Wintering

What have we been doing this winter? It seems like all of our time has been sucked away by projects around the house, preparing to put it on the market in March. The bathroom remodel alone has been going since March of last year (yes really, I had to look it up)! But thanks to my incredibly handy and hard-working husband, I am pleased to say it is almost done! I'm hoping to show a reveal in the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned!

Other things we've been doing this winter:

Baking. Ooey-gooey cinnamon rolls. Yeah, probably the best thing to do in the winter! I've made them a few times this month, and will probably make them a few more times before winter is over. Not good for the New Year's resolutions. Logan helped me make this batch for Andrew's birthday treat for his class.
I wish I had a picture of their baked and cream cheese frosting-drenched goodness, but here they are on the pan, freshly rolled and cut, before rising. If you want the recipe for the best cinnamon rolls EVER, you can find it here. The secret is vanilla pudding mix! I try to do a craft or art project with the kids once a week, usually on Wednesdays when I have my babysitting kiddos. I stumbled upon this cute "snow painting" idea somewhere on the Internet. You make "snow paint" by combining equal parts Elmer's glue and shaving cream. It stays foamy as you paint and then dries nice and puffy.

I drew a basic snowman shape on a piece of construction paper, and then let the kids fill it in.

I happened to have some white glitter, so the kids added a little of that to make their "snow" sparkle!

Finally, when it dried, we added a hat, eyes, and carrot nose cut from construction paper. This project was so easy and such a hit with the kids! Cute R said to me, "Summer, today we are having so much FUN, FUN, FUN!" R and Logan begged to do a second snowman! When three-year-old G finished his (pictured upper left), he turned to me and said, "My snowman melted." So cute!

My Winter mantel. I took down my Christmas decorations pretty quickly after Christmas; I was just ready to move on this year. It was nice to bring back the photos of the kiddos, and the pretty clock was a thoughtful gift from Bryan's uncle and aunt when Russ passed away in December. It contains a sweet saying which reminds us that, "In time, Christ will heal all wounds. In time, we will be together again." Thank you, Kelly and Becky.

I kept the pinecones and tree branches from Christmas, but added some glass icicles for a little sparkle.

I like my decor to be a little more sparse in January. It feels refreshing after all the heavy Christmas decorations.

I know it's still pretty early, but truth be told, I am just itching for Spring! I nabbed these Amaryllis kits in The Home Depot after-Christmas clearance aisle. (I think I need to find some cuter pots to transplant them into.) I love seeing them start to sprout, and they are satisfying my craving for something green and growing. For now...