Snow day...

From sunny Los Angeles straight into a snow day back home!

Los Angeles...

I made a very quick trip to the west coast to visit a friend and her sweet family (including one of the most adorable baby girls ever)!  We've been having a frigid winter around here so spending a couple of days where lemons grow in backyards and one can go for a long stroll on the beach... well it just about blew my mind!  It was amazing... I'll definitely be holding onto these images to help get me through February...

Happy MLK Day...

We always make sure to join our local MLK march... an opportunity to learn, reflect, share, and get inspired to make a difference.  This year, I was particularly taken by the Raging Grannies!

The rally!

The march!

A few of the Raging Grannies!

A head start...

After that super cold snap, everything in the garden kicked the bucket (except for four hearty spinach plants!).  So once the ground thawed out, I got to work getting the beds ready for early spring planting (with the help of our little ladies).  I've normally waited far too long to do my spring planting (I've been afraid of the cold, but seeing so many plants thrive in the cooler temperatures has given me courage!).  I'm determined to have lots in the ground by the beginning of February!  We might get another crazy cold snap and then I'll be back to square one, but more likely, I'll have happy plants that get to grow and produce before it gets too hot for them!  We'll see how this new approach plays out.  No matter what, it is exciting to have garden plans in my thoughts and dirt under my fingernails again...

Ice...

We are definitely not accustomed to arctic temperatures around here... so freezing big chunks of ice is kind of a novelty for us!  I've seen a bunch of ice lanterns around the internet and really wanted to give it a try (you just can't ask for better ice-making conditions)!  My second attempt was a success (let's just say my first attempt involved mason jars... and I'm sure you can imagine how that ended!).  I was bummed, but since it was so cold all day today, I gave it another go (it was only 8 degrees at 7am and the high for the day was only in the low 20s... burrr!!).  This time, I used a Pyrex with a tin can filled with rocks and a pot with a plastic cup filled with rocks... by this evening they were both frozen solid and ready for lights!!  They really do look lovely out there on our patio...

For all of his little guys...

My little guy has quite a growing collection of various good guys, bad guys, monsters, and robots... so when I saw this old Coca-Cola crate at the thrift store, I knew exactly what to do with it!  He was thrilled... and I hope that having this new home for all of his guys will reduce the number that end up on the floor (one can always hope!).

Winter garden...

Well what do you know?!  My little broccoli experiment seems to be working!  I've got four plants... each with a huge head of broccoli growing!!  I guess this plant really does like cold weather... no wonder it was miserable in the spring garden (too hot and too many pests... it was a bit of a mess)!  I had actually pretty much given up on these plants... a few super cold nights and they looked like goners and then the other day I happened to take a peek and realized they were actually producing!  It was such a wonderful surprise... and now I know what I'll be growing more of next winter.

For the birds...

My mom sent us a little bird house/wind chime to build and paint... and here it is!  Isn't it lovely?!  I might need to get another one just because it was so much fun.  It's such a nice, cheerful addition to the front of our house...

And here are our new dishes (the Tofu King is the one who spotted these at the thrift store) and they seriously make me giddy every time we use them!  There is something about the crisp white and the colorful little birds... oh I just love them!

Wishing you and yours a very happy new year filled with lots of little joys!