This Moment

Playing along with Amanda today... in her words: 

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Spring is Coming!

Spring is coming, Spring is coming! We can all feel it in our bones, and when we get warm, sunny days like these last few, well... it's been feeling like it's already here!

That usual switch in polarity this time of hear is happening... instead of a draw towards our warm inner spaces we're being pulled more and more outdoors.

It feels like we've been holding our breath for ages and are now able to breathe again.

We've planted seeds, bulbs, tubers, and transplants. We've cleaned out and scrubbed down the chicken coop. We've reclaimed the stone borders around our garden beds that were being swallowed by weather and erosion.

We've even had our first spell out in the sun on our favorite blanket with library books.

It won't be long before we're making our first trip to the nursery for transplants and trees!

Oh how we love the fleeting novelty of the warm, sun-filled days of early Spring!

Right Now

Right now, I'm...

...trying to stay psyched for Audrey's first school field trip with only school people, no Mama tagging along (it's cool, she can handle it, she's totally got this.......*gulp*).
...looking forward to a second award ceremony tonight honoring Audrey and a few of her peers who have art pieces progressing into the state-level competition of the 'Reflections' art contest.
...realizing we're nearing the one-year anniversary of becoming chicken keepers! Has it really been that long since they were just little fluff balls living in our guest bath, mucking up the place?
...stretching my gardeners' arms and legs as the snow melts away and the sun promises to make a better show of it this coming week! I planted some flower seeds this weekend in the brief sunny afternoon we got on Saturday, and am looking forward to more time this week to get the beds back in shape!
...wondering how much I should try to schedule and how much I should try to keep open for Audrey's first spring break, kicking off next week.
...searching for the perfect way to use a gorgeous pint of raw cream my parents brought us this weekend. Creme brulee? Maybe... cream cheese? Maybe... simple whipped cream on anything and everything? I'm liking the sound of that!
...feeling a touch of that giddy, almost manic energy that is always the beginning of spring fever around these parts! Time to start purging, cleaning, and turning our energies to our outdoor spaces!
...loving that I'm not the only one feeling Spring pulling and tugging at me right now, and knowing that I'll have a helper or two in whatever I end up doing with that extra energy!

Right now the mornings are back to being dark (have I ever said how much I hate time changes?), the evenings are back to lingering a little longer at the end of the day, and all around us things are waking up.

Wishing all a pull and a tug into an energetic kickoff to the week. Happy Monday!

This Moment

Playing along with Amanda today... in her words: 

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

A Snowy Status Update

True to this early March pattern we seemed doomed to repeat, we "warmed up" yesterday into the 50's and awoke this morning to a thick blanket of white. School closed, work closed, and we all watched the sun rise over the soft and sparkling landscape. I think this morning's snowfall has been the most we've had to date. It was easily over 5" in many places (which is a big deal for us!).

There was supposed to be a thick layer of sleet under all that fluffy stuff, so we eagerly busted the sleds out once again, but alas it was all dry and fine like frozen glitter. The kids had fun anyway, pulling- and being pulled on- the sled through the little drifts, watching for animal tracks and undisturbed sparkles.

We followed rabbit tracks and Leeloo tracks and bird tracks and ended up crunching through the woods, enjoying the feeling of being somewhere completely different and very familiar at the same time.

And finally, after watching both kids try and sneak handfuls of snow into their mouths, we decided we'd wrap up our excursion by scooping up a big bowl of fresh snow and heading inside to make snow ice cream.

We are now all dried off, warmed up, and tucked in for naps (well, almost all of us...), and true to The Usual the snow is slowly melting into rivulets down the driveway.

So long, crazy March snow, it's been fun... but I'm starting to get a little antsy to be back out in the garden!

Sigh.

Cabin Fever and Such

It figures that we'd get our first real taste of winter this close to the beginning of spring. It seems like we've been ending or beginning every second or third day with the monitoring of road conditions and school closings, and it never fails that about a day before we run out of milk everything freezes over and shuts down.

There's an over-memed saying that's been circulating lately: "If you don't like the weather in Texas, just wait a few hours." It sounds ridiculous, but it's true... and it's that flip-flopping that's gotten us all feeling sluggish and off these days.

So as we warm up into the low 60's today and prepare for another arctic blast tonight, we're also dealing with sniffles, clogged ears, and edgy Littles. A touch of cabin fever for sure, and maybe a little head cold making the rounds, too. Ah, the joys of late winter around these parts.

At least when it's chilly, lingering in bed and resting beneath covers is way more appealing and this Mama doesn't have to do much coaxing to get everyone to take a good nap.

So this week you'll probably find us moving slowly, sipping lots of hot teas and cider, and lounging late into the day in our fuzziest robes...

...and our fuzziest mustaches, too, of course.

Like I said, cabin fever, y'all!

Wishing all wellness and rest this Tuesday. Have a good one.

Weekending

It looks like we're beginning March with snow and ice on the ground this year! And around these parts, that means we're kicking off March with brief trips outside to crunch the icy top of the snow like creme brulee, then long stints inside coloring, huddling around the fire, watching movies, and now playing Hungry Hungry Hippos (constantly, nonstop).

Wishing all a cozy weekend and a peaceful kickoff to the month! Happy weekending!