Snow, School, Lunar New Year, Valentine's Day and Other Things

 Emily helping Grace decide to fold or call during a game of 5 card draw.

We went 15 days without temperatures above freezing.  The snow actually looked fake, the way it flocked the branches!

Valentine's day treats for my valentines. = )

Grace twinning with Molly.

This book, Children of the New Forest, is what the big girls are currently reading for their literature.  It is quite a jump from their previous text, and Emily was overwhelmed.  I found the book in audio form (for free) and it has been a great thing for Emily. Alice prefers to just read it, and seems to be doing just fine.

The icicles were getting pretty big around here!

The kids painted suncatchers one afternoon.  This is the one that Alice painted, that I will be keeping.  My snow guage!

We got a lot of snow to be shoveled, then we got some more, and then some more. 

The same storm that crippled Texas did not pass us by, and buried us in a good 8-10 inches of snow!

I only had the energy to clear the sidewalk, I broke down and hired a service to clear the drives (for the first time since we've lived here.)  It was a lot of snow, all at once.

Emily, Grace and Juliet prepared a "romantic" Valentine's dinner for us.  We had salad, lasagna and chocolate cake!  It was a very nice meal, and the cutest wait staff ever!

To celebrate the Lunar New Year, we made "fancy" lollipop stick decorations, made a year of the Ox banner, and had a freezer dinner meal of sweet and sour chicken.  It was low key, and enjoyable and perfect!

We also picked up my car last Friday, after almost 6 months of waiting for the ABS light to be tended.  Our mechanic ended up buying a whole new software/hardware system just for my car. = /  But I'm so happy to have it back with no warning lights on the dash!!!

For science we mixed water, oil and syrup.  The oil separated very well, the syrup was not as quick to separate from the water. Possibly because, much to my chagrin, the syrup we used was maple.  I didn't know how much we would need or I would have purchased some cheap stuff! = (

Emily's friend brought her by a bag of goodies, and it was well received by this crew!

The weekend before Valentine's my mom offered us a date, so we went through the Biggby drive through, which has discontinued both of our holiday favorites already, and then to Walgreens for some drugstore chocolates.  I like Valentine's day almost 14 years in, spending time with my favorite person eating chocolate and drinking decaf* coffee.  

later days

*how are we going to sleep if we get the caffeinated type?

East Lansing for a Valentine's Day Celebration

My mom offered to watch our crew so that we could go overnight again.  We decided that the bed and breakfast we'd seen at the Jazz festival would be a good time.   Despite booking a month out, the room we wanted was occupied for Valentine's weekend proper, so we waited an extra week to get the room we wanted.

We arrived a little before check in, so we walked down to a very neat bookstore, that we'd visited on the BATYOT a few years ago, so that I could look for books for next year.  I found one, and several titles that I've already purchased, or that we used this year.  = )

When we went to check in, there were letters with guest names and instructions sitting on the table.  It had a very murder mystery feel, with no host. ; )

Our room was the safari room, and it was lovely.

Hallway.

Our room & bathroom.

Even a cute little balcony that would be perfect for morning coffee, if it weren't 10 below freezing and covered in snow.

We started the night at HopCat, because they had a nice beer menu that Billy was looking forward to, but we failed at selecting the correct location and looked at the Ann Arbor menu instead. = (  After trying one or two of the ones at this location, we moved to the Jolly Pumpkin.  It is definitely somewhere I want to go back to, though this trip didn't leave me with the best impression.  I think knowing what type of place they are now, I would go back and try something new. = )  We next went to a very typical college bar, the music was so loud we were shouting, and half of the playlist was from our own college days (20 years ago.)  We only lasted one drink, and then decided to go to "No Thai," a place that we saw on our walk to the bookstore, to settle whether or not they served Thai food.  They do and it is so good.  These two old people then called it a night and went back to our room.

The next morning I was up and waiting for breakfast to start (what?)  The breakfast was so good.  We then had time to kill in our room, and actually checked out before the end time!  Our next stop was a local coffee shop, but they were busy, and we had groceries to collect from two places!  

On the return trip to the car, we found some corporate art, and I just couldn't help myself!

Impressive icicles on a house across from the b&b.

It was a lovely trip, and my mom has generously offered another outing for our Anniversary next month, so we will go explore Ann Arbor in March!

later days

Potter Park Zoo

I don't know if the news story about the otter birthing triplets or just the deep seated desire to go somewhere finally overcame me, but we went to the zoo today!  It has been over a year since any of us had been to the zoo. But, today I decided that we would spend our "nature study" on a fieldtrip. = )

We picked up Avia on the way, had our choice of parking, and enjoyed a nearly empty walk around the zoo.  It was cold, but brilliantly sunny.

This bald eagle came quite close to us, and he looked like he wanted to fight!

The tiger was pacing in the snow.

There is a bat eared fox in the hole.  When we first approached he looked like he was admonishing us for disturbing his nap.  He settled in pretty fast once we were not feeding him.

Elks in the former moose exhibit!

Alice bemoaned going, and by the time we left, even she was glad that we had gotten out of the house and visited some animals. If we go when the weather isn't quite so cold, and a bigger crowd, it will be nice to already know how they have the zoo cordoned off.

later days

Lots of Snow and a Few Other Happenings

 Snow in the morning of 2-6. 

Snow in the morning of 2-5, after Emily stood the truck on the existing layer of snow the day before.  This was enough of a weather event that many of the schools in the area had a snow day.  Even the kids' designate district, who is 100% virtual still, had one! lol

Took down Billy's birthday banner, to make room for our Lunar New Year Banner.  It's the year of the ox.  I offered the letters up to people, so they could make up their own holidays:

Happy Brady Diddy Hat
or
A Paddy Had By Dry Pith
or
Thy Dab Dad A Dry Hippy

But for some reason, no one took me up on it?  So into the recycling they went.

Erin Elise sent me this adorable deal to adorn my tea cup!  The kids made up a tale about it as soon as they noticed.  Anything to avoid schoolwork....

As a Valentine's "gift" we got the kids new tablets.  It was quite the endeavor to replace them all at once.  Alice is still reconciling the change, but the other four were really excited.  I cleaned up their old ones and sold or gave them away.  = )  

They've all really enjoyed video chatting with their friends on their new tablets!

It is Paczki Season!  I bought two boxes from carl's when I saw them. Chocolate/cream and Powdered Sugar/Strawberry.  Both were really tasty!

Each time it snows, it seems that they build a new hill.  They've also added to this one several times, but there are multiple hills all over the yard.

Snow on 1-26

Juliet got a letter from her friend, Kennedy, she was super excited!

Grace's friend Zoey also moved into a new home.  We went out to deliver her a valentine and drop off a house warming gift.  They live a little further away now, so she will be in a new district.  Grace was very sad. = (  We will still try to get them together, once it is safe!

later days