Trying Something New~April Note Card Party

Yes, I am so excited about trying something new that I nearly forgot to add the formerly used photo. 

Maybe I'll try it again and get good at it. Currently, it's something of a red hot mess. I think that you can best tell what I did in the "Thinking of You" card where you can see the horizon line. I didn't like that look and so my experiments took me to blotting that line, which is how I wound up with shadows and blotches and a generally muddled look. Ahhhh...the joy of trying something new.
Looking forward to seeing your note cards this evening!
P.S. If you visit the directions page *here,* you will find new buttons added at the bottom. Perhaps there is finally something for everyone.
 

Brooks, Schools, Pinwheels

Though I tried repeatedly to get the code for button making to work, I failed. After three hours, something has got to be more important. Picking fluff from a cotton ball would be more important. So, if you'd like a new Note Card Party button, feel free to snag this the old-fashioned way. You may link to the home page here or you may link to the *directions page.* Thank you so much for linking; it is much appreciated. 

Tomorrow Mr. Linky will be up between 2 and 2:30. After this post is published, I'm going to start having some fun with this month's Note Card Party. I have my props all gathered. It will be different anyway.

~~~

This is the final picture showing snow-melt progress in just two short weeks. I can't believe that two weeks ago, it looked this way:

And now?

And, though that is bad, it is a huge improvement. The burlap has been removed from the rosebushes and, when the forsythia blooms, I shall be pruning them. The azalea bush needs trimming even before it blooms because of broken branches. It'll be looking good in a month. I hope. You will be happy to know that I am sparing you the weekly installments henceforth. ☺
Here's a photo taken this morning  showing the little brook that winds behind the house. It passes through a culvert under the road and into the river. That's why it looks as if I'm standing in the brook.

 

The little red schoolhouse on the hill. Soon, it will be invisible from this vantage point.

Snow plow damage. It turned this sign into a pinwheel.
Well, that's it for today. See you tomorrow!

Palm Sunday 2014

What a wonderful psalm. Hope that you have a quiet moment to read it. You can find it *here.* A pleasant Palm Sunday to you and a blessed Holy Week.

Random Thoughts for a Saturday

I woke this morning feeling a little blue yellow. It's the state of the country I think. Enough about that. On to other more cheering random things.

~70°~
Now that is cheering! Plenty of snow left, of course, but how long can it last with those temps?

There's plenty that needs setting to rights around here. Winter has been more unkind than usual. I'm taking it slow. 

There! One thing back where it belongs.

Sometimes I just need to know when to cut my losses. This unhappy primrose just needs to go. Sigh.

I am working on a project that will include some spring flowers.

The Christmas leftovers will be tossed over the banking as soon as I don't sink to my knees in snow and mud. In the meantime, the birds have been enjoying the old berries. If I plant tomatoes this year, perhaps the birch log can serve as a support.

Probably better pick up that dead chicken by the door. 

A lovely weekend to you.

A Macro Sampler

This month's Personal Photo Challenge is all about close-ups. I have a love/hate relationship with them. Often, I feel as if I am inspecting a thing, especially a flower, much too closely. Really, I would have done very well in the Victorian Era. Ha!   

~a carved box, rick-rack with crocheted edging~

~ivy on the kitchen windowsill~

~a rose star...photo taken in last summer's garden~

These were edited in Photoscape. This is what I am doing these days to edit most photos. (It may change again. I go through phases.) Once I have the photo resized, I take it to Photoscape and use the auto level, auto contrast, and sharpen buttons. I choose low for the first two and 6 for sharpen. Then, I use the blur tool to lose anything in the background that competes. In the case of the ivy, it was John's old truck in the drive. In the case of the rose star, it was the other plants. My camera is a Nikon Coolpix P7100 on Auto setting, which means that the ISO 100 is probably overidden. The more I learn, the less I know.

Linking to Donna's Personal Photo Challenge. Please have a look. There'll be some amazing photos! Thank you, Dear Donna, for hosting. You're the best!    

Robins' Return

♪Robin's Return♪ Some of the comments on the piece of music above are remarkably like my own might be. My grandmother played this piece often and beautifully. 

~April 9, 2014~

And I may or may not have wept to see the robins on the lawn yesterday. *Sniff* Goodness, it has been a long, wearying winter.
Seeing them was as if I realized how long after trying to be so upbeat. I felt, watching the robins, the way I did coming in from spending time outside with the boys in February and beyond. I'd not be aware how very cold I was until coming in and starting to get warm. It was then, as I was sipping my tea, that I would begin to shiver. 
Same story seeing the robins and realizing that spring might really be here close. I began to realize just how miserable, just how rotten, just how precarious our situation has been. And it was also then that I saw how faithful God has been through it all. 
A big thanks to all who are sharing your spring with those of us who are still in the tundra. Believe me, it is a joy to see and I am only turning the mildest shade of green.  

Hodge Podge Wednesday

Just because I've always wanted to join in and today's the day! 
1. April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes. When did you last 'shower attention on someone or have attention 'showered' on you? Did you love it or did all that attention make you squirm?
We must be a family of squirmers because showering attention on each other is simply not done. I do not shower attention on anyone nor does anyone shower attention on me. Maybe I should try it and watch'em squirm!
2. Share a favorite 'spring break' memory.  Not talking about just the college 'spring break' thing, but any favorite spring break memory you'd like to share. Keep it family friendly please!
Given my first answer, this is not going to surprise anyone. We don't "do" spring breaks. Nor did I ever do spring breaks in college. ☺ 

~junior year in college~
3. It's National Pecan Month...are you a fan? If so, what's your favorite dish that calls for pecans?
Phew. Finally. An affirmative. Yes, I love pecans and a pecan pie made with brown sugar can't be beat.
4. 'Put all your eggs in one basket', 'egg on your face', rotten egg', 'walk on eggshells' or 'a good egg'...which eggs-pression could most recently be applied to your own life?
Walk on eggshells is the closest, but it is actually true of my entire life. Maybe it's me?!

5. In my experience__________________________________________.

In my experience, life is what you make it.

6. What's a favorite song with the word rain in its title or lyrics?
Singing in the Rain comes to mind.
7. What does the word hope mean to you?
Oddly enough, "hope" is not much of a concept for me. It doesn't have enough oomph. It's too much like marshmallow fluff or bird feathers. I would rather believe, rest, trust or have faith.
8.  Insert your own random thought here.
Well wasn't that delightful? LOL! I think it is safe to say that I'll link without participating. I have so wanted to try this based on others' participation who actually do a great job with it. Thank you, Debbie,  for first sparking my interest!
*Hodge Podge Wednesday* P.S. Profound apologies for the formatting here. It is not cooperating and I've decided not to care (too much).

Daffodil

A certain, very special daffodil is brightening the place having arrived just yesterday. It is a watercolor creation of Lorrie's and has this quote by G.K. Chesterton:

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.

Here it is propped on my china cupboard along with the ivy, Easter eggs, and bunny peeking through. Makes me smile every time I see it. I used "watercolor pencil" from Photoscape; it's the only way I paint watercolors. A thank you doesn't seem like enough for such a sweet gift. Thank you very much, Lorrie. What a day brightener it was yesterday in sun and it is again today with the pouring rain.

It's lovely weather for ducks!

The Results are In!

Thank you so much for participating. That was fun and my sister does have her answer. Now she must simply deal with the guilt that comes from removing tags. Good grief! Thanks for helping with that, Judy: 

...what's the matter with your sister? Does she want to go to prison or something?? Everyone knows you can't remove furniture labels 'under penalty of law' - and funny, but I don't know how old I was before I realized that meant before you purchased it. But you can't be too careful these days. Big Brother IS watching! 

If a clear answer was given, it was counted: no maybes, no boths, and no sometimes.
  1. In a pinch for supper (and unable to have take-out) would it be cereal or scrambled eggs? cereal 9 / scrambled eggs 47
2. Would you prefer to swim or hike? swim 22 / hike 34

3. Do you prefer coffee or tea? coffee 30 / tea 22 4. Do you ever remove labels from clothing, towels, mattresses, pillows?  yes 56 / no 1 (Hi Susan!) 5. Would you like to live somewhere else? yes 26 / no 26 6. Have you ever vacationed out of the country you live in? yes 40 41/ no 16 15 (Carol forgot that Canada is another country.) 7. If you had to watch a movie this afternoon would it be Saving Private Ryan or Saving Mr. Banks? SPR 6 / SMB 44 8. Egg salad sandwiches or chicken salad sandwiches? egg salad 19 / chicken salad 30 9. Cats or dogs? cats 16 / dogs 26 10. Do you enjoy a thunderstorm? yes 40 / no 13

dogs win!
In another point of interest (I use the phrase loosely), today has been a week since I showed the snow pile. For comparison's sake...

 
Have a great week!

Keep Looking Up!

Source *** So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.
Colossians 3: 1–2  The Message ~~~
On my walk today, it was all I could do to look up and look around because the ground is so uneven and broken by a long, hard winter. I felt that I needed to watch my feet lest I fall. If I hadn't looked up, though, I would have missed all that there was to see. Now imagine if, in my Christian walk, I never looked to Christ. I'd miss everything.   Keep looking up!

Pressing Questions for Ya...Very

...if you have a moment that is. My sister has a pressing question for you. She keeps asking if I have asked my "people" yet. Ha! I know that you are just as eager as anything to respond so I have decided to ask ten questions and hers is in there. I wouldn't want to embarrass her by your knowing what her deep question might be. 
Most are either/or questions, yes or no questions; no substitutions allowed.

1. In a pinch for supper (and unable to have take-out) would it be cereal or scrambled eggs? 2. Would you prefer to swim or hike? 3. Do you prefer coffee or tea? 4. Do you ever remove labels from clothing, towels, mattresses, pillows?  5. Would you like to live somewhere else? 6. Have you ever vacationed out of the country you live in? 7. If you had to watch a movie this afternoon would it be Saving Private Ryan or Saving Mr. Banks? 8. Egg salad sandwiches or chicken salad sandwiches? 9. Cats or dogs? 10. Do you enjoy a thunderstorm? Please copy and paste 1–10 in the comment box or, if truly pressed for time, just answer #4. ☺
A happy weekend to you...
Comments are closed. *The Results are In!*

Soap 'n' Such

Judy sent me a sweet little package in the mail: Sandalwood Vanilla soap, a chocolate bar, and an encouraging note.

~sweet gifts~ Judy blogs at Cranberry Morning and she has an Etsy shop called Soap 'n' Such. If you love homemade soaps that smell delightful, lather beautifully, and do not contain harsh chemicals and additives, this is a fun place to shop. Thank you so much, Judy! The sandalwood fragrance smells even better than I remembered!
~~~
If you were to just go by photos today, you might think that you had landed on a November morning because my camera battery croaked while on my morning walk and all I have to show for it is last year's frosted maple leaf. 

 ~taken this morning~
Of course, I saw ducks on the wing and heard them quacking, a female cardinal singing her song, squirrels chipping, traffic moving, the river roaring, and the rumble of the school bus as it rolled on by. I am very out of shape from a winter of slugdom. I am trying to take an early morning walk before seven every day. I prefer little traffic and no other walkers. Such a recluse I am! It's only been a week, but I am going a little further every day.
Have a great day! 

Kid's Apron and Fairy Blog Mother Tip

Last Saturday, I don't know how Kim or I ever got a thing done because we were having fun chatting back and forth via email about aprons. She had written this Apron Inspirations post and mentioned how she would test a pattern. Well that led to my testing a pattern and pretty soon, I was back in the apron business.     

I have made a kid's apron before, but *the kid didn't care for it. It didn't have an adjustable neck and it was uncomfortable to take off over his head. This apron eliminates that little problem and will hopefully grow with him for a few years. This is made from half a tea towel. I modified the front to three inches on either side of the dividing line and six inches on the sides. I used the following video tutorials from the Missouri Quilt Company.    Apron Tutorial pt 1 Apron Tutorial pt 2 (Jenny showed the process for an adult apron without mentioning the changes for a kid's apron. Wrong. She mentions it on the PDF download *here.* And I was off by an inch. It should be three inches and seven inches.)
*Oh dear. "The Kid" still doesn't care for it. "Nonni, this makes me feel like a baby. I am seven!" I took a deep breath and moved on to Plan B: some other darling will wear this apron. 
~~~
My fairy blog mother Linda visited over the weekend and made a suggestion that I loved once I understood what she was saying. She mentioned that my background was not covering the width of her computer. Now I had always noticed that I couldn't see the background on my iPad, but since I could see it on my PC, I didn't think I needed to try what she was recommending. Then I changed my mind deciding that if some could and some couldn't, what difference did it make if I tried to make it better. Besides, Linda makes it so easy to understand.  
Anywho, Linda has an easy solution and you'll find it in her tutorials *on her sidebar.* It's called How to Make Your Background Wider. And the side bonus for me was that I can now see my background on my iPad. I like that. Don't forget to look around at the other tutorials —— they're good ones!
Thank you, Fairy Blog Mother!
Have you ever made an apron? Do you have a favorite? Why? Tell me about it. Oh, can you see your background on your iPad?

Jokes, Visits, Birdsong

Early this morning I was out listening to bird song. I can not, for the life of me, tell one from another. Yes, I hear the spring call from the chickadees... fee bee fee bee or, if you prefer, phoebe phoebe. There's the incessant rat-a-tap-tap from woodpeckers and the mourning doves are cooing. 
When I hoped to learn some common calls, I added the Merlin ID app from Cornell. I'm still hopeless. So thank you to those who told me that the birdsong yesterday was cardinals or robins. I'll have to keep a sharper look-out for them, perhaps find the binoculars.
~~~
Yesterday, my sister came and took me out to lunch and then for a bit of grocery shopping. Oddly enough, she cannot find some items in her corner just thirty miles away so she stocks up while here. Anyone else having trouble finding what you want? I shop Wal*Mart for the savings, but many items go missing on me. It's an ongoing frustration.
April Fool's is not a big thing around here, but when I saw Lovella's post at Mennonite Girls Can Cook yesterday, I knew that I would give it a nod.

It didn't fool him too much.

He may have enjoyed being fooled.

Remember when people gathered around the radio? Television? Now they gather around the Kindle.

The grapes were so good! What are they doing here? Oh, this was our snack while gathered around the Kindle.

Enjoy this day!

Much Too Ugly to See or What Makes Me Smile

The winter of 2007–2008 was a rough one. That's the year that I ran a contest to see when the last of the snow would be gone. Amazingly, it was all gone by April 22.  Just documenting this year to see if I might trust that it will be all gone in three weeks. It may be too much to hope for.

John is just there making coffee. Coffee makes me smile.

Valiant daffodils make me smile.

Walls of dirt...not so much.

Luge Memories make me smile and wonder if there might not be one more ride  this season...

~Bird Song After All~

Now, for getting to the end, this is the awakening of spring in time lapse photography lasting just a little over a minute. The fern got me!

Source for iPad users
For those in the northern tier, have you seen any signs of spring?
No April Fool's jokes were told in this post. ☺ Have a happy day!