A fun day off from school.

It was barely warm enough to be outside in the sweatshirts they're wearing.

Mozzarella, Tomato & Basil Panini

I had one of these in the cafeteria at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts a couple of weeks ago and have been enjoying them at home every weekend since.

Belle, Cliccady & Hippey

Nice way to spend a Saturday.

In full bloom.

I can't remember if this is a Christmas or an Easter cactus.  Either way it's blooming out of season.

Home from school.

Jordan had early release everyday this week due to end-of-semester exams.  Maddie was excited when Jordan met her at the bus stop each day.

Time for the Trash.

It doesn't look like Jordan is going to get this one finished.

I know this is not a great picture, but I found this rather large bird when I was checking the bird feeder this morning.  At first I thought it was an owl, then he turned his head and I realized he had to be a hawk.  The birds have been on a feeding frenzy since the temps dipped below freezing.  We've had to fill both feeders at least once, sometimes twice a day.

Jam in January.

We ran out of home-made jam just before Christmas and nobody liked the store bought jar I purchased.  Luckily I froze a few quarts of strawberries and cherries this past spring. I pulled those out and made both flavors.

Final Art Project.

The semester ends on Friday and Jordan will no longer have art class - instead she'll have drama.  She's making a poster about Alberto Giacometti.

End of Semester Exams.

Yummy.

Today's Whole Foods run.

At the library - again.

A better day.

After an icy grey day yesterday, it was nice to see white fluffy clouds in the sky.

We'll take some snow.

A two-hour delay due to icy conditions.  This kids took advantage of this and slept a little longer.

No school today.

 
Guess what they played today?  School.

The paper whites are blooming.

Laura Bush at Landmark Theater

She gave a very nice speech and took time out to talk to the high school students who came from all over Richmond.

Belle and Jasmine.

These two are so big they barely fit on this chair together.

More African violet blooms.

This violet has been blooming non-stop since I put it in this window.

Two Hour Delay.

The county called for a two-hour delay today.  No overnight precipitation - there was light rain around dinnertime.  All roads looked clear except for this patch of ice on the curb at the orthodontist office.

Snow Day.

School was called off today because of snow/sleet/ice.  You can see the accumulation in this photo!  This is the second time the 2010/2011 school year that the officials have called off school prematurely - last month the kids had two snow days - both days without much snow.

The photo shows our new furnace/heat pump/air-conditioning units.  Those poor guys installed on the coldest days this winter.  It upsets me that builders put cheap units in new homes - what a waste! Look at the size of the new ones - it's no wonder we had hot spots in the summer and cold spots in the winter - the units were not big enough for the size of our house.

At the Hub.

All the bird's nests are visible now that there are no leaves on the trees.  This one had quite a bit of plastic wound up in it.

More hipstamatic on my iTouch.

Gardenfest of Lights.

We visited the Lewis-Ginter Bontanical Gardens for their annual light show on this very chilly evening.  It seemed much smaller tonight compared to our visit two years ago.  Maybe we were just too cold and wanted to get inside one of the buildings.  This display was in the Conservatory. 

A short drive.

That's all she'll do right now - to the library (or in this case - home from the library), to the hub, and to the mall.  Too much farther or in too much traffic and she'll become overwhelmed with anxiety.

Thrify Thursday.

 Thursday is usually our thrifting day.  Jordan volunteers (at the Richmond SPCA) near two of our favorites.  You can't miss these brightly colored bricks when you're driving by Diversity Thrift.

Our wish came true.

Hobby Lobby opened next to Target and a hop, skip and a jump from Whole Foods.  Everything I need in one small area.

Checkout Here -->

Just in case you didn't know where to check out your books!

Three on the Third

Here's the three of us, right before bed.  I knew I wanted to take this picture and even asked Maddie to remind me to take it when we got home from picking Jordan up at the hub.  I forgot - until after the kids had showered and we were all ready for bed - no wonder I look so tired.  Well, it's the three of us - right now - today.

Finishing Up.

Art homework.

Happy New Year.

We all looked forward to seeing Zach today.  I did get some clear shots of them playing, but none of them convey the fun they have together quite like this photo does.