the first twenty-four hours

E rocks the stage and F takes no prisoners at the playground.  So far, we're giving this weekend a run for its money.

friday finds: part two

One color range that I didn't explore in the tulips last week was yellow to green... this perfectly sums up a much-needed day of golden sunshine and green gardens.  We have no problem with green right now, not with all the rain we've had.  Our backyard is a serious jungle.  Our Saturday find will be the lawn mower.

After a leisurely morning at the garden with friends, F and I found ourselves at a bookstore shopping for a birthday gift, a book of her own, and a book I've been wanting for awhile.

I was so excited to get home and crack this one open, on my sunny back steps with no shoes on.  It's the kind of day where you might never want to come back inside, except that when I read this book I just want to be in my kitchen.  My dream kitchen.  It's there, in my mind.  Actually, it's in a model.  Maybe one day I'll share.

If you aren't reading 101 Cookbooks everyday, you should be.  It's that good.  I am so ready for this salad, so ready to find these things at the market on Saturdays.  I know one little girl who can't get enough figs.  She should be in heaven with this.  (Side note:  you know that you can search within this blog?  Looking for something you haven't seen in awhile?  Say, like figs?  Magic, there it is.)

And finally, some purple in our garden.  Climbing, flourishing clematis.  Proving that if you can just get yourself high enough in this yard, the weeds can't overtake you.

Yet.

Here's hoping you've found a spot of sunshine this Friday.  Wouldn't you say that we all needed it? 

friday finds: part one

Our best find so far this morning...the sun.  And our favorite place to read a few books.  We have a big day planned, so I'm sure there will be more finds along the way.

twisted

Things have been sort of tough over here lately.  Without getting into a laundry list of worries at home and away from home, I'll just say that the stresses have piled up.  Even with a concerted effort to see the positive side in all that we have and do, the realization of the quiet toll these stresses take has been eye opening.  Sleep is restless, punctuated by odd dreams and early morning tossing and turning.  The simple act of taking a deep breath to re-center (a practice I whole-heartedly believe in for stress management) only serves to show me, in the moment of exhale, just how twisted and knotted my insides can get.  When the many roles that we play on any given day require more obligations and produce more stress it is so easy to get twisted to the point where everything starts to ache.  I know it's coming when I get that little twinge between my shoulder blades, when my stomach churns I've let it go too far.

I loved this chair when I saw it yesterday.  I find comfort in knowing that when we are forced to bend and give more than we previously thought we should (or could), beautiful things can sometimes emerge.  We have rallied through times of great financial stress, days and nights that have blended together in back breaking work, sickness and loss and upheaval and anxieties that seem to stop everything else in its tracks.  We will do it once again.  Twister season always passes and gives way to new life.

there's that bunny again...

Before those eggs could be found, they had to be colored.  And colored they were.

Someone got the hang of things very quickly.

Lots of details, lots of thoughtful planning of colors, and even a lot of waiting until the eggs picked up those super vibrant hues.  I think this was the most colorful year yet - everyone's patience is growing, I suppose.

Even the littlest one knew the benefits of good soak.

And oh, when those baskets were found!

I do believe the three oldest spent more time helping F enjoy her holiday - such sweet girls, cousins and a sister.

While this wasn't her first Easter - it's really the first one she could actively participate in.  She had no problem finding her own place in the traditions of the holiday.  Hope you had a nice weekend and made it through the storms mostly intact.  We were glad to be out of the worst of it, and even more glad to come back to a warm, dry house.  One with a bit more chocolate and a few more bunnies in it now.

home sweet (still standing) home

This is all I've got this morning after an Easter weekend of storm dodging and adventures with eggs.  More to follow, but now I've got to try and wrestle two sleepy bunnies out of bed - I'm not hearing a whole lot of movement up there yet.

My, oh my, that little Easter bunny gets cuter every year...

yellow to purple

Colossal beauties, and the only shot I thought to get of that toddler was in front of dead daffodils with her tongue stuck out.  I hope you enjoyed the tulip tour this week - have a lovely weekend.

orange to yellow

The fields were literally on fire in some places with these tulips.  The coolest discovery was the yellow one with the lone red streak through one petal, double and triple tulips so full they looked like peonies that could hold their heads up.

red to orange

The ones below might be my favorite.  Like a shimmery iridescent orange, with some pink and yellow and purple undertones.  Those last ones looked just like the skin of a peach.