. Thankfully, it was out of the danger time frame, but it still made me pause and really think about all of this.

I know that doing this adds another risk point for us. That piece really concerns me. My bronchitis is settling in nice and nasty already, so the idea of getting hit with ANYTHING else is kind of terrifying, let alone getting Covid-19. It is why we still pretty much keep things to Hubby taking care of the essential only, with the very rare other (even then it is very low risk/low contact) when I go out.

For a long time, it has sort of felt like we are living in a bubble because the numbers around us where I live have stayed really low. In comparison, we are still extremely low. Areas around us are much higher, but not quite to the point where hospitals are getting overwhelmed, though they are being watched closely as we are starting to see those numbers climb.

I know I fall into the extremely cautious category of personalities, but this concerns me. I have no way of ensuring that the people coming into my house are practicing safe measures outside of my house and that bothers me. Yes, they will be wearing masks or they can leave. I will be wearing a mask at all times when anyone else is in my house even if they aren’t in the same space. Both Hubby and BG will be around, but work in their own office or room and I’ll make sure they don’t come out without a mask on as well. Same goes for MC if he is home.

That is my current plan anyway. We do have an air scrubber (UV light) as part of our HVAC system which, theoretically, should help. I also plan to be ridiculous on cleaning surfaces. I just wonder if this is the best move right now.

I’m already worried about BG getting exposed through dance because of the number of different school districts represented in the students. I’m less worried about MC at college because almost all of his stuff is online and he is only out of his room for classes maybe a couple of hours a week.

Right now, I’m going to cautiously move forward, but I will be keeping a close eye on everything. Especially if this isn’t getting started until after Thanksgiving.

Snowy Rose

It feels like we should be getting ready to put up (or already have up) Christmas decorations, not that we are only a couple of days away from Halloween.

Not only did we get snow the other day (just enough to coat everything), but it stayed cold enough for it to hang around. Now we are supposed to get a mix of nasty today. Depending on how quickly we warm up, that mix may actually mean ice.

And with this oh, so wonderful blast of winter, came my equally wonderful annual bronchitis. This is going to be such a lovely winter! It is going to be epically entertaining to see how well I can operate power tools while in the middle of a coughing fit.

At least I’ll have a project to work on during the nasty. I confirmed the go ahead on the bid from this contractor to start on the craft room project. I’m sure I’ll have a contract to sign and other little side things before they can start work, but just being able to say “Let’s do this” made me giddy.

I have a smallish project in the garage to get that space more usable for a workspace while I’m doing the cabinets that I have to get done soon. Once that is done, I’m back to playing and honing my tool skills so I’m ready to go.

Hubby is going to be mad at me when I steal his little space heater so I can actually work in that cold garage. Poor guy is just going to have to layer up in the one room in our house that is surrounded by exterior walls and has a crappy window that doesn’t do squat for the insulation in that room.

See what happens when you steal my office? I get a new room and you get to be cold. Ha!

 

 

Snowy Tree In Black & White

I really need to get off my butt and get some new photos, but I just haven’t had much time. I’m not sure when I will, either, so… there might be a few repeats that I use to see what I can do with all the fun new features in Photoshop.

Switching to black and white isn’t all that hard. Even getting the higher contrast isn’t a big deal. What I like about this one is the fact that it really brings out and highlights all the tiny details. If that was ever a feature or ability in the old version, I never tripped across it.

I didn’t use it here, but this also allows you to to go to the other end and lower the amount of detail to get a much softer look without really blurring out a photo, something I was never able to quite pull off with the old version.

So far, I’m really loving what I’ve found. That said, it does allow a less skilled photographer to end up with a great photo if they know enough to use the software. Not a bad thing exactly, but I wonder if knowing I have the ability to fix a lot more mistakes will lead to me being a bit lazier. I really hope not.

Last Of The Snow?

It is still way too early to tell. As of right now, we don’t have any more in the forecast. It is one of the reasons why I hauled MC out yesterday afternoon to try and get a few more photos for his senior pictures because he was adamant he wanted some done in the snow (because that is SO him, the gamer guy that rarely leaves his lair to venture into nature).

We’d had a beautiful, if cold, perfectly clear sky, sunny day. All day. I’d been watching the light trying to figure out the best time to try and get my shots. Just as we walked out the door, clouds came rushing in from the west and killed the light. Of course it did!

I still managed to get a few good ones, but I need to do some editing on them as they aren’t quite good enough. MC said he wants to do some with a range of backgrounds like sunset or even in the spring when the flowers are in bloom. I actually think it is a brilliant idea as I’ll have been taking pictures of him all throughout his senior year. Talk about putting together a true senior portrait package!

They won’t look all perfect and professional, because doing portraits is so not my thing. But… I have several that are really good already. I’m going to have a hell of a time trying to decide which one(s) I’m going to want to print to hang on the wall. I may have to come up with something really creative and do something like a large collage with all of them. I don’t know yet, but something.

On a side note, I’ll be editing my private post with the most current update on that situation for those that chimed in.

A Pretty Kind of Snow

We are getting another snow. Thankfully, this is one of the pretty ones that is wet and sticky and coats everything it touches. I am hoping that it stays that step or two above freezing until everyone is home safe, though. As of right now, the roads are the only thing the snow isn’t coating.

I think it is supposed to snow even more later, so I hope I get a chance to get out and take pictures tomorrow. I’m not moving today. I always forget how much of a work out it is to kneed fondant and you have to do a ton of that to work in the color. I need to remember to maybe try and add color while I’m mixing the batch in the mixer so I can save my arms and chest. That is so much easier than actually working out those muscles so I don’ fee like an out of shape noodle every time I work with fondant.

Maybe if I go lay in the snow, everything will quit hurting. I may be numb and get frostbite, but at least I won’t hurt!

Snow & Ice

I am hopefully wrapping up my work on a graphics project sometime today and will have the amazing finished project to share soon. I’m really excited about what I’ve been working on and that I got the chance to do it.

I had honestly thought that things wouldn’t really start getting crazy around here until at least next month, but things have popped up and seem to be just cramming themselves into my schedule. I’m going to be a giddy mess in a few weeks if things work out because I’ll get to take BG to see Swan Lake performed. I have never seen it and thought it would be a perfect time since their pointe performance this year is to one of the songs from Swan Lake. I’m just waiting on confirmation from her dance friend’s mom that they are going with us.

I also have MC’s scholarship awards ceremony coming up in a few weeks. I’ve shuffled things and made arrangements so I actually get to go. There was a conflict with dance, but our dance friend will be taking BG to class for me that night so I can see MC being rewarded for all of his hard work and determination.

I may complain left and right about feeling like crap with this stupid cough, but… when I stop and look at all that is going on and what my kids are doing, the amazing guy I pulled on all the lucky stars to get, I’m one seriously happy girl and I’m surrounded by some incredible people that keep the joy flowing all around.

Epicness And F-Bombs

It isn’t always clear on here, but I tend to be a huge potty mouth. Granted, I’m also a courteous and polite potty mouth and I don’t cuss around people I don’t know or aren’t certain they are okay with cussing and is why I tend to keep it mostly clean on here. I also don’t cuss at people unless they are idiot drivers and even then, they aren’t the ones to hear it.

I do cuss around my kids and they know my rules around it. I’d be fine with them cussing as long as it followed those rules, but they think it is funny to NOT cuss. At least around Hubby and I. We know they do it. They know we know, but they still won’t cuss in front of us. It has become something of a game for them. And yes, we all have a twisted sense of humor that not everyone can appreciate.

Yesterday, MC gets home from school and tells me he nearly got into a head on collision with a bus in the neighborhood. It was in an area where there is kind of a blind curve, at least when you have several large pickup trucks parked in the street. MC was on his side of the road and didn’t see the bus (who was driving WAY too fast for a residential area) and lucked the hell out in that they came up on each other when MC was right in front of a small cul-de-sac and was able to swerve. Otherwise, it would have been one hell of an ugly wreck.

He was obviously a little shaken up, but okay. We talked about it a bit and went on with our afternoon. While I was at dance, Hubby sends me a picture of how close he came, reminding me that we have a dash cam in the car that MC drives. It was kind of freaky to see how bad it could have been in that shot.

When I get home, Hubby is all excited (weirdly) and all “You’ve got to see this!” He shows me the video and I can see exactly what happened, which is even more disturbing, but also kind of shocking at how smooth MC handled the whole thing. I’m still not understanding Hubby’s attitude. Then he’s “now you have to HEAR it.” Apparently our dash cam also records sound. We did not know this.

He turns the sound back on and replays the video, but it is silent. I’m giving him the eye and he just tells me to listen. I see the bus come along, deep into MC’s lane to avoid the trucks and what look like several workmen that were near the trucks. I see MC swerve into the cul-de-sac to avoid the bus and keep going. All still silent. I’m seriously impressed at how cool MC is through the whole event.

Again, I give another side eye to hubby. Then, about two houses after MC passed the bus, you start hearing sound.

He is about a block away from home and he just lets go in these epic bursts. What puts the icing on it is that he has somehow developed this deep, country drawl in his voice that I’ve NEVER heard from him before (he is now blaming his girl, saying that he must have picked it up from her after talking to her so much). It is so much and so different, I almost don’t even recognize it is MC talking.

The first burst is a little mild, then it gets quiet again. I think we are done. Nope. Another couple of houses and we get another burst that is a little longer and a little more colorful before it gets quiet again. Again, I think he is done as it is quiet until he pulls into the driveway.

That is when he lets it ALL come out. All the best, most colorful words are flying from my kid’s mouth. It is this over the top, epic curse fest rant at the bus, the trucks and the guys around the trucks. Hubby, BG, MC and I are all laughing so hard we can hardly breathe. I think we listened to it half a dozen times before we had enough.

His reaction to the whole thing has now given us material that we will never let him live down. “Fucking lumberjacks” said in a deep country drawl will live on for all eternity here and will come back to haunt him over and over again.

It may make me a bad parent, but I was beaming proud of my kid in his amazingly creative use of the F-bomb. I’m also crazy impressed with how ridiculously calm he was during the actual encounter. If I’d been in the driver’s seat, the dash cam would have had a boat load more F-bombs and then some from the very first sight of that bus and there might have been a bit of a wet spot on the seat.

In all seriousness, I’m just thrilled to death that this is something we can laugh about and it all turned out okay.

*The photo is an old one and has nothing at all to do with this post. I just liked it and felt like posting it. We haven’t seen that much snow on the ground here for several years.

 

Powdered Sugar Tree

Okay, so not really powdered sugar, but it reminds me of what it looks like if you dusted something with powdered sugar. Can you tell my brain is shifting into cake mode?

BG’s birthday is coming up soon. My girl will be 16! Ugh! Another driver and way too soon and not soon enough. Anyway… since she is the only one that lets me make an actual cake anymore, I spend a lot of time trying to come up with a great idea that she will love and I get to play the way I want.

For a little while, I thought I’d do another costume inspired cake since her point costume this year is a really simple, but elegant white with black accents (they are doing a piece from swan lake). I didn’t want to do a full out costume, just a small layered cake that mimicked the black applique from the costume. When I mentioned this idea, she didn’t seem thrilled as I’ve done a couple of ballet costume cakes now.

I went back to brainstorming and I came up with an idea that, if I can pull it off (which is always a question), she is going to absolutely squeal over. When I told her I had an idea that she would love and asked if she trusted me to just make it without her actually knowing what I had planed, she gave me the go ahead. I love that she has no clue what I’m going to do and it will be a surprise for a change.

I won’t say specifically what I’m going to do yet in case she decides to get nosy and drop by here, but I’m so excited about working on this. I won’t really be doing anything new as far as basic design or technique really, but it is also unlike anything I’ve done so far from a finished project standpoint. I’d say the chances of it turning out like I imagine are on the high side.

I still have a little over 2 weeks to get the design planned out and I need to find a few reference photos to help with some details, but I’m so excited and can’t wait to work on this.

Snowy Start

I don’t think it is supposed to amount to much, but we are getting some snow today. I did a quick test and it is cold enough to freeze bubbles, but they aren’t freezing fast enough and it is just a tad too breezy, so they don’t last. I’ll be watching the weather all day hoping I might get a chance to get out and play for a bit.

Interesting

Coincidence? They are now calling for a potential for significant snow the next couple of days. Guess we will see.

I’m still trying my damnedest to cough up a lung and haven’t managed to do much else. I haven’t gotten out to try and take any new pictures because the cold air kicks that effort up into high gear. Granted, any movement does that. So does breathing. And… I think blinking.

If it does snow, I’m loading up on meds and cough drops and heading out anyway. I want snow pictures, dammit!

Back On Track

Today is the first day that everyone is back to a normal routine after the holidays. Hubby is back to work. The kids are back in school. And it is so quiet in the house.

Well, at least it is in between the moments when I’m desperately trying to cough up a lung (thank you so much my old friend bronchitis, I thought you’d decided to leave me alone this winter), something I’ve been trying hard to do on an off since around Thanksgiving. It is hard to try and get back into any kind of normal routine when you feel like crap.

The longer than normal break has allowed MC’s birthday to sneak up on me. He will be turning 18 and that is such a mixed bag of emotions. We keep joking that we are kicking him out now that he is an adult. He just keeps laughing at us.

Because of his birthday, Death by Chocolate is in my future. The fun of having birthdays so close to the holidays (both MC’s and mine) is that it feels like the holidays don’t just stop, but trickle away slowly. That goes for all the food and goodies.

I have a day to try and get up the energy to do everything I need to for that and I’m going to spend it with my nose buried in a book, eating cough drops like candy and trying not to nap with the hope that I’ll actually be tired enough to sleep through the coughing for a change.