Toy Story Cupcakes

My youngest had a birthday recently. We threw him a small birthday party, complete with cupcakes.



Not just any cupcakes, as you can see. Toy Story cupcakes.





Homemade by me, Mommy. :)

Outdoor "Picnik"

As I mentioned previously, I've enjoyed spending time outdoors lately.


"On the Deck"

I've also enjoyed playing with my pics, editing them in Picnik and generally changing the originals entirely.


"Garden Ornament"


"Sun Hat"


"Lobelia"

I'm not so crazy about the way the edited pics look with the format of my blog, but....oh well! :)

Outdoors

I've been able to spend some time outdoors lately.

I've planted some flowers...

 

...which are too beautiful for words.



Mr. Gnome thinks so, too. :)

Buzz Buzz

Buzz buzz, that's me...buzzing along like a bee.



Homework has been keeping me busy--VERY busy. I did take some time recently, however, to whip up some cupcakes for my oldest child's 6th birthday:




I also did a bit of embroidery...



...which you can read about here, if you feel so inclined. :)

Lately

Lately, I have been...







...planting flowers and...





...painting flower pots. Turns out that Patio Paint+terra cotta=awesome.





I've also been doing homework (and lots of it!), but I don't have any pictures to accompany that statement, for I don't think to take pics while I am doing said homework, and the pics I staged this afternoon with this blog post in mind did not turn out. ;)

Aside from the homework thing, I have enjoyed Spring immensely so far...how 'bout you?

Flickr Faves

I love dishes. Very very much. Teacups and Pyrex bowls rank high in my book.



1. Prunus, 2. my favorite kitchen, 3. Thrifted, 4. My Vintage Pyrex, revisited! (explored! #125), 5. Monday Morning hot Chocolate., 6. gooseberry & garden flowers 1, 7. House Patio Snack Set, 8. Blue 403s and Green Tomatoes, 9. Untitled

I have a few pieces of Pyrex (and Fire King) that I got from my Grandma's house, but I really haven't anywhere to display them. I think I need to buy a bigger house. :-D

But that's not gonna happen, at least not anytime soon. So perhaps instead I should focus on simply using the few pieces that I have, and maybe snap a pic or two so I can share my small collection with you. In the meantime, though, I will live vicariously through the talented photographers above and enjoy their collections.

I hope you do the same. :)

Lilac Watch 2010

One of the best decisions I've ever made was to plant a lilac bush in my back yard.



Okay, so that statement is a wee bit on the dramatic side. But I do believe it to be true...gardening-wise, anyway. I bought my house in the summer of 2003 and planted the lilac the following spring. The first blooms appeared in 2007 or 2008.



Each year, I think the bush is more beautiful than the last. It produces such loveliness. :)



Every spring, I turn antsy with anticipation. As soon as I notice the buds, "Lilac Watch" goes into effect.



The pic above was taken in February of this year. Let's look just a teensy little bit closer, shall we?



Here's a different shot. This one is looking up toward the sky a bit.



Like, I said, that was in February. Here are a couple pics from today.





Look at all that progress! I am so excited! Soon I hope to have this:



Yes, that would be quite nice, wouldn't it? :)

Christmas Eve 2009

I had a very sweet Christmas Eve.

My husband and I hosted a small, impromptu spaghetti dinner for my parents and one of my brothers.

But before the pasta, I baked scones.



Cranberry orange scones, mmmm. Yummy.



Homemade, no less! Look at those uneven wedges and try not to giggle. (Don't worry, I laughed, too.)

After dinner we all pitched in and decorated the sugar cookies I'd baked with my two young sons the day before.



I used my great-grandmother's recipe for sugar cookie cut-outs, complete with a secret family ingredient.



They were tasty. Santa enjoyed several on Christmas Eve...

...as did I. :)