Science Fair

Last we the kids had their school science fairs.  Olivia's was Tuesday and Joseph's was Wednesday.  This was Olivia's first year participating.  She was so excited!!

Her project included a taste test of different waters.  Our town's tap water came in first place in a taste test.  The town's DPW manager happened to be there that night and he was proud our water did so well.  Here he is, clearly impressed by the result:

Explaining  her project to the "judges."

This is Joseph's project.

He was so proud of it!

Here he is explaining his project to the Assistant Principal using clay models.

Everyone got medals.  

If you can't beat the snow, join in...

New England is the place to be if you must deal with snow.  

Dog sledding (twice!) and snow tubing have been two favorites this year.

Yesterday

Instead of cleaning up my kitchen and running the dishwasher, yesterday morning, we headed outside so the kids could dig a fort in the snow.  For about an hour.  It was ICE-COLD out there.

Totally oblivious to the snow plow behind them.  Actually, they had already watched him from a while.    Turns out, they knew the guy plowing.  He plows their school too, and mows the school fields.  Townies.

Then instead of doing the mountains of laundry that really needed to get done, we had lunch at Friendly's.  It's their "favorite restaurant."  I hope they change their minds about that some day.

bean bag toss, it will be in the Olympics one day

You can only take so much snow.  They played outside in the snow for a llllooooonnnggg time today.  Joseph even rode his bike at the end of the street.

Time for something different.  Bean Bag Toss.  It's a competitive sport.

Oh, What a pie can do...

Remember this pie?

Well, guess who stopped by Saturday while we were shoveling and clearing off our cars full of snow?

Oh YES SHE DID!!  She offered to help clear off the car!  

New beginnings....amazing things because of a blueberry pie.

(oh, yeah, she did return the pie plate about a week ago).

This is the shape the red car was in when she came over (I had already done my car) and offered to help, and she did help!!!:

My newest, most prized possession:

Meet my new coffee press:  

Bring on the power-outage and blocked roads during a cold blizzard.  I'll be ready this time.

***File this under things to grab in a fire:
husband and kids
coffee press
car keys

EVERYTHING ELSE is replaceable!!!!!

Blizzard 2013, Some of our Weekend:

This is where we spent our time indoors from Saturday morning to Sunday night.  The only room that wasn't freezing.

Saturday morning Peter made hot chocolate for the kids and tea for us.  (Going to buy a coffee press TODAY because I refuse to be without coffee during a power-outage again). 

Lots of bird watching:  this is a Red-Bellied Woodpecker. 

Just shoveled a path to the wood-pile:

Most of the weekend the kids were outside playing with the neighborhood kids.

A camping stove cooked pasta for us on the back porch:

While the wood stove heated beef stew and mushroom/kale/barley soup I made on Friday anticipating the power outage.

(This is the beef stew Friday night before lights-out):

Our street was CLOSED until about 1:15pm on Saturday.  That had never happened before.  Both access roads were blocked by fallen trees and downed power lines.  Our neighbors went cross-country skiing on our street.  Most of us were dying for coffee because no one could get out.  Coffee press, here I come!!!