pretty

Painter of Interest

I like the quality of these paintings by Duane Keiser I found online today. I was looking at the guy's website and really liked some of his landscape paintings but really didn't like his still life paintings. He is like a mix of Edward Hopper and Andrew Wyeth. He really looks like Hopper in his other works but I'm not much of a fan.

Look At These Beauties

Aren't these Beautiful! I love amyrillus (I don't know if I spelled that correctly.) They do look kind of lame when not in bloom, big long floppy leaves, but when they bloom WOW so beautiful. They were here before we moved in and the peonies next to them are about to bloom too. My seeds in the garden are starting to sprout including my pumpkin, broccoli, sunflowers and spinach. Don't worry I'll post another picture soon. I know you are all anxious to see the inch they have grown.

I've had a good couple of days. Very productive. I rearranged the boys' room and it looks so much better. It is amazing to me how I can't think spacially. I tried to plan this and it came out totally different and so much better in use of space. You can see a bird's nest in our fern on the porch from their window very clearly. We watch the Mom and Pop birds feed the babies and everything. It is really cool for the kids.

I also got these fun hot pads at the thrift store along with some nice blue cannisters.

Corporate Thinking

I really like what Valerie recently posted about corporate confession. You should check it out.

Jack's Country Store

I just got my oilcloth tablecloth and I love it. I also bought a yard of another pattern and I hate it (I thought it was bright yellow and red but it is dull yellow and brown.). The colors look really different on the website.

I bought it at Jack's Country Store which also has a catalog. The store has all kinds of old fashioned stuff. I'm really excited about the old fashioned hankies they sell. I have my grandmother's old hankies and I think they are super cool. I wanted to get some for Renata and was happy to see some in the catalog. They sell cast iron stuff and old reprinted cookbooks which I really want to check out. They even have old Campfire Girls Handbooks/Activities. I really get into this stuff. My husband is probably rolling his eyes as he reads this and planning how make it clear that he will Never go camping.

Anyway, the online store ships cheaply, but the stuff isn't cheap.It is moderately priced. This store has been featured on TV, apparently, but since we don't have one I was out of the loop and this may be old news to you all.

Kipper is the Coolest

So my Hubby is away and the kids and I are watching lots of Kipper. Kipper is the coolest. The show is based on books written and illustrated by Mike Inkpen (I know, the name is a little too perfect). He does the animation for the show too, I think. The illustrations are wonderful but the content is great too. The show is British and, there is a lot of slow moving time in the show that is so like kids. For instance, Kipper and his friend Tiger sit under a tree slurping on juice boxes for a full 2 minute before someone talks. Kipper makes you really enjoys lots of little things. I have to remember to go do my housework when it is on instead of watching the show.

Busy

It has been busy around here. My husband is working on a new business, my in-laws lost power for a week and are staying with us, George is pulling up already, and I started planting my garden.
Having my in-laws has been really nice . I get extra eyes and hands and great food. George is a pulling up maniac. He is so different from my other two it's strange for me. He hates being penned and loves roaming and getting into everything. He's a booger, a very cute booger. It's nice that grandma and grandpa are around to help right when he's transitioning into this stage.

My garden is halfway planted. It is very exciting to see my little seeds have turned into little plants that are now nicely arranged in my nice weedless plots. The pictures will not do them justice. This is the best time in gardening - no weeds, no pests, no problems.......yet. I really love gardening. My father- in- law keeps mocking me because I keep going outside and potting and repotting and rearranging my plants. He just doesn't understand.

Thrifty Finds

I've never been much of a bargain hunter, but I'm being tutored by my neighbor, Amy, and some church members. So I've been making biweekly pilgrimages to the thrift store and have had some good finds. Here are a few.

Vintage twin sheets for Renata's bed. We are just now in the process of making a boys' room and a girls' room. I wanted a blue and yellow girls room, but I've been given so much pink I just gave in to pink and yellow instead.

My friend Laurie got me planting wheatgrass as a decoration and the had these fun clay cows so I put one in my grass. It grows over the cow everyday.









I got a loveseat and a couch cover for $13 and they are really nice ones. The couch one is a wrinkly mess in the picture but is really nice. It has double pinstripes in cream velour on it.

I also hit a .25 children's book sale and got a few nice ones like Bedtime for Frances.

Nice Idea

I really like this idea for decorating.

Delicious Blood

WARNING: K-dawg, don't read this.

Tonight at dinner Renata asked Joffre about the red stuff coming out of the steak we were eating. So Joffre tells her it is cow meat and cows have blood just like us and we eat them and some of their blood. Then he says "Mmmm..delicious blood." I respectfully roll my eyes and clear the dishes.

So we move on to dessert which is root beer floats. Joffre Jr isn't very good at eating ice cream so he is slurpping the float down very loudly with his spoon.

Renata points to the plate the meat was on and says, "Is that the blood, Mommy?".

"Yes, Renata. Eat your float." (I, for one, am sick of this conversation while eating, especially dessert.)

Joffre Jr slurps his float very loudly and says, "Mmmmm...delicious blood (slurrrp)... mmmmm."

I saw this on The Sky Cow Blog and thought it was so touching. Click on the picture to read the caption.

Mahar Drygoods

I've been checking out some paint-a-day blogs and craft sites lately. I've decided I'm very tired of paintings of onions and handmade stuffed animals (especially ducks for some reason.) I went to this website of handcrafted stuff today and saw a couple really cool things. The website is Mahar Drygoods. Here are some pictures of my favorites. Beware of the prices; they're rough.

P.S. Look at the wave closely. It is not the old favorite you might be expecting. (I wish I'd seen it in time for Easter.)

Happy Easter

Happy Easter, Everyone!

We've had a great Easter so far and I'm waiting for my in-laws to come over for a dinner of ham, pineapple, mashed potatoes, and brocolli. Kind of a weird mix but all food I like. Stawberries and kiwi fruit and chocolate bunny for dessert. Yum.

On another note, I have decided to read something by G.K. Chesterton this week. I read a quote on another blog that reminded me of how great the guy was and want to share. Here's the quote: "Art, like morality, consists in drawing the line somewhere."

George Update

George is almost 7 months and has gotten his 2 bottom teeth, super cute. He smiles at people a lot which I love especially for older people because it really makes them happy. He is crawling like a maniac and is even trying to pull up already. (My other two were much slower at this.) And last and definitely least favorite, he is learning to scream for fun and in protest. This is especially rough in church.

Everything's a Bloomin'

Despite the cold snap that is upon us and delaying the planting of my garden (grumble grumble) it sure is pretty around here. Everything is blooming and the people who lived in this house before us liked flowers. We have 3 dogwood trees blooming in the yard and tulips . Amyrillis and pheonies on the side of the house are getting their buds. And hopefully the iris and daylilly beds will come back after being mowed.Very exciting. It's fun to walk in the back yard and cut flowers for the house and I didn't even do anything to get them. I love this bulb business. I never got to experience it in Florida. By the way, Joffre has mowed since these pictures so no harassing about the gigantic weeds.

Hide and Seek

If you ever want a laugh teach 2 toddlers to play hide and seek.

Episode I
I saw Renata run into the living room and crouch behind the couch.
I said, "Renata what are you doing?."
"I'm hiding, Mom."
I grabbed George off the floor and hid behind the door.
We sat waiting a few minutes. " Renata, when is Daddy coming to find us?"
"Oh, Daddy isn't coming, Mommy. I'm just hiding."

Episode II
I went and enlisted Joffre and Joffre Jr to play with us. We played a couple of times to get the kids used to the idea. Then they wanted to hide by themselves and everyone else find them. We tried it with Renata and it went fine. Then came Joffre Jr.'s turn. We all go in another room and count to ten. Joffre Jr., who is diaperless because of potty training and just wearing a t-shirt, runs into another room. We finish counting and run to find him standing in the middle of the living room looking at his penis.
"Son, do you need to go potty?"
" No."
"Aren't you going to hide?"
" Oh, yeah."
Boys.

Episode III
Then it was Joffre's turn to hide. I helped the kids count to ten and sent them off to find Dad. They came back to me and said they couldn't find him. So I started off to help. I walk into the den after Renata, who looks around and says, "Where is He?," and moves to another room. I look around the room and find my gigantic giggling husband sitting in the corner holding 2 books over his face. Apparently our closet was too stuffed so Joffre just sat down. The kids came through again and looked right over him again and moved on. They finally came in and found him because we were laughing so hard.

You probably had to be there but it was great fun.