A few notes from the weekend: The sun finally came out on Sunday, after what seemed like a very long hiatus. Everyone, it appeared, was out and about, playing, walking, biking...and everyone seemed so chipper! No one could be cooped up any longer, despite the fact there still is snow on the ground...although it is quickly melting, we still have a ways to go (and I'm hoping we won't get any more!). The pussywillows have indeed popped and were so pretty against the blue sky, but we haven't performed our pussywillow-cutting ritual...yet. It still is a bit early perhaps.
Hub and I took a nice walk down our favorite country road, feeling the sun on our backs and breathing in the fresh air. We unearthed the grill from the garage and lugged it back up on the deck. We relished those first good smells of chicken cooking on our well-seasoned grill. And I thought about how the beginning of Spring seems to do strange things to people who have been living with piles of snow for many months. I get the sense that we're all sort of waking up from our winter slumber and feeling a renewed sense of energy and hope.
Hub and I took a nice walk down our favorite country road, feeling the sun on our backs and breathing in the fresh air. We unearthed the grill from the garage and lugged it back up on the deck. We relished those first good smells of chicken cooking on our well-seasoned grill. And I thought about how the beginning of Spring seems to do strange things to people who have been living with piles of snow for many months. I get the sense that we're all sort of waking up from our winter slumber and feeling a renewed sense of energy and hope.
But Saturday was the complete opposite of Sunday, weather-wise. It drizzled all day long and was dark and a bit foggy. It made you want to sleep in late (which we did) and stay in bed all day (no, we didn't). But I did manage to start on a bit of Spring cleaning. We dropped off a couple of our entryway rugs that were filthy from wintertime at the laundromat while we went to run other errands. And these clean rugs made me insanely happy this weekend. I know, I know...weird. But it's the littlest things that make me happy. Next up, I want to wash windows and I'm hoping to paint the kitchen!
{a myriad of butterflies}
{Sandhill Crane...our daily visitors, looking for a handout}
{poolside knitting}
{a little random nighttime Ping-Pong playing}
{delicious 
{completing my very 1st round of 18 holes of golf!}
I’m trying hard not to hold it against Florida that well, it’s really not been a very warm place to vacation...at least the weeks that we choose to visit. Warm is relative but when you are coming from cold Minnesota, you really would like to soak up some HOT weather on your vacation. And each year you think and hope, almost beyond reason now, that Florida will be hot…each year. But I think after several years of vacationing there, several vacations which always have me grabbing for the few long-sleeved shirts, sweaters, and long pants I’ve packed, more often than my swimsuit or shorts, I really do think it's starting to sink in finally that Florida is no Hawaii. I don’t think it ever got above 65 degrees when we were there. Which coming from Minnesota feels pretty nice to some extent, but once the sun was down the nights were chilly and the only thing that helped was the warmth of our hot tub.
It was a magical sort of morning here today...the air was crisp, just 8 below...and the trees were crystallized in beauty as the sun came up. It never looks quite the same in photos though.
Yet the sunny start to the day afforded a good photo op for the new skinny scarf I just finished knitting. I started it last year, and like a lot of things, it was put to the side for a long time...mostly because I ran out of yarn and the store ran out of this yarn too. So I finally ended up finding some online. Lately, I've been trying to finish things up...books, projects, etc...just so I can start new ones!
Little bits of re-decorating the nest have been taking place too...I pulled out this sweet tea pot and cups that had been boxed up since we moved. Hub gave it to me several Christmases ago. I think the cherry blossom design is lovely and its making me hopeful for Spring.
Of course buying pretty papers is somewhat of an addiction. These are just a few new ones that I picked up the other day...again, with Spring in mind! I can't wait until I have some time to just sit down and start creating with them.
Cooking, homemade lasagna the other night...always cooking and baking. Nothing new there.
And finally, I'm SO anxious to do some packing in this super BIG tote bag I recently bought. Soon, soon, we'll be on our way for a much needed get-away. Sometimes a little change of scenery is all you need to get you through the long months where you patiently wait (especially in MN!) for Spring to arrive, don't you think?
For my Valentine cards this year, I sent out little surprise packages for some sweet ladies featuring feathery bobby pins attached to "hats" hand cut from paper stating "you're the feather in my cap!" I was inspired by a pretty hair clip I recently purchased and wanted to try making some smaller versions using the notions I had in my craft stash. They were quite quick and fun to make! I started by cutting out a small wool felt circle as my base, glued on a few feathers, and then stitched on by hand whatever else I could find...ruffles of vintage seambinding, bits of lace, shiny beads, tiny fabric flowers, and little vintage leaves. No two were exactly alike, just like the unique & special ladies in my life!
P.S. At least there are sweet things like white rabbits (aka: Snowshoe Hares, as seen in the first photo) to brighten things up, little Chickadees that want to sit on our hands for some bird seed, and pretty, fluffy snow to snowshoe in! And well, the days seem to be getting longer too which is quite nice...See, I'm looking on the bright side of things as well! :)
Many little bits and pieces of things are strewn about my desk lately as I've been dabbling in little projects here and there. Switching from stitching one moment to wire-working the next. It looks like a crafting bomb went off, total chaos, nothing completed...just lots of little things in the works. But that's how I like it. Always working on different things, so excited about each project that I switch back and forth. Many made with "love" in mind. I can't share any more than these brief peaks, because some are surprises! Eek, I'm so excited. I love to do surprises for those I love! Of course I'll share the results, in say, a little over a week and a half or so?
For whatever reason, I've thought about making gnocchi for quite awhile now. Last Wednesday I happened to buy a 5 lb bag of russet potatoes for 48 cents (simply because they were on sale for practically nothing). Then on Thursday the latest issue of Bon Appetit arrived in our mailbox with a 
I don't know why but it always seemed to me to be one of those elusive and difficult foodie-sort of things to make (like the kind I had 
Next, you mix the potatoes with flour and add in 1 egg, salt, & nutmeg.
The rest we had with a simple garlic + olive oil tomato sauce...and more pecorino of course!