Easter Spirit

I had decided not to set out Easter decorations or make Easter cards this year...I wasn't being the spring version of Scrooge...I have just been really busy with work, and planning scrapbook classes. But while the grand kids were here for spring break, I had them help me set out the brown, blue, white and tan hen's eggs in the terrariums...that's it...Easter decorating DONE!
Until I found this lavender nest with three eggs wrapped in "vintage" paper. It was on sale and too cute to pass up...the nest was added to the holiday decorations...Easter decorating finished!

Then I found these cute chicks, covered with yellow flowers...I picked them up and put them down three times...they too were on sale...and cute.

All this decorating had put me in the holiday spirit, and in the mood to create Easter cards.

There are nine days until Easter...do you think I'm starting too late?

Spring Break Adventure

With only a few days left of Spring Break...I took the grand kids on an adventure to the park. The first stop was the huge "climbing" boulders...to see who was bravest.

Of course every adventure has to have some wild animals...I think this bird was just trying to get warm...
Some of the trees were just starting to sprout...check out the dark clouds...looks like it might rain.

Good thing we brought a sack of bread to feed the ducks...

it looks like they haven't eaten in hours!

What is that hiding in the reeds?

A duck preening his self, after his morning snack.

A photo op at the waterfall...

and here comes the rain...

nice weather for ducks!

Oh by the way...
Last Friday I taught my first Heritage Scrapbooking Class for Scrapbook Barn. The ladies were wonderful...good class participation, great comments and questions. This Friday is the Heritage Scrapbooking Workshop 4:30 to 6:30...bring a Heritage project and join us...you can sign up by calling Scrapbook Barn.

Going Green!

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Birthdays, Tucson and Easter Cards

For my birthday, Tucson Sister gave me this children's book with wonderful graphics. She found it in one of her favorite out of the way thrift stores.
There isn't a front cover...so I have no clue when or who published it...or what the title of the book is...

The paper is kind of a thick newsprint...and measures 13x9 1/2 . Yellowed from age...

but the colors of the images are still vibrant.

At the bottom of each page is a "mini" story, describing what is going on in the image...the book might have been meant for a child in grade school.

The clothes the kids and the teacher are wearing look like it might be "fashion" from the 1920's 0r 1930's...so I'm guessing that the book was published about that time.

I thought it was a pretty cool birthday gift...I may have to take a road trip to Tucson and have TS take me shopping at all the "neat junque" stores.

Oh by the way....

Have you started your Easter cards yet? That's okay...I haven't either!

It was a dark and stormy day...

Arizona has been in a drought for so many years we had forgotten what rain was...we have been making up for it in 2010.
The Valley of the Sun gets about 2 1/2 inches of rain in a "dry" year and about 5 inches of rain in a "rainy" year. Since January 1st (66 days) we have received about 4 1/2 inches. So while this may not be a big deal to somebody in Seattle...it's a really big deal here...good for the garden, the farmers, ranchers and the desert...the desert should be full of wildflowers this Spring.
And, it was a great opportunity for me to play with the options on my camera!

First of the Season...

Spring comes early to the Valley of the Sun and the garden is loving all this rain we have been getting lately. This is the first Iris of the season...hopefully there will be many more for us to enjoy.
These Violas, planted in the Fall, are spreading out and filling the flower pot...

I call it my Phoenix Suns garden...get it...purple and orange... the "Suns"...