The Mountains

A week away in the snow.  Good food.  Beautiful views.  Good company.  Skiing for the first time with my daughter.  Skiing for the first time in about 20 years.  Back to the place I vacationed as a kid.  Though I have no picture of the house we stayed in I did manage to take one of the cabin we built back in the 70's.  Little run down but still standing and adorned with lights.  Mt. Rose and Tinker's Knob in all their glory.   Showing off the luminous alpine glow.  

Happy Birthday to Eli

 Happy birthday dear Eli!  Eli's birthday was on a Friday this year so we had the afternoon off which was a treat.  Down to the Boardwalk we stole which was an impromptu birthday treat.  We had a round of golf.  Then, I had to show Eli the game that Charles showed me when him and Nate were about 11.  These ice hockey players are actually wearing knitted sweaters.  I kid you not.  I love that.  Eli then moved to a more fast paced racing game.  We strolled back to go out to dinner and home for presents and talks on the phone.  Then gearing up for the big party here tomorrow. 

St. Valentines

Our valentines went across the country this year and up to the city.  Takes a little planing when they have to travel distances. I also bought wooden hearts for the day care this year.  They hung them up with satin ribbon.  I think the biggest hit though was the sugar cookies we made and decorated.  Such sweetness!  I made sure everybody saved at least a few to take home. 

Low Tide

How great it is to study a subject that you can go out and actually explore with all your senses.  When you can bring all that you've read and learned about to light.  My favorite days in school are when we are out.  Out and about exploring places.  Here we listened to the docent, walked a silent walk through the woods, explored the tide pools, pulled poison hemlock and sketched the shoreline. 

Painted White

There we go.  Still curtains to be made.  But she likes her shelf.  These baskets hold all that a desk would and more. Some crammed with make up and some filled with books.  The pink in her room has been replaced with this green and blue.   I painted this shelf with the same paint I used to paint her dress when she was four.  Though you can't see the name of it anymore on the can I remember it, Wedding Dress White.  I like that name.  With a little stirring it was as good as new.    

Shelf Made

For some reason desks are out.  At least with my 14 year old daughter.  So are dressers.  Obsolete.  Okay.  It's true, she does do her homework on her bed and the dresser is a bit big for her small room.  She has a really small room, though it's her own and the first one of her own, ever.  So small or not it's hers.  However, she doesn't want a big, bulky desk or dresser so we are streamlining on a very streamlined budget.  Hanging foldy cubes for the dresser and storage baskets instead of the big desk.

When we were looking at the shelf to hold these baskets it wasn't the price that stopped me but the quality.  Streamlined budget or not I bet we could make these out of real wood for less that the pre-made particle board.  And that's what I did.  With a little help from the lumber yard.  They are very patient with novices such as myself.