Have I already said, "Let it Snow?

Happy Monday morning everyone!  it's the week of Christmas and everyone I talk to seems to be in a frenzy of last minute Christmas preparations.  Not me.  I'm pretty much snowed in today...again.  This is the second time in four days that we've been put under a winter storm warning.  Last year no snow at all to speak of.  This year so far at our house we've had about 10 inches in the last 5 days with 5-8 more predicted today.  And snow every day for the next 6 days.  Yuck!  We're in a snow belt here at our house that seems to run down the middle of the city.  You can drive just one mile south of our home and there is literally half the amount of snow on the ground.

It has given me the opportunity to use our new snowblower a few times already and I'll be firing it up again this afternoon.  I just took this picture out of the back door.  You can't really get an idea of how deep it is here because of the way it's blown and drifted, but can you see the fine flakes falling?  It's definitely going to be a white Christmas in Spokane.

I have been knitting away on mittens and this is what I've finished so far.  Would you believe I got all the way to the end decreases at the top of the last green mitten and I ran out of yarn?  I had to go buy more just to knit the last 4 rows!  Oh well, I'll just make more green ones!  Notice there are four pair of dark pink mittens.  That was from one skein with a little ball left over.  The green I ran out of and the lighter pink I didn't even start the fourth pair because it was obvious that I wasn't going to get another pair out of the leftovers.  These are all supposed to be the same yardage skeins.  A bit frustrating.  I m still enjoying making these though.  More to come!!!

There is a nursery just a few miles from Brad and Mandy's that we visited while back east.  I have never seen anything like it.  Mandy said that they decorate it, over the top decorate it, for each holiday.

This is as you drive up.  Blocks and blocks of white lights and decorated trees as you drive up the highway.

So pretty.

Inside they have individual trees decorated with different themes.  Surrounding each tree are other decorations that go along with each theme.  This place is beautiful and huge.

Part of the winter woods theme.  It makes me homesick for the lake and my camper.  :-)

This one was gorgeous.  Tree are so many trees decorated so beautifully.  I wish I could show you the  details of all of them but there were just too many.

What could make this place even better?  Trains.  Piper loves trains and she and Papa loved looking at all of them.  

Villages set up throughout the train display.

The Hershey car.  The train was moving and was hard to get a good picture of it.

Most of the year this is a big Thomas the Train display.  Piper loves Thomas!

One more display by the Christmas trees.  I showed great restraint and only bought an angel for our Christmas tree out of the myriad of choices.

And finally.  Mandy sent this picture to us Saturday.  She looks 3 going on 16 doesn't she?  Very rarely does she wear her hair down.  She always wants a ponytail, or when Grandma is there, a French braid.  (We braid our hair into matching braids...she loves that!).   Papa couldn't stop smiling when he saw this. Goodness, we miss this little girl.  It's like we left part of our hearts on the east coast.

I wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and lots of love and laughter throughout the holiday.  I also would ask that you would stop and ponder the reason we celebrate this holiday season.  His name is Jesus.

"She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins."  Matthew 1:21

(The angel was talking to Joseph in this verse.)

Blessings,

Betsy