snowed in

We've been snowed in for days.  Considering we live in the heart of our small city, it is kind of a major feat.  Having the third major snow fall in two weeks with no plows in sight, my little car just laid down and bowed out to mother nature.

Mixed blessings, being snowed in.  Funny thing about being home schoolers is that we are hardly ever home.  The snow has forced us to spend a bit more time here and while I can tell you that cabin fever has hit us hard, there is an upside.    

How about uninterrupted playtime?  Or never having to get out of your pjs?.  It's comfortable, warm, and filled with all our favorite stuff.  Thanks to a pre-blizzard shopping trip, we have caffeine, chocolate and booze.  Plus, suddenly all the neighbor kids are home for the day and looking for something to do.  It's like the whole world is home schooled.

We managed to take a little bit of a play break to set up our Christmas tree and wrap our presents.  I've done my shopping, a couple of delightful hours hunting in second hand bookstores (sorry for the spoiler, family, but you probably aren't surprised in the least) and an evening sewing drawstring bags, and I've called it a holiday.

And still we have a bit of time left over for our two favorite activities.  Sewing (angrily, in girl child's case):

And reading. 

It's amazing how much time there is when you don't leave the house.  Or change out of your pajamas.

The oddest thing is yesterday I had the inexplicable urge to sew a quilt.  It's the domestic version of Stockholm Syndrome, being snowed in, forcing me to want to pad my nest with warm quilts.  Never having done before, I'm surprised at how fast a patchwork quilt comes together.  I already have one full top done and another just about finished.  I suppose after all the piecing and gathering of the dozens of patchwork twirler dresses I've made, it's not such a big deal making a quilt top.  There's no gathering!  Easy peasy.

Now, though, I've got to sew the top to the back with some batting in between.  Besides having to make a trip outside to forage for supplies, I'm rather intimidated by the process.  There is so much amazing quilting being done by machines, I think my poor little hand stitched quilts will look a bit shoddy in comparison.

Really, on the quilting front, I have no idea what I'm doing.  Wish me luck, and if it doesn't work out, pretend I never mentioned it in the first place.

I'll just be here for the next little bit, sewing, reading, and going slightly crazy with two kids and no outside distractions to keep us from getting in each other's faces.  Thank goodness for books!