Art out of Necessity

Here are some photos of two tables I painted. The end table was an old hand-me-down that was in horrible shape, and the coffee table was damaged in the move. Instead of pulling out the industrial sander, I pulled out my craft paints. These were the results. It saved me money, gave me something to do for an evening that Clint was out of town, and are just quarky enough to serve well in our family room!

New Year's Celebration in Missoula

Though she doesn't look it, Mekelle was very excited to see Clifford the Big Red Dog.




































Daddy dances with Mekelle.

















This was the highlight of the night...Mekelle's first Pony Ride.

We attempted snowshoeing this weekend up on Lolo Pass just on the other side of the Montana/Idaho border. It is about 45 minutes outside of Missoula, and there is 6 feet of snow on the ground! The sidewalk outside our house only has about an inch. The parking lot to the Idaho Visitor's Center was plowed into a labrinth of 10 feet high snow piles. Amazing. Being from a more southern state (by the way, we do get snow), I have never seen so much snow in my life. The trails were packed down, but I trudged my way through some unpacked snow that sunk up to my knees...with snowshoes on.

We went sledding in the same place last weekend and had a blast. Mekelle was brave enough to go down the hill by herself a couple of times. This week she rode behind Clint in her own Daddy-drawn-sleigh, but I think she enjoyed the sledding more. She wasn't able to really appreciate the splendid views that I attempted to capture on film. Actually, she took a nap.