No Child Labor Laws Were Broken! I Swear!

Now. Before you run to your telephone and call Children's Services, let me say that this kid LOVES to shovel. She thinks it is fun. She begs to do this. BEGS! Just try to STOP her! Does a good job of it too so hey... Grace shoveled the snow and Daniel chiseled away the layer of ice that was underneath. Here he is with just one of many pieces he tore away...

If not, heck. I can wrap some up for ya and have it delivered to your doorstep by say, Tuesday?

The sun came out this morning, bright and filled with the promise of...of...more snow. SNOW?

Egad. Yes, the forecast is calling for another Wintry storm Sunday night into Monday.

Oh well, Bill is safely back home so I say, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! Did I just say that? *sigh*

Uh huh. Bill got in late afternoon yesterday and had to go straight into work for a few hours. Phooey. But he DID ask if he could take me out to dinner, albeit a late one. Could he? Try and STOP me!

It is Restaurant Week here in the Dayton area. (Now extended until February 6th due to this week's storm.) Lots of participants this year and what a sweet way of trying a new place. Each restaurant has a prix fixe 3-4 course menu featuring a few of their most requested choices and the cost is always $20.09. Last year it was $20.08, next year it will be $20.10. You get the picture. Most of these restaurants are quite pricey and not places we frequent because of that fact! So, all in all it is a wonderful deal and lots of fun. Since Bill was away, we had not planned to be a part of it all this year but last night he said, "Slick roads? Phooey. We need a date night. We are outta here!"

Big brother baby sat for a certain diva (Aw come on! We never go out by ourselves! Gee whiz! And we didn't get home until almost 10:30! Why I almost turned into a pumpkin!) and we headed to Flemings. Whoa. A perfectly seasoned and cooked filet mignon that melted in my mouth. That's all I am sayin'. Melted. In. My. Mouth. And no. We did not ask for a doggie bag. Finished it all up ourselves. Kipper is considering legal action.

We are having dinner with two dear friends tonight, have a Chinese New Year celebration to attend on Saturday and hope to see the new film, "New In Town" on Sunday before the Super Bowl.

Have a wonderful weekend! Stay warm, safe and I wish you many smiles and giggles.

I pray that all of you are safe from the storms and power outages that have swept across the country this week. I send each one of you many hugs and lots of love.

Susie Q

Blanketed...

We have had a total of 10 inches of snow with some ice tossed in for good measure. It is so still outside, so quiet. Grace had another day off from school and Dan's place of business is closed due to the Winter storm.

Kipper has had a little fun with our neighbor's dog, Millie. That is her you can see off to the right in the last picture and in the one just before Kip's photo! It always makes me smile to see them at play...and I needed a smile. Phooey. Bill is stranded in Atlanta tonight. The airlines discontinued service into Dayton today for several hours and now, even though they are flying again, he is one of quite a few vying for an empty seat! The odds are he won't be home tonight so I am having a lovely pout about it. Hrmpf.

I hope all of you are well, safe, warm and happy. I send you all much love and many hugs!

Susie Q

Let It Snow, Let It Snow...

It is snowing again...3-4 inches last night with more coming down now. We are expecting up to 5 more inches tonight. I am one of those odd balls who LOVES to be snowed in but this time I am not as tickled. Bill had to leave for Florida on business and is due in tomorrow. I sure hope he makes it back on time and safely. Please say a little prayer if you think about it!

Grace has another snow day so we are just being lazy and schlumping about in our sweats, watching movies and playing Wii.

Dan had a meeting so he is out now but will be back soon & then we will hunker down until tomorrow afternoon. I hope that where ever you ever are, life is being good to you and that you have much cause to smile.

I have been just an awful blog friend I know and I apologize for that. Please know I love each one of you and send lots of hugs your way.

Susie Q

Kip's Nite Out: January Freeze

Hey Dudes! You can click on the pictures to see me better ifn you wanna!

A Winter's Day

Such a beautiful day, oh so cold but sunny and bright. This is the sunset that greeted me as I looked out of my front door this evening. Such a soul warming sight!

Thank you to each one of my blogger friend for your sweet comments about our *stuff* filled cottage. I did not "stage" any of the photos so it was what it is! Huh? Oh, You know what I mean...right?

It is ours, it is cozy and we love being here. Even if the rabbits are taking over!

I apologize for being so out of the loop of late. Grace had a snow day on Friday so we had a 4 day weekend to be together. All of us had lots of fun but it left no computer time at all. I will be popping in to visit with each of you soon. Until then, please know I am thinking about you, wishing you a sweet Wednesday.

Love and Hugs,

Susie Q

Rooms To Go...

~ My little study secretary~

Yes, I KNOW I have been a bad blogger and not visited everyone as I love to and should. Just been one of those weeks...so, first, let me apologize and ask for your forgiveness. And second, as a way of retribution, here are some photos of my house. So many of you asked, I promised, here they are. When I say *retribution*, well, I had yet to clean so you will soon see that I was quite coy in taking these images. Uh huh. You will not see the unmade bed or the laundry waiting to be put away. You will not see some areas that are in need of a good brush up or the cat/dog toys that seem to reproduce while we humans are asleep. These are un-staged and raw..well, so to speak! I will take some better shots eventually but, by way of an apology, here they are...now. Be nice...no throwing tomatoes ala RMS on HGTV.com. I quickly soured on that save for the fact that so many of the dearest souls there are now bloggers! Whoo hoo! But helpful criticism I can take...do tell me what you think I could do to make any spot better. Well, except for one thing. My stuff stays. I love stuff. I crave stuff. believe it or not, I do edit. Really! But my stuff soothes my soul and makes me smile so parting with it ain't gonna happen. No way, no how. Each picture can be enlarged by clicking on it. Soo....*gulp*...here goes...

This was Dan's room but when he prepared to move into an apartment, he boxed up his treasures and books and pictures and Mom turned his space into a guest room. After the roommate was transferred and Dan's move faded away, he moved into the basement. But, eventually he moved back upstairs. Still, I kept it mostly as a guest room. He uses the desk for his computers and the chest for clothes but I can turn this baby back into a guest room at a moment's (or 4) notice!

Those are baskets from Savannah, Georgia and that wooden carving on the book shelf came home from China in my lap.

Shells are from all over the world...our trips and Bill's Navy voyages. The desk...

Moving into Grace's room...my little photographer's assistant, Henry, followed me everywhere!

The new, sophisticated Grace hide away. It is still a work in progress so I *artfully* photographed it! You can see the new color, the new curtains (which match the bedding) and the new chandy. She LOVES it so much...

The dress she got for Christmas on what was my dress form. Grace added the pearls and her new handbag. A little note about the bag...it was a huge surprise from Santa. It was screen used by Brenda Song, the actress who plays London Tipton on The Disney Channel's Suite Life of Zak and Cody. Grace loves the show AND London/Brenda. From what I hear, Santa bid for it on Ebay during a charity auction and ended up as the only bidder for it. It arrived with pictures of Brenda/London using it in the episodes. Can you guess how excited one Miss Grace truly was to see it?

The bath used by our kids. It used to exactly match what was our guest room and then Grace's room. (That was before Grace became sophisticated!) I have been told that i should re-do it to co-ordinate with her room or Dan's/the guest room but I LIKE my green bath. A friend sponged it and I added the roses and I think it is very Monet's Garden-y and it makes me smile. I may change it someday...we will see...

The master bath counter's stuff

The master bath mirror, the top of an antique dresser.

Above our bed...a reminder to *dream* and more stuff.

Uh huh. We do have a blue bed and I love it. I was told that I would hate it in 5 years...it has now been 10 and I still like it. Hmpf. Treasures from friends ands family kept in an old box. I saw this look in the film Hannah and Her Sisters and tried to duplicate it.

My blue cabinet and the ubiquitous stuff that is found all over our home...a poem Danny wrote to me for Mom's Day 1999, pictures of my little sweeties (Son, daughter and nephew), a painting my folks gave me in 1979, treasures from friends and family, silhouettes of the kids...Dan's was done in Disney World when he was 10. Grace's was done in Disney World when she was 8. Same lady did both!

Books and Eiffel Towers...I have way too many of both and would not part with even one!

Why yes, that IS a ceiling fan you see off to the left. One of those things that design shows tend to rip out of ceilings straight away. Nope. I am not gonna lose mine thank you very much. So I added a chandy across the room over the little sofa. Gotta have my fan...I am menopausal ya know. *sheesh*

Yes I am a big kid and I love a sense of whimsy. You won't see this look on HGTV but I love it and it makes me smile! Our living room fireplace...uh huh.Books, stuff and more books and stuff. Just to the right of the fireplace, next to the corner cabinet housing the royal memorabilia... yeah, yeah. Books and stuff. Told ya. The front entry. Yup. That would be books and stuff. That is the door to the study on the left... The small secretary in our study...stuff, stuff and books. My Grandfather's papers and pocket watch, Bill's Grandfather's spectacles, Grace's shoes from China, old Victoria magazines in a wooden Chinese basket... Um, that would be MORE books...oh and the chest I rescued from a neighbor's garage just before it was burned. I LOVE it! The study window with Henry looking out at the snow and more, you guessed it, stuff. An antique child's chair and some forlorn teddies...yes they DO classify as stuff.

Our dining room...that is Danny's HS Senior picture, books and, yes, stuff. Have you detected a theme here? *grin*

Dining room hutch...

This is our newest resident at Rabbit Run Cottage. His name is Harvey Norbert Burns.

That is his little cousin Stanley on his shoulder. Norbie was a gift from my husband and son and I think he is marvelous. He is a reminder of a perfect day with two of my dearest friends in the world. We discovered him on a girl's afternoon out and my guys went back later to get him.

I adore him and think he is just too special...

Our kitchen...Kipper's treat jar and the treat jar for Lucy and Henry.

This is the counter I only use when we have guests so it also houses things we use a lot for cooking...oh, and some treats for the humans in the family!

By the back door...

More stuff on counters...

Grace created these frames for pictures of the family. She put them on our doors so, just in case we forget, we can find our rooms. I think they are wonderful...

So, that is it for now. I promise to post more soon but I think your poor eyes can only take in so much stuff at once. Yes, my stuff is any decorator's worst nightmare. But to me it is pure fun and joy. I hope I haven't scared you all away....

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I wish you a sweet weekend, a

safe and warm weekend...

Love and hugs

to you all,

Susie Q