Today

Today I:

.... continued to hang almost all our laundry to dry.  Today it was a load of towels, washcloths, and socks.  On the left under the bath towels you can see the vent.  With the cold weather we are having right now, the heat is unfortunately running quite often, so I take advantage of that by drying the laundry over it.  

I had picked up the bad habit of using my dryer for everything except for some underthings and Mr. GV's biking clothes, which need to be line-dried.  I have a clothes line outside, but didn't use it this past summer like I should have. So back in December I started again with this great drying rack I've got.  I've found if I do one load of laundry most every day, I can keep up this way.  Shirts I put on hangers and hang them in the guest bathroom on the shower rod.  That shower is only used when J comes to visit, so they're not in the way at all.  It is a small room and if you shut the door it warms up very nicely in there, and the shirts dry overnight.  

I do use the dryer for a few things:  sheets (because of their size), and dog bed covers/blankets and "dog sheets."  Dog sheets are sheets that cover the love seat, the backseat of the car, and our comforter to keep the hair from taking over.  If I don't put these items in the dryer, the hair does not come off.

Another benefit to air drying in the house during the winter:  it adds humidity to the dry air!  I don't know for sure if this is the reason, but our hands are suspiciously not as dry and cracked as they normally are in the winter.  Until I'm proven wrong, I'm going to believe it's from the extra humidity in the living room.  

.....marveled at the beauty of the veggies and fruit Mr. GV was juicing.  

....cooked up a black bean vegetable soup from Veganomicon.  I cooked the beans overnight in the slow cooker then cooked the veggies this morning and added it all to a pot.  I haven't tried it yet but Mr. GV says it is very good.  

Christmas Festival and Parade

On the day of our town's parade there was a little festival as well.  They had crafts, train rides, hot chocolate, s'mores, and a local man who made balloon art for the kids.  

J enjoyed a cookie....or two.  

He enjoyed getting his picture made with the girl next to him while he was making a coffee filter angel.

And of course he enjoyed the cotton candy before the parade started!

Santa once again rode in with his elves and Rudolph on the front of a fire truck!

Making Wrapping Paper

I thought it would be fun for J and I to make some wrapping paper.  It was fun and messy, I loved it, and I'm pretty sure J had a good time too.  Did I wind up using any of this wrapping paper at Christmas?  Nope.  But that's OK.  We still had a good time and made a memory!

Taking the term "wrapping paper" a little too literally I think.

Mom Has a Big Round Birthday!

After some errands and going to ICE, it was finally time to celebrate my Mom's birthday!!!  We ate at Macaroni Grill after some perusal of the mall.

Here is my beautiful Mom in her birthday crown!

And here is the dessert they gave her with the candle we brought along.  We all sang "Happy Birthday" to her and J even continued the tradition of making up a birthday song for her.  

ICE

Mr GV, J, my sister, and myself went to see ICE as a surprise for J.  I have been 2 or 3 times before, when there were different themes, but this was my sister and nephew's first time.  

Mr. GV getting ready to go in.

This year there was a Shrek theme!  It was really cute, and the artistry is just amazing. 

J's favorite--Puss 'n' Boots.

Here's Mr. GV and myself sitting....in an outhouse.  Ha!

J going down the ice slide.

Afterward we saw a Rockette being interviewed by the radio station, and J decided to get a picture with her.  He also put on a little performance for her.  She said he needed to be in theater classes, which is something we think too.  He's a real character and (generally) isn't shy at new situations.