Busy Days!

We've had a few busy days, so this will just be a quick update.  On Saturday we went to my great niece's birthday party.  She is so cute, and so sweet.  But who knew that a pack of little girls and boys could be so loud!?!  Fun noise, but yikes!  I don't remember little boys being so loud, physical with each other yes, high pitched loud not so much.  My niece threw a very fun, fish themed party.  We're always so happy to be included.

On Sunday we went to the farm.  I checked on my boys, they weren't shedding quite as much as I thought they'd be.  Good thing too, it was a very raw 22 degrees.  The unending winter of 2014.  We went out and celebrated Billy's birthday with his grandparents too.  It's always good to get the generations together!

St. Patrick's Day was pretty uneventful.  We had two volleyball games, Billy filled in for one of the guys that was out of town, so that was fun.  No green beer for us.  Some pretty green flowers on my dining room table though!

We had a little snow last night and this morning, a lot of snow is predicted for tonight.  Doesn't that sound fantastic??

Yea, I couldn't convince myself that it sounds good either.  Oh well, as they say, "this too shall melt".  What, that isn't how the saying goes?  It's what we need to hear in Minnesota right now, so I'm going with it.  I hope that Spring has arrived in your neck of the woods.  We're impatiently waiting for it here.  Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Sounds, Happy Heart

I'm done complaining about winter.  So many posts about how stinking cold it was here...and it was horribly cold...but Spring is finally in the air.  Here are some spring tulips in my "Watch 'Em Grow" pot.

The Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament means spring is coming.  Always in the first part of March, always when Spring is right around the corner.  Eric's dad has had tickets since 1960.  I've been going since 1979.  The only year I missed was when I was very pregnant and over due with Billy.  19 years ago!  Our school made it into the tournament this year.  That always makes it more exciting.

Billy had played baseball with a few of the boys.  We knew of a few other boys through their parents.  There has been a lot of pain and heart ache for some of the players on this team.  One boy was playing with a broken hand.  One boy lost his dad to cancer during the section play-offs, the team attended his funeral a week before they were playing in state.  Eric and I had both worked with the man that died years ago.  Another boy is losing his dad to ALS.  Too young for that kind of pain.

During the intense second game, the other schools fans were chanting "Daddy's Money" at our team.  Yes, there are some wealthy people in our town, but money doesn't by everything.  Money is nothing when you are a young man losing your dad.  Granted, it was teenagers and they wouldn't have anyway of knowing. But it sure makes you realize how making sweeping judgments about others is really a bad idea.

The team won their first game, lost the second in double overtime.  Best game of the tournament! And then lost in the consolation game.  I thought it was pretty outstanding that they even made it to the tournament after all they had been through.

 #12 is my best friends sisters nephew.  I call him her nephew in law.  She said he's a really good, nice kid, just like my boys.  What a nice thing for her to say!  It made it more fun to watch him knowing that.  This is a picture of him and the boy whose dad had just passed away watching the 3rd place team accept their trophy.  You could feel their bond all the way into the stands.  Teammates, friends, supporting each other. Isn't that what it's about?

On a lighter note, even with the unfortunate chanting, the sounds at the hockey tournament are generally happy sounds.  Energetic teenagers.  Loud high school bands, fans, cheering, vendors selling ice cold drinks, the swoosh of skates.  The sound of the puck hitting the goal post...and not going in when it's against your favorite team! Happy sounds!

The sounds of spring are definitely in the air outside too.  The temperatures are nudging up to a more normal range.  The sounds of melting snow are everywhere.  Dripping from the roof into the rain spouts...plop, plop.  Running along the sides of the road into the gutters.  Spots of grass are starting to show on the hill sides.  It won't be long until we see green outside!  For now we're enjoying the green inside with these flowers in the "Watch 'Em Grow" pot.  I think these are grape hyacinths, but I'm not sure.

Monday the temperature reached 51 wonderful degrees.  It was a perfect day for a walk.  A little wet, but still wonderful.  More happy sounds with the birds singing their spring songs.  Even the splash of the passing cars sounded nice.

Greta is loving to go outside.  I think those spring bird songs are tempting her.

I've got a pretty bouquet of pink flowers inside on my table.  The gerbera daisies are just plain a happy flower.

My photos of the day were basically just reversed on these two days, and I didn't realize it until I was uploading them.  Oops.  Double the fun.

My friend and I went to the Como Park Conservatory to smell the spring smells and take pictures of the flowers.  Such a happy treat.

The birds have been busy singing and looking for food.  I took this picture through Brian's bedroom window.  The Cedar Waxwing wasn't going to give any of those precious berries to me!  That mask sure makes them look intimidating!

But I have to say, the happiest sound of spring is right inside my house.  The sound of Sports Center on the TV, the sound of two young men laughing together and reconnecting.  Billy is home for Spring break and it just plain makes my day to have my family all in one spot again. I think we've all missed the kid!

 I know it won't be long until he heads back to school again, but for now I'm truly enjoying the sounds of spring with a very happy heart. I hope you are finding some happy sounds in your part of the world.  Thanks for stopping by!

Poor Little Robin

The day after we returned from Florida it snowed.  A lot.  Rain, then snow through the night.  In the following afternoon I glanced out of my office window and noticed this robin in the neighbors tree.  He seemed to say "Spring is Coming"! 

Well, he was wrong.  A few nights ago the low was -17.  In March.  This cold, harsh winter has grown so old. It's enough to make cheerful people crabby.  Finding a frozen Robin hunkered down in the corner of my front step did not help my mood about the weather.  But things in the 10 day forecast are actually looking up!  Snow later today, then 21 degrees above zero, then 30, then almost 40 degrees for next week.  We might even hit the average high for a day or two.  Woohoo.  Got to take what we can get.  Like I said, it's been a long winter.

I do have pretty tulips on my dining room table though.  So pink and delicate.

And I have Daffodils blooming in my "Watch 'Em Grow" pot.  So fun to have a touch of spring in the house.

My poor horses seem to be surviving it all ok.  This guy was hoping that he could come into the house for a little while.  He was playing peek-a-boo.

Skylar's breath comes out as poofs of steam when it's -5 degrees.

Back to the spring stuff.  Tulips in my "Watch 'Em Grow" pot.  They all sprout and bloom so quickly, it's fun to see.

I think that Greta will love warmer temps.  She darts out the door every time we let the dog out, she's determined to be an outdoor cat.  The cold air makes it easier to get her back inside.  I think we'll have trouble getting her back in once it warms up.

I don't think I'll come back inside once it warms up either.  The great outdoors, fresh air, dirt, grass and I have a lot of catching up to do.  Hope you've been staying warm in your neck of the woods!

Snowed Under

I've gotten behind in my blogging again.  This guy and I...hi Eric!...took a quick trip to Orlando last week and I've been playing "Catch Up" ever since.  This was taken out on the balcony of our hotel room.  So nice to breath in warm air.

It sure was nice to get away from winter for a few days!  This was our view from our table at Epcot on our first full night there.  We traveled with Eric's parents and met his sister and her husband in Florida. It was so nice to catch up with them!

We spent a day at Disney's Animal Kingdom.  I got to go up on stage to take a photo of an owl flying in to roost on a branch just over my head.  Woosh...he was so fast...my shots were blurry!  They let me take a shot of him on the stage after he landed.  Beautiful bird.

We also spent a day at Hollywood Studios.  Perfect weather.  Pretty sunset.  I took this from the car when we were driving out of the parking lot.  It's the "Tower of Terror" ride.

And just like that our trip was done and we flew home.  My Valentine's carnations were still blooming.  It snowed once, but had been warm at home while we were gone.

We were back for a day when the big snowstorm came.  Almost 10".  Ice first, so the snow stuck to everything.  It was pretty but the snowbanks are getting high around here!

I took a walk in the morning to take some photos.  It was exhilarating and exhausting all at the same time.  I caught a shot of a neighbor clearing his driveway.  I told you the snowbanks were high!

Snow, and then the cold returned.  The sun is still warm enough to do some melting, but when the high is 10 degrees, not much melting is going to happen. We haven't had record snow, but we've had A LOT of snow and no days for it to melt.  January thaw?  That didn't happen this year.  February thaw?  Nope.  We're hoping Spring will be able to find it's way here soon.

The horses are hanging in there.  They soak up the sun every chance they get.  They'll need it, it was -20 this morning.

I'm enjoying the flowers that are blooming inside my house.  I've also been trying to catch up with work things.  The orders come in whether I'm here or not.  Which is good....but it hasn't left me with very much spare time.

But today, I'm starting to feel caught up with work.  Now to make that list of all the other stuff I should be trying to catch up on.  I'm at a stage in life where I really need lists.  I get distracted very easily!  Oh look, a daffodil.

Yep, easily distracted.  Maybe that's a problem with being creative...I can create all kinds of ways to not get at what I "should" be doing.  Things like cleaning the house, doing the laundry, organizing my work files, backing up photos, updating the calendar...you know..."shoulds".  Oh look, another flower.

Oh look...tulips!  Yep...thinking of spring.  Thinking of getting unburied from the snow and the "shoulds".

And on that note, I'm going to log off and then check off updating the blog from my list.  One thing at a time.  Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Valentine's Day!

 Just a quick little post to say:

I hope that your day is filled with chocolates, flowers and love!  Thanks for stopping by!

A Change in the Weather!

Did you see my title?  A Change in the Weather!  It's coming...warmer days ahead!  There is something so wonderful about seeing the 10 day forecast and seeing average...and get this...above average temperatures listed!  There actually is hope that this winter may eventually end!  It's all the way into the 20's today...above zero.  We may just make it after all.  But first, some cold day pictures since that's what it was when I took them.

I planted some amaryllis in November hoping that they would bloom in time for Christmas.  Well, they had sprouted by then, but didn't grow and bloom until January.  But this one was still blooming last week, which was a nice treat when it was so cold outside!  Another one has shot up a second bud and should be blooming again soon.  There is an app on Facebook called "God wants you to Know".  A few days ago the message it sent me was as follows:

God wants you to know that you will blossom.  A flower starts deep under the dirt and has to fight against gravity in the darkness before finally breaking free and opening its bloom to the sun. You may feel like you're in darkness and everything around you is muddy, but keep pushing toward the Light and when the time is right, you will burst into blossom.

I thought that it was pretty cool.  And it reminded me of the amaryllis.  And I really like the idea that they can bloom a second time.  There is always hope if you look for it!

I'm so glad that these guys will have some warmer days ahead.  They've done really well with all the cold, but I sure feel bad for them.  Warmer days ahead boys!  Nice photo bomb Czar!

Aren't they fluffy!?!  There will be a lot of shedding going on in a few months.

When it warms up I won't rely on the cats for my photos of the day.  Greta is laying on her favorite spot...the middle of the dining room table.  Can't you tell that she owns it just from the look on her face?

Molly isn't amused by having her picture taken.  Especially when I wake her up to do it.  My motivation to go outside to take photos directly correlates with the temperature out there...this winter it's been in the negative range on most days.

So I practice with my photos on the cats.  They need to be woken up occasionally anyway.

I wanted to see how my fake candle would look in a picture.  It's amazingly realistic in true life.  The flickering movement of the flame makes seem very real.  Battery powered and on a timer.  And it won't catch my house on fire.  Gotta love that!

And last but not least, a Cedar Waxwing in the neighbors tree.  My son Brian looked out the office window and said "Mom, look at all of the cool Cedar Waxwings!"  There were at least 8 of them, and it was really cool.

But really, I think that the coolest part was that my 21 year old son noticed them and knew exactly what they were. Isn't that awesome?  Thanks for stopping by.