:: Letitia has taken to wearing my ratty old parka and snow shoveling hat (faux fur, of course.) Perhaps that’s because I’ve been wearing it a lot myself lately. Of course, I don’t wear the flower when I’m outside in the snow. Yesterday was just a  horrible, terrible weather day. Snow came down and turned to sleet, then turned to freezing rain, which turned to ice. All the trees and plants are coated with it. Our driveway, which slopes down to the street, was completely iced over this morning. Oh joy. Don salted it and about an hour later, there we were, hacking away at the ice. It’s a long driveway, so excuse me while I pause for a moment to curse. I’m also dealing with sinus/allergy/whatever and feel a more than a bit under the weather. Thank goodness I didn’t have to be in the city yesterday or today. I wouldn’t have been able to make it.

Spring cannot come soon enough.

:: After trying a new recipe for Oatmeal Cookies yesterday, I wasn’t sure I liked the results. Today, however, they taste great. But during the time I thought the cookies were a bust, I quickly scoured the pantry to see what else I had on hand to make another batch. Ah, molasses. So I baked this favorite of ours:

These are “Ben’s Favorite Molasses Sugar Cookies” from The Bake Sale Cookbook, which you can get here. I may not like to cook, but I do like to bake. And I have a sweet tooth. Which is why I don’t bake very often.

:: I’ve just finished another obsession scarf. I haven’t blocked it yet. It’s for my best friend, Laural. Since she doesn’t read this blog, I don’t have to worry about her seeing it. Debi and Karen, I had to special order the yarn for your scarves and it just got in today. Hopefully, I’ll be able to break out of my prison house tomorrow and pick it up from the yarn shop.

:: I’ve decided I’m going to post something about the dollhouse every week. That way I will be forced to keep plugging away. It’s been completely primed. Now I have to paint the outside and figure out what I want to do with the rooms. I’ve been pouring through my catalogs and am getting ready to order baseboards, crown molding, window trims, spindles and railings for the staircases….if I let myself, I could go nuts. Working on this dollhouse is tricky because it was already assembled when I found it on Craigs List. Usually, all the painting, etc. is done before assembly. Since I can’t do that, I have to work in very tiny spaces and it isn’t easy. The dollhouse came with this door:

I don’t particularly like it and it doesn’t close. So, I bought another door.

What do you think? I like it much better. It’s a bit larger than the other one and that means I might have to do some sawing…any tips from my mini friends on the best way to do it? By the way, that plant and urn came from my friend Jayne of Tallulah – Belle Originals. She sent me lots of wonderful things for my dollhouse – she’s incredibly generous.

I’m off to drink hot chocolate and blow my nose.