progress

Remember my friend Hastings? The stalwart figure stood for weeks in our front yard--fat and plump and healthy.

I ran out and snapped a picture of him today...

Decapitated. Armless. Emaciated.

This brings me great joy.

Mom & I assembled a snowman

His name is Hastings, in honor of my current literary love.

wednesday

a winter party...

...in which we decorated gingerbread houses! We teamed up, grabbed a house, and got to work. Well - everyone else teamed up. Jessie and I were supposed to team up, but she definitely got the short straw in a partner with zilch for creativity. So, she designed our house while I ate candy. It ended up being a sensational house. Check this out.

(when this side was finished, it had a referee, grass, yard lines and a crowd.)

(You can get the recipe for these awesome houses here.)

We also played a game where everyone had a Bible character's name on his/her back, but he/she didn't know who it was. You could ask each person one question about your character in an attempt to find out who you were. By asking questions about my character, I determined that it was a female in the New Testament, who was somewhat prominent, and who not only knew Jesus, but was related to Him...Elizabeth!

Sara, Esther, Lot's Wife and Pharaoh

"mountains of snow"

There are frequent mornings when my sister and I walk down the stairs to find a little white sheet of paper heralding us from the kitchen counter. It reads something along these lines: "Girls - today please...vacuum the living room. Pick up the bathroom. Sweep the office." The jobs vary, but you get the idea.

This morning, the list said: "shovel the front walks."

Two girls, two walks in need of shovelment. Seems easy enough. Except for one thing. As it happened, one of the sidewalks had your average amount of snow on it, while the other was piled high with snow. It seems the snow had drifted considerably right along that sidewalk. It was up to my hips, and I exaggerate not.

However annoying this problem may seem, it is easily solved if you have an easy-going younger sibling. I casually asked her if it mattered which sidewalk I shoveled, and because she conveniently hadn't seen the front walks yet, I was home free.

Just as I was whisking the last bits of snow off of my walk, I heard a tap at the window. Merrill was glaring out at me as she jerked her thumb towards her walk. I laughed, but then I decided to be a sacrficial sister and help her out. Obviously some good intentions are just not to be. I broke the snow shovel.

Immediately after my brief shoveling escapade, I had to leave for work. When I came home, I found this drawing on my whiteboard.

I am really going to miss this girl when I move to Omaha.

snow day

Last night and today it snowed so much, the community college cancelled classes. Merrill and I curled up on the couch and watched it snow...and snow...and snow. After naps and homework, we ventured outside for a little fun.

Here in Nebraska, hills are sparse. So Merrill and I make do with what we have...the manure pile!

(captions above pictures)

MJ trekking up Mount Everest

Doesn't this look adventurous? (Not so much.)

MJ decided to try a new route down...

...which didn't turn out so well.

"OWW...My butt hit a manure chunk!!"

We had fun. I love snow days.