Short-Lived

So glad I chose to have the boys play outside the rest of the day yesterday.  Today, it's cold and gloomy.  Lunch will definitely be inside with both fires going.  And we'll squeeze in the school deskwork part from yesterday into the afternoon time today.

I've already read a few chapters this morning aloud.  It's the perfect time to be reading The Secret Garden.  We all were out a long time yesterday looking all around the ground and finding hundreds of little green shoots coming up everywhere the snow has melted.  Looks like my iris have survived.  Here's to hoping they don't all bloom yellow.  ;)

I did plant a bowl of wheat berries this morning in hopes of having wheat grass soon.  A bit of color will be most welcome.  I'm trying to bloom some forsythia branches as well and may try some apple blossoms soon.  Well, I'll probably wait until the more of the snow is melted in the orchard first.  The forsythia bush is right off the porch.

An Alfresco Lunch

 
So, it's 50* outside.  Must be time for eating out.
I took this picture from inside before they noticed me.

Once they noticed me, they sprang into action.  I think they are ninjas today.

Ahh... Spring is on its way.

I read this great post on life and balancing it all.  I loved it and just wanted to share it with you.

Spring! (for a day)

Cupcake loves the chickens.

 

 

Isn't her hair wonderful?

 

This is the best these shoes will probably ever look.

 It is such a beautiful day here!  I am in for just a moment to make lunch.  We're having a picnic out in the little orchard today.  The weather is supposed to revert back to yuck, so we're planning on being out as much as we can today. 
It is a perfect day for a nap in the hammock.  Maybe it will happen.

just driving around a bit

just a few hours off with Cupcake along for the ride. i have a million thoughts, but can't seem to get them all typed. spring sure is pretty in these parts. in between rain and more rain, of course.

Happy Friday!

After several wonderful days of sunshine and warmth we are expecting rain and fog today. That's okay as those few days have made me feel like I have absorbed the sunshine in my soul and can carry it with me through the cloudy days. I am glad that we spent as much time out as we could this week.

Today will be spent at home. I have some baking to catch up on. On the list for today are whole wheat tortillas, a variety of crackers, and a batch of meatballs. I'll make pitas if I have time and energy.

The picture above shows one of our little rituals around here. We are sharing a green smoothie. I usually make them with several (3) cups of spinach, frozen berries, and water. I just run it in the blender for awhile adding more water if needed to keep it all smooth. Depending on the day, I may add vanilla yogurt and bananas. I just load up whatever is on hand.

Then, I pour it in the glass and grab three straws. Yes, we each have our own color for the straws. Less arguing. It is a race to the bottom of the glass! Lots of kisses happen at the same time as well.

Yesterday I whipped up a blenderful and poured it into a quart-size canning jar. I tucked in our straws and put the lid on the jar and tossed it in my ever-present basket. We enjoyed it next to a fish pond at the gardening center we went to. I think next time I will wait to add the straws until we are ready to drink it as it did make it a bit messier!

It is an easy way to load up a few more servings of fruits and veggies and we all love it. Speaking of fruits and veggies, I picked up some seed packets for this year's garden. I ordered most of my seeds last year from catalogs, but found in mid summer the best gardening place in Denver. Paulino's is amazing. I got my batch of tomato plants there and planted them fourth of July weekend and still ended up with close to 100 lbs of tomatoes.

What else? Feel free to comment on the Jane Austen discussion from yesterday's post. Also, this list of substitutions in cooking from Aspiring Homemaker looks really helpful. I had no idea about some of these! Loved this post from Muthering Heights. I think we'd be friends in real life. Also, I am wishing one of my real friends-who I met through blogging, Janna, a very Happy birthday today!

Hope you all have a wonderful end to the week! Thank you to the other Company Girls for stopping by!

Sunny Day!

We had plans for friends to come over this morning, but they had to cancel. We loaded up and took off to a nearby park. We walked around the frozen pond watching the geese and then headed to the playground for awhile. The sunshine felt so good. Our whole week should be beautiful like this and I am so glad.

Ahh! At Last!!!

Spring has arrived in Denver, at least for a few days!! The boys and I are loading up and heading out to enjoy a day in the sunshine. Maybe we'll get to the zoo later this week as well. Sunshine makes me happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was looking at some old pictures last night and had to share this one. Hasn't he grown!!

Sharing a Touch of Spring

This is my Hyacinth. Maybe I should name her Claire. Or Cynthia. :) Any other "Wives & Daughters" fans out there? If not, you should be! Such a wonderful movie.
She is currently residing on my kitchen counter and as I am in the kitchen more than any other room in our home, I am able to enjoy her amazing perfume. I do just stand here drinking in her gentle, sweet fragrance. She has brightened the whole room.
I look forward to planting her in my garden after her blooms fade. She has one set open now and one set still in bud. Lovely!

I wish we had scratch & sniff screens so I could share.

Still Longing

Enough! I have decided I need to gather some bits of springtime today and bring them into our home. I know that it is February and while I have really focused these last few years on living in the moment, I still find I need a flower.
So, I will open up some of my beautiful books, and leave them out open to pictures of beauty and spring. The Private World of Tasha Tudor comes to mind. Maybe a few tea books for inspiration as well. A quiet tea time for one today during naps, journaling in my Everything Book searching out some springish pages I know are in there, a search on my hands and knees through the gardens for signs of life, and a flower.
We are low on eggs so I think we will bundle up and head out for eggs and flowers. Maybe a hyacinth? A tulip or daffodil? I know I saw some a few weeks ago at the market. Just a bloom would do so much.
Also on my heart, the season of Lent begins tomorrow with Ash Wednesday. It seems early. I must gather up my Lenten devotional and put in it my basket to have ready. Thinking of a laying aside for Lent, praying and pondering what He would have me do. I think it will be a giving up of my time and how I am using it and not a thing this year.
It is not out of legalism, but a desire to grow in faithfulness. I am listening.

Beauty Break

As I have nothing to say,

shocking I know,
I thought I'd just share some more pictures of the beautiful flowers I've been enjoying lately.
Not at my house, of course.
My yard and gardens are an utter wreck.

Busy Days

Our weather here in Colorado in Spring is ever changing. Three days of rain and snow are followed by three days of sunshine and seventy degrees. I've been taking the boys all sorts of places to enjoy the sunny days. We've been to the Denver Zoo, Littleton Museum, the Hudson Gardens, and the park nearby several times.


I've also started Spring Cleaning. I'm trying to do one room a day, except the Kitchen which I'm planning several days for. For me, this means cleaning everything from the ceiling fans to the curtains, blinds, furniture, drawers, cabinets and everything down to the baseboards and floors. So far I've completed the Living Room, Dining Room, Family Room and some of the Kitchen. That leaves the rest of the Kitchen for this weekend and the Laundry Room & Hall Closet for Monday. Then the main floor will be done.


Upstairs I have the Bedrooms and Bathrooms and the Loft. Luckily, I gutted the loft a few weeks ago, so it's not too bad. Doing the Bedrooms also means going through all the clothes for me and the boys. They are growing so fast! Dumpling mostly fits into what Pumpkin wore last year. My clothes are a disaster. I'm so in between sizes and seasons and all. It stinks. I'm tired of what actually fits and have tons of clothes that I'm still too big for. It's pathetic, so I'm kind of dreading it all.

Finally, I'll tackle the Basement. That's always so much fun. Hah. So, I'm cutting back time on the computer for a bit as I'm working on these things. I'll be back.

Exactly.

Our Morning

Signs of Spring

Tulips

I went with my Dad to Pearl Street in Boulder.
They have the most amazing tulips. It's so neat to see.

Thanks, Dad, for being patient while I took pictures.