Spring has Sprung!

All over the kitchen, apparently!

The epergne:





Soffits:







And above the sink:



Whoops, don't forget the front door! The wreath I made last year survived the move from Kansas to Texas so it's ready to greet visitors yet once again:



Do you decorate for spring?

Show and Share Thursday: Bunny Love

With spring just around the corner, our dark winter decor has been taken down, laundered, and packed away, and the "spring stuff" has been put up in its place. But there are a few characters, fluffy spirits, that stay up year 'round in our house, albeit in one little corner of my bedroom:



My bunnies. "Bunnies by the Bay Bunnies" to be exact. These aren't the ones you might find in Hallmark stores around the country, these are PRE-Hallmark. I place the blame for my love of them squarely on three peoples' shoulders: Karen, her mother Ginny, and brother David. There's only one bunny that's not in this photo, and it's the one that started it all: my angel Christmas tree topper bunny that Ginny made for me when I visited Oak Harbor, WA, too many years ago. Ginny helped me choose the fabric and details for bunny's dress, and David graciously donated his kitchen table to serve as Ginny's workspace one afternoon. Several hours later, I had a beautiful tree topper. She's carefully packed away with our Christmas decor, but is never far from my thoughts thanks to her relatives:



These two are dressed warmly with knit caps and long bloomers...



This one *had* to be mine after we were stationed in Kansas for two years...



These twins sit on top of my dresser, watching over my perfume bottles, crystal dish, and silver-tone dresser set...



...and this patriotic beach-goer sits in my magazine basket, next to my bed.

Yes, this thirty-eight year old woman has bunnies in her bedroom, but somehow, my collection doesn't inspire that awful "Ewww, stuffed animals..." comment when friends see them.

And my husband hasn't pitched them out the door. Good thing, because I know how to track them down on eBay. And will continue to do so. So there. Nyeah.

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More bunny love:

Betty Crocker Bunny Cupcakes



Check out "Fun with Max and Ruby" on Rosemary Wells' homepage (it's a link to the left on her page) for coloring pages and games with some of my favorite (bunny) characters created by the author of:



Here's a very cute crochet bunny pattern at Lion Brand Yarn:



And finally, despite the cuteness factor, toy or chocolate bunnies are the best choices when it comes to deciding how to fill up your child's Easter basket. The House Rabbit Society provides lots of helpful information that will explain the reasons why live rabbits are NOT good Easter gifts.

Spring Centerpiece

This is probably the simplest dining room table centerpiece yet (at least for me!), and all it took was:

1 basket

1 pip berry wreath (light lavender, purple, and white berries)

1 length of recycled lace (this came off of the skirt of a well-loved dress)

1 bunny figurine

Could it get any cuter?

By the way, I'd love some ideas for the lace... it's not sewn, glued, or tacked in any way (I have about three yards of it), and I'd love to be able to use it, see it, daily. Suggestions and inspiration are most appreciated- thanks!

Left You Hanging

Apologies! I showed you all of those bunnies, eggs and other spring decorations piled on top of my kitchen counter, wondered where I'd end up putting them, and then... left you hanging! A little bit today, a little bit tomorrow, how about that?

You know I enjoy vignettes:







Some of you have wondered about my blog's new banner (those of you reading me in an RSS feed might want to take a peek just once to see the pretty photo I put up at the blog site itself), so here's where the photographs were taken:





I hope you enjoyed the peek at my spring decor- I'll have the simplest table centerpiece for you tomorrow, but I'll give you one element of it now- lace salvaged from one of my "fairy tale dress up day" outfits- no longer worn...but still put to good use:



Oh yes, I'm happy that at least here at home (indoors), SPRING HAS SPRUNG!

123 Book Meme

Meme rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book ( of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people (I'm just inviting my readers- if you take up the meme, post back here so I'll know and can come take a peek)

I have two books stacked on top of each other, so I'll give you the meme-required-info from both and you can try to figure out where my brain has been for the last week:

Book number one:

"Suddenly, like a striking snake, she reached out and grabbed my hand in a fierce grip. "

Followed by:

"At once she twisted it behind my back and held me so that I could move neither forward nor backward but only cry out in pain: 'Anne! Don't! You're really hurting!' 'Well hear this,' she hissed in my ear. 'Hear this Mary. I am playing my own game and I don't want you interrupting. Nobody will know anything until I am ready to tell them, and then they will know everything too late."



Book number 2:

"After a neuron fires, a neurotransmitter swims across that synapse to a nearby neuron, and when it finds the lock and binds with it, that new neuron starts to fire."

Followed by:

"Not all keys fit all locks; there are certain locks (receptors) that are designed to accept only certain neurotransmitters. Generally, neurotransmitters cause the receiving neuron to fire or prevent it from firing. The neurotransmitters are then absorbed through a process called reuptake; without reuptake, the neurotransmitters would continue to stimulate or inhibit the firing of a neuron."



I signed up for Oprah's webclass too, so I'll be buying A New Earth and catching up on my reading each evening before next Monday- or trying to, since I'll probably be having too much fun spending time with Shannon visiting!

Still Stitchin', Soon Scrappin'

Saturday's Stitchin':





...and today I'll be "scrappin'." Possibly. While making baked egg casserole and a coffee cake this morning, I made a mess of some of my recipes. Sigh, yes, they ended up being victims of my put-them-in-page-protectors-procrastination. I figure the binder is looking a bit tired too, so maybe I'll dig out my pretty papers, stickers, etc. and gussy it all up again, fresh for spring. Fresh for new recipes.

New recipes I'll put in page protectors....pronto!

Apparently, prettying up recipe books and home decor is what a kindergarten teacher home-for-the-year does when she can't put up bulletin boards, heh heh heh!

Itch to Stitch

Last night, after Toddler was bathed, Sister finished homework, and while Husband continued to work through our taxes, I got the itch. The itch to stitch.

I don't get that itch too often, amazingly enough, more frequently only recently. Don't know why. I've always found fabric interesting, and have enjoyed seeing the groupings of fabric by color scheme, print theme, manufacturer, season, or remnant status whenever I've gone into craft or fabric stores. As a teacher, I can always convince myself to buy bundles of fat quarters, though I doubt I'll ever move up to major-fabric-purchaser status like some of my friends (uh, Shannon!). Fabric is wonderful for pretend play in my classroom, decor, games, artwork, and I love quilts or quilted fabric home decor items when it comes to sprucing up my family's personal spaces. The desire to purchase fabric in its own raw, unfinished-product form and then try to morph it into something pleasing is new for me.

The itch ended up inspiring me to dig up my felt remnants (felt storyboards and story retelling shapes are essentials for my kindergarten class) and cut out bunny, carrot, and butterfly shapes.





Did I actually do any stitching last night though? No, it was all snipping. And adding decorative brads. And pinning. Stitching will happen later today.

Because I've still got that urge to scratch.

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Tidbits:

*Goodbye Polaroid. I'm bummed. Some of my favorite high school photos were taken with a Polaroid camera, and I use my own on the first day of school each year, snapping a photo of each of my students with which to make "center" tags. The photos don't have to be laminated, (I just add a hook-n-loop dot on the back so the photo can be moved from tag to tag) and last all year long. When my Super Stars are ready for summer vacation, the photos go home to parents as a keepsake reminder of their child's first day of kindergarten. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that some other manufacturer picks up the stuff.

*The Wild World of...Macrame! The Thrift Shop Romantic had me rolling with this "crafting catastrophe of the 70's!"

*While it's not too chilly here in the Bordertown, it is very windy- VERY windy this month. The family is spending a lot of time indoors and has been enjoying some comfort food, much to our diet's dismay! One more splurge, methinks, with help from Laura Rebecca's Kitchen: Baked Spaghetti Romanoff

*As always, Doug is a good read, and I'm happy to recommend The Right Way to Teach to my younger colleagues who are struggling with the drill and kill mandates as they examine their daily school experiences which are shaping their own teaching philosophies.

*Oh, how I would love to go shopping in Martha's Prop Room!

*Di at Designer's Block UK discovered the cutest cupcakes- ones decorated with the tea set would be what I would order for my mother's birthday, while the flip flops on grass would be perfect in any teachers' lounge on the last workday of the year!

Read It Read It Read It Read It!

Jim Horn at Schools Matter discusses Testing and the Death of Play, quoting a Morning Edition Story on NPR:

"Guess what? Play is required for the healthy development of children. Imagine that."

"It turns out that all that time spent playing make-believe actually helped children develop a critical cognitive skill called executive function. Executive function has a number of different elements, but a central one is the ability to self-regulate. Kids with good self-regulation are able to control their emotions and behavior, resist impulses, and exert self-control and discipline."

Parents, teachers, administrators, "behavior specialists," this is a *must read*.

Go.

Now.

Here.

I'm Wondering

... why husbands and children don't close what they've opened. Closet doors, dresser drawers, kitchen cabinets...

... why as I get older, inconveniences come in threes: fungal nail infection, bronchitis, allergies... boom (gross), boom (cough/hack), boom (sneeze).

... which Master's Degree Program I should look into once we are finally relocated. Curriculum and Instruction (will I get to implement something non-scripted?), School Administration (not only no but heck no), Early Childhood Education, Child Psychology, or Advanced Glitter-and-Glue Applications?

... if there's anything better than a duckie blankie on a chilly morning during cartoon time? (Special thanks to Rissa!)





... which wreath to make next (Easter? Patriotic? Floral?)...

... how many parents of students in the Bordertown really read the school district's "report card" info, considering it's a document of 400+ pages. I certainly found Daughter's school info, and knew enough to shudder at what it did and *did not* report. I haven't heard any other parents asking things like "how, when the school's scores have dropped two to twenty percent in writing, math and science from 2005-2006, does this school earn a rating of 'academically acceptable'?"

...where all of these bunnies and eggs will go...

Show and Share Thursday: Little Treasures

Little goodies. Small discoveries. Items compact enough to fit in my carry on bag as I flew back to Texas from a weekend in Oz...these are my newest little treasures for our home, with one or two treats just for me:

My new (not-so-new) copper kitchen set along with two little copper jugs and toy or "sample" irons:



Yes, airport security did indeed open my bag to see just what the "metal triangle-thingies" were since they'd never seen anything like that on their x-ray machine before (so they said). Afterward, the guard helping me with my bag whispered that there were some great antique stores in Missouri that I should visit if I collect things like the irons, though she did recommend that I have them shipped/mailed back to home instead of bringing them onboard! Heh heh heh!

Here's my Vera Bradley purse in retired "Americana Red," a charming little Valentine card, my petit point purse mirror, bunny votive holder, and flying monkey plaque:









Look at the charming little beveled edge of the mirror:



I even found baskets full of back issues of various magazines, including the only recently reissued/published Victoria (I love antique/collectible stores that recycle "newer" publications instead of just Time/Life mags):



This copy of Marie Claire Ideas is in FRENCH! Though it's several years old, the photographs already have me hankering for our next observance of winter holidays- I love the "Russian look" with the nesting dolls and rich colors:







I feel some crafting inspiration coming on! But before that, I'll do my part and celebrate spring, changing the decor a bit this week. Easter falls in March this year, so I'll be skipping over my green/leprechaun/clover decor (sorry, St. Patrick!) and digging out the bunnies and eggs, hoppity hoppity hoppity!

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As mentioned in a previous post, I've been playing catch up, reading all of the posts I missed over the weekend, so I only have one newly discovered blog of note to mention, Tracy Porter Blog, who also posts about her newest finds and treasures, and even designs. She features vibrant items, a nice change from all of the pastel-ey/shabby-chic stuff that can be found at many of the blogs I frequent for home decor ideas and her energy and positive attitude have perked me up each morning I've been home. I hope you like her!