Spring Has Sprung {And I am happy, happy, happy}

For cryin' out loud, I'm THRILLED.

I've been shivery for too many months and I welcome Spring with a yippee 

and a little jig!

It's raining dogwood blossoms in the backyard, and when I look out the pantry window there's a regular ticker-tape parade going on out there - nature's celebratin' all over the place!

I've been collecting birdies for a while; they're a perfect decor item for Spring. (And they're oh-so-cute.)

Found this pillow yesterday, our day off, as we wandered around Burlington. Love it!! (Well, lookie there, Boo stuck his head in the pic...)

It even has MUSIC on it! Right up my alley. 

My thumb is blackish, but I'm trying to bloom tulips in the pantry window. They have looked about this size for a couple of weeks, with no change, so I'm not sure this project will turn out like promised. 

Ah, Pinterest, thou art a fickle friend.

This flowery dress is purtier than it looks here; I just love it. And I'm not telling a soul that it happens to be a (sshhhh) maternity dress. Where else can I find the sought-after empire waist that is supposed to be so flattering for body shapes like mine???

Springy linens give me a little tingle in my tummy after the heaviness of winter bundling. I was excited to find this paisley bedspread at the delightful Victory Home Thrift Store last week. And the beach picture, too.

Isn't it just WUNNERFUL? My mommy's probably coveting it right now, eh, Mum?

Fresh fruit is an easy way to Springify the kitchen.

I've also stocked up on plenty of paper goods to cut down on boring and tedious dishwashing and cleaning. Better to sit on the porch with a good book than to have to scrape dirty dishes!

 Here's another Victory Home Thrift prize for beside the front door...I'm tellin' ya, you need to make a trip to Virginia just to shop here! (I'll put you up in my Springy, paisley guest room and you can dine on my purty paper plates.)

Bicycles are cropping up everywhere. Am I the only one who keeps bikes in the house? I don't know what else to do with them, especially when they're used frequently. They take up the whole back porch when they're all out there (ugh).

This Spring I'm leading our ladies' fellowship group through a study of this book:

 What an eye-opener! I highly recommend it to all of you of the female persuasion. I'll describe more of it in another post. Good stuff!

I really am HAPPY to welcome this new season - as much as I enjoy cozying up to the fire, and hiding my lumpiness in turtlenecks and anoraks, there's something rumbly in my tumbly and I do believe it's butterflies of excitement and anticipation - 

warmth!

sunshine!

sandals!

fireflies!

house flies...

fleas...

mosquitos...

oh, dear...

{P.S. Today I'm linking up with Edie at LifeinGrace - what an inspiration she is to me, and funny and thought-provoking...check out her blog and soon you'll be checking it daily, like me!}

Thairth Hairth In Ma Mouth

There are several things that, humanly speaking, give me great pleasure: Chicken-in-a-Biskit crackers, a fire in the wood stove, time alone at the piano,

and riding a bicycle!

But on Friday I forgot the cardinal rule of bicycling on a breezy day:

DON'T WEAR LIP GLOSS!

Buttons & Blue {and a Cheerio, too}

Lookie here! Lovely old buttons.

I've held onto them for about a year, contemplating all the wonderful possibilities.

And for about six months I've had two blank canvases hanging on my wall; the anticipation is at least half the fun of the project!

What to do? What to do?

I got this far and let it sit a few weeks...

...and then worked on it a bit more as I found time...

...and it was so much FUN. Why don't I mess with paint more often?

Time for buttons...

...and more buttons...

 ...and I have buttons left over - maybe I WILL make a border around the TV...(heheh, not)

Today was my birthday and I received some lovely artwork from a couple of cuties at church.

Once a year, whether I need it or not!

Cheerio! (Find one, leave a comment, and I just might send you some chocolate...)

Doggy Days

If you have a dog, you'll likely be verrrrry familiar with this product.

We were so thrilled to have our good friend Winn Freeman come from South Carolina to speak at our last Victory Home graduation. He spent a few days and spoke on Sunday. 

Spent Saturday evening at our house watching a movie and eating our veggies. Cucumbers, fresh beets, beans and squash casserole!  

I set my plate down for THIRTY SECONDS and - whoomp - the culprit in the middle of that picture ate my squash casserole, onions and all.

Yep, onions...toxic to dogs.

While Winn (to the left of Buddy) and Mike (to the right) enjoyed the movie; Buddy and I went to the kitchen, where I fed him some peroxide, and then we proceeded to the backyard where he threw up...and threw up...and threw up....

...and threw up...

We eventually came back in; Buddy curled up in the living room and I grabbed seconds, and Winn and Mike were still a-watchin' Sahara (which, by the way, I highly recommend!), oblivious to the action they were missing in their own backyard.

Yay for peroxide! (Buddy begs to differ...) 

Firm Foundation

You know, I don't even remember seeing the inscription on this downtown wall when I took this picture - it was the trump doyle [this is for Mama] that caught my eye at the time!  

But I love it--the inscription, I mean.

(And the cat...)

When we have a firm foundation, with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone, 

we're in great shape to weather all kinds of buffeting winds and storms, 

rain, heat, lightning--you name it!

One year ago today, we had our very first service here:

Mike warned us all that there would be some buffeting for a while 

(change is always a bit of a rough ride) 

but we'd get through it because our foundation was strong.

And sure enough, we did, and we're rejoicing and praising God 

for his faithfulness and goodness to us!

Here's to another year of serving, loving, growing, and building. 

What adventures await? Can't wait to find out!