Liar, Liar, Pants on FIRE!

Damn those weather predictions!

Here I was dumb enough to think that the lilacs blooming meant that winter was over. Well, boy was I wrong!

We had ice here last night, and sister had snow on the ground at her house this morning. And you know what's the worst part of it all? Yesterday I finished the last bit of this lousy project I was on, showered, and headed out to begin a week off....at the nursery!

Lookie what I got: a new purple columbine ...

A bunch of pinks & other delphiniums for the front and back yards ...

A new pink columbine ...

And a whole bunch of other stuff: foxgloves, petunias, lobelias, snapdragons, and even a tomato plant!

I just won't be able to plant any of it until at least tomorrow because we're supposed to have another cold snap tonight. So everyone is huddling together on the enclosed porch, praying for sun :) But THIS should really really be it ... I mean, it's almost May!

Strange things my daughter does.

Like all the other kabillion of mothers out there, I take pics of my daughter--the usual travel, holiday, and at-home niceties. But lately I have been finding odd things around the house that says much more about her personality; these are the things that I want to remember about her as she grows older. I promise not to use them as blackmail when she is 16 and dating. (Crosses fingers behind back).
The picture above was her Easter basket. She decided that the eggs needed some cushion, so she put a pair of panties in the bottom. Makes sense to me.

Bella has a bad habit of leaving large smears of toothpaste all over the the sink, and playing with them. This is a nice image she left for me, of a killer whale/shark eating his fill. Yum. (bluck).For xmas, my mother and mother-in-law got Bella a horde of playmobil--here is the seal pool, filled with a variety of animals, mammals, and other fantasy-inspired creatures. When I walked into her room it smelled strongly of perfumed lotion, which I soon learned is an imperitive ingredient in this pool potion that houses the playmobil beings.

More pics as they happen. Tschuss.

Spring Cleaning and Other Changes

It really and truly is spring here. Granted, we could have a freak late-spring snow storm...but I don't think it'll happen this year.

The windows are all open--well, all of the ones that will stay open! Having a 110-year-old house means that some windows have minds of their own. But that's on the list of things to fix this summer! But windows are open, breezes are coming in, and I can hear the birds ... and the squirrels ... and the ambulance sirens! Another drawback of living in an historic district in a downtown area: I live two blocks form the hospital, so I get to hear the happenings. But at least I know that if any home-improvement injuries befall us, the hospital is within walking-wounded distance.

I figured that as long as I had to clean my room (see previous post) and start to tackle other "real-life" spring cleaning, I'd do the same here. So I've rotated some of the blogs I read--moved some new ones in and others out for the time being. Take a look; perhaps you'll find one you haven't read before!

In other news, RicRacSally is the latest Etsy shop to leave the CSST. If you want to know why, just ask. I have nothing to hide. But it's for the best. I have too much going on in my life to deal with one more thing. I will miss the friends I made on the daily thread, but I want them to know that I'm still around.

And now, I think it's time for lunch and some creating.

Happy spring everyone :)

Where do I start? No, really.... WHERE???

Just this morning I sent out a box to a swap partner, completing TWO back-to-back swaps in the past week and a half. This past two weeks have also seen me on three freelance projects--two of which had drop-dead deadlines yesterday--and down with a nasty sinus infection. Needless to say, I'm POOPED!

But the swaps were too much fun!

For one, the theme was "spring." I sent a box of springy, flowery, pink and blue goodies--some handmade and some vintage.

For the second swap, the theme was "Marie Antoinette: Let them Eat Cake!"

I wish I had had more time and felt better when creating the box for this swap; after seeing what other swap members have made, I'm feeling that my box was a bit "un frou-frou"! But I still had fun making it. Plus, I decorated the top of the box with a giant glittery MA, and my swap partner's name? Mary Ann! (Mary Ann--if you're reading this: STOP! I've posted a spoiler pic below of the goodies inside the box!)

I filled this box with so many goodies with a French toile theme. I LOVE toile, so I went to town making tags, a pincusion, and a rose pin, among other things.

So now that they'e done, what's next?

Oh, yeah.

Now I have to CLEAN MY ROOM! When I started, there was a table in here somewhere.

I seriously don't know where to start.

Puts a whole new spin on the term "spring cleaning," doesn't it?

Coming out of hibernation

I'm sure I'm not alone in being SO excited that it's finally spring! This not only means warmer weather and flowers and no more coats ... but also garage sales and flea markets and fun outings to my favorite rummage-y places.

About a week ago, I went out to an antique mall right near my house. It's literally about 1/4 mile from my house, and I went once years ago ... and then completely forgot it was there! Yeah, I'm still not sure how that happened.

Anyway, here's what I got: an adorable little pitcher with pansies painted on it--I'm keeping that for myself. The sweet blue pitcher with roses on it is for a swap I'm in. The plate might also go to another swap partner. The clothespins b/c I have somehow started collecting them for crafts & stuff. I also got a bag of vintage buckles, clear glass buttons, all of those blue buttons!, and a small bag of vintage keys (for another swap later next month).

Can I just say YAY Spring! :)

It's True! It's True!

They said that if I closed my eyes and crossed my fingers and wished really, really hard, that spring would come. And look: it DID!

That Stuff We All Hide in Our Closets

Don't pretend as if you don't know what I'm talking about.

We all do it.

Buy something--something you just have to have--and then hide it away. No, not for a rainy day. You hide it because you're afraid. You're afraid of what you'll hear if HE sees it. "But, you have trunks full of fabric!" "Didn't you just buy one of those?" "You can only wear one pair of shoes at a time!"

Yeah ... as if that's ever stopped us. Plus, what they don't know can't hurt them. And, once you wear the shoes outside, they can't be returned. Hence, the closet. See? Problem solved.

So, without further ado, it's confession time.

A few weeks ago, I bought this from Twigandberries. (Need to know why? Look at the title of the blog/shop.)

I'm entered in a Marie Antoinette swap (the first swap I ever signed up for!) and had to get this fabulous pack from TheDecoratedHouse:

And on a recent trip to Target, these jumped into my cart. No, really. They did. I swear.

Stay tuned...I'll be blogging withh pics about some amazing packages that have arrived from friends near and far as well as bragging about an amazing find I got from a local outing!