Easter at our house...

Annie:  Mom, it looks like Peter Rabbit's house in here.

Me:  I know.  I can't seem to make myself stop.

And so it has been for the past few weeks.  I've been decorating, moving my decorations around, and buying more decorations that I know I don't need.  Maybe it's a hope that if I decorate for spring inside, the more wintry weather outside will change to match it.  Whatever the reason, I have enjoyed all the pastel goodies and invite you to take a look at Easter at our house...

I love this guy...especially his big old teeth!

40 eggs for the Easter Bunny to hide...

Always a school theme at our house...

These sweet little egg vases were filled with flowers and were gifts from my mom to my grandmother and great-grandmother many years ago.  I'll fill them with flowers for the Easter table.

Lots of rabbits...

And a duck thrown in for good measure...

Tasha's Easter book...

Tulips...my favorite.

My new door decoration...love the seed bag container.

Annie and me back in the day in her fabulous Easter finery...what a doll!

The other neat thing going on around here has been Bill's bluebird boxes.  He's made and placed these beauties all around our property with the hope of attracting the bluebirds...and not the sparrows!  We all enjoy looking at them when we walk in the meadow.  Here's a poem by Emily Huntington Miller, The Bluebird's Song, from Poems Teachers Ask For.

 The Bluebird's Song
I know the song that the bluebird is
   singing,
Out in the apple tree where he is
   swinging.
Brave little fellow!  the skies may be
   dreary-
Nothing cares he while his heart is so
   cheery.

Hark!  how the music leaps out from
   his throat!
Hark!  was there ever so merry a note?
Listen a while, and you'll hear what
   he's saying,
Up in the apple tree swinging and
   swaying.

"Dear little blossoms down under the
   snow,
You must be weary of winter, I know.
Listen, I'll sing you a message of cheer!
Summer is coming!  and springtime is here!"

"Little white snowdrop!  I pray you
   arise;
Bright yellow crocus!  please open your
   eyes;
Sweet little violets, hid from the cold,
Put on your mantles of purple and
   gold;
Daffodils!  Daffodils!  say, do you
   hear?-
Summer is coming, and springtime is
   here!"

Have a blessed Easter...
All the best,
Kelly

Spring Dreaming...

Although the prediction from the groundhog called for an early spring, it would seem that he might have been misinformed!  It snowed yesterday...several inches in our neck of the woods...with more snow (3-5 inches) starting sometime tomorrow into Tuesday morning.  But I have decided to remain focused on spring and am doing so by enjoying some of the pretty spring offerings that are out there.  Also, I'm spending time looking at garden books and thinking about my flower beds and herb plantings.  Last year on this day, Bill and I saw hepaticas, grape hyacinth, and siberian squill on our walk.  This year it was piles of snow and grey skies. But these images help remind us of better days ahead.  Hope you enjoy looking at these things that are on my radar...the calendar says spring is only 3 days away! 

These beauties can be found at the Lilly Pulitzer store.  www.lillypulitzer.com  

Goodie Goodie Necklace

Goodie Goodie Bracelet

Iona Shell

My favorite store, Talbots, has come through for spring once again.  www.talbots.com

Dot Stripe Pleated Skirt

Fine Denim Bermuda Shorts

Beveled Cabochon Necklace

Kate Spade has lovely handbags and so much more.  www.katespade.com

Ginny Slingback

Gramercy Grand

In Full Bloom Scarf

J. Crew has some sweet items sure to make your springtime a happy one.  www.jcrew.com

Sperry Top-Sider Boat Shoes

Fan Fringe Necklace

Janey Jeweled Bow Snakeskin Flat (I have a major crush on this one!)

And now some flower images...can't wait to put on my garden gloves and get busy.  All are from Better Homes and Gardens at www.bhg.com.

Pansies don't mind the cool early spring weather.

Grape Hyacinth

Lavender

Chives

Chives and lettuces in a container garden.

Hope your weekend was filled with with lovely things, and that you had some time to dream about spring and the pretty days ahead.  Here's a poem by William Wordsworth where he reminds us of the joy that comes from remembering the beauty of flowers. (From Favorite Poems Old and New)

Daffodils
I wandered lonely as a cloud
  That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,-
  A host of golden daffodils
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
  And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
  Along the margin of a bay;
Ten thousand saw I, at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
  Outdid the sparkling waves in glee;
A poet could not be but gay
  In such jocund company;
I gazed-and gazed- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought.

For oft, when on my couch I lie,
  In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
  Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

All the best,
Kelly

10 on 10 and a poem...

The 10th of March already!  This 10 on 10 is devoted to ten highlights of my weekend.

1.  I participated in a "stamp camp" and made some pretty cards.

The owl card is my favorite.

2.  Bill and I planted wildflower seeds in the meadow.  I can't wait to see if our experiment pays off.  If it does, I should have bouquets of wildflowers all summer long.

3.  We saw our first Robin, but I wasn't quick enough to get a picture of it...so this flash card Robin will have to do.

 

4.  My pretty bag arrived.  Can you have too many bags?  No, of course not!

Loving the monogrammed charm and leather tassel.

5.  I wrote a blog post about my beautiful grandmother.  It made me laugh and cry...but mostly made me so grateful to have such sweet memories.

6.  I did a little cooking.

Meatloaf sandwiches this week!

7.  We celebrated my brother's birthday.

8.  I did some household chores including the usual loads of laundry.

9.  I got out a few Easter decorations.

10.  And I wore a pair of spring shoes...no boots, no socks.

Here's an old folk poem from Germany found in Favorite Poems Old and New.

Spring's Arrival
     All the birds have come again,
     Hear the happy chorus!
     Robin, bluebird, on the wing,
     Thrush and wren this message bring.
         Spring will soon come marching in
         Come with joyous singing.

Hope your weekend was a happy one filled with lovely moments...

All the best,
Kelly

Happy Birthday Grams!

Wednesday, March 6, was my grandmother's birthday.  She would have been 99 years old.  And while I no longer am able to see her her great style, hear her acerbic wit, or enjoy her loving guidance, she did leave me with some life lessons that have stuck with me over the years.

1.  Always dress up...if your enemies see you it will irritate them that you look so good.  And look good she did.  She had a real sense of style and a classic beauty that women everywhere try hard to achieve.  She believed in buying a few really good items that would last for decades instead of a lot of cheap lesser quality pieces.  Her white blazer looked as good in 1983 as it did in 1973 when she bought it.

2.  Lie about your age.  Now you might think this meant that she would lie and say she was younger than she was.  Not Grams...she lied the opposite way.  I remember being with her at the hairdresser and of course she was dressed all up and looked fabulous.  One of the ladies said to her, "Just how old are you, Pat."  "Seventy-three," she answered.  I rolled my eyes and when we got in the car asked her why she had added 6 years to her age..."Because I look like heck* for 67, but I look great for 73!"  (And no, she didn't say "heck.")

3.  Money can't buy class.  This was a mantra she said a lot.  And how true it is.  Class is about knowing how to behave in situations in order to make others feel comfortable.  It's about making people feel welcome in your home.  It's about making them feel like a better person just because they get to be with you.  And that was Grams...and it didn't take money to do it...it took a loving heart and a desire to do the right thing.

4.  Keep your mind active.  She read, she did crossword puzzles, she played cards, she did more crossword puzzles, she watched the news and read the papers, and then she did more crossword puzzles...and not the easy ones either...she did the really hard ones.  She was bright and lively and had she been born in a different time there's no telling what she might have done.

5.  Make sure your husband is well dressed...it will be a direct reflection on you.  Now this tip may seem a bit outdated in today's world...but I can't help but take it to heart.  I'm always proud of how nice my husband looks...and Grams was always proud of how handsome and well-dressed her husband was, too.  

6.  Have a giving heart.  As my grandfather (who I called Daddy) always said, "Grams would give anyone the shirt off her back."  And he was right.  I remember a time when he was looking for a radio he had bought to take to the barn so he could listen to it while doing the milking.  He couldn't find it...he looked for it, and had Grams looking for it...no radio.  Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and confessed...she had given it to her sister-in-law who had been there visiting and was lamenting how she would just love to have a radio but couldn't afford one...so Grams gave her Daddy's.  He said it was hard to get mad at her, but he sure would have liked to have had that radio!

Anna Catherine "Patsy" Brown

7.  Have fun.  She was the life of the party.  You never knew what she was going to say...but you knew  that your time with her was never going to be dull.  She liked to laugh and she was one of the most loyal people I have ever known.  I love living in her house...though I'm sure she wishes I would keep it a bit cleaner!  My daughter shares her name, and they are a lot alike.  I have no doubt she would be proud of me...and I feel so blessed to have all these sweet memories of the world's greatest grandmother.  

All the best,
Kelly