Guest hosting today.

Hi friends,
Today I am guest hosting at my friend Laura's blog, Decor to Adore.
Laura is pictured here, 4th from the left, in the blue check shirt and white pants.
All of these gals are Arizona Bloggers and my friends.
I am the Northern gal in red, however I feel like Arizona has become my second home.
I am sure you recognize many of them.  From the left to right.  Marty @ A stroll thru life, 
Jamie @ Mimi's Corner, Ceekay @ Thinking of Home, Laura, myself and Linda @ Reminisce This and That. 
Linda is a transplant who grew up in Wisconsin and we knew each other in h.s. through 4-H and our county fair.  We reconnected through blogging and that is a story in itself.
Next week I am heading southwest to Phoenix to visit my son, dil, and grand-daughter.
And I will also get to have lunch with these wonderful gals!
Laura is a very talented interior decorator and writer and if you haven't visited her blog before your in for a treat.
Let her know that Cindy sent you!
Happy Weekend,
Cindy

The January blues..

Cali and Frosty

January is a very long month for me.  And this year has been even worse.  We have been inundated with very cold temps and when it warms up a bit, a lot of snow.  My little grand-daughter Cali is a little desert dweller.  However she was able to see snow for the first time this year when she visited her great uncle and aunt who live in Flagstaff.  My son reports that she was so excited by it all.

These deer have found some bird seed and make for a rather unique picture.  I do enjoy having wildlife to observe even if they sometimes make me a bit crazy.

This is how it looked last Tuesday after we got 9 more inches of snow.  We spent a lot of the next day getting dug out.

I have been doing a little sewing.  I enjoy it the most during the long, cold winter months.

I made this little skirt and headband for Addison out of some scrap fabrics and it didn't cost me a dime.  Sorry for the clutter.  On the days I babysit it tends to get a little wild around here.
Next week I am heading to Arizona to visit my son, dil and little grand-daughter.  My husband will keep the home fires burning.  I so wish he could have made this trip but someone has to make a living around here.  Thanks honey.  I am so looking forward to some warmer temps, even if it is just for a short time.
So what do you do to make the winter go faster?  
Cindy

Top posts of 2013 and our wild and crazy New Years Eve..

Oh baby it's cold outside!  A windchill of minus 45 is truly downright scary. Who knew about the polar vortex and now that I do, I wish it would stay in the North Pole where it belongs.

I thought I would share a few of my most popular posts of 2013.

Hands down, the cabinet re-do won by a landslide.

I think I have had close to 10,000 views which is an amazing amount for my little blog.

You can see more of that here.

Patio decorating on a budget came in 2nd.  It is so hard to believe it can ever look like this again.  I look out at the piles of snow and the wind that is wickedly blowing, and I have a hard time picturing it.

See more of it here.

Another popular post was all about Alma, Wisconsin and our neck of the woods.

I was a little surprised about the amount of folks reading this one.  Maybe I should do more of this kind in 2014.

See it here.

A recent one, my Christmas Mantle.

I have it all taken down now, but it's sitting there looking all naked and blank while I try to find some inspiration for 2014.

See more here.

Flower arranging for beginners was also popular.  Another surprise.

You can see more of that here.

I had a bumper crop of lilacs this past year. I actually really enjoyed this post too.

Cold winters seem to have one benefit.

See more here.

My husband Dan and I had a great New Years Eve and day!

We partied with the likes of Dora, Bob and a very special little girl.

 The Mall of America is just a hop, skip and jump from us!

It seems we have come to the age of being the designated babysitters on New Years eve.

And that suits us just fine!

Because I have never seen a little girl more excited than this one about meeting up with some of her favorite characters.

OH my goodness, she just squealed with delight!

And grandma and grandpa enjoyed it just as much as she did.

We went on a lot of fun rides with her.

I feel a little big for the Blues Clues ride but she loved having me along!

And there were so many to try out.

There was also a New Years eve party for families.

A trip to Lego-land.

 More fun rides, this was her favorite.

Just look at her smile!

Dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe and then we went back to our room and crashed.

The next morning we got up ,went back and spent a few more hours there before heading home.

With one very happy 3 year old and two very tired grand-parents in tow.

Thanks for stopping by to visit me.

I love hearing from you.

Cindy