Easter Hutch

 Welcome spring!  We have had some spring-like weather last week, and the warmth of the sun feels good after the winter months.  I decorated my new white hutch for Easter, and the first thing I got was the jolly bunny at my friend A's Home shop.  I've seen this bunny before, and I finally bought it.  Me and A. talked for a long time, and it's always a pleasure catching up as I browse her shop.

  I realized I don't have a lot of Easter stuff, as I gave most of it away.  The items didn't suit me anymore, but the few things I did keep I will cherish them forever.  Among them, is the children's book, Leo the Lop.  I gave this book to Nel and Jess when they were 2 and 5, and I can't tell you how many times I read it to them.  It's weathered, the pages are bent, and it's almost 40 years old.  I have a box of children's books I'll never part with, and this is one of them.

After I had two girls, I thought it would be so special to have a boy.  I was blessed with that boy, who is a dear grown man now.  These three bunnies swinging remind me of all of them when they were little.  I've had this figurine since their childhood, and every time they passed it they would swing the bunnies.

The bench sachet was sewn by a blog friend, who doesn't blog anymore, and she gifted it to me.  And the ducklings photo was taken by Kim from Daisy Cottage that I put out every year.  The purple candle Nel gave me years ago.  I like to decorate with as much purple as I have because it's just a beautiful color, and the color of royalty, for our Prince of Peace. 💜  Here are a few pictures of my hutch.

This is the first sign of spring around here.

These daffodils are at a hair salon parking lot, and they are one of the first things I see when spring arrives.

Remember the biography that Francesca did on Princess Diana?  Jess said she worked really hard on this, and was excited to learn about her.  Francesca's speech first started out with her sipping tea, and she went on talking about her life, being called "the people's princess," her joy being a mother to her sons, shaking hands with the sick and showing them love, her interest in the landmines, and so much more.  It was an exceptional biography, and Francesca even dressed the part.  

  When I think of all the effort that Mia put into her Betsy Ross project, and Francesca put into her Princess Diana project, and all the interest they took in these women of history, this comes to mind....

After she did this school project, I remembered that I have the Princess Diana Beanie Baby.  It's vintage, and very rare.  It's in good shape, and I've had it all these years.

  Have you tried the fudge mint cookies by Clover Valley?  They are really good with a cup of coffee.

Do you like spaghetti as much as I do?  I have to make it every couple of weeks. 🍝

They're back!.......they're even more special to see because I don't have feeders, and they just come in the wild.

I know many of you are having cold weather still.  We may get more rain in April, and even some snow.  But here is a flower for you until your spring arrives.

Betsy Ross Doll

 It was just an ordinary March week last week, and sometimes those are the most comforting and pleasurable ones.  It's getting warmer, and it's starting to feel like spring is on its way with all the sunny days we've been having.  No flowers sprouting up yet, but the deer have been coming around frequently, and I am always so amazed when they do.  There were a few on my back porch area, and I could almost touch them as I looked out my window.  Then, they walked over to my front yard, and I was surprised to see this family of four just resting on my lawn, unafraid, and being the gentle creatures that they are.

We have what are called "controlled burns" up here in the mountains.  They take place on scheduled days of the month, and are low-intensity planned fires to manage land and dead brush.  They improve wildlife habitats, and manage agricultural land.  I don't really like when they have these controlled burns, as smoke fills the air in the neighborhood, and I never step outside when they are going on.  But if they help protect the community by clearing away materials, that's a good thing.  

I will see the girls soon, and I have been gathering things that belong to them that I've had for years, like certificates, school documents, and more.  I found these cute pink bags to put their things in.  I am slowly, but surely, giving their stuff to them, along with anything I think they would like, so they aren't overwhelmed when the time comes for them to go through my things one day.  ; )

My brother-in-law came for a visit, and I made him a pizza.  It was just a store bought pizza, but oh, so good.  We talked about many things, and then, politic-related conversation came up. 😮  I don't like to talk politics because almost every time someone disagrees on something.  But he voiced his views, and I voiced mine, and we went on talking about other things.  We both, however, agreed on the importance of humanity in the world.

I have been enjoying the candle Jess gave me, and I love to light candles all through the house.  I also ordered some white lights for the mantel because I like seeing them not only for the holidays, but all year long.  They should come next week.

I absolutely love these school projects that the kids are working on.  Mia recently did a project about Betsy Ross.  Here is the doll she made, along with the second page of her report.

I had a lot of fun decorating my new hutch for Easter, and I will show you soon. 

I'll leave you with this....

Have a beautiful week.  Don't forget to wear the green! 🍀

 

The Princess Lives On

 Are you enjoying the first days of March?  It's always been a very long month for me, so I take it one day at a time.

Mia sent me a little card, and inside the card was a drawing of grandma, and along with it came some of her own words that I will keep forever. 💌

March is my best friend's birthday month, so that's always nice, and I will see her and others soon when I visit my hometown.

We had sunny days all last week, but I don't count my chickens before they hatch, as winter is not quite over here, and we may get more rain and snow.  We got hail last week, and it's so interesting to hear hail and see it come down on your front porch.

I have been hearing the coooing of the doves in my neighborhood, which is one of my favorite sounds.   But along with them, comes the woodpecker, who is already pecking away at my house.  A beauty of a bird, but one of the most annoying ones living in the mountains. *acorn woodpecker

My son made a roasted chicken - it's a French dish called Poulet Franchard.  Oh my, was it delicious.  I had it over the course of three days.  Ingredients:  whole chicken, chicken stock, mushrooms, lemon, parsley, tarragon, garlic, carrots.

I went to the Chinese Restaurant with my brother-in-law, and had a good time.  I usually get take-out, but it was nice to go inside this time and have a bowl of soup before the meal, and just sit and talk and listen to stories.  I ordered the combination lunch plate - kung pow chicken, chow mein, fried rice, egg roll, crab & cream cheese won ton, soup, and pepsi. 🍚

Even though it's still winter, I saw these beautiful looking strawberries at the grocery store that I had to bring home.  California grows some of the best fruits and veggies.

I went into town to do some shopping, and had a nice chat with P. for a while.  I have met about four ladies since I moved here whom I can call friends.  These are like-minded women with perseverance, who have shared their stories with me from time to time.  While in town, I bought a few things.  Isn't this the cutest bunny for Charlotte?  My family loves the color mint.

Best breakfast burrito ever.  I asked for a veggie burrito, no meat, maybe with some bell peppers and onions.  He always makes special ones for me. 😊

For my new blog friends, you may or may not know that I used to love Princess Diana.  I used to follow her life, her fashion, and her charity work back in the day.  Nel and Jess were born around the same time as her sons, so I also had that in common with her.  I used to look at magazines of her fashion choices, and she was always so elegant and put together.  I loved her.  So, you can imagine how thrilled I was when Jess told me that Francesca was doing a biography report in school.

I am pleased to see that the children take an interest in her too, and that the Princess lives on in the hearts of many. 👑👒👠👑👒

My blog friend sent me a card in the mail, just because.  We have known each other for 10 years, and she wrote some very special words inside the card.  Thank you, Carla.  I appreciate your friendship too.  Carla is a salt of the earth woman, and whose blog, The River, I've enjoyed reading for many years.

A wonderful March week to you.