I forgot about Tiny's skirt.  She did wear it the other day,

but this was the closest I could get to getting her into the skirt today.

I really love it.

Recently were able to get blackberries at a really great price.  So we made Jam and Syrup.

Tiny Smashed 'em down

Up

Down

See

It made a little jam and a little jelly.

We're going somewhere exciting today, can you guess where?

Hint:  He's blurry and in the background

This girl is definitely a child of this area.  Those are hot pads on her hands.

She put them on along with her brother's snow boots.  Then she asked for a hat and a coat.

"I have my mittens now I can go sledding."

(No snow for the last several days and it's mostly gone on the ground)

Finally in really super big news Mowg lost his first tooth! 

 He's far more excited that he looks in this picture.

There's a hole there!

And here we have a gratuitous sugar pouring shot. 

I just don't want to fight blogger layout anymore.





Add some sugar!

At last here are the pictures of all the "lately mades"

Two log cabin blocks.  I really love the bottom one.

New pants!  He was excited.

A little closer in

I love this quilt top! 

I also think it looks much better in person.

Can you see the mermaids?  Seahorses, octupi and seaweed?

These are just scrap blocks that I was playing with.

I like how they turned out.  I'm not sure how to put them together.

Here is a cousins shot from last fall.  I just love how it shows all the kids in motion.  It really does look a lot like they do whenever they're together:  having fun and moving at light speed.  It really is grand when your cousins are some of your very best friends.

Wow has it really been a week already?!  It's been busy here.  Not much external pressure, but this is what I have been doing:

I was brave and sewed Britt's pants together (they've been cut out for about 4 months) and they fit!  (Thank you Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross)

Made a Lazy Days Skirt (courtesy Oliver Plus S free pattern, which I LOVE found here) for Tiny (couldn't leave her out of the "my Mom made it for me" bliss)

I cut most of my swap squares (400 4" squares and 43 5" squares, only 9 left)

I placed my first order through Bountiful Baskets (dot org....if you're interested.  It's a fresh fruit and vegetable co-op in several states: Texas, Utah, and Arizona to name a few) and I'm deliriously excited for our pick-up on Saturday.   Happy Day to me!  (Yes, deliriously excited)

I've been re-organizing the garage again and while it's coming together slowly there is now a walkable path through it as long as you don't get too swingy with your hips or carry too big of a load.

Began slogging through a mountain of laundry.  Laundry is my Nemesis.

Taking Mowg to his elementary pre-school 4 days a week.  He loves it.  I love that it's gotten him excited for school in the Fall and comfortable with being at the school.

Consoling Tiny who sobs and says, "Mom, I'm going to miss Mowg." Every single day.

Dodging snow flurries as they mix up the sweltering 60 degree days (complete with sunburns)/


That's my busy life and I love the little moments like these:

Saturday night I told Mowg that I would finish his pants and that they'd be hanging on the back of my sewing chair in the morning and he could just grab them and put them on.  I didn't get them done and left them hanging there inside out thinking that he would ask me about them.  Instead when I woke up I found that he was wearing them still inside out and pleased as punch to have them...even though they weren't hemmed.

Tonight after Mowg got in trouble for some interacting with the neighbor kids Mowg and I had a delightful discussion of all the letters he's learned at school.  What their sounds are and what words begin with them.  The sunshine after the storm was bliss.

In response to her Dad's question of "Why are you screaming?" Tiny responded, "I not screaming fast Dad, I screaming slow."

Tiny has also just begun to pray by herself.  When she's done she has to have high five's all around.

One of my favorite moments of the day is the nearly nightly group hug that Tiny or Mowg request in turns.  It is the perfect end to whatever kind of day it has been.

I have another swap heads up for you.  This is a rainbow swap so you'll do 4 inch squares of 10 different color fabrics and get a rainbow back.  Details are here.  I looked through my fabric and found that I had all the colors.  {Isn't that great honey?!  That means no fabric buying..is that possible?}  I'm kind of excited as this will be my second color swap and combining it with the two i-spy I just may have enough to make two rainbow I-Spy quilts.  If you'd like to participate head over to the link above.

Here's a heads up on another I-spy swap, this time by letter.  You choose a letter (that hasn't been taken) and find a fabric with an image that starts with that letter, "I" Icecream etc.  If you're interested here's the link (and more info) : http://flynnnfabric.blogspot.com/

The other day my kids were watching Charlotte's Web.  I'd like to tell you that we don't watch any tv, but that is not the case.  I was in the other room attending to one of the more glamourous parts of my day, dishes.    I listened as Charlotte and Wilbur were becoming acquainted.  Wilbur is disgusted by Charlotte's appetite for blood.  However, then they become the best of friends.   I was struck with what a wonderful message that is.  That you can meet someone or even know something and discover something about them that you don't like on any level and yet you can be friends.  I'm glad.  I'm also reminded of the words in the book (we listen E.B. White read it often when on long drives) something to the effect of what a gamble friendship is.   That's my kind of gambling.

Opulence is a word my husband thinks I don't understand.  Frequently I thank him for the opulent life he provides for us.  Once in a while an event such as a royal wedding puts this into focus and I long after a fashion for just a slightly higher degree of opulence.  Those are times when an outrageous hat would be just the ticket....and yes I'm on a quest to make one, but that may be some time away.  I'm also obsessed with pink froth for some reason.   For now this is how I'm going to indulge.  Looking at pretty books--or at least books that make ME think opulence.    Do you have a favorite pretty, make-you-happy, or think-of-extravagance book?

Yesterday was one of those fabulous spring days when you play like it's the middle of summer and are certain that summer's coming.  It was 60 degrees and sunny!  Bliss.  The only downside of the day was that it wasn't until I posted yesterday's post that I realized that it was Thursday.  I thought that there was some kind of global internet glitch so I called my most reliable source, my husband to confirm that it was indeed Thursday.  Where did Wednesday go?  I missed it.  The Wednesday that I was going to use to get ready for the Thursday I was going to teach preschool.  I've gone over my week in my mind and I can not find it.  I guess it's a good thing that the world is going to end on my birthday.  (Really I saw it in the news several months ago).  It did turn out to be a lovely Thursday with games in the park (for preschool) and playing with our new next door neighbors and sunburns.  That part isn't so great, but it was worth it.  Happy Friday to you!

PS Mai, I love the book you recommended!  Everybody does indeed need a rock.

I had to submit a two line bio yesterday.  Two lines about me.  What do you say?  I'm a Mom most of the time these days, but there's more to me than just that.  At the same time I don't wish to diminish the importance I place on that role.  Tricky.  My dearest helped me out by making it simple.  Stating where I live and the people with whom I live.    What would you say?

It may seem tardy to those of you well ensconced in spring by now, but we're just starting to get hints of spring so here are two of my favorite spring books:  James and the Rain by Karla Kuskin and Gotta Go! Gotta Go! by Sam Swope.

James and the Rain is a repetitive counting book about a little boy going out to walk in the rain.  I love it, the kids love it.  What's not to love about repetitive phrases like "Do you know any excellent rainy day games?" and "It might be nice if we strolled along."?    There are cows, cats, mice and 7 other animals that they meet on their stroll.  The oil paintings are wonderfully bright.  The finale is superb.  It's simply the best of Spring to me.

Gotta Go! Gotta Go! is the complete cycle of the life of a monarch butterfly, beginning and ending with a caterpillar and an egg.  I've mentioned it before, but I love the language in this book.  The illustrations are sparse so we have some trouble in holding the attention of the littler one in our house.  It's better read while they are moving about than sitting down and snuggling in to read.  Again there's the repetitive refrain, "Gotta go! Gotta go!  Gotta go to Mexico!"  The little caterpillar runs into all kinds of nay-sayers.  He holds true to his instinct, "I know what I know, I gotta go to Mexico!"  It's a great story of determination as well....all those miles! 

So there you have it my favorite Spring Books

I should also mention that I love The Country Bunny and the little Golden Shoes.  I think that may be a childhood thing, as my own children weren't that impressed with it.  I love that a mother bunny takes wonderful care of her family and that the skills she uses in that task translate into fulfilling a childhood dream of being one of the Easter bunnies.  All the while those trained little bunnies take care of things at home.  It's a beautiful book.



What about you?  What are your favorite spring books?  Or the ones that help you think spring when it doesn't feel much like it around you?