on my wish list...

Photo Source...here

For my birthday I was gifted with a bag of goat treats, colorful goat leads complete with matching buckets (orange, pink, yellow, blue & lime green...I'm sure Sweet Girl had something to do with the color choices!

Also tucked inside was a certificate stating that...
"The bearer of this certificate is authorized to acquire up to three (3) goats for her enjoyment."

What more could a girl ask for?

It's officially...

The Year of the Goat!

spring fever...

Simply stepping outside or listening through an open window, I can hear the melodies of springtime songbirds. They are enjoying this week's good weather, which you'll see from my last post, is quite a change! It's just about perfect outside...blue skies, puffy clouds, and warm breezes. 

The girls are happy to leave the confines of the hen house behind as they stretch their legs and enjoy this breath of spring. 

The bees have been out buzzing around bringing in pollen...yay! It's a thrill to know they've made it through their first winter...now to keep them healthy through these critical weeks in early spring. 

Not only us, but the the animals, whether it's Cocoa the rabbit...

or Mr. Myrtle the cat...

are all enjoying the early days of spring.

This time of year we try to give our house and yard a close inspection. And while I've been spring cleaning lately, anyone who stops by might think that's debatable. In my opinion, it always looks worse, before it looks better. 

Cleaning out clutter is never enjoyable (to me, at least). In the bright sunlight, surfaces seem hopelessly dusty, while dust bunnies are clearly in view from their winter hiding spots. Paperwork seems to have a way of multiplying, and has sadly ended up stacked in perilous disarray.

Outside however; the first tender shoots of daffodils are pushing their way through the warming earth. There are buds on the lilac bush and red maple tree. With a little work, sticks and branches from winter winds will be collected, flowerbeds tidied, and the garden tilled.

Yes, spring fever has a way of winning the battle each year with spring cleaning. The warming days certainly tug at us to come outdoors...the days are fine, and Sweet Girl has already brightened my heart by giving me my first bouquet of spring flowers. 

It's truly a time to make plans and enjoy the spirit of rebirth...a time of promise and simple pleasures.

spring break...

Last week was our spring break from school, and even though the calendar said March, this kept us indoors...

Don't get me wrong...it was lovely, and we "camped out" just for fun in front of the fireplace most nights. 

It was a homemade hot cocoa & popcorn, favorite movie marathon, bowling, crafting, visiting with grandma & cousins, egg-hunting, & chocolate eating kind of spring break.

Now today, the house is quiet...

However, I've realized that post-spring-break leaves the house looking like a pack of wild animals ran through it. It's definitely time for me to kick it up a notch and dig into spring cleaning! It'll keep me busy until the kids are back home with their stories of the day.

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