My Farmer

Last week, Lucas' class learned about farming. One day they had the kids come dressed as farmers. I tried to be creative with what we had here at home. I think he looks pretty cute! He can plant my corn anytime!

Our New Neighbors

Three little robins nestled next to our house in the crook of our downspout.

Busy, Busy!

My posting has gone by the wayside lately. Last weekend the kids and I visited my parents out of state and then I worked Monday and Tuesday. Since then I've been playing catch-up. This list may be boring, but seeing a list of my accomplishments is so encouraging to me! So far I've:

• Tidied up the main living area and all the regular everyday chores.
• Grocery shopping. I'm loving the challenge of clipping coupons and matching them to sale prices to see how much money I can save. It's fun! Last week I got mayo/Miracle Whip for free and this week I got Kraft dressing for pennies and BBQ sauce for free. Excellent!
  
• Planted a few a flowers.
• Birthday shopping for my soon-to-be 4yr old.
• Mopped the kitchen and bathrooms.
• Thinned out and weeded one of my larger flower beds. (lots of flower pics to come.)
• Roasted red bell peppers (it was easier than I thought it would be) for this great recipe. So refreshing and yummy!
• Met a friend to pick out fabric for her baby's bed skirt and bumper. She want to hire ME to make them for her. I'm really excited to see how they turn out! I'll post a pic soon of the travel quilt I made for her shower. The quilt inspired the color them for the baby's room so she's going to use it in his room instead.
  
• Pulled the carseats out of the car and washed the covers. I finally found where the pee smell in the car was coming from. Gross!
• Made rice milk concentrate for the kids. Bless this woman who figured out such a great recipe! It has definitely been cheaper than store bought. We go through 11 cups of concentrate every week!

Today is a full day too! Hopefully, I get a chance to socialize with some girlfriends soon!

Garage Sale Goodness

Pretty little ruby slippers for Lydia. Brand new: $2

A little bike to end the fights over the Big Wheel: $5 (This little idea backfired on me. This is now the coveted mode of transportation.)


Scary bird picture: $1

A lovely little trick to play on Brian. I let him believe I bought because I wanted to hang it above our fireplace. I actually bought this canvas to use for the kids to repaint. I was completely inspired by this idea.

I found it comical that the ladies at the garage sale kept commenting how cute they thought this bird painting was. As in, "I can't believe Edna is selling this painting! He is adorable!" Yet they did not snatch him out of the sale for their very own... and they let him go for 50% off. Take a good look, because he won't be around for very long.

Happy Mother's Day!

(Lucas brought this gift home from school on Thursday. It's already doubled in size.
A sweet gift!)

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms! Whether through a personal relationship or through blog contacts it is wonderful to have a community of moms come together to spur one another on to greatness! Thank you!

It's a Mystery

Several weekends ago I attended a mystery quilt weekend with the local quilt group to which I belong. It's a fun group of women from all ages and stage of life, but the one thing we all have in common is we LOVE to play with fabric.

We were given the fabric requirements and were told to pick out 8 fat quarters from 2 contrasting color-ways. You can't get more contrasting than orange and green. One of my quilting friends told me it looked like a pile of sherbet. I like that idea!

Some of the women are sewing whizzes and had their quilt complete. Not me. There were a lot of points and intersections to line up, so that slows me down a lot. So, here I am 3 weeks later with a pile of cheerful, vibrant fabric waiting to be assembled. It will get done eventually. Seriously, it happens in micro-moments. Fifteen minutes here, 10 minutes there. But I love the process. It's my escape. I love seeing the beauty unfold.

I hope in the near future you will catch another glimpse of this quilt. And I hope this time it will be done!

Soulful Bird

A few weeks ago during a cold, rainy day I was washing dishes when this little bird landed on the tree outside my kitchen window. It hunkered down for a while to stay warm on such a dreary day. I couldn't resist snapping a few photos.

I have always loved Mourning Doves. They take me back to childhood memories. I remember laying in my bed as the light streamed through my curtains listening to their soulful call. The best alarm clock nature could offer.

Through the years I've enjoyed watching them nestle down in my flower beds to rest. Their soft hues and gentle eyes have always seemed peaceful. Their presence reminds me of sunny days, warm breezes and quiet, reflective moments.