Good Bye February...

When the sprouts first came up they were kind of purple. I was a little concerned as I really wanted some green, but they are greening up nicely now.
This is today. The grass is getting quite tall and the girls were quite concerned as to how we would trim it without a lawn mower that small. I assured them that it would be ok for us to trim the grass with scissors.

I will not miss this month when it is gone. I will gladly welcome March tomorrow morning with a smile. There is even RAIN in the forecast for Sunday, and here I thought that precipitation only came in the form of snow or ice pellets. I know spring will come, the wait is just so hard sometimes. Our pretty green grass on the window ledges really does cheer things up. We are working on some spring crafts also. The absence this week was due to the preparations for the home visit with our Adoption Social Worker that took place on Wednesday. One more big hurdle conquered (and a very clean and organized house to boot). We should have our Home Study approved by the end of next week. Next step is sending paperwork to the USCIS for their approval, then another chunk of paperwork to gather and then it all goes to Ethiopia. We are making progress and that feels good.

Playing in the Dirt

Trying to make it feel more like spring, we planted Rye Grass Seeds (couldn't find wheat grass seeds, but this should work). These little pots are on the dining room window ledge which is quite sunny. I will post an update next week when they start to sprout.
I didn't want to be left out of the fun, so I took some of my little glass jars on the kitchen window ledge and filled them with dirt and seeds too.
We have been working more and more on independence, and they are coming along quite well. I know it is a good thing, but seeing them doing things for themselves makes me wonder what happened to my babies.

We can always count on Emma for a laugh. She dug a hole and shoved her head in it... "just like my cousin Buck." (Buck is my sister Mandy's dog... Emma and Abi's ONLY "cousin").

Color 4

So here is the big adoption story change in a nutshell. We got a call from our adoption agency last Wednesday during the blizzard telling us that Haiti is not an option for our family as the draft of the new law states that at least one parent has to be 35 years old in order to adopt from Haiti. So basically overnight we had to chose a new country. This has been very hard emotionally, because we really felt led to adopt from Haiti. So complete change of direction was a lot to take. We have decided on Ethiopia. We had our first meeting with our Social Worker last Thursday and that went very well. We are slowly making our way through the mountain of paperwork. It is more emotionally draining than I ever thought it would be as they ask a lot of very person and in depth questions. Keep on praying for us please. We appreciate all the added prayer we can get.

On to color for the day. Not an outside picture you will notice, but will also notice the sun streaming in the window. That was the happiest part of the day.

A game of Chinese Checkers counts as math right?

Frosted Window Panes

What 40 below zero does to our windows.

Our bedroom window before a nap:
And after a nap:
I was able to travel to Madison yesterday with my Mother-in-Law to visit the Garden Expo. We at least got to pretend it was spring for about an hour. Then we drove home in the many degrees below zero weather on the highway that was half drifted shut. I am just going to stare at this picture and pretend myself there.

Colors 3

Can't wait to be able to sit here this spring.

Poor Brooklyn. The snow is up to her belly.

Ummm, the color of the day would be WHITE. Like 17 inches of it that is currently blowing and drifting everywhere. These are the couple of pics I was brave enough to reach my camera out the door and snap. Just thankful we are all home and safe. Such crazy weather.

Please be praying about the adoption stuff. Plans are changing and we are not completely sure what that means yet. Scared and confused and snowed in. Not a good combination. I am quilting, which always helps.

Colors 2

My favorite winter color.

Vinca vines and sedum.

Off to scrape the ice off the drive way before 10 more inches of snow!

Colors 1

This one is kind of cheating because it is not outside. We had a ladies night at church last week and we each were giving a carnation to take home. I was messing around with my macro setting and flash and this is what I got. It is bright and colorful and made me smile.

One of Mandy's pots setting upside down on the porch railing waiting for spring and flowers. One of my favorite colors of green.

Blue, enamal wear bowl on the back porch, again, waiting for spring and flowers.

I know, I was complaining about the grey, but I LOVE this pail. I use it to haul weeds and the girls use it to get water from the river. I feel like it is just peeking out of the snow to say hi.

I got soaked taking this picture. The old trike is sitting right under where the water is melting off the roof. It makes gorgeous icicles. Love the red against the white.

I may regret the photos I chose today come next week, because they are of found objects around our yard that are colorful and in the upcoming days I may not be able to find any other color. The purpose of doing this is to get me looking beyond the snow and slush and such and find color and texture and beauty in what is getting to be a very loooooong winter. I was smiling when I came back in from taking these pictures, so for today, the project has served its purpose. We will see what tomorrow brings.

Finding Color

Do you know that the world has turned Sepia? It's true! I look out the window and all I see is shades of white, brown, grey, and black. No color makes Kelly VERY SAD! I know some people call it Seasonal Affect Disorder. For me, it has much more to do with my LOVE of color (that would be why there are no white walls in my entire house). I have not been in a full out depression, but definitely lethargic and sad. Yesterday's sermon really encouraged me. Pastor Rob has been doing a series on Our Potential for Greatness and yesterday preached on Why we are here and using your gifts/talents/abilities, but he came at it from a very different perspective, or at least I heard it differently than the usual gifts/talents/abilities sermons. It made me think, as a good sermon aught to, and when my family was driving home from Madison, I found myself searching the landscape out the window for ANY color that was God made or at the very least, part of the landscape (not cars). Surprisingly, I found a bunch of color, subtle colors, but color and realized I was only allowing myself to see the brown and black and grey and white (like my eyes were set on Sepia or something). So I have set a challenge for myself for at least the rest of February, to search for color and try to capture it photographically. I am going to be posting as much as I can, whether the light is good for pics or not (I haven't been taking pictures lately because of crappy light. Not taking pictures does nothing to help the saddness). I will post my first pic later today when I discover some color. I hope you all are finding ways to make this never ending winter more enjoyable too.