Of board books, blizzards and bells

Today's items of interest start with the letter "B". First, the board book:

Last week, I finished up another class project: a board book in a cigar box. For this project, I used Bo Bunny's new Felicity line, along with a Cosmo Cricket cigar box, Bazzill's new paper flowers, and Bo Bunny's decorative brads. The board book (also a Bo Bunny product) is 6x6 and the box is 6.25x6.25, so it fits inside perfectly.

Next, the blizzard:
We're under a blizzard warning until midnight. Looking out my window, the snow is coming down fast, but there is not much wind to speak of yet. At 27 degrees, it's not even cold compared to the past few days. It certainly doesn't look like a blizzard to me, but I understand the winds are supposed to kick in this afternoon.

Dire weather warnings have been posted, suggesting we "gather provisions", such as blankets, food, and batteries, and prepare for extended periods without power. Gusty winds will cause icy power lines to "gallop" (seriously -- who has heard of this term?) and snap. The entire metro area is practically shut down for what (so far, anyway), looks to be a pretty average snowstorm. Don't get me wrong -- I totally appreciate the value of weather warnings. But I think that we sometimes over-dramatize the weather forecasts around here. Good grief, people...this is winter in the Midwest! What do you expect? :-)

And finally, the bell:
You may recall that I've been trying to teach Lily to ring a bell for her food. She has two options: a desk bell from Staples (she's not really liking that) and a cloth bag filled with jingle bells. Many people have been skeptical about Lily's ability to learn to ring a bell when she's hungry. But -- prepare to be amazed -- Lily has rung the bell on several occasions this week, completely on her own! She sort of wiggles the bag - "jingle, jingle" - with her paw! She doesn't do it every time, but she's learning! So take that, you skeptics! :-)

Updated at 1:15 pm: Our blizzard warning has been cancelled. It has been replaced with a "blowing snow advisory". That seems more appropriate for the conditions. :-) And middle school softball pitching has also been postponed. That seems like another good call!