Creative Pursuits

I lost track of how many snow days / cold days / blizzard days  we've had.  Right now it's snowing again, we probably have 3-4 feet of drifting snow on the ground, and the wind is blowing hard enough for white-out conditions.  What better thing to do than get creative at home?

First, let's start with a New Year's Wish!  I don't think we did that yet...and it's almost February, for pete's sake!  Happy 2014!

Ah yes, the classic blanket fort.  Complete with all of our kitchen chairs, stools, and every nearly every blanket and sheet in our linen closet.  I now know why my mom HATED when we made forts!!

 But come on in, Mom, and see how much room is in here!!

 See, we even have a corner for you to relax in.  (before you help us fold and put away every one of these blankets in a few days)

In this corner, we have the Lego Builders.  Cy worked on a stadium bigger than any other he's made before.......

It's pretty cool, isn't it? Look at the working light in the upper grandstand...

 And the big screen...

 Aerial view from the Goodyear Blimp (actually, that is not an inaccurate description of me right about now, with winter baking, overeating, foot injuries, less exercising, & less sleeping).

Everybody and his brother is at this Super Bowl game.  Batman, Yoda, Jar Jar Binks, Construction Worker, Indiana Jones, Spongebob, Sandy Cheeks, you name it - they're here!  Even Rudy :)

In the kitchen, we have the bookends working on Wynne's diarama project for school.  This was a family project, so several of us pitched in to help Wynne learn and recreate...

the TUNDRA!  See, this is why you keep every single shoebox, friends.  You never know when you'll need a home for miniature musk ox, polar bears, and caribou.  You just never know!

I'll have to get a photo of Mark's latest project, too.  (woodworking) Plus the twins have been creating books for a literary contest (Young Author retreat).  I think it just goes to show you that we are all created to CREATE!  Our Creator likes it! ;)

Moreover, there are many workmen with you, stonecutters and masons of stone and carpenters, and all men who are skillful in every kind of work. Of the gold, the silver and the bronze and the iron there is no limit. Arise and work, and may the LORD be with you.--1 Chronicles 22:15-16

Snowin & Blowin Up Bushels of Fun

*** This month we've had SNOW and lots of it. !! ***

We grown-ups complain about driving in it and pushing it around, but once in a while, it's great to get outside and play in it.  Wynne had her friend Aubrey over a few weekends ago, and they enjoyed the hill by our garage.

 Later that day, Aubrey went home and we bundled up for the bigger hills in Platteville.  We started out at the Union Street park......

Shae trying out our new innertube sled...bouncy, comfy, and fast!

The little green Rubbermaid sled has been in our family since Ally was a baby.  It still gets travels at pretty good speed, even for bigger bodies!

all 5 of the tids

  ...apparently, the hill wasn't fast enough for some.  So we made our way over to ...

 "Killer Hill"....at the University. Site of many wipe-outs, tales of terror, etc.... As a mother, I am always apprehensive about sledding on this hill.

 But no one else was there, the temperature was perfect, and the slopes were calling.  I took a few trips down myself!  It WAS fun.

 I snapped this photo about halfway down the enormous hill, at a point where my sled had slowed to a halt.  I took it all in, prayed that I wouldn't run into the trees or sign down bottom right, and shimmied my way down the to the parking lot.  (nobody uses this parking lot much, due to the fact that this is a remote park and the university was not in session yet)

 You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.--Isaiah 55:12

South Dakota Day 3, Part 2: Lunch & Crazy Horse

(From Guest Blogger Shae.......):  After we visited Mount Rushmore, we drove a few miles to eat a picnic lunch.  

                                     The Black Hills were so beautiful and tall and especially . . .

                                                                Fun to climb!

But, although they were fun to climb Mom had a little trouble on the steep parts.

                                As you can probably see the hills were really high up in the sky.

There were some bumps and cracks that were hard to climb through but we still made it to the top,

                             After that little trip of climbing we settled down and had some lunch.

After a 45 min trip in the car we made it to Crazy Horse.

It was amazing how big it was!

                                              The museum was pretty good too.

                                        Here's a picture of one of the Native American drawings.

This is what Crazy Horse is supposed to look like after it's done.

                                 That's their plan for when they build a Native American college.

Korczak Ziolklowski was the one who started carving Crazy horse and did many of the sculptures in the museum.

                                               We all had a little fun while we were there too.

                                       Everyone got a souvenir made from the Native Americans.

This is what Crazy Horse looked like but we don't know for sure