P.........resenting: NICO

Just in time for Valentine's Day, I noticed these darling pear "love" pincushions. Nico Designs at http://NicoDesigns.etsy.com has this set for sale as well as other unique home decor items. These even ship for free! They can double as ornaments as they have a hanging loop ribbon as well. Her shop also features other original, one of a kind items for your home and several art dolls, each of which has her own story to tell. Please take a moment to check out this etsy shop. Nico has been one of my favorite shops, dating back to the time that I first became a member of the Etsy Bloggers Team.

F.........inally Finished!

Winter is a perfect time for crafting here in Wisconsin, and this year is better than ever because our new kitchen, which includes a craft area for me, was finished on January 14, exactly three months from the day they began to dig for the addition. When one of the bloggers' carnivals asked about our winter past times, I could not resist showing off the new area. The east wall of the new room is designed to give me lots of space for card making, packaging and storing completed projects, as well as some supplies. It even doubles as a bookkeeping area for David! Already, it is a great blessing for us.

The first picture shows that wonderful new area and the second and third photos show more of the whole kitchen area. The entire back wall of the house, which ended right where the island is now, was removed and even though the addition is only about 175 square feet, the entire ground floor of the house seems so much larger and brighter. Even the cats enjoy their perch in front of a sunny, south window.

The old, tiny kitchen is now a powder room, hallway and laundry area. It is certainly the best kitchen I have ever had and I am so grateful for it. If anyone is in the area, please pop over to see us.
There probably will be more fresh baked goods than ever, and the coffee pot is always on!

R....aisin Bran Morning

"Wake up, honey; it's a Raisin Bran Morning!" I groan; not because I've been wakened from a sound sleep, not because it's 5:45 am, not even because I can hear the north wind howling, but because "Raisin Bran" is a code, a code that means, "We've had so much snow that to get down to pavement, you will need to take at least 'two scoops' with the shovel!"

So I grudgingly force myself to leave the soft, warm comforter and splash my face with cold water to prepare myself for the first task of the day...getting dressed. Complete with long underwear, heavy socks, heavy jeans and sweatshirt, I waddle down the stairs, a la The Michelin Man. There I add boots, an extra heavy jacket, my warmest hat (the one that makes me look like a character out of the pages of a Dr. Seuss book), tie a scarf around it and my neck, and pull on my warmest mittens. All set! Oops, you guessed it; I have to go to the bathroom! So almost everything has to come off and then be re donned for the occasion.

Now it's dawn and out I go with my handy, dandy shovel to do my part of the daunting task: the front porch and walk. Meanwhile, my dear husband, who was responsible for reveille this morning, is already hard at work on the back porch with his shovel, and then the long driveway with his snowblower. About an hour later, we're both back in the house ready for a huge breakfast and a nap. That's right, our "two scoop" morning, has turned into a two nap day! Isn't retirement in Wisconsin wonderful?