Spring Trip to Maymont. . .

If you ever have the chance to go to Maymont, go! It's an amazing place full of history and built for only TWO people!





This is Rachel, my web-friend-turned-real-friend. I met her on her blog and we met at Maymont this past Saturday. It was SO much fun!







Upon arriving home, we found two of our three black swallowtail butterflies had hatched. Beautiful end to a beautiful day.

My "Baby" Has a Fat Lip. . .

No, I didn't give it to him, though it has been tempting, lol. While setting up the stage for SuperGirl's Spring recital yesterday, SuperBoy was playing in the cafeteria of a local school(where I was) and somehow slipped and bumped his lip big time. It has a good gash inside the top lip and just above his lip on the outside. He said he hit the side of a table, but it sure looked worse than a mere run-in with a table. Here's how it looks today. Still a bit swollen and painful, but there are no more tears. I hope the healing's fast and there are no scars. Prayers for that.

I understand boys are a bit more rambunctious in general, but I really don't know if I'm up to it. It certainly keeps us on our toes around here, lol.

Blessings for a wonderful week,
J

Hellllloooooooooooo!

How has your Spring been so far? Ours is flying by. Here's a picture of our sugar snap peas that are growing far past where I had intended. They're now up to my forehead and I think they've stopped since they're blooming. It's my first time with a garden and I'm winging a LOT of it, lol.

Do you have a garden this year? Large or small? Ours consists of four 4' square boxes, so it's nothing extravagant, by any means. It's certainly enough to keep me busy. Tell me about yours!

Sweeter Than Honeysuckle. . .

These are our 3 judd viburnim bushes in front of our house. They're about 5-6 feet tall and smell miles better than honeysuckle ever thought of smelling!


If you ever get the chance to smell one of these, please do! They really are a yummy plant, but I don't think they're edible. :)

And this is the bee friend I made while taking pictures of the flowers. Any idea what the little yellow sacs are on either side of its body? Supergirl thinks they are pollen collectors, and her guess is as good as mine.


I hope you are all enjoying the spring weather in your area. Have a terrific day!

The Ripple Stitch. . .

Have you seen the blog Attic 24? It is awesome, especially if you crochet or knit. The colors are fabulous and the are even tutorials! Here's the ripple blanket she has completed. Isn't it beautiful? She recently posted the how-to for this and I've posted my attempt above. It took me three tries, but I really love it. I'm thinking of doing a cotton blanket/throw in the colors of this sweater of SuperBoy's.

The colors don't do it justice in the pic.

♥

Need Some Rocks?

A couple of days ago, the kiddos and I went out in search of rocks. I wanted to get them from a couple of local creeks, but it seems everyone and their brother's family was out fishing. (Apparently, the DNR had stocked the streams with large trout the same morning.) So, the kiddos and I went up the base of a local mountain near a trail head entrance and scored some rocks. Here are a few pics from our adventure. Warning: some of the pics are messed up and I'm really not sure why. Enjoy!









I really wanted to get a good shot of this house, but had a hard time stopping and leaning over as it was, since we were on a 55mph two-lane road. :)

What a Beautiful Sunday!

How was your day? It was 73 and sunny in the afternoon here and 42 at home 2.5 hours away in West Virginia. Wacky spring weather!

A Hex and a Half?

Ordinarily, I wouldn't have thought this is possible. After following Attic24's wonderful directions for crocheted hexagons, I thought I'd give it a whirl. And here's what we ended up with:



I had an extra bobble stitch, possibly due to too many double-crochets in the beginning. Who knows? I'll try again later, but I'm pretty happy with this little booger. It has a new home and it seems quite content (for an inanimate object). It's a doll rug for SuperGirl.

Have a great weekend!
♥

P.S. Check out Attic24's Ripple Blanket. It's on my to-do list. Can't you just imagine snuggling up under this blanket in the winter by a snowy window?

What a contraption. . .

This would be SuperBoy's latest large invention.

According to him, this is a *bear scarer awayer*. Yep. When a bear gets near it, the wind blows, causing the logs to sway in the wind, scaring away the bear.

A few days after he made this, SuperDad made a "bear print" in the mud near the tree while we were at the grocery store. SuperBoy was mighty impressed.

We've since taken this down for the sake of everyone's safety. I can only imagine what he'll come up with next.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Today is my Dad's birthday.

Happy Birthday, Dad! It's hard to believe you're 64. Sixty-four!?!! How did that happen? Last time I looked, I think you were 35. I hope you're not working too hard today. Take care and I'll talk with you soon!

Love, Jen

P.S. Here are a couple of pics from 2003 for you!

Kiddos at the playground. . .

Goofball on the move.

Avoiding the camera. So he thought.

Playing with their buddies.

On the way to a friend's home. . .

I snapped a few pictures on the way to a friend's home this past weekend and thought you may like to see them, too.
More than the mountains in this one, I believe I like the rock wall. I can only imagine how long it's been here.

This is the home across from the above rock wall. I would love to see the inside. I think the home dates back to the early 1800s. Click on it to enlarge.

The following are from a church on the same road. It dates back to 1846.





Isn't this well wonderful? It's across from the church and almost flush with the ground. Seems there's no great concern for safety issues with it. :)

Small old building on a rock foundation.

I'd love to know what this building and area has seen in it's history.

Does this make you happy?

Silly, isn't it. I absolutely love it. Many times, when there is a fussy child around here, I'll pull out the 'ol pink spoon. Yes, at times I wanna wallup the heck out of the little darlings, but I refrain. I hold the spoon o-so-gently at the base, face of the spoon about bosom height, and ask if this makes them happy. I usually get a smile, and the situation can be diffused. Usually. My husband thinks I'm a nut job and rolls his eyes like I"ve jumped off the deep end with no water in sight. Upon returning from the grocery store by myself a few weeks ago, my daughter holds up a wooden spoon, much like I've held the happy spoon in the past. Only this time................. my dear husband has drawn a frowny face on a piece of masking tape and taped it on the spoon. I just looked at him and said "This doesn't make me happy." He burst out laughing, like he had pulled the wool over my eyes and had a great time. Needless to say, the two spoons sit side by side in the crock that holds our utensils on the counter, forever together.

I hope we've made you smile.

♥

Attempting Crochet. . .

My good friend, Melissa, is helping me delve into the world of crochet. My next thing to tackle will be granny squares to make an afghan similar to this one in the movie Nanny McPhee. I absolutley love this one! The colors they used were stunning. Sorry about the pics. :) I had to pause the movie and take these myself.



Here's what I've been working on so far, not related to the afghan. Thank you, Melissa. I hate to tear it out, but I likely will.