Rewind

I can't believe this week is about over! Before this next weekend arrives I thought I should share a glimpse of our Easter weekend. Saturday we celebrated with hubby's side of the family. Kaelyn stayed at the decorating table longer than anyone else. :)

{me and my girl getting some stickers to put on}

{K and her daddy}

K had to be like her cousin and play an instrument too!

Then on to Sunday, church service then to my aunt's house where there is always
an egg hunt for Kaelyn. She loves it!

{the kitties are hiding eggs}

My aunt had a very clever idea to put a coin in the eggs and then fill the piggy bank.

My cousins did fill some with candy for her though too. :)

We had a wonderful weekend with family,

had lots of great food and K was one spoiled little girl!

She is still asking why Easter has to be over!

Be Still & Let God {mixed media in progress}

{Be Still & Let God ~ mixed media in progress}

Finally, a new piece in progress! I am so excited about this one. It has been on my mind for months! Every part of it has a special meaning... I could almost write a book about it! Ha! I won't bore you with the details but I'll just say it comes from a lot of things that have been on my heart lately and this was the creative vision I had from it.

I have always loved drawing portraits. Making them come alive through their eyes is so much fun! Really the eyes are the only thing that is actually done on this piece. Lots of layering left on the rest of it. And I can't wait to add a pop of color to a few places. That will take some time!

I hope you enjoyed seeing a preview. Have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Handmade Toys Part 1

Being a work from home mom is even more challenging when you have kid(s) at home. Keeping them entertained while you are working can be quite a job on its own. In our household we aren't big on TV shows/video games. We do not have cable... one because it is an unnecessary cost and two we keep plenty busy with other jobs that we don't have time for it. We also like to have our daughter use her imagination as much as possible with creative play. I must admit, some days it is easier to let her sit in front of PBS watching kid shows or pop in a movie. But I've noticed the more TV she watches the worse her attitude is which equals an unhappy mama. So I sometimes have to be creative on keeping her busy with other toys and crafts. Luckily my mom kept a few of my favorite toys I had when I was a small child and passed them on to me when I had my daughter. Here is one...

Meet the bunny family. Made out of felt, fabric and thread. My aunt/godmother Colleen made this set for me some 30+ years ago and it is still in great condition! I loved playing with it and now K gets to enjoy it as well. Such a treasure!
The details are amazing! To get an idea for size, the mama bunny measures 6 inches from the tip of her hear to the bottom of her foot. The small twin babies are 2.5 inches tall. So not very big. The dresses on the mom and daughter can be taken off.

The bunny family has plenty of room to live in the carrot which makes for easy travel. Great for car rides and in church.

I hope this handmade treasure will last for several more decades to come! :)

I would love to hear what your favorite childhood toy was.

wonderful ending to March

We were lucky enough to have another beautiful weekend, which meant not getting much done in the house because we were always outside. :)

Friday night was a little bonfire in our backyard. Just before I took this pic Hubby was outside entertaining 5 kids. He's amazing with kids... all ages! Love that about him.

A quick snuggle with his girl... she doesn't sit still for long!

Then Saturday was another lake day! We went to a lake we hadn't been to before and went fishing for the first time this year.

And there were lots of turtles here too. It's nice not having a motor boat to scare them away before you get to see them. They still are quick to jump in the water, especially the baby turtles, but a fast camera and being ready helps. This turtle made me laugh. His back feet aren't even touching the stump! I think that made it a little harder for him to jump off so I got more shots of him. :)

The best news was that hubby caught a sunfish in his boat! Kaelyn was thrilled but bummed she never had a bite on her line. She said the fish was sooo cute! Ha, ha!

We took one short shore break for sun guard and so K could throw a few rocks in the water. David did some more fishing.

I still can't believe the boat and oars was one of the first things hubby ever made/built out of wood! This was made in our TINY garage of our first house when he hardly had any tools! Lets say it got him addicted to woodworking... which was a good thing because I have some beautiful pieces in my house because of it. :)

Sunday started off cool and damp but by afternoon we were up to 88 degrees. Couldn't believe it for this time of year. I managed to get some yard work done while K played outside with her neighbor friend. It was a good day and such a great ending to March.

Droplets

A few details from around my yard this morning.

Enjoy the little things this weekend! :)

Rainy Day...

... a good day. :)

Welcome Spring

The weather has been gorgeous around here lately. Saturday was the first day in... months?... I can't remember the last time that I didn't have to work, so we had a fun family day. With the warm temps and gentle breeze we took out hubby's boat he built years ago.

Kaelyn was testing out her new fishing pole. She says she's practicing up to go fishing with Grandpa. :)

Loving the boat ride!

We saw so many turtles. It was like searching for where's Waldo only it was where are the turtles?

K helping row.

I really don't know what K was doing here, but it looks like she's thoroughly

enjoying God's gifts on this beautiful day.

Thankful for such a great day!