Lol, my cat hates the cold weather too, so he's been spending most of his time in front of the TV !

We were just laughing and wondering why the weather person needed to suffer in the cold and snow. A camera view of the outdoors does fine, or better yet, I can look out my own window. I guess once one reporter braves the outside, they all follow.
So i hope everyone stays dry and warm and has a wonderful 2014.
Laura

Here's my photo of the day...the line at our waffle business at a ski mountain in NH. Finally after months and months we can actually put money in the bank! The snowy weather is at least good for something.

The greatest news is that my oldest friend has rented a ski house nearby and I will actually get to spend some time with her this winter.

Beth P.

I hate to be so ignorant, but what the heck . . . what's a waffle business?

LIttlebug, we sell Belgian waffles at a ski resort. It's like street food..they are cooked with pearl sugar inside, so they are sweet. We sell them either plain or with chocolate drizzled on top. Our best customers are 12 year old boys and hungover 21-year-olds. :)

Beth P.

So you eat them like a piece of toast, not on a plate with syrup and piled with fruit, etc? Obviously, I'm a flatlander and have never been skiing. :)

Exactly! They are sweet, the chocolate is a Belgian Melting chocolate and it sort of hardens in the cold.

Beth they sound yummy. I can see why the line is out the door!

Last night we had a party...our post holiday decompression session. Despite the risky weather with freezing rain, everyone showed up and we all had such a great time. I made Strombolis which went like mad, as did my crock pot kielbasa and mushroom tartlets. I had to make a second batch of punch it was so popular. And everyone brought something so we have acres of food, despite my best efforts to get people to take stuff home. One neighbor brought a pear cake that someone made still warm from the oven, another brought a cheese fondue. We had hot wing dip, hot crab dip, home made bruschetta, and tons of home made cookies. I'm going to have to get DH to bring some to the gym...otherwise I will eat them all for sure. Then I went downstairs with the children who had great fun in the exercise room....they were using the weight bench, running on the treadmill and trying to figure out how to Nordic trak. The conversation level was high, which is always a good sign, so I think a good time was had by all. I overheard several people commenting on how nice the house looked and how well designed it was for parties. Made me smile inside. After all, what's the purpose of building and decorating our houses if not to share it with others? It's the people inside that make it a home....

Now is the 12th day of Xmas, the decorations can come down and the house go back to normal.

Sorry I was too busy hostessing to take any pics of the festivities...

Bethpen what a great choice in a business..
Waffles can go in so many directions.
I don't know if you are year round there
but waffles are always a year-round treat.
Best wishes on your "busy" business !

Thank you forboystoo, so far so good! Relying on the weather is a little risky, but so far, so good. It was nice to put some money IN the bank yesterday.

Eventually we will retire to NH and that will be a nice thing to keep us busy.

Beth, I love waffles!

I agree Annie, you have a beautiful home and it's nice of you to share it with others. Nice too that you didn't compete with other parties that happen this time of the year.

We are having our work holiday party this week. Our schedule was too hectic to have one before Christmas. I think we will all appreciate it more this week.

Who me?

My cat Pretty decided to go under my old gas stove awhile ago. I heard a bunch of commotion under there and clanging of metal. Then all got quiet for a long time. Finally I thought I'd better see what she was up to and if she really did climb up into the stove like I imagined. Yep. I lifted the burner grill and pan off and there sat a little white butt. I grabbed her, turned her around, and by the scruff of the neck squeezed her up between the burners and out. I know she must have sensed a mouse in the stove because I found evidence this morning on the shelf above the stove. ugh. It's the first time I've noticed mice in the house for a long time. So I set a trap - but not where a curious cat can find it. :) I was trying to photograph the dirt smudges on her fur but they didn't show up very well.

Good Kitty! for trying to get the mouse. Glad she didn't run into the pilot light.

Good thing I decided to check before I lit a burner. (no pilot light thank goodness - for her sake). In fact now I'll be paranoid EVERY time I go to light the burner. : )

Well since there's a kitty trend going on here, I feel compelled to participate, LOL! Little Kitty brought home a bird the other day, unbeknownst to us, as she was hiding in the bushes with it. But Babycat knew immediately somehow, ran over and wrangled the bird away from her, and then had the nerve to prance to the back door with it in mouth, in his usual "Look at me, look at me, look at ME" manner...

So much fun today...my cousin came over with his favorite model to use my house as a backdrop for his photography. This is the gal who came over (this pic not from today, of course) and let me tell you...the camera doesn't begin to capture her beauty. She's quite a stunner with the most amazing eyes.

{{!gwi}}

Of the photos he's shown me so far, this is by far my very favorite. The lace we used to create the shadows was the same lace I used to make the bridal veil.

{{!gwi}}
Photographer: Kevin Stiles
Model: Melantha Cassytha

How I'm spending my afternoon:

My helper:

Love your helper, schoolhouse!

She needs a bath. She likes to prowl around in the mud and snow.

Last weekend I went to our beach house in RI to "check on the house" aka get a break after a few very stressful weeks. I walked on the beach and was all alone except for this little guy.

We have a huge roll off dumpster in the side drive, and the basement remodel is well underway. Contractor is also going to do the repairs from our frozen pipe flood. It's an unholy mess downstairs. I am trying not to go down there. Final price tag on the brick floor is $22 per square foot. I just hope we love it, but a little bit nervous at this point.

Oh, and can you see the creek flooding in the background? All it does here is rain! DS can't even get through with a Polaris to pick up the fallen limbs from all the wind. Our burn pile from the last 30 days is now approximately 16ft x 10ft, just waiting for it to dry out enough to light. . Good times in the country.....sometimes I feel like Zsa Zsa Gabor in Green Acres, without the pigs.

Southern Maine Sunday AM 1/19/14 - Sticky Snow on everything!

kswl, for $22 sq ft, you will love it! Yikes!

Love seeing everyone's photos.

I bought a tagine from Williams-Sonoma, so I made a recipe out of a cookbook DH bought me "Tagines & Couscous" as part of my Christmas present. Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Olives.

Really turned out great!

Yes, Annoe, I will either love it or move! Omg, am I insane?

On a happier note, my DD moved into a loft apt that has the same square footage as her previous place (and is I. The same bldg) but layout is completely odd. She did not have room for both of the fabulous chairs from my3dogs, so I have, ahem, appropriated one for our basement reno. Can't you just see it, mythree, on a brick floor??? Very excited about this part. And yes, we know that every leg of every single stick of furniture will have to be shimmed so they don't rock on the lovely, handmade brick floor....

This post was edited by kswl on Sun, Jan 19, 14 at 9:14

Yes! I can see those chairs on a brick floor, but photos will be very welcomed, of the whole area once it gets done. I know there are many of us who can't wait to see it.

wow, these pics are all so great! love the kitties, the model (is she wearing . . . a sheet?), the creek flooding pic (thought that was a river in the background).

Here's a pic of the in-construction progress of my screened porch. Almost done! the screens and interior finishing are still needed. Paint color is off though and will need to be fixed.

My3, your icy Maine photos are making me shiver! How do you coax your dogs outside on days like this? I have one who is so reluctant to get his prissy pads wet that he has to be carried outside.

They are drying in the ceiling right now. The basic elements of the area will be brick floor, hardiplank siding on exterior wall (painted of course), current divided light French door switched for single pane, and --- wait for it--- a pool table no one will let me give away! It is modern looking oak that I will have re-felted (either in chocolate brown or brick red) once we get the other colors in place. The built in media cab in corner is going to be reworked to accommodate a 52" flat screen hanging in front of it (instead of inside it as a smaller screen is now). We are going to order a sofa and two club chairs from Wesley hall, I think (trying to save a bit there) and two daybeds in the front room with black and white ticking mattress/cushions. The only furniture we actually HAVE is your chair! Now all I need is wall color, two humongous rugs, artwork, and a brain transplant.

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This post was edited by jstell2008 on Sun, Jan 19, 14 at 19:15

Here is my 93 year old MIL and her sister getting a lesson in how to use the ipad mini that we just bought for them. Neither has ever used a computer before or been on the Internet. They are both excited to enter this phase of the technology world and are catching on fairly quickly.

My MIL is a sweet lady who never says an unkind thing. She reported that the other day, the iPad started talking to her. (She hadn't had her Siri lesson yet, so she didn't know what was happening). She said she got a little frustrated and exclaimed "oh this damm thing". Siri promptly reprimanded her for using bad language. Needless to say we are still laughing about that.

Badgergal - I truly laughed out loud! Good for you and good for your MIL. Last year, when my FIL said he wanted to get a new computer and asked my opinion, I steered him to the latest MAC. He never calls any more with tech support issues...:) We gave him my IPAD and set up a wireless network for him this Christmas and he loves it.

Rain last week and then more snow (a surprise) last night and today. We haven't seen the sun in a while....

Love seeing the wet and Snowy pics. We are parched here in Ca. Getting scary. Kswl: " all it does here is rain ". I am drooling at the sight . Feast or famine, for sure! My3 dogs, the pic of snow laden branches is frame worthy. I adore your property!
Oldbat2br, very evocative scene of winter from inside your lovely room. Sigh. At least we are back down in the 70's now. Picked the last of the roses before cutting back.

Martinca, unfair! Your grass really IS greener!

What a wonderful feeling it must be to walk into that room with that view oldbat. Love it.

M3D, I'm coming to your house!

This is what we've been doing during this cold winter. Some of you may recall the beginnings of the greenhouse my DH and DS built over the summer.

It's nice to have our own lettuce and tomatoes for a salad!

The plants on the floor to the left is tobacco. lol. DS likes to have the occassional pipe and cigar so he decided to experiment.

The flowers on the ground lining the walls are wildflowers.

Just about every flower and veggie was grown from seed.

All three of my dogs love the snow! Even Sam, who will turn 14 in April, gets excited and goes out and lays in it, even in sub-zero temps, scaring the heck out of me. All three of them are lying on their favorite blankets right now, so they enjoy both cold and cozy.

Oak, I'll trade you the -11 below temps coming Wednesday for that greenhouse! To be able to pick my own salad this time of year would be fabulous.

oaklyok--I

Oh gosh, winter cabin fever must be setting in. These pictures are making my senses fire up, like I've seen too much of my own gray environment. All your pictures of different environs, or flowers, or colorful or sunny scenes are sending a jolt of good feelings through me: Slice of Life's version of electroshock therapy for winter blahs! (Although I've learned to enjoy winter's delicate light and coloring a lot...)

Oakley, you could do a nice business right now selling tickets to tour your greenhouse paradise to snowbound Gardenwebbers. I have my credit card ready!

martinca, those fabulous roses in the sparkling crystal pitcher in the sunny window...ohhhhhhh! That's as good as an hour under a sun lamp :)

me3dogs, I love that 4th picture, the stream in the snowy woods.

kswl, I'm laughing at your picture of the bucolic stream & woods, the elegant brick & iron fence...and the dumpster.

I wish I could capture a pic to post - I'll keep trying. In the Spring I put out a hanging suet feeder, sans suet, and stuff it full of cat hair that the birds use to line their nests. It's great fun to see them fly off with beaks full of fur.

I forgot to take it in last fall and this morning an Anna's Hummingbird was gleaning the fur for her nest. In JANUARY! In Olympia! It's 40 degrees out (I know that's warm to many of you right now) and it will be down to freezing tonight. Just seems a bit early to me, but at least her babies will be toasty in their kitty fur bed.

I have to give most of the credit to my DH and DS for growing everything.

M3D, we're beginning to get part of the new Vortex this week, but no snow, darnit!

I'd really like my state to legalize pot so I could make some good money. heh.

Bad news: my ski boot exploded on Saturday. Good news: I bought beautiful, sexy new boots that made me the happiest girl on the hill!

While I was working on my punch list, DH was busy baking...made orange cranberry muffins and graham crackers. The house smells delicious!

Meanwhile, the budgies started loading up on seed and suet as the snow started falling...poor things are in for some rough weather.

gsciencechick, I too received a tagine for Christmas AND I made the chicken with preserved lemons and olives!!! Too funny. My tagine looks almost identical to yours. The chicken was wonderfully tender and moist and the spices are TDF.

I really like the winter snow pictures! I love winter, especially after a snow.

Diane in Colorado

Mid January in the Black Hills of SD. It was in the 50's yesterday and I took this picture of two iris bulbs already coming up. I planted them last fall. They are a little hard to see, but they are at the bottom of the picture. And, you can see catnip beginning to grow at the top of the picture. It is supposed to be about 50 again today. Can't complain about those temps in January.........

Kitty paws.

Cold weather here in VA too, but we have been getting some great sunsets.

Did you know that birds can count???

Every morning, it takes me 2 trips to put the bird food out. The birds wait for me, but when I show up, they take off. When I come out for the 2nd time, still no birds.

But the other morning, I had to come out for an unexpected 3rd time and the place was full of birds. Of course, they took off when I went out. But it's clear to me, they can count... at least to 2!