Boing!! Spring!

Well, not really...and for those of you to the Mid-West to the Mid-Atlantic, I know that the notion of Spring is but a teasing whisper in your ear.

But do you know that feeling...?  When you are *done* with Winter and all the fun it entails.  We've loved the snowmen, the snow days, the cozy days drinking hot chocolate, but then, then, you get a whiff of Spring.  Maybe the temperature is above forty degrees, even if just for a few hours.  Or you hear a bird chirping outside your window.  Or...The Seed Catalog Arrives.

That's where we are right now.  The air felt warm, the bird sounded happy instead of pining, and the catalog just arrived.

So, of course, in the spirit of Spring, this blog needed refreshing AND I suddenly felt my husband needed this for Valentine's Day (from Gardener's Supply Company):

(The woman is not included)

This year, I so resolve to break out my copy of Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots



Most intriguing to me is A Garden of Giants! I would love for my children to be able to get lost in a maze of towering plants; to forget about the outside world for a while and to create their own surrounded by flowers.

And finally, a special thank you to Nini Makes who selected me personally (oh, I know it was luck of the draw, but how lucky I am!) to receive such a delightful pin cushion! Thank you, Joanie!

Are you dreaming of Spring?

Cliches and Secret Blogs

SOMEone at my place of employment is looking for my blog.  She even attempted to shake down my kids (lightly, of course).  She has a blog herself which I really enjoy.  I'm not sure why I hesitate to share my blog with her - are my thoughts really that personal?  Is your blog a Secret?  To some or to everyone?

As I get older, I'm finding that I get a tad bit, shall I say, emotional at overworn, trite, hackneyed cliches (am I being redundent?).  Such as:

"We cannot control the wind, but we can adjust the sails."

or

"Choose happiness."

What cliches have been catching you off guard lately?

P.S.  By the way, "You're the Cream in my Coffee" is a good one too.

Favorite Things - (And Where Has the Time Gone?)

When we last left this slacker blogger/pen pal/wife/mother, she had listed a number of her favorite things.  Due to an unintentional cliff hanger, she made her many loyal readers wait and wait and wait for favorites 26-50.

Favorite Things

26 :: Magazines, including the now defunct Cookie
27 ::  Blogs, including the now defunct Mom Writes
28 ::  Cynthia Rylant
29 ::  Seeing "tacky" things as beautiful again through the eyes of my children (Over the top Christmas lights being just one example).
30 ::  Finding the last quarter you need for a soda from the machine at the bottom of your bag.
31 ::  The children's new fiction shelf at the public library.
32 ::  NYC.  What is it about you?
33 ::  Lost Dog
34 ::  Bronx Beat
35 ::  Passover
36 ::  We are nearer to Spring than we were in September.
37 ::  The Sunday New York Times
38 ::  Outdoor pools
39 ::  Remembering Los Angeles
40 ::  Panera
41 ::  My unfinished book
42 ::  My father and I exchanging annotated "Nigerian money transfer" scam emails
43 ::  Otherwise, because one day I know it will be.
44 ::  Surprisingly...outdoor recess duty.
45 ::  Homemade egg and cheese McMuffins
46 ::  When my husband brings me a cup of cookies and cream ice cream without me even asking.
47 ::  My new (used) minivan
48 ::  Seeing Brett play with the Vikings
49 ::  Googling
50 ::  "Locking Yourself Out, Then Trying to Get Back In"

And you?

Feel Trip

Well, Sprout came home from her first field trip with half of her chin skinned off.  I asked her how her first time on a school bus was; she said, "Queasy."  So, so much for feel trips.  Too much feeling if you ask me.

Thanks to Jen, Joanie, Hausfrau (I received your latest package.  Mwaa!), and of course, EC for your comments on my 25 of 50.  I'm sure I will have more to add as we head into my favorite time of year.  Sprout's costume is complete.  If you see an waifish looking red-head wandering around your neighborhood, don't worry:  it's only that other Pip-pi.

And finally, I am starting to seriously consider starting my own freelance writing company.  I have had four or five articles published in the last year or so, and it's something I really enjoy.  It's fun to think about a name, a website and putting pen to paper on all the ideas that have been percolating in my brain for so long. 

Finally, Pip is hoping for a Nintendo DS for his 7th birthday.  I told him if he raised the money, he could be my guest.  I must say that the bed-making and vacuuming and putting shoes in order have been well worth the 50 cents to $1.00 he charges.  Sprout has been waxing on and on about an American Doll.  Somehow we received a catalog in the mail and QED.  How do you handle "wish list" items?  Ages?  Money?  Just saying "no"?

Thanks again for stopping by and for your comments.  I love to read them ~ it's like hearing from a friend, which you are.

Amy

These are a few of my favorite (50) things

Mary Beth over at saltandchocolate has come up with a few (also 50) of her favorite things.  Here is my list in progress.  What are some of your favorite things?

1)  Apple picking.  We go here to Stribling and recommend it if you're in Virginia.

2)  When my husband calls me a fool but is laughing at the same time he's calling me a fool (so who's the fool?!). : )

3)  Starbucks coffee.  There.  I said it.

4)  An organized desk, at home and at work.

5)  Coming home with a few new clothes items for work, whether they be from Target or H&M.

6)  Oogling over the make-your-own fabric at Spoonflower

7)  The sometimes incredibly beautiful jewelery from...  Forever 21.

8)  My new penpal.  (We're talkin' pen, paper, stamp, customs, post office)

9)  My daughter who says things like, "Maybe if today is sparkly we'll have recess outside." when she first wakes up.

10)  My son who says things like, "I do not stand for rudeness."

11)  Friday Night Lights

12)  New potatoes tossed in olive oil and sea salt, then roasted.

13)  Pandora radio

14)  Dreaming about living someplace else.  I love it here, but it's fun to imagine too.

15)  Tons of thin blankets in winter instead of one big thick blanket. 

16)  Flurries after dark.

17)  The sound of a snow plow at 5:00 in the morning and then tuning in for the school cancellations.

18)  Having a child come and tell me that they loved the book I recommended to them and that they finished it in two days or 1 day or 1 night under their covers with a flashlight.

19)  Etsy, especially hats from here.  Send her your head size and it's a perfect fit for fall.  And cowls from Sweden.  You won't step outside without it.
20)  Thanksgiving foods.
21)  Nature in general.
22)  My girlfriends.  They always have time for me.
23)  Decluttering.
24)  Turning 40.
25)  A full fridge and a full pantry.