taste-off

Yesterday we had a brownie taste-off. 

It was Duncan Hines versus the healthy Raw Brownie. 

It was determined that the raw brownie was indeed excellent, 

but if you were having a bad day...Duncan Hines was the way to go.

Just in case you ever wondered.

when in doubt...craft

When one finds herself home for a week because of snow, one tends to have a lot of time on her hands. There is only so much cleaning, laundry and coffee drinking a person can do (wait...wait...not that last one). Since one of my goals was to create more time for crafts, I figured snow days were the perfect time to make good on my promise. 

I made:

This fox shirt.

This skirt out of a men's shirt.

These cute mittens that I plan on dyeing as soon as I get some dye.

And these pillows made out of T-shirts!

And now Maggie will demonstrate the usefulness of these pillows.

Do you want to make your own?

1. Drawstring shirt tutorial on A Beautiful Mess.

2. Skirt tutorial on Megan Nielsen Design Diary.

3. (soon to be) Dip-dyed mittens by Skunkboy Creatures on the Modcloth blog.

4. T-shirt pillows are my own design, but feel free to email me if you really want a tutorial.

I'm thinking this goal can be marked a success, and it's only January. Snow days, I thank you.

here today, gone tomorrow

One minute you have a snow storm...

...and the next minute rain. 

So long snow! I thank you kindly for coming and giving me a week of snow days. You can go now.

backyard bonfire

The best thing about a snow day is making a visit to friends who are also snowed in. Dina and Jake invited us over for some Mexican hot chocolate, and it was the perfect thing to warm us up after we left the park. We hung out in their backyard; drinking warm drinks, eating sweet snacks and hanging by a warm fire. Of course, it ended up being a little too wet/rainy/snowy/windy/cold to stay out there too long, but the whole idea was so nice that we couldn't help but leave with a smile on our faces and warmth in our bellies. If being snowed in involves good friends and delicious drinks, then I'm all about it!

You can see Dina's pictures here.

snow days

It has been snowing like crazy the past few days, and Anders and I have both been cooped up in the house for way too long because of it. By yesterday, we had a severe case of cabin fever, and we decided the only thing to do was get bundled up, face the elements and head to Magnuson Park on Lake Washington. It might have been overly windy with an odd combination of wet snow mixed with rain, but we were so happy to be out that we didn't care a bit! 

I'm not a doctor, but I'm pretty sure cartwheels are a symptom of cabin fever.

afternoon snack

It snowed a bit over the weekend. It wasn't enough to cause any major concern, but it did cover the yard with a tiny dusting, and Maggie decided she needed to investigate. 

She wasn't so sure about it at first...

But then she realized she could eat it, and all was right in the world!

smash putt

We did something kind of different this past weekend. We met up with friends and went to Smash Putt! Smash Putt is a miniature golf course set up in a warehouse. The entire course was designed by artists and engineers who used their imaginative minds to come up with very unique holes. I really have never seen anything like this! Some holes were very traditional in that you hit the ball through a lane, but some holes didn't require the use of a club at all. For example, one hole was a shooting range. You shot your golf ball out of a gun! Check out the pictures below to see some shots of my favorite holes. 

Skee ball hole. You shot your golf ball up the lane just as you would in the classic arcade game.

Log Jammin' ...hit the ball around the logs!

Another non-conventional hole...you drop your ball in the top and then spin the wheel to get your ball to go through the maze. Make a wrong turn, and your ball would fall through a hole and land on the floor. The artist designed this after a game his son had.

It was hard! My ball fell to the floor...a lot.

This was one of my favorite holes. It was designed to look just like a living room with a couch, TV and a video game. You were welcome to sit, relax and play the game. However, then, the golfer had to try and shoot their ball through the living room! The people relaxing became the obstacle to shoot around.

Anders and Pat sit in the living room playing video games but are actually making it very hard to golf.

Laura decides to become an obstacle.

Such a unique night in the city! I loved this fun and different golf course. The exhibit/course runs through February, so, if you live in Seattle, I recommend checking it out. I give it an A+!