contain yourself!

We got some snowfall here in the Missoula Valley around Thanksgiving, and I have been patiently waiting for it to change to sticky snow so we could make a snowman!  This dry arid climate does not always lend itself to this kind of snow, but growing up in Maine it seemed that it was most often sticky.  Anyone else have that memory?

When I was in junior high or early high school I got this job shoveling Mr Rhoda's office and I swear the year I signed up for that the sky let loose and dumped so much and such heavy snow that my back will be paying for it later.  He got the best deal ever that year - since I got paid by the snowstorm - not the amount of snow.  It was character building.
I digress.

Yesterday the snow changed in the afternoon.  We have been warming up around here.  Astrid and I made a snowman then turned him into a cool snow fort!  I used a boxy pail to make "bricks" and I was a became a total machine producing them!  I think I got down to about 3.8 seconds per bucketful.  I tried to get Astrid to help by filling up the holes between these bricks, but she was too busy climbing up the wall and sitting on her "throne" that I made her.  After a while I glanced at Astrid.  Her eyes had that far away, sleepy look...she was sucking on some snow....with snot running down her face.  In my frantic burst of energy, acting like a child, I hardly realized I was shirking my motherly duties.  But, it was so much fun! 

When Astrid and I are cooped up indoors we look for fun in the corners of the house.  She dragged this paper bag out from between the dryer and the wall the other day.

...and it reminded me of a photo of my sister, Genevieve and I, from January 77. 

Genevieve and I have birthdays in December. (we had just turned 3 and 4 years old.)

A few weeks ago I asked my friend Wilson if he and I could build a doll house together for Astrid.  Wilson can build anything.  He is a master at what he does and, lucky for us, he loves spending time in his shop. I found these books at the library for inspiration and I can hardly contain myself.  I hope this doesn't turn into another snow fort.

Here's our progress so far.

The dimensions are 30" (width) X 34" (height) X 12" (deep)

I'm estatic about this dollhouse, even in its undone state.  Maybe even more excited than Astrid will be when she sees it at Christmas.  We'll see.