The same weekend I posted a 'Til Monday featuring how beautiful winter ice can be, I experienced the very ugly side of it. It was a rainy night and the ice on our flat roof began to melt and literally flow into the family room below. Thank goodness for our collection of large plastic toy bins and friends that came over the next morning to break up the remaining ice and shovel it off the roof. Take a look at the not so pretty side of winter.

Over the summer, the roof deck was covered in astro turf to protect it from the demolition our 2nd floor renovation required. The morning after the flood, we decided to cut it up and throw it overside to ensure proper drainage. It now covers our icy driveway enabling the kids to walk safely onto the side walk on their way to school.

I can not believe I'm posting these so NOT pretty photos...

All that remains on the roof is a rubber coating that definitely needs replacement.

The ceiling is constantly shedding. Not until the winter is completely gone, will we be able to fully address the awful damage the leaks caused. Consecutive dry and warm days are needed to access it at its source. Until then, the buckets and tarps are close at hand to catch both the icy water and the shedding paint.

Oh, to make matters even worse, the arborvitae hedge that surrounds our yard has also been seriously affected by this grueling season. Several trees have actually split due to the heavy snow and, therefore, our privacy hedge may no longer be as private.

Nevertheless, I'm grateful we all remained dry and healthy throughout this ordeal. What we have to look forward now is an early, restoring, revitalizing, reconstructive spring!

Is everyone else ready?!