Daffodil

Isn't it cute. It's the first of my miniature daffodils to bloom. They're only about 3 inches high, sweet little things planted along side miniature grape hyacinths. I don't know what it is about tiny flowers that I love so much... they're not as showy as the bigger versions that will bloom later. But, they are little glimpses of spring, little flashes of color, a little drop of sunshine in a slowly awakening season. Well, I guess I do know why I love them lol! Blogging is so enlightening sometimes...

Weeks 11 and 12

Hmmmm... so, I forgot to post week 11 last week but I'm still on track daily! We are 85 days into the year and so far so good! As you can see from the photos, the seasons are changing. Our pond thawed, the fish are swimming, flowers are waking up, and the birds are singing (and diving at me). The littlest has gotten brave enough to tackle the big slide and we've cleaned up almost all of the flower gardens, I'm still working my way around the pond. Such a beautiful couple of weeks we've had, so full of life and energy, so spring...

Lorax

It all started with this...
A picture of my youngest son on one of our walks last week. There is this really cool tree and the bottom branch hangs down just 3-4 feet above the ground. It's perfect for sitting on and for years I have asked all of my kids to sit there so I could take a picture. It's been kind of a crazy mission of mine and they always say no. Well, last week my youngest son said yes, climbed up the tree and tolerated, yes tolerated, me taking his picture. I was so happy! I also was unaware that little eyes were watching carefully.

We've since went on a few more walks to the result of many photos like these:

I wasn't sure why but all the stumps had to be sat on by Lil' Miss. She started reminding me of Dr. Suess' Lorax. You know, he pops out of the stump with a gazump and speaks for the trees, the truffula trees, that the mean old Oncler keeps chopping down... She had to sit on almost all of them screaming "take a picture". It was strange but I don't need to be asked twice and I took the pictures.

Today, we took the same path as last week. We came to the same tree. From 30 feet away she starts running, yelling, "Put me up there! Put me up there daddy!" As a good daddy should, he did, holding on to her of course and staying just out of frame because he hates his photo taken. I'm glad to say she found the "stump" she had been looking for all week and her days of Lorax have come to a close... I think.

Happy Spring!!!

Kiss Me Cakes

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Today, I'm making corned beef and cabbage, Irish soda bread, and these cute cupcakes for dessert. The littlest and I have been outside this beautiful spring like day searching for shamrocks. We did find some, and we also found our first flowers of the year! Some of the yellow crocuses decided to bloom today! I am thrilled to see blooms again!

Coffee

As I live through this coffee-less morning hallucinations of dancing beans surround me. I stumble towards what I believe to be a pool of hot, steaming Starbucks only to find it to be the living room rug, the java vanishing before my eyes as my thirst plays tricks on me. Coffee... coffee... coffee, I manage to to croak out even though my voice is raspy and seems to be coming from the throat of a 100 year old woman who has seen better days. Turning towards the grinder I remember the wretchedness that awaits me, bad beans, bitter beans, and I fall to my knees, lifting my trembling hands to the heavens, I gnash my teeth and yell why... why have you forsaken me!!!??? Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see a bag of Starbuck's Breakfast Blend, my favorite beans. The sun shines through the skylight in my kitchen and off in the distance I hear a sound, a sound like no other. It says momma... momma... are you making coffee? And I say to it, yes! Yes! I AM making coffee! Oh blessed beans, you have saved me! Tears of joy fill my eyes and I sob in pure happiness surrounded by the love that is good coffee.

Week 10

It was a beautiful week with warmth, we hit 60 degrees, and sunshine. Little bits of green started showing up in the garden and as of today I believe the snow has finally all melted. We grilled out for the first time this year and my littlest learned how to blow bubbles. It was a week of little glimpses of the season that is on it's way.

Sweet Egg-scape

Download Elements

I am so excited to share my new Easter kit with you! Sweet Egg-scape has 7o elements, some with realistic shadows, a pretty flower alpha, and 14 beautiful papers. It's so packed with Easter goodness that I couldn't fit everything in the preview. It has a bunny, chick, umbrella, basket, eggs (cracked and not), pretty spring flowers and ribbons. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Sweet Egg-scape Papers

Here's the matching papers for you:

Download Papers

Sweet Egg-scape Quick Pages by JetjeZ

We are soooo lucky! This time JetjeZ has made not 1 but 2 beautiful pages for us with the new Sweet Egg-scape kit! What a way to kick off the Easter season! They will be a wonderful addition to your scrapbooks so make sure you drop by her blog later today The Life and Times of JetjeZ and grab them! I love them! Her use of shadows is simply amazing!!!

Inspiration...

Green

I finally found a sign of spring!!! Some of the snow has melted and one of my gardens is actually snow free! I've been missing green so much lately and it seems like the snow just keeps coming. Well, the past few days have been warmer, today is 53 degrees Fahrenheit, so I ventured outside to see what I could find. It took moving some dried leaves out of the way but I found it, green! This little patch of wonderful is some of my sedum waking up. They always look like baby cabbages to me. It's so nice to see the sunshine and little green plants again. I'm crossing my fingers that we've seen the last of winter.

Herself the Elf

kits used for this page are Creation23 by Createwings and Catherine Designs and Garden of Love by MDesigns

The kit I used for this one is Calling All Green by Kimla

The elf series. My oldest daughter has to be part elf. Don't ask me how, I have no idea but she truly has the spirit of a woodland elf. She asked for an elf photo shoot yesterday and, well, I just couldn't resist that!

kits used for this one are: Mely Designs collaboration, Creation23 Catherine Designs and Createwings, Calling All Green Kimla Designs

And this one, this one is just because I can see her here with her pointy ears and impish face lit up in the glow of sunset while she dances in the flowers.

week 9

Well, it was snowy, cold, gray, and completely uninspiring for taking photos last week. I thought January and February were rough months for project 365 but March is proving more difficult so far. I did see a bluebird last week though so hopefully that means spring is not far behind. Well, enough complaining, it was a great week for designing and tomorrow will be 50 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny, I can't wait!