OMG - MEE TOOOOOO! I want out....in the worst way! DH got the tractor out today and cleared our driveway so I'm going to work tomorrow come...well,you know. =)

I've baked, vaccuumed, done laundry to the point of washing sheets that were just changed, done my nails, plotted on the garden, spent too much time on-line shopping for a greenhouse and garden fencing, caught up reading "joke" e-mails, dusted....and I'm sure more but I won't add to the boredom.

Anyone else done anything out of the ordinary? I'm making a list of things to do the next time this happens...because it looks like it may....

Paula

Three days stuck in the house with 6 kids. I wouldn't mind being bored for a day. Today was "back away from the edge of insanity" day since we finally went out for pizza this afternoon.

I've been sewing my brains out! I also made the most perfect batch of pitas known to mankind, thankyouverymuch.

Diane

I was bored most of the day and spent a lot of time on garden planning, looking at seed catalogs and websites, etc. I let dogs out into the mud and muck of the yard. I let them in. I let cats out. I let cats in. I was nothing more than a glorified doorman (doorperson?) for the 4-legged beasts today and not one of them tipped me for my service. At least the chickens give us eggs.

Late this afternoon we went to Wal-Mart for a few items (none of which were absolutely essential). It was more of a "I'm bored let's go somewhere" type of trip to the store. I did notice that someone in Ardmore has already murdered all the crepe myrtles around Taco Bueno. Poor things. They have been viciously hacked back....and way too early!

Our roads have been mostly ice-free since Saturday morning, but remember that most of our precip was rain followed by only a few hours of sleet, freezing rain and snow. The freezing fog today was so thick it looked like snow fall.

If you haven't read it yet, find today's thread about Power Plant Snow in Bethany. I started telling my DIL about it and she said that phenomenon must be the explanation for today's snow at D-FW Airport while DS was at work there. I suppose it probably was---the airport has two separate power plants.

And, y'all need to make a list of things to do to stay busy 'next time' because there will be a next time, you know. Rain and snow are in the forecast for Wed-Thurs, although it sounds like if any snow falls it will be over a fairly small portion of OK, probably NW OK.

Hurry and book your cruises for February now. The long-range forecast models are hinting at a major winter weather event around Feb. 10th or so, give or take a couple of days. The models are giving some bizarre icing data....and I hope they are wrong. (Most likely they are....models this far out are not highly reliable.) Also, the storm 'may' stay in the northeastern CONUS, and let's just hope it does.

Diane, hurry up and sew those brains back into your head before you lose them. Oh, and congratulations on making the most perfect batch of pitas known to mankind. Are the perfect pitas going to be on your next blog entry?

Dawn

I swept the floors and mopped the kitchen twice!! Not that it needed it, but the kids walked thru when it was still wet so I mopped again. I tried to get caught up with laundry. Went around to all the windows checking the moisture and making sure there was no mold or mildew. Low and behold there was in my bedroom. So hubby and I got the caulk out and re-caulked around the windows. He caulked and I did the wipe-off. Then I did the usual dishes and made some chocolate chip ice cream for my little baby doll who's 4. I looked outside at my garden spot everytime I was at the sink, dreaming of what all I will have this year. Oh, and I checked my wintersown container to make sure it was still there.

Diane,
I have wanted to try to make pitas but haven't tried yet. Are they hard to make? I would love to try your recipe if you're willing to share!!

Anyway, will start again in the morning making bread for the freezer and thinking about making some cinnamon rolls also. Those are always so good heated up with some butter for breakfast. I think I'm going to make some pizza crusts for the freezer also. It is such a big help to have things stocked in the freezer, but thing is I don't always get it replenished in a reasonable time.

Can't wait to get back outside!!

I am surprised to see no knitting or crocheting on here....no reading! I read most of the day. I did clean our bathroom on hands and knees and vacuumed. I can read for days.

Maybe it's an age thing or an empty nester syndrome thing. Just the two of us.

I almost baked bread.....again, but restrained myself. My first thought always is to cook but I didn't. I did make a pizza from dough begun the day before.

I kill a lot of time on the internet. What on earth did we do before it happened along.

Here is a list of things I should have done:

Organize the pantry
Organize the back porch freezer
Clean out my desk drawers (a must do)
Do and h&K (hands and knees) on the kitchen floor. Why is it always dirty?
Ditto back porch floor (snow puddles have dried a dirty brown on it)

I'm tired now.

glenda

Melissa,

Do you mean to tell me that no one is supposed to walk on the floor while it is wet? I wish someone would tell all the people and animals here not to walk on the wet floor because they do it here unless I'm standing at the door to the kitchen telling them they can't go in there (and the cats don't take instruction well). I'll mop the floor this morning after the cats and dogs have gone outside but then I'll need to mop it again tonight after they all come in with muddy paws.

I was outside a lot yesterday and you're not missing anything. It is muddy, snowy, icy, wet and cold. Might as well be inside. : )

Glenda,

I can't knit and haven't crocheted in years. I used to do a lot of counted cross-stitch but it is hard to do with a cat sitting practically on top of you trying to grab the needle and thread with every stitch you make.

I spend a lot of time on the internet too, especially in bad weather. DH is a law enforcement officer and works 12 hour shifts....from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m., so I have to be quiet while he is sleeping during the day which limits what I can do in terms of housework. I wonder if I could get him to wear earplugs while he slept so I could vacuum and do other noisy things without worrying about waking him up? His schedule sounds worse than it is---he works 3 days one week and 4 days the next week so I only have to be quiet half of each week. LOL

I have a long list of things I need to do including cleaning out closets and drawers. I might get at least one closet cleaned out and reorganized later this week. Still I'd rather be outside working on my yard and garden 'to do' list.

The entire back porch floor does need attention but there isn't much point in mopping it until the mud and mess dry up a little. It is a screened-in back porch and we park behind the house and come and go through that back porch all the time. I don't know why we even bothered putting a front door on the house. All our friends come to the back door, so the front door is only used by strangers and salesmen.

Forget self-cleaning ovens....what I want is a self-cleaning floor.

Dawn

I love the do lists from everyone. Mine was strictly the Sunday list.

Saturday I knitted. Yes, I am a knitter too. I am working on a gorgeous pair of socks. The first one is finished. :)

I am planning on a short escape later today. Some time, mid afternoon, before the after work rush starts should be a good time. Seems like we are about out of milk. I will use that as a reason. LOL

There really isn't any place left to remove snow from....

Moni

I'm bored too. Does sewing cloth diapers for my sister in law count as something unusual? LOL

Mandy

I'm going to do one more batch of pitas as an experiment, then I'll get the recipe posted. The perfect batch was 50% white flour, 50% whole wheat and the next batch will be 100% whole wheat. I'll do it some day this week and post it to my blog & Modern Roots.

I'm a knitter & crocheter, too, but it comes and goes in spurts. My wonderful new sister-in-law sent me a most gorgeous knitting book last fall and I simply must do at least one of the projects in it this year. I'm not as good at knitting as I am at crochet but I love the finished look so much more.

Hey, you know, I just don't have enough hobbies. I need to take up a few more!

Diane

I got several little dresses made during this bad weather and have several more nearing completion. I would rather sew that clean house. In fact, house keeping is low on my list. We still have lots of snow and very muddy ground where it is melting now.

Diane,
just wondering, do you think I could teach myself to knit or crochet? I know the basic of crocheting from a long time ago, but never went any further. I never had anyone to show me the rest of the way. I would love to crochet or knit things for my girls.

Also, will be looking and waiting for your recipe!

Carol,
my 4 yr old dtr wants a "princess" dress!! So, I told her that I would make her one once I was able to get some material. What kind of material do you think would be best for an easy-on/easy-off, play dress? I want to be able to sew some sparklies on for her. I really want it to be special for her!!!

If you can wait a little while I will go through my stuff. I probably have just what you need.

You bet you can reach yourself both knit & crochet. My grandma taught me when I was a girl but then we moved away and I forgot it all. I had to reteach myself -- and am still learning. I'm really bad at reading patterns as I don't know the official terms for most things so I usually just dream things up in my head and make it up & adjust as I go.

I've linked a terrific knitting site below that has wonderful instructions. There's one for crochet, too, but I'm not finding it at the moment.

Diane

Here is a link that might be useful: knitting help

Wow, all of you guys are good with your hands and very creative! Whew - not me. My sister is the one that does all kinds of craft stuff, like soap making, sewing, and things that require a mitre saw, and now that new cricut thing they advertise on tv.

I do try to do some crafty things with my GD, but if she's not here, forget it.

I used to do some gorgeous macrame plant hangars and wall hangings back in the 70s, and gave all of them away as gifts, so have nothing to show for my talent. Maybe I should get back into that???? Nawwwwww.

I used to write a lot, having worked in television in the past as a copywriter, but went by the wayside, too. Did so much writing in my position as a Paralegal, memoranda and all, that I kinda burned myself out on writing.

Gotta think up something for Kenna and I to do for her science project at school. Anyone got any ideas other than the traditional volcano and solar system?

Susan - sitting here twiddling her awkward thumbs

Susan,

It's too bad the science fair project isn't in the late spring or summer because then y'all could do something with butterflies, moths or cats.

I've linked a page with oodles of ideas for science fair projects...maybe you will find some sort of inspiration there.

I kind of like the idea of starting some easy seedlings and feeding them different plant foods....or feeding one plant food and the other only water.....or feeding one an organic fertilizer and the other one a non-organic one and measuring growth. Or, y'all could raise some seedings in windowsill light only (good luck keeping the cats off that windowsill so they can't knock the plants off) and other seedlings under supplemental light and measuring plant growth to see which light produces the best seedlings.

Of course, since plants can die in the middle of a science fair project, you'd need to have multiple plants growing and being used so if a plant or two died, y'all have enough to carry on the experiment.

Anyway, the linked page has many suggestions and if nothing there is particularly appealing, if you google science fair project ideas you'll get a lot more pages of more ideas.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Science Fair Project Ideas

I have been knitting for EONS. :) Learned it in third grade.

Send me an email on where you live, maybe we can get together?

Moni

Here is a link that might be useful: some of my knitting projects

Moni, you do beautiful work!! I want to be you when I grow up.

Susan, my kids' favorite science project to date, hands down, is making a taser. It's made with just a small battery so it's not like a real taser that'll really hurt someone. Although it does zap a bit and I had fun watching them (lightly) hurt themselves repeatedly just for fun. LOL

Diane

Moni, You're a master. Your work is beautiful but I couldn't help but notice that you give most of it away. That made me laugh a little, because I can sew anything, but I have no clothes. LOL

I hate hand work and even sew buttons on using the machine whenever possible. I took a knitting class once many years ago which was taught on my luch hour. I could do it, but I hated it.

I don't really like crafts either but did a lot of them with my children.

Susan - Have you done hats on a loom with your granddaughter. They have round looms at WM for around $12 (a little more at the hobby store) a package which has four sizes in it. You can make everything from baby hats to large adult hats. It is a knitted hat when you finish, but the construction method is like making those little woven pot holders that everyone made as a child. It's fun to use different size yarn and different colors and is a project they can do by themselves after they have a little adult lesson or two. I have a set and bought a set for one of my granddaughters that likes crafts. She can do about anything and is now quilting. It is a good project for left over yarn, and it seems like the "real" knitters always have a little left over from their projects.....so if you know a knitter...wa-la.

I went through a stage of doing those one year. I think it was the year of the broken foot. LOL Anyway, my husband wanted one for working outside, my daughter wanted one that looked dressy that she could wear while she was doing open houses where the heat wasn't on, my granddaughter wanted a trendy bright one, and my grandson wanted one with school colors. You can do one in a few hours, so you can make lots. Good easy project. I started them because we were doing them for a hospital project. I even made one with OSU colors and bought a little emblem to sew on the front for my husband. He got his masters at OSU and really liked the hat.