"Nature's first green is gold,
Her early leaf's a flower;
"Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
Two weeks ago our family drove down to California (about a 16 hour drive) to visit family for Spring Break. We had a wonderful time visiting moms, dads, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles and friends. God is so good to fill our lives with people to love and people to love us! My kids were in heaven with doting grandmas and aunts. We savored the sunshine and the green grass, conversations over tea and coffee, and watching our kids run around barefoot.
We decided to spend my husband's spring break visiting family down in sunny California. I'm loving the sunshine, the bare toes, and the gorgeous colors of God's creation. 
We still have gray skies and snow on our front lawn at home. This is a welcomed change for us. My kids sure have enjoyed being outdoors again.
"Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young at a place near your altar, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God!...What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord."
I'm thankful to have a wonderful husband who takes such good care of me. He comes home from his long days at school and helps with dinner, laundry and bathing the kids. And if that wasn't enough, I'm able to spend Saturday mornings hidden away in a coffee shop reading, planning the week's activities and taking a little break from the busyness of home life. This morning I got a much-needed haircut, had coffee, did a little shopping, and went to the library. I love to browse the children's section with my kids, but today I was able to browse the adult section. I found a great art book, a soup cookbook, a couple of decorating books, and a book about vintage kitchen glassware.
This morning I revisited Honey for a Child's Heart. This book is a great resource for children's literature.
I love to pack my bookbag on Saturday mornings and head out the door for a good cup of coffee. Even better are the smiles and hugs I receive hours later when I return.
Don't get me wrong, she's kinda cute. My 6 year old son just informed me that her new look is "her cutest look!" And, after all, these dolls are made for kids--not for 34 year old nostalgic mommies.
Yum...
and yum.
Probably not the best thing to snack on at 11:00 at night, so I tossed in a banana.
When 3:00 arrives, nap time is over and my girls begin to stir. They're always so energized--but mommy? Not quite! Sometimes I don't think I'll make it to dinner time.
For someone who can't stand mice, I sure do a lot crafty things with them. These mice are made of folded paper hearts...simple! You can find the instructions to make these here. For the tails, I used rick rack instead of lollipops.
For those of you who love vintage style, do you ever want to kick yourself when you realize that you used to own many of the things you look for in antique stores today? I was only 8 at the time, but oh, how I wish I would have saved a few of my Strawberry Shortcake valentines!
They look so sweet in my kitchen.
I've always loved Valentine's Day. Isn't it such a wonderful day when you're in elementary school? What fun to pick out a box of Valentines at the store and then pretend not to enjoy passing them out to all the boys in your class! The first year I taught school, I had to pinch myself when I realized that I would be organizing my own Valentine parties. And how could I resist all the yummy chocolate delivered to my desk from at least 25 students? Oh, day of all days!
Happy Groundhog Day! My kids are always excited to wake up on February 2, because we make our predictions about Mr. Groundhog the night before.
Before breakfast, I get the computer all geared up so we can watch the news clip from Punxsutawney, PA. The kids are always so excited to see the "real" Mr. Groundhog. :)
All set for breakfast!
Here's a little Groundhog Day snack for the littles. Hide a Hershey Kiss in a bowl of yogurt, topped with green sprinkles.
They'll love finding Mr. Groundhog hiding in their bowls!
My kids haven't been able to play outside since Thanksgiving because of a nasty storm that hit the Pacific Northwest. I've been trying to keep them busy indoors. Yesterday we ventured out and had doughnuts. It's amazing what a little trip like that can do. I think it was refreshing for all of us!
Behold, the cabinet underneath my kitchen sink!
Here's my sewing stuff. I know I'm really going to embarrass myself here. Not only do you see an unorganized mess, but there are 3-4 unfinished sewing projects stashed in that corner...
One of my kitchen counters...
My pantry closet--no rhyme or reason to the placement of anything in here...
My purse--not such a mess, but, I confess, that's bribery candy you see in there...
My bathroom cabinet...
My kids' closet...
Our boots and coats by the back door....
And here's the biggie. I saved the best for last...my bedroom closet and this morning's laundry. I was so tempted to straighten up the closet before taking this picture, but I restrained myself. As I took this picture, I asked myself,
Awhile ago my mom sent me my Great Grandma's apron. I just received her vintage floursack towels in the mail from my little sister!
I think this one's my favorite, since I'm partial to green and red.
Aren't they fun?
photo: Marthastewart.com
As I read to my kids tonight, I chuckled when I read of Laura Ingalls refusing to wear her corset to bed at night...
We don't entertain often. I find it difficult to entertain dinner guests with young children. It's not that I don't enjoy having people over. I do! It's because dinnertime has always been a battle in our home. Breakfast and lunch don't seem to be a problem. Breakfast and lunch foods are, for the most part, kid-friendly. But oh, those yucky dinner foods!
My husband, Phil, went back to school today. As most of you know, we've had more than our fair share of snow this year. I would gladly give any or all of it to those of you who envy us. While Phil was out, the snow plow came through and did our side of the street 3 times, creating an enormous 4 1/2 foot berm right in front of our driveway. Phil always goes out right after the plow comes through in order to shovel that hard and packed-down snow. If you wait too long, it's nearly impossible to move. So, I put on my boots and gloves and headed out the door to find the snow shovel. By this time all of my neighbors were outside trying to remove the snow from their driveways, as well, and many of them commented that I seemed to have more snow in my driveway than any of them...hmmm...imagine that.
I jabbed the snow shovel into the berm and the snow didn't budge. I wanted to cry, thinking that it would take me forever to move that snow, and I had 2 sick kids inside the house. I chiseled away at the pile for a few minutes and then prayed and asked God to do something...anything. I didn't want to leave it for Phil, because by the time he got home, the snow would have been worse.
Then the most amazing thing happened. The snow plow drove by, but on the other side of the street. He had gone the distance of about 2 houses before he stopped, backed up diagonally past my house, moved forward, and then pushed his blade through the berm in my driveway. I don't know if I looked pathetic out there or what! I do know how to shovel snow. Maybe he realized that I had an incredible amount to shovel. I'm not sure what he thought, but I thanked him and then thanked God for His provision. It still took me about an hour to shovel out what was left, but I'm thankful for his help, nonetheless.
I never imagined this would be so difficult. My oldest turned six today. Six seems so old. He's officially out of the preschool stage, and that's all I've ever known as a mommy. I'm treading new waters here.
