Our week ~ March 31

This week started out with Abigail feeling under the weather...thankfully she was back on her feet in time for her sleepover birthday party!  Her theme this year was rainbows and unicorns, so I had a blast planning details accordingly.

For dinner Friday evening, we had rainbow pasta and rainbow bread...

...and for dessert, a simple cake

that had a surprise inside!

For snack on Saturday, we had rainbow sugar cookies.

The girls had lots of fun being girls...there was a lot of happy playing and a great deal of giggling and squealing, too. :)

Pin the star on the unicorn's horn

Abigail's friends helped her release her birthday balloons (the letting go of the birthday balloons and watching them until they disappear is a tradition in our house, started when they were younger and wanted to keep their balloons forever but I was tired of them being in the way...so we made it something exciting to watch them rise into the sky while they still had enough helium to make it!).

Other "regular" moments in our week:

School (this is Felix hard at work on a spatial manipulation project :)

David and I have been working on the landscaping.  These pictures don't show the scope of the work we have done so far...all of the cutting and pulling and hauling and sweating...but they will have to do.  He is my right hand man who provides all of the brawn and grit that I am no longer able to provide...it has been a joy to work alongside him!

A couple of the plants blooming at our house right now (the daffodils, hyacinths, and crocuses are about done; grape hyacinths are still going strong; tulips are still coming on; many others are getting ready for their big show!)

Bleeding heart (from my Grandma Minota's garden)

Vinca vine

I forgot to include this picture last week...a snuggle session with our friends' newborn.  He is absolutely beautiful and it was wonderful to soak him up!

Spring has Sprung

Spring has been in nearly-full swing for a few weeks now here in Georgia, but now that the calendar says it's official, I figure I'd better post my pictures.  Please ignore the poor photo quality (and the as-yet-untended landscaping/lawn) and just enjoy the spring flowers with me!

I read about planting crocus bulbs in the middle of the yard for a fun surprise, and I thought it was a great idea, so I did that with both crocus and daffodils.  I love the pretty effect.

 

Our mailbox area

 

 Phlox tumbling over the edge of the driveway

Bleeding Heart in its first bloom of the season

Lovely bulbs along the driveway wall

And, of course, springtime means outside time can be enjoyed without layers and layers of clothing.  My kids enjoy being outside regardless of the weather, but this time of year is especially nice!

 Happy spring!

Living family history

Here is a lovely ivory peony bloom...I wish the blog could capture its lovely perfume!  This peony bush is special, because it is a piece of family history.  It came from my Grandma Minota's garden to my first house in Naperville, Illinois, and then moved with us to our current home in Canton, Georgia.  It brings me pleasure every year, not only because it is one of my most favorite flowers, but also because it's like a little piece of my grandma every spring (she passed away the year before I got married).

Happy Mother's Day!

I am so blessed to have three moms in my life -- my mom, my grandma, and my mother-in-law (who is my mom now as much as she is my husband's!).  Happy Mother's Day to all three of you -- we love you so much!

Here is a picture of me with two of the most precious gifts God has given to me...I am so honored and still so awed to be called "Mommy".

My parents' July visit

Yup, I'm behind. But I'm trying to catch up. :) We had a wonderful visit with my parents a couple of weeks ago. For the most part, we spent the mornings with the guys outside doing projects -- spiffing up the landscaping, doing yardwork, working on the car, spraying the obnoxious and resilient poison ivy, etc -- and the girls were inside, where my mom and I did quick chores and then sat down to our sewing machines. As you'll see in the pictures, the cats -- especially Nyki -- were always at hand to help, too! Some of the highlights...

I took this garage-sale-find skirt...

...and turned it into two pillows and a skirt and shawl for Abigail's doll.

We got my current quilt "sandwiched" (i.e. all the layers put together and ready to quilt). The cats were especially helpful as we laid out all of the fabrics and thoroughly de-wrinkled them by smoothing out each layer with our hands. Sorry for the (over?!)abundance of cat pictures on this one, but they're just so cute!Our magnum opus for the week, though, was a remake of my full-length red wool swing coat. More than once now I have tried to part with it because it's just taking up space...and more than once I have been unable to execute my typical unfeeling clutter-purge with this one. It has sentimental significance for me because my dad bought it for me "just because" back when I was single career woman, 13 or so years ago now. I admired it, and he surprised me with it. I wore it in NY as a single woman; I wore it in Chicago as a newlywed; however, I haven't worn it at all since moving to Georgia. It just isn't appropriate for southern winters...think "overkill"! The idea of remaking it into a less dramatic and more practical pea-coat struck me earlier this year...I floated the idea to my mom (without whom I would never tackle a big project like that!), who was game for it...and now we've conquered it! It was a BIG project. I'm so glad we did it...and it's not something I'm hoping to do again anytime soon! I still have to pick buttons for it and decide whether to add belt loops, but those are minor details. :)

Before(Nyki only grudgingly shared the ironing board with us...she was convinced it was there as a fish-watching perch for her!)I hesitate to use the "after" picture (below), because it does not do justice to the lovely lines and shape of the coat...but you get the general idea of the difference, at least...and I will share one of me wearing it sometime this winter! Our week flew by wayyyyy too fast, but at least we have stuff to show for it!

New week!

Abigail is still pretty low-energy and quiet, but at least she woke up without a fever this morning, which is the first time in over a week...hooray! We just got back from her pneumonia re-check with the pediatrician...he can hear all the crackling but there's no wheezing, so that's good. Her oxygen saturation was better today; thankfully, her ears are still clear, too, and (at least theoretically) they should stay that way now that she's on antibiotics. We were reminded that pneumonia is nasty and doesn't entail a quick recovery, so we just have to be patient and take good care of her in the meantime. She goes for a follow-up chest x-ray in two weeks to make sure her lungs are clear. Here's a picture that has nothing to do with the post, but I haven't posted it yet and wanted to share it. It's my gladiolus that bloomed a couple of weeks ago. Lovely!

Happy first day of summer 2009!

Here is a taste of early summer in Georgia...

Cantaloupes are running and blossomingBaby cucumbers are being 'birthed' beneath their blossomsTiny tomatoes are appearingBeans are blossoming profusely Sweet potatoes are bushing out and purplingCorn is thigh-high

Okra leaves are broadeningAnd (especially for my grandma!) my gladiolus are almost ready to bloom...pictures to follow once that happens!