Check out this gallery of images showing ice sculptures from the International Ice Festival in China…they are truly unbelievable!

We’ve had a crazy week, but honestly, everything has turned out okay in the end.  We’ve had things go wrong, but the solutions have come swiftly behind them, so I can’t complain!  First, there was a broken snowblower, so Zan had to shovel us out yesterday.  (It is now fixed, thanks to Zan and his brother…)  With another storm on the way tomorrow, it wasn’t something that could wait.  Looks like only 6-10  7-12 inches for us, more south.  That’s a decent sized snowstorm for us, but far from crippling.  The girls will probably still have school.  The only complication with this one is the speed…it’s supposed to move quickly, dumping up to two make that three inches per hour.  That could make things tricky. Uh, oh…it might cripple us after all.  Yikes!

In other news,  Big Girl has a probable hairline fracture in her right fourth finger…a basketball injury that will have her in a splint and out of the game for three or so weeks.  Negative x-rays, but her doctor is pretty sure a minor fracture is hiding, so she is treating it as such.  At the very least she has a very nasty sprain.  Dark blue and swollen like a sausage is never a good sign.  Timing is actually  perfect since it’s almost vacation time anyway. 

Then, Little Girl is fighting a sinus thing…right before Christmas as usual!  So back to the doctor we went today.  Dr. says no infection, YET.  But you all know what *that* means.

One kinda cool thing…the newspaper wants a photo of “loose coin” from our collection….hmmm…guess who just so happens to have one?  🙂  I’ll let you know if I get published.  AND I’ll let you know the grand total once it’s announced tomorrow.  VERY cool! 

Hey, and I’m thinking about starting out the New Year with an online photography course….anyone have any suggestions?

This photo was from last winter, but I find it appropos.  🙂

I’m so excited!!!  I have needed new “everyday” dishes for at least three years.  I swore I wouldn’t buy anything I didn’t like because it was cheap, and I swore I wasn’t going to spend hundreds of dollars for everyday dishes.  Because of my stubborness, I am now down to about three plates, all of which are chipped with rust stains on them from our old dishwasher.  And they were already 10 year old, cheapy, plain, white stoneware from Lechters…remember that store? 

SOOOO!!!  Here’s the thing to get excited about!!!  Pfaltzgraff Outlet is going out of business…  LOOK WHAT I GOT!!!  🙂

Aren’t they preeeettttyyy?!

They were selling for $2.98 per set!!!!!!  I got 12 place settings for $38!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  YAY ME!!!!!  *doing the London hand clap*  They are a retired pattern, so I think Zan and I will return to pick up a few more settings…

I love them!  So glad I waited!  (By the way, the MSRP is $43.00 per setting.  WHoooHoo!) 

(Yeah, I know…I need to get out more.)  😉