i don't have any new pictures and nothing really to say, but i figured you were getting tired of that old post. so yes, this is a courtesy entry. mom and grandma flew home yesterday. we had a great visit, they made drapes and comforters and pillow shams and the boys' rooms look fabulous. we also hung the very cool wire thingy that bobbi gave josh for displaying his artwork. and i got drapes for my room and a new piece of art for above my bed and mom bought me a REAL set of knives for my birthday. stay tuned for the blog where you get to see blood and stitches. guaranteed. i can't wait to tackle my first watermelon.

otherwise, today is kinda crazy. trying to get all kinds of work things tied up before we leave at 3:30 for another hockey tournament. last weekend was fun, the team got smoked all three games but the swimming pool made up for it. i think half these kids play hockey so they can swim at the hotels :)

i guess that's enough courtesy for now. you all have a great weekend.

ok, peanut gallery, here you go. i'll start with these. it's still a work in progress, but you get the picture. i didn't want to post anything before my mom came to visit so she could see it all in person first. she's in an airplane now so i think we are safe! anyway, you can see the front dining room, into the entry and the living room and some of the kitchen. i also threw a shot of the boys' bathroom tile in there because the husband did such a fabulous job with it. i'll try to take some shots of the bedrooms and a better one of the living room and the dining area off the kitchen.

better get rolling, it's a busy day...wish bobbi and i luck on a big presentation. i hate committees! :)

a few quick things, just to let ya'll know i'm still alive.

1. ski trip was awesome. no pictures, sorry, but you've seen us all in our goggles and hats before.
2. i have serious olympic fever. i love hearing the stories of the athletes and their struggles and defeats and triumphs. it makes me feel so petty and kind of puts my reasons to whine to shame. also, commercials during the olympics are great.
3. it is funny to say, but i am so happy that temperatures were near 20 degrees today. it's been awhile. i missed the sun.
4. my mom and my grandma are coming on friday for nearly a week. for the first time EVER i have not prepared one thing. i don't even have a list going. i guess we're going to fly by the seat of our pants. i probably should go buy some wine, though.
5. the hound is in the middle of one of her bi-annual major sheds. the black fur is coming off in piles all over my new house. is it wrong to shave a labrador?
6. shamrock shakes are back at mcdonalds. that is a sure sign of spring. i am SO READY.
7. oh, and shamrock shakes are really good. go get one.
8. i've about reached my limits with P90X. just thinking about spending a full hour with tony makes me want to take up something, anything else. like snowshoeing?
9. yep. snowshoes.
10. in a nutshell, i have spring fever. i need out. i need sun. i need to run and bike and swim. sigh. this is the LONGEST winter ever.

i am packing the car full of ski boots and suitcases, mentally signing off from the rest of the world. hope you all enjoy your valentines weekend. i know i will :)

why oh why don't i ever break out my camera? cuz if i did, i would love to show you the fun we've been having out back on sunday afternoons. this past sunday, we ended up with about 20 kids and 8 adults skating on the pond hockey rink. we took sleds down and had our own "bar" with pre-superbowl beers, snacks and waters and the weather was just perfect. the husband has been a human zambonie, keeping the ice smooth with his auger and power hose along with lots of shoveling. it sure doesn't feel like lake ice down there. wish you could all come over.

otherwise, i've just been getting the itch for spring. i love that it's light out until after 6 pm now. i really am solar operated, you know. speaking of solar, on the way to school today, the sun was just trying to break through over the snow and there was a rainbow stretching across the lake. little j looked out his window and said, "God sure is a good artist."

that one is going to make me smile all day.

warning to people who are marking down what they eat and calculating the health benefits: stop reading now and go find something else to do. i do not want to cause you any pain. and mom, you will find this disgusting so go eat a can of beans or something.

ok, the rest of you sugar eaters (and hi bobbi i know you are there) i am making a pan of the most outrageously delicious popcorn bars for a hockey thing tomorrow night. i got the recipe from my friend sara and i'm sure she wouldn't mind that i pass it along. these things are not healthy, they have no protein, i doubt there is a vitamin in there--but i can eat a whole pan on my own if you let me.

without further ado, here is the whole gooey, chewy, sticky, ooey thing. and thank you sara. yum!

pop two bags of microwave popcorn. dump them in a 9 x 13 pan so the old maids go to the bottom, and then pick them out.

microwave 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/4 cup butter and 1 bag of marshmellows. about 90 seconds, keep checking and stirring. dump the popcorn and gooey stuff together and stir.add in M&M's, gummy worms and maybe some jujubees or something and mix it in. press into a 9 x 13 pan.

eat. be sure to brush your teeth before you go to bed. and maybe do a couple sit-ups.

yesterday was kind of a cool day. you know i had all these things on my "list" to do. but after church, i looked over at my mother-in-law and knew it was time to throw the list out the window--at least for the day. she's pretty much home-bound and can't handle the cold or the wind at all. she has not seen our new house because of it. but she made it to church so i figured maybe she could make it out here, too.

i invited her out for the day, along with all the other grandkids in the family and some uncles and aunts. we stopped at the store and i bought all kinds of food and drinks. we parked grandma right in the garage and helped her in the house, set her at the big table in front of the windows overlooking the ice rink and the sledding hill in our back yard. and she watched. and laughed. and watched. and we all had such a good time. there was a pretty competitive hockey game going on, and she got to see how well her littlest grandkid (jaxon) can skate...she's never seen him, and he's a hoot. she got to watch all the kids fly down the sledding hill, jump the bank and fly out on the frozen ice for about 100 yards. i had no idea we had such an awesome sledding hill out there...i can't wait to try it myself. the kids had a blast, but mostly, grandma had a blast being part of it.

we even drank some of rani's homemade wine :)

as an added bonus, i did end up getting the garage cleaned and the basement organized, played some volleyball and got my P90 in. he he. once a list maker, always a list maker...