Spring bunny fun...

a note for the Spring Bunny

clues for the scavenger hunt

a vintage Easter card from our Yaya

cheerful additions to the kitchen window

colorful eggs after the hunt

favorite books to celebrate the day

cozy bunny friends in their nest

Spring eggs!

***KID FRIENDLY***

Botanical Impressions...

Crayons and good old Paas...

***FOR THE MAMA***

I finally managed to use my Ukrainian Easter Egg Kit (I've had it for years, but haven't had the time or patience to go for it until this year!).  I definitely need more practice (and varnish), but it was very nice to make a couple of these beauties...

Thrift store love...

It was a very fine morning at the thrift shop... two chairs for two dollars and a beautiful pair of vintage boots (with the tags still on them)!  I have a similar pair of Frye boots, but these are a little shorter and I love the shade of brown.  I look forward to breaking them in... I wonder where they have been all these years.  As I brought them to the counter to purchase, this little old lady caught a glimpse of the boots and said, "Wow... now that's a real find!!"  I replied, "Yes it is... and they fit like a glove!"  We exchanged knowing glances.  Yes... it was a fine morning at the thrift shop. 



My birthday...

A few photos from the day (it was a good one!)...



Pause...

We're usually pretty darn busy around here, but I've noticed that Thursday afternoons almost always feel like a nice, deep breath.  By the time I pick up the kids from school on Thursday, I've made it through my teaching for the week and there seems to be a natural pause that takes place.  I catch my breath and regroup... reclaim the house a bit... enjoy a moment or two in the garden or on the patio.  Tomorrow morning we'll get everyone out the door one last time, and then the weekend will be upon us!  

Spring forward...

We are in those wacky days of March where it will be in the 70s one day and then drop into the low 50s the next.  I found some spring/summer tops at the thrift store recently and was so excited that is was actually warm enough the other day to wear one!  We were hanging out on the grass exploring the signs of spring when my daughter got her hands on my camera (as she does frequently these days) and snapped these photos.  Today, I am wearing layers and a sweater, but these photos remind me that spring is really really (really) coming! 

P.S. The necklace is another favorite that I picked up on the same day I found the dragon necklace. 

P.P.S.  It seems like the Spring Equinox is a perfect day to change up the blog a bit! 

Seeing green...

I hope you had a lovely St. Patrick's Day!  Today seemed like one excuse after another to properly enjoy a large bowl of delicious (and green) whipped cream.  Green pancakes needed it, it was very nice on top of a glass of homeade Irish Cream on the rocks (yum!), and what is pistachio pudding without it (seriously)?!  The pancakes and Irish cream were a hit, but I think next year I'll go for some mint chip ice cream instead of pudding... with green whipped cream to be sure! 



It all started with whipped cream plus vanilla and green dye!



Green pancakes with green whipped cream... of course!



Homemade Irish cream... recipe found here!



Pistachio pudding with green whipped cream!



A very good day...

We totally could have (and perhaps should have) finished the trim today, but we decided to get breakfast out and hit the nearby thrift shop while the kiddos were at school!  After a very fun morning, we did manage to put in some quality ladder time, but we didn't finish the last window.  It was worth it though because a breakfast date with my man was super nice... and the thrift store jaunt was very fruitful!  Both kids now have their spring/summer wardrobes (so many new clothes, in fact, that I had to hang some of the laundry to dry on the garden fence when our clothesline got filled up!).  The Tofu King even found a Woolrich down vest and a beautiful pair of Italian shoes (beginner's luck)!  And if all of that wasn't enough, the plum trees are blooming!!  It was a very good day.

Overnight...

It would be embarrassing to admit how frequently I have checked my garden beds over the past week... hoping I might see some tiny sign of life.  And then today, I opened my garden gate and saw itty bitty green plants sprouting up everywhere!  Hurray!! 

Work in progress...

We've been busy around here prepping and painting the window trim on our little red house.  As of this morning, we have painted 8 and only have 5 to go.  Unfortunately, all of the remaining windows are on the second floor... which means I'll be spending a lot of time way up on a ladder like so:

We were hoping to be finished by the end of the day today, but I don't think that's very realistic.  I do feel confident that we'll be finished by Friday... fingers crossed!  I'm liking the new color, but as you can see we still have a lot to do even after we finish the five windows... the door trim needs (at the very least) a fresh coat of paint (or perhaps new trim alltogether depending on how ambitious we get!), we need to do a little caulking* here and there, and the doors definitely need a fresh coat of paint as well (we'll probably keep them dark blue unless we decide to change things up a bit).  I should have been grading papers, writing grants, and finishing IRB proposals over my spring break (and I did do some of that), but this project has been a nice change of pace from the work of the semester.   

*Yes... yikes... I meant caulking... ahem!

Crayon on wood...

My sweet (and somewhat sneaky) girl is always on the lookout for materials for her own creations.  Today, she found a leftover piece of wood from the shelf project and put it to good use (without asking for permission... of course)!  I have always loved kid art and this little piece is definitely a keeper:

Recently...

Usually when I hit the thrift store, I have a pretty open mind, but sometimes I am on a mission.  Today was one of those days because my kid really needed a jacket.  Her old jacket was getting a wee bit small and then the zipper broke.  I wasn't about to go out and buy a new jacket for the last few weeks of spring (only to have her grow out of it before next winter), but I was hoping to find something that might get us through the next month or so.  This morning, I ran into a friend and fellow thrift store junkie... and she had already scoped out the girls' jackets (she has boys, but knew I was on the lookout).  Sure enough, she had found the perfect little reversible jacket.  Hurray!

An example of a more random find is this little seat I found last week.  I'm pretty sure my grandpa Charlie had these in his fishing boat so when I saw it, I knew I'd be taking it home with me.  I picked it up to have a seat for the upcoming outdoor movie season, but a certain someone has been carrying it around and using it everywhere (he has even started to sit on it when he is sitting on the couch!).  I have the feeling that we will be fighting over it unless I can find another one before the summer!

Oh how I love it when I get to sew with thrifted fabric... that is a special treat!  So on the stitching side of things, I found this nice bit of terrycloth and I've been thinking hard about how to use it.  It would make a great swimming cover up for me or for my girl (can you tell that I have spring/summer on my mind?!) or perhaps some stretchy/comfy pants?  It would also make some sweet pillows or even a critter or two.  I haven't decided yet, but I'll keep you posted...

Finally, I stitched together this little guy last night... just because!  Felt and fleece... what more could you ask for in a little friend, right?!  Aden took him to school today and his teacher asked if I'd teach them how to make them as a class project.  That would be 22 little owls in one room... that's a whole lot of cuteness!  That's also a whole lot of 3, 4, and 5 year olds with needles... yikes!



Holding my breath...

In an attempt to keep the mole/vole out of my beds, I've treated the garden and perimeter with a non-toxic Caster oil repellent.  We've also had a couple of visits from a sweet dog who is a bona fied mole/vole assassin (though she hasn't had any luck so far... but we'll keep trying).  I'm hopeful that the Castor oil will make the garden unattractive enough to the little bastards that they decide to settle for the rest of our yard (they can seriously have all five acres minus my four little beds!).  I've also decided to go ahead and start a few containers just in case the whole business is a bust this year.  I'm pretty much holding my breath at this point...