Oh Yeah...It's Winter Isn't It?

Not to jerk you out of the tropical paradise that exists in the Caribbean, but since I had to be jerked out of it in real life, you're just going to have to deal with it virtually. (I flatter myself that you all would even feel jerked out of paradise just 'cause I've posted it a couple times...)

So, last week was Winter Carnival here in our very own winter wonderland.  You might remember my post from last year (there I go flattering myself again), but if you don't you can see it here.  Winter Carnival is a month long snow statue competition between campus groups and during the week of Carnival there is also an overnight statue competition.  Naturally, the month-long statues are much more impressive than the overnighters, but when you realize how little time the overnighters had, you will be impressed with theirs, too.

So, I took a lot of pictures this year.  And I didn't even get to all the really good statues, due to a very unfortunate experience involving one of my children suddenly getting sick while we were looking at them.  Sick, as in, we really did need to go home and change her clothes at the very least.  Immediately.  Poor thing.

Anyway, I took so many pictures, that I don't think I should put them all in one post.  So, I figure I'll divide it all up somehow and have several posts.  Thus boring all of you.  But, oh well.  I am a boring person in the wintertime, if you'll remember.

So, up this week on Overstuffed:  Winter Carnival 2011.  Check in every day to see your favorite books (oh yes, that was the theme--"Thousands of Pages Unfold in the Bitter Cold") come alive in the form of  snow statues.

For now, I'll start with the overnight statues, and some of the smaller month-long projects.  Then you can just look forward to the really good stuff as the week goes on...

First of all, that thing about the bitter cold?  They weren't kidding.  The week of Carnival our high temperatures were in the single digits and it was routinely below zero.  I felt rather sorry for all the crazy students out in the arctic weather carving sculptures out of snow and ice.  I also refused to let my children go see the statues until the last day of Carnival when it was like 20 degrees.  A veritable heat wave, I tell you!

So, we met up with some friends...here's Jane and Lucy now, and walked around campus looking at the fare.

We saw Captain Nemo and the mighty Sea Monster from Jules Verne's classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

We saw The Hobbit.

We saw Moby Dick.

We saw The Three Little Pigs.

This one's for you, DeNae.  It's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  But I'm sure you already knew that!

We had The Bible.

We had How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
And finally...this giant toilet was my girls' favorite.  I thought only boys were into the potty humor?

Oh, are you wondering what book that toilet is from?  Obviously, it's Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi, complete with TP and the catchphrase "Everyone Poops in Da Yoop"  (Don't know what the Yoop is?  Well, it's where I live.  The Upper Peninsula of Michigan=the U.P.=the You Pee=the Yoop.  And also, I am now called a "Yooper." And now you know.)

Stay tuned for more winter fun!