sending wishes for a happy Easter...

spiff up a candle for Easter!

As soon as the "wearin' of the green" was taken down, the Easter goodies went up! 

It seems that Easter is so early this year...there's no time to waste, so I thought I'd share an idea that's oh-so quick & easy. 

A postcard-wrapped jar candle is so simple, you'll easily make several in no time, and they're terrific for sharing with friends & family.

A trip to your local flea market will turn up oodles of vintage postcards for a song, or if you don't want to brave the still-wintry weather (it was 12 degrees when I took the kiddos to school this morning!), take a peek here to find lots of postcards, silhouettes, and other clever images you'll love.

Use decorative-edge scissors to cut a piece of colorful paper a bit larger than needed, then add a copy of your postcard or image...a bit of spray adhesive on the wrong side of the image will secure it, then another light spray of adhesive on the back of the paper will keep in place on your jar candle. 

You're done in no time at all, and now you have gift from the heart for sharing this
Easter season.

 

conundrum...

Conundrum is defined as:

"a  logical postulation that evades resolution, an intricate and difficult problem."

Today's conundrum...

1 day

5 happy hens

7 eggs

I have 2 questions...

Number one: How is this possible?

Number two: How soon can I expect a golden egg?

This isn't the first time we've been surprised and collected more eggs than we have hens. A joke, perhaps? Well, our nearest neighbor is a dear man of 77 who is not the prankster type, and our trusty farm dog is always near the hen house...she would definitely let us know if there was anyone nearby.

I absolutely checked the nest boxes first thing in the morning...empty.
At day's end, 7 eggs are tucked inside.

Here's my advice to anyone considering buying chicks this year...

find. these. breeds.

       

Tetra Tint

Golden Comet

There's just something magical about them!

happy St. Patrick's Day!

pi day & other silliness...

So, did you have a happy Pi day?! 

Since yesterday was Pi day (3.14159254!) we decided to have a bit of fun.
On the dinner menu was...

Shepherd's Pie

Quiche (the kids have always called it Egg Pie), 

Apple Pie, and 

Moon Pies. 

It was just plain silly...exactly what the day called for!

Apple Pi Pie!

And so with St. Patrick's Day coming up, we'll have the usual fare...a pot of Irish Stew, Colcannon, and Irish Soda Bread. I'll even whip up something silly like Emerald Green Shakes and Leprechaun Brownies.

While we always have a treasure hunt, this year I also decided to add a little surprise beside each place setting...a St. Patrick's Day Party Cracker.

These are oh-so easy to make. Simply save a few cardboard tubes, then fill with gold chocolate coins. You could also add lots of St. Patrick's Day trinkets inside, or anything with a bit o' Irish green! 

A trip to your local craft store will provide lots of inspiration, and once the tubes are filled, simply wrap them in tissue paper or wax paper, and decorate. Tie up the ends with a little ribbon and you're done!

We'll enjoy dinner with a little Irish music in the background, then head outdoors to look for that pot o' gold. It's all about celebrating home & family...and making memories (even if they make us giggle!) along the way.

fickle weather...

Saturday it was 67 degrees...amazing! The bees were out, the birds were singing, I set the ferns on our porch to drink in the sunshine.

We had dreams of this...

However; last night we had snow...coming down quite heavily in fact. And so today, this little visitor is at the feeder with friends, where they all can be seen ruffling their feathers and turning away from the wintry winds.

What is Mother Nature up to?!

“Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing,

wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating;

there is really no such thing as bad weather,

only different kinds of good weather.”

John Ruskin, 1819~1900

last blast of winter?

The winter has been long here, and downright bone-chilling some days. But now that it's March, soon enough, the winds howling across the fields will slacken, warm, and there will be sunshine and the first hints of green. We'll tentatively open a window and take in the sweet aroma of a new season.

But until then, it's good to revisit some of our wintertime memories. As cold has the season has been, it was certainly filled with snowy fun!

The sledding hill...ready for some fun!

First run down the hill...

Whee ha!!

Walking back up is always less fun than sledding down.

Now THIS is the way to go up a hill!

I love the Stillmeadow books by Gladys Taber...they're all about country life, simple things, the changing seasons, and her experiences of living in an old farmhouse. 

This quote is by her, and seems to sum up our past winter season...

“We need time to dream,
time to remember,

 and time to reach the infinite.

Time to be.”

-Gladys Taber