Okay, I know it's April Fool's Day, but this is just cruel...

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Nice sense of humor Mother Nature...

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This is what we woke up to this morning! So much for the birds chirping and the snow melting!

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It's yet another snow day for the kids...that's gotta be a record for the number of snow days for them! They have missed so much school because of our weather.
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These poor trees are sooooo heavy with snow today...most of them are drooping and hanging off to one side now.
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I can't believe how much snow the tops of these trees can hold.
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Check out our roof! Now that's a lot of snow!
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I thought this bare tree looked pretty neat with all that snow on it's branches! You can click on this picture and all the others to get a better look :o)
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I don't think the squirrels will be bathing in the tree tops today! Good Grief Charlie Brown! My Grandmother told me yesterday that I jinxed it by putting all the winter clothes away the other day...silly me thinking that Spring was here! What was I thinking?

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One good thing about today is that the temperature is beautiful and the snow is super duper sticky so I can kick the kids outside for the day and I can stay inside and the knit the day away! Sounds like a great plan to me!

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Stay safe, stay warm, and have a wonderful Wednesday!

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Hugs,

:o)

Rach

Happy Little Squirrel :o)

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Yesterday was such a gorgeous day...the sun was out, the sky was blue, the birds were chirping, and best of all, the snow was melting! I caught one of our many squirrels taking a pit stop way up in the tree. These little guys are really cute but they can also be a real nuisance too! I don't know how many bird feeders they've broken on me...when they see something they want they will try as hard as they can till they get it! The last one figured out that if he knawed on the string that held the bird feeder on the tree then the whole feeder would come crashing to the ground leaving him a very happy and full squirrel!

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So needless to say, I don't hang feeders out anymore for the birds! Doesn't it look like he's actually posing for me while I take his picture? You gotta click on the photos to see his face close up...he was actually looking right at me the whole time! I love the colour of his tail.
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We have a huge family of squirrels that have made the inside of one of our very old trees their home. It's a really neat looking tree too cuz it looks all haunted and spooky...It looks like it's dying but every Summer it has a gorgeous top to it...the leaves really make it look beautiful. I'll have to get a pic of it when the snow is all gone and it starts to get leaves. Anyway, that tree houses so many of the squirrels around here and it's such a neat tree cuz they have what looks just like an oval front door down at the bottom of it just like the Beatrix Potter stories! There is also an opening in the middle of the tree where all the branches branch off the trunk where they like to play "now you see me, now you don't"...it's a pretty neat tree. I would love to be able to see what it looks like on the inside, you know...to see what they've done with the place...lol!

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For now, I'll leave you with these 2 videos that I took of this little guy grooming himself way up high in the branches...I love when he gets to his tail. Don't mind the wiggly camera...I found it a little difficult to hold the camera still while looking way up in those branches ;o)
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Are These Some Sad Looking Trees or What?

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Don't they just look so sad? Mind you, I'd be pretty depressed after the weather we had the other day too! The kids were home for 2 days because of the school and busses being cancelled. Everything had been completely covered in ice...not good at all! It made for some terrible driving conditions as well as walking conditions! So slippery.

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As a result, everything had a huge layer of ice including these poor pathetic looking trees...there are broken branches all over the place...I guess some trees just couldn't take the weight of the ice.
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Usually the trees all around our house are so full and beautiful, but yesterday they were just droopy and sad :o(
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Check this one out! Oh my goodness...every single branch was right iced-over and dripping with icicles...kinda neat!
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And here is what the snow banks all around us look like! They are solid like a rock...with a huge thick layer of glistening ice on top...everything around us looked like glass...I wonder how the poor wild animals get around out there without slipping and falling all over the place?

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Lucky for us the weather is looking a little bit better...we've got snow coming down today so I guess it's better than freezing rain...I am soooo looking forward to some Spring weather!

~ The Birthday Girl ~

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Happy 1st Birthday Miss Molly Cakes!

Well, our little Molly turned a year old on the weekend...she's not so little anymore though!

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Here she is when we first brought her home...what a sweet little ball of fluff she was! So teeny, so tiny, and so pretty!
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Now she's a whole lot bigger, still very pretty with a much bigger attitude! Some days she is quite a handful!
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This is such a cute look...I caught it just in time...she looks so innocent...but she don't fool me! I know better...lol! She loves my feet and that's what she's staring at! She will quietly watch them go by, back and forth in front of her and then POUNCE at them! It's kind of annoying but it's something that I have learned to live with...it's definitely not her worst habbit!
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And here she is posing nice for me...I actually think she likes when the camera comes out now...I think it's cuz she's got all the attention on her...such a little twirp! I love her colour...she is mostly black but she has some grey through her belly fur and she also has these beautiful "Rootbeer" highlights I call them, all over which I just love about her!

♥ Our Miss Molly Girl ♥

.Well here she is, one week before her 1st birthday! My my how time flies! Isn't she a sweeite?...don't let her fool you...she's bad to the bone! She has her moments but most of the time she's looking for trouble!

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She actually laid down long enough for me to snap some photos of her!
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Woops! Caught her right before a big yawn...what a wierd look!
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Playing Peek-a-Boo behind the camera...she's gonna get me...
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Her eyes change so much...sometimes they are huge and black and sometimes the blacks get just like slivers...this is her right before she decides to pounce me...she loves playing peek-a-boo with Mom! She almost looks possessed in this one!...some days I believe she really is!

Wow! What a Difference a Week Can Make......

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Okay, one week today I posted the photo above on the left...I was getting all excited cuz Spring was definitely in the air that day...the sun was shining, the birds were all chirping, the snow was melting, I could hear dripping water from all the snow on the roof, there were little wet spots all down the driveway...I knew I had probably jinxed it as soon as I said it felt like Spring and sure enough, I did! The photo above on the right is what that same tree in our front yard looks like today! Yup, covered in snow! Well over a foot of snow came down...schools and busses were all cancelled which made for happy children!
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This is the view looking down our driveway...those would be Hubby's tracks from him going to work...I tried to convince him to stay home and play hookie but he's on a deadline and knew there was a lot that he could get done in a day...how boring not wanting to take full advantage of a Snow Day! Geesh! I wasn't gonna go outside yesteray but I got kinda bored inside so I got all bundled up and ventured outside...grabbed the shovel and started shovelling...these photos show about half our driveway and I have been trying to shovel the whole thing lately for exercise but I just couldn't do it yesterday...this snow was really really heavy and there was just too much of it...I managed to shovel in front where Hubby parks and a path from there to the back door and then I was done...it was so windy which made it really uncomfortable...so after about a 1/2 hour out there, I decided to go back inside where it was nice and warm...perhaps if it warms up a little today I'll go out and try again...Hubby thinks I'm nutts for doing it but it makes me feel good to get out and do something!
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It was a fun day though...I got to spend some time with the kids...I finished a project on the needles and I'm SO excited to move onto the next one now...I've been totally inspired by something I seen and read about the other day...something very cool, very different, and very fun! It has to do with knitting...I've already got my daughter hooked on it...her mind is going constantly thinking of ways to use this neat idea! Not to worry, I will be telling you all about real soon! Everybody's gonna wanna try it out for themselves! It's so cool! I LOVE trying different things!

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Hope all is well with everyone! Take care and have a wonderful day!

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Hugs,

:o)

Rach

Mystery Animal Solved!

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Remember this above photo of the mystery animal pathway that I posted last week? Well, a couple of days ago we had a little visitor...he didn't stay long...hence the blurry photo below...as soon as I seen him waddling his way down our driveway I grabbed the camera. Yes, it's a skunk! And he looks awfully dirty too...I really don't care for skunks at all!

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I was actually under the impression that skunks hibernated in the winter but apparently after reading up on them, I found out that they don't hibernate like bears do...they just take really long naps huddled together with other skunks but they still go out to find food on warmer days. If he comes around again, I'll try to get a better photo of him.
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Today the children have a snow day...we got dumped on pretty good last night...there is so much snow everywhere! Hubby still went to work this morning...barely! It's so windy which makes for huge drifts on the roads. I've been shovelling our driveway for the last couple of weeks for exercise but I don't know about going out there today...minus thirty, high winds, and probably over a foot of snow? Nah, I think I'll stay inside where it's nice and warm today! Perhaps finish up this project I have on the needles. Yeah, that sounds like a much better plan!
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Warm Hugs,
:o)
Rach

Me and My Shadow :o)

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We are experiencing extemely beautiful temperatures today so I decided to outside and take full advantage of it! The birds were all chirping and I could here dripping all around me...my favourite sound of all...the sound of winter melting. But with our reputation, we'll probably wake up to a whack of snow tomorrow...lol! But for now, I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts!

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Everything was all sparkly because of the sunshine...I love the way the ice looks just like sugar! Be sure to click on the pics to see what I mean...

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Doesn't this look like a lake? This is our shale driveway with a layer of ice on top...thought it was pretty neat!

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Wonder who uses that pathway?

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A little pocket of snow that will soon be gone...

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What a gorgeous day outside! This is our tall tree in the front of our yard...it's just buzzing with all sorts of activity today...all the birds and squirells were fighting for a branch! I sure hope this is a sign that Spring is on it's way...I will be so depressed if I wake up to more snow tomorrow :o(
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Hope you are all having a wonderful day as well!
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Hugs,
:o)
Rach

~ Friday Morning Visitors ~

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What a beautiful morning...not the temperature which is well into the -30's but the sun is out shining so brightly making all the snow sparkly and look who decided to pop by for breakfast? Make sure to click on all the photos to get a real good look...I left them nice and big!

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These 3 gorgeous deer (the other one is on the right hiding behind the tree...camera shy perhaps?) spent about 20 minutes in our front yard this morning just munching. Don't mind that rope in the way...that's my kids' contraption...a rope tied from one tree to another that they walk along...there's another one tied above it as well for them to hang onto....kids :o)
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The deer on the right decided to join the other one that was playing shy, but the cute one on the left wanted to go off on his own for a bit.
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Just making sure the others aren't going to leave without him.
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Something caught his eye...
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Perhaps the sound of my kids trying to get his attention? Look how big the ears get.
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Okay, this is my favourite shot...he's just stuck his snout in the snow to eat whatever's under there....and then....
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Out comes the snout, all covered in snow! Too cute!
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I couldn't imagine trudging through all that snow in minus thirty degrees celcius for my morning grub!
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I just love the way the sun makes the snow all sparkly!
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Think it's time to head back with the others now...
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I tell ya, I wouldn't trade living in the country for anything! It's so beautiful and so peaceful. I love it!

X's and O's.....

Which one is the Hug & which one is the Kiss?

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This is the dishcloth that I designed for our February 2009 Mystery Dishcloth Knit Along in Rachel's Knitting Room, "X's and O's"!

You can also find this free pattern on my website Knits By Rachel under my Free Patterns :o)

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I always assumed that the X's were the Hugs and that the O's were the Kisses, but apparently after reading this from the urban dictionary and this from Wikipedia there are some people that think it could be the other way around as well.

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What do you think? Which one do you think is the Hug and the Kiss? I personally don't think it matters...that's the reason why we use both I guess, to cover all the bases!

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Hope all is well with everyone! Have a great day ;o)
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Rachel
xoxoxoxo