Inside and Out

I've been inspired by so many blogs that I thought I would show a few Easter things I've put around the house. 

 I just found this Peter Rabbit tea set at Tuesday Morning. Love it!

Some of you might recognize this mat as a pattern offered by Elizabeth of Bluebird Papercrafts.
 

 

There is not much in bloom here yet. After a warm weekend, we've had temps back in the 40's.  We've got a few crocuses left and the daffs are starting. I planted out some violas to add more color.

Every day I go out and see what's come up. It's like seeing old friends again! Soon I will be cleaning up the perennial borders and getting the spring veggies planted. I'll show more soon! 

So Many Books, So Little Time

   Let me just start off by saying that we are a family of readers.  We love books!  One of our favorite places to hang out is a book store.  When we go to the library, we bring home stacks of books.

  Of course, each of us has our favorite genre. Rick, Andrew, and Eric prefer fantasy and science fiction. Justin mostly reads non-fiction. Right now I am enjoying mysteries and thrillers. We have all tried to read most of the "classics". And our all time favorite as a family would have to be Lord of the Rings.

Even though we get most of our books from the library, we still buy a lot of them.  We were running out of shelf space, and some books were put in the attic or given away.  So that is why Rick built the bookcases in Eric's room this winter.

Since we now have the space and are going to have a grandson this summer, I was happy to get the children's books out of the attic. My husband and I had a good time looking at those books that we had read a million times to our boys.

I have many favorite kid's books, but I was interested in seeing how many Little Golden Books we had by the illustrator Eloise Wilkin. I just love her drawings of sweet chubby cheeked little children. Her books are becoming quite collectable. A few years ago, you could get one of her LGB for a dollar or two. Last month I saw one for $10.00 at an antique store. And Georgie Finds a Grandpa is going for 20.00 on line! But there is no way I'm selling mine. Too many good memories!

 

 Aren't they precious?

Happy Spring!

I can't believe that the first weekend of spring was so...springy! I got so much done, not all in the garden, but stuff that needed doing and a little gardening.  Saturday and Sunday mornings were chilly, so I did some housework, paid bills, and did laundry. And since Eric was home for spring break, I did a little baking - yummy banana bread.

It was so nice to be able to  put the sheets on the line.  I feel good about saving a little electricity, and I just enjoy the process. Being outdoors, hearing the birds singing, folding up fresh smelling laundry. It doesn't get any better!

 

Even the chickens seemed to be in a good mood about the weather. And boy, are they laying! It's a good thing we have some regular egg customers.

We even went out to Lowe's to see what they had in the garden center.. Not much yet, but I bought a sweet almond bush, and  a flat of violas. I like the smaller violas, rather than the larger pansies. We were picking out some trees, then realized we had the wrong vehicle. Can't put much in a Ford Focus!

This plant stand is on the screened back porch. I'll be showing more of it and the gardens soon.

Did everyone get a chance to see the "super moon"?  Pretty cool, wasn't it?

Have a good week and thank you for visiting.

Early Spring Ritual

Most years I start quite a few perennials from seeds and put them under lights in the basement. My husband built a very nice light stand for me. But since we now have a greenhouse too, I thought I would try to start some of the annuals that I usually spend so much money on. I've already planted some Lemon Gem marigolds, Cut and Come Again Zinnias, some heirloom tomato varieties, sweet peppers, and a bunch more. I also got some seeds for cotton and indigo, just for the fun of it. I get most of my seeds from Pinetree Gardens. They have a good selection, and their prices are reasonable.

Here I am pricking out seedlings into packs. I really enjoy this process. I just use a pencil to dibble a little hole. My husband wanted to know why I was doing this on a kitchen counter instead of  the potting shed, the greenhouse, or the bench on the porch. Well, it was cold outside!

I finally couldn't stand it and went out to do a little raking. Had to see what was greening up under those leaves. Rick was cleaning out the chickens' nesting boxes. And look who came over to see what we were doing:

I'm so glad I braved the cold!

Another Birthday

I want to tell you that I think my birthdays are coming around way too fast these days. And I don't feel as old as I am, (well, physically I do!) so I just wish time could slow down a little. Especially when I see my boys all grown up I think, sheesh, where did those 30 years go!  Well, I better stop or I will be getting my computer wet. Anyway I had a great birthday on Friday. Rick took me out for dinner and then a movie (The King's Speech - it was really good). We had a dinner last weekend with Andrew, Alison, and Eric. Rick's birthday is on the 3rd, so we usually celebrate ours together. The kids got me a frame of mounted butterflies, which I just love.

I also got some new garden tools.

And my niece, who is also my crafting buddy, sent me all these paper crafting goodies. I just love that wrinkle ribbon, and the German Easter scrap, and everything!

Since it's still pretty cold today and I don't want to be in the garden, I think I will make something with these pretties.

A Tisket, A Tasket.....

After being inspired by Diane of Saturday Finds and others who have used peat pots in their crafting, I decided to give it a try. It was so fun to make these cute little Easter baskets, especially since I found matching eggs and chicks at HL. I added satin ribbon and paper flowers from my stash. When I was almost done, I found the framed Easter images I made in an online class by Lisa Pace. They were just what I wanted to finish the baskets.

 

 

I've taken the day off from work to give my injured wrist a rest, but there are a lot of things I want to get done. I want to straighten my craft room, get out the Spring/Easter stuff, buy groceries....so I had better get started.

Oh, last night my husband and I just happened upon a pbs show about the folk singers of the 50's and 60's. We both had older sisters who turned us on to this great music when we kids. It brought back such good memories. I'm thinking I'll be buying some songs today!

Instant Antique

I love the look of hand embroidered linens, and it just so happens that I love to embroider. It started when I was a teenager. I'd take the iron-on transfer sheets out of my stepmother's Work Basket magazines and embroider designs to sew on my jeans.
These days I add embroidery to quilts, pillows, and even papercrafts. Now, I've added it to some pillow cases for a "real" vintage look. As it turns out, this lace I got at a yard sale was a perfect finishing touch. I love when that happens.

Have a good weekend!