Welcome May

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April showers are suppose to bring May flowers.  Well, we didn't have any rain in April but I still hope we get the May flowers.  I do believe however, that the flowers will be a while in coming seeing that we still have quite a bit of snow on the ground. 

 

May brings Mother's Day, the end of the school year, hopefully warmer weather and the birth of little ones.  We have a resident Momma bird who sets up her nest in the old farmhouse eaves each year and it is so much fun to watch her take care of them. 

 

The bunnies will soon be seen hopping near the forest line.  We will see baby deer will be wandering to the pond in the early mornings and baby skunks have already been spotted late in the evenings.

 

photo credit

Spring brings the promise of new life and the season of pussy willows, daffodils and lilacs.  It also brings mud but this year after the long snowy winter we had, I will look forward to the mud.

 

Planting will start soon and I am hopeful for a long, warm summer so the harvest will be bountiful this fall. 

 

In the spirit of the first day of May, I truly hope you have a wonderful day and enjoy the sunshine wherever you are and as always, remember to give your loved ones a hug!

 

Another Great Day at the Mailbox!

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Another great day at the mailbox!  I have been on a roll lately.  Which doesn't happen often so I don't mind one bit.   Creative, fun-loving Leslie over at Spoonful of Everything had a giveaway a couple of weeks ago and I won!  I wasn't the first winner picked but she decided to pick two names and mine was the second name!

 

 

Unfortunately the handmade planter's pot was broken in transit.  I guess one of the mailmen were a little over rambunctious when moving that package!  Seeing how it was decorated though, I will definitely be making one myself...it is so cute!

 

 

There was also a lovely crocheted doily, an adorable skeleton key, a package of vinca seeds ( I LOVE vincas!)

 

 

and the most adorable package of decorate clothespins! 

 

 

 

There were all placed inside the cutest little spring take out box.

 

 

 

Thank you so much Leslie, I love everything!  Why not pop over to say hi to Leslie, you will certainly enjoy her decorating style (her front porch is just wonderful!) and her puppies are the cutest.  Have a wonderful April Fool's Day everyone and remember to give your loved ones a hug! 

 

Now That We Are Into Our Second Day....

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Where is it?  Spring I mean.

Mother Nature has been a little nasty this year.  Either that or we have been spoiled in years past.  I am not sure which one it is. 

I remember as a child having snow well until May and actually I remember one year on April 30th celebrating with my brother and his wife on my brother's birthday while we barbequed steaks in a snow storm! 

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So maybe we have just been spoiled in the last few years and it seems that spring is taking a long time to get here.

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Whichever it is, I hope to see snow melting, robins returning and green grass soon.

Did you do anything special on the first day of spring?  I hope you enjoyed the day, some sunshine and warm temperatures! Remember to give your loved ones a hug!

Taking a Day

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We've got sunshine!!!  Finally we have some sunshine so I am going to spend the day outside and enjoy it while I can.  The weathermen are calling for the temperatures to drop and the clouds to move in again this weekend so I am going to head out and get some good old vitamin D and watch the snow melt.

 

 

I will return tomorrow.  Have a great day everyone and remember to give your loved ones a hug!

 

Welcome March and a Winner!

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Welcome March!  I have been waiting impatiently for you to arrive.  Now that you are here, I am excited for seedlings, longer days, more sunshine, St. Patrick's Day and the promise of Easter.

 

Since you arrived like a lamb, I will have to see that at the end of the month, if you leave us as a lion?  As long as it isn't a snowy lion!

 

accuweather

 

Accuweather seems to have a handle on what to expect across the country this spring.  I always find it interesting to follow and see if they are right in their predictions!

 

Now without further ado, what a better way to start off a new month but with a winner of the "Thread Catcher" bundle? 

 

I used a random generator to find us a winner and that lucky winner is .....

 

True Random Number Generator

 

Min:  

 

Max:

 

 

 

Result:  5

 

 

 

 

Congratulations sharnymcclarney!!!!  I just need you to send me an email with your snail mail address and I will get the bundle out to you soon.  Send it to me at

 

Have a wonderful first day of March and remember to give your loved ones a hug!

 

Sorting the Seeds

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Oooh, excitement is starting to build.  It is almost time for starting the seeds indoors for this year's garden! 

 

 

We typically cannot start planting here in Minnesota until the end of May and sometimes until as late as the beginning of June.  Many old-timers say after the first new moon in June ..... others say after the long weekend in May.  I just wing it and take a chance when I think the temperatures will be warm enough overnight to prevent the seedlings from freezing.

 

What to plant this year?  Hmmmm.  We have some plans for a bigger garden and raised beds so decisions will have to be made soon. 

 

 

Last year, I saved some seeds from heirloom plants and will attempt to plant them and hope they grow.  The veggies and fruit we gleaned from those plantings were delicious!

 

Tomatoes, beans, broccoli, peppers, radishes, cucumbers, squash, carrots, zucchini and herbs are our old standby and are planted each year. If all works out with the larger addition, I would like to try pumpkins too!  We use quite a bit of pumpkin puree around this homestead once winter hits so there is nothing better than the taste of growing your own!

 

 

 

So I better get busy and start drawing up the plans for which plant goes where.  We make sure each plant is rotated as not to deplete the soil of valuable nutrition the plants need. 

 

Have you started your seeds indoors or have you already begun to plant outside?  I would love to hear what you have planned.

 

 

 

Happy planting and remember to give your loved ones a hug!

 

The Afghan from Hell

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Yes, you read the title right!  I have always wanted to learn how to crochet a ripple afghan, you know, the ones that EVERYONE has on the back of their sofas?  In the 70's they were orange, brown and yellow, as seen on "The 70's Show" BUT I didn't want mine in those colors!!  I wanted one that would remind me of Spring.  One that would reflect bring colors that we see as the first flowers are making their way through the cold earth ..... daffodils, hyacinths, and primrose.

 

 

I started this afghan exactly on January 27, 2012 ..... yep, I know that was the exact date as I record all my knitting and crochet projects on Ravelry.  If you have never heard of Ravelry check it out!  So many patterns, inspiration and great people.  You can see it here. 

 

Now, the reason why it took so long wasn't because the pattern was difficult.  It was the exact OPPOSITE!  The pattern is so easy to mindlessly work with, that I was bored very quickly.  If I am bored, wellllll then I never feel like picking it up because it's too boring ..... hence the title "Afghan from Hell". 

 

 

 

So I plucked away at it and plucked away at it and come the new year, I was determined to finish it.  You see I have a rule.  I will not allow myself to start another knitting/crochet project until the one I am working on is finished.  I get too easily sidetracked and excited for new projects when browsing websites and patterns.  If I didn't follow this rule, I would have hundreds of unfinished projects floating around all over the house!

 

 

So the morning of January 28, 2013 ..... exactly one year and one day, I sewed in the last of the ends, laid out the afghan and admired the bright colors which do remind me of spring.  I am extremely pleased with it and look forward to cool-ish spring mornings when I can sit on the porch and wrap it around me while sipping my cup of coffee. 

 

 

Now that it's finished ..... I have been drooling over which project to start next.  Would I make this pattern again?  Definitely.  The color possibilities are endless but I would make sure next time that I finished it before a year was up!

 

 

 

Happy knitting/crocheting, have a wonderful day and remember to give your loved ones a hug! 

 

Happy February

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February, the month of love .....  I have always loved February.  I love that it known for hearts, pink, red, flowers and ANYTHING feminine and pretty!  I am a lover of pink.  My whole home would be filled with pink if hubby would allow it!  

I do try to squeeze pink in here and there with decorating.  Maybe a pink pillow or a throw with some pink in it.  Tablecloths, napkins and linens always have a some pink in them....those are the little things that hubby doesn't notice. 

February is usually the turning point up here in Minnesota.  The days are noticeably longer and the sun's heat is beginning to gain strength.  We normally have what is called a "February Thaw" and it gives us the promise of spring and what is to come.  

Tomorrow is good old Groundhog Day and that little furry creature will decide our fate ..... 6 more weeks of winter?  Up here, whether the groundhog sees his shadow or not, we ALWAYS have 6 more weeks of winter so what he determines by popping his head out of the ground, doesn't have much bearing for us.

So while the rest of the country waits in anticipation for Mr. Groundhog, I will hibernate with my quilt, my kitties, a cup of tea and a good book or a knitting project and pass the next 6 weeks with the mindset that I will have to patiently wait for the pussy willows, the buds popping out on the branches and seeing the daffodils desperately trying to struggle through the snow, looking for that sunshine.  

It's okay though, I don't mind.  That is the joy of living where there are four seasons!  Patience will award you with the next one when Mother Nature decides it is time.  

Wishing you the best for the month of February and remember to give your loved ones a hug!

Pussy Willows .... Mother Nature's Decorations

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It's spring and Mother Nature gives us so much to enjoy as everything wakes from its winter slumber.

Aren't these bottles a lovely color?  A friend of ours stopped by the other day and he had some of these bottles .... I am not sure what type of lager beer was in them but I was so surprised by the color, I asked him if I could have a few of them.  He just happened to have some empty in his cooler and was happy to give them to me.

That morning on my daily hike, I had noticed that the pussy willows were at their prime so I headed out once again and gathered some for a little, mini, kitchen, spring display.  That was a mouthful!

Dropping a couple of pussy willows in each bottle, adding a vintage linen and I have a cute display for little cost and can so easily be changed out as the seasons progress.  I think lilacs will be nice too, once they are ready!

Remember to give your loved ones a hug!

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What a beautiful day today! The temperatures warmed up to a balmy 32 degrees with sunny skies. Such a nice treat!

As promised yesterday, I would like to direct you over to another friend's blog. This friend is only known as Madhen...and she is a real treat! This lady is one of the most dedicated people for animal rescue that I have ever known. She lives on a beautiful mountain in California raising goats, donkeys, chickens, birds, dogs, cats and whatever else that might catch her fancy.

Her blog is a real treat so pop on over and say hi! Madhen can be found here...

http://mad-hen-creations.blogspot.com/

I am sure you will enjoy it.

I snapped this picture early this morning while out on my morning walk....the sun was just coming up.

Tomorrow is Saturday....usually Saturdays are a very busy day for us with company that likes to pop in for a cup of coffee and a cookie or two. I cannot believe how fast the weeks fly by!

Remember to give your loved ones a hug!

Spring Cleanup

Pin It The nice weather has prevented me from posting and I apologize to those who wondered where I have been.

The nice weather has melted all our snow, dried up the mud and we are now into spring cleanup.

Luke spent day chopping wood for our outdoor firepit. There are alot of evenings we sit in front of the fire enjoying the evening under the stars.

The weather has been perfect for cleaning up my flowerbeds, preparing the garden and cleaning up the yard. Each spring we still have scrap that makes it's way to the surface each year.

A few days ago, our scrapper Mike showed up and cleaned up quite a bit for us. He makes a dollar and we enjoy seeing the scrap leave the yard.

While Mike was picking the scrap, we discovered an old watering trough which I saved and plan on planting flowers in it. Luke also found an old steel milk can which I will paint and add a nice splash of color to the front yard with flowing petunias in it.

The days are becoming longer which gives us much opportunity to work outside. I love these days. Actually, the other day when Luke and Bob were on the four wheeler, they came across a deer having a baby. When I went back to take pictures for you, she was already gone.... I was so disappointed! I was hoping to share the miracle of birth with you.

I hope that each of you have a great day and remember to give your loved ones a hug! =)

Mudville U.S.A.

Pin It With the warm weather we are experiencing lately...in the high 30's and low 40's our property turns into Mudville U.S.A. I took the long walk up to the mailbox today and could not resist showing you what we have to deal with every spring when the snow begins to melt...and it has just started!






Coming up to the old farmhouse we have on the property.




We have had to begin wiping all the animals feet when they come in from outside.

Not fun!




The grass is beginning to show in some places....looks promising!

There is still much snow to melt so this will be a looooong process.

But when I begin to see grass, I get excited. I dream of flowers and gardening.

The only damage from this winter that I can see so far is this old shed that is located across the highway from us....apparently the roof didn't make it. No one lives on that land anymore but I think they do store some things in there.

We will evaluate all the buildings as the days go by and see what damage will have to be repaired before the next winter hits but I don't even want to think about more snow right now! I want to enjoy the changing of the seasons...which we really experience here and love so much.

No robins have been seen yet...but hopefully they will return soon and then we will know that Spring has officially arrived!

Have a great weekend everyone and remember to give your loved ones a hug! =)