Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful...

But staying home is so delightful!

A winter blizzard has lingered for two days over a large area in Manitoba, including where I call home. Schools and highways are closed all over the place. Normally our school stays open, since we're all right here on the colony and can easily walk to school. This time is different. Our snowblower found a very inopportune time to take a break, and our bobcat can't keep up clearing the sidewalks, driveways and roads. So walking to school can be quite an adventure, and almost impossible for little ones. With all the snow that is being dumped, and gusting wind, we decided it's best to cancel classes here as well. I didn't mind in the least. In fact, it was quite delightful to be at home with a storm raging outside.

I found plenty of activities to fill the days with: First I sewed a dress, then I knit a scarf. It was also a perfect opportunity to light some scented candles, turn on some Christmas music and wrap gifts. As you can see, I also fit in a bit of blogging.

My two nephews stayed at our house yesterday, so you can imagine the challenge to keep those two rambunctious boys occupied - toys can only do the trick for so long. (I know, toys nowadays are over-rated. When I was a little girl, my toys kept me much busier and happier for longer periods of time. There were puzzles, board games, dolls, tea sets, etch-a-sketch... remember those? But then, I never had tech toys to mess with my ability to play with real toys.) Anyway, back to today. Thanks to my nephews' Grandma Waldner, who gave them a Gingerbread Train Kit, there was something else to keep them busy. For a while, anyway. My sister, Sonia was the brave soul who went to work with two little boys as 'helpers'. How do you tell young children to stop eating the candies, taking a bite out of the cookies or licking icing, while trying to build an edible train?

Not easy. But she somehow managed:

Let it snow! 

                               Let it snow! 

                                                             Let it snow!

I'd love to hear what you do when you're storm-stayed?