Easter Decorations

Thank you for your sweet comments about my spring decorations! We have had a busy week with school work, a little spring cleaning and working out in the garden. Today, I picked up some strawberry plants and the girls and Benjamin are excited about picking the first red berries!

Easter is one month away so I wanted to share some Easter decorations around my house....

This little bunny has a basketful of jellybeans to share. As you can see, Phillip has been taking him up on the offer. ;0)


I found these Victorian decoupaged Easter eggs at a store called World Market. I hung them from my china cabinet handles.


This is my favorite one...


I hung the rest on my "piesafe" knobs.


A mini trifle dish filled with Easter eggs sits on my fireplace mantle.


This little chick and bunny are actually salt and pepper shakers.


Also on the kitchen table is this bunny pulling a wagon of hazelnut chocolate candies, shaped like carrots. They won't last until Easter!


These next two pictures aren't of Easter decorations, but I wanted to show you my new living room lamps. I haven't had any luck finding two matching lamps at the resale stores but I found some on sale for $14.99 each. I noticed the tables were a little dusty so I got out my duster and ended up cleaning the whole room!


Here is a view of our living room....we do a lot of our schoolwork in here, plus watch movies and hang out together, so I asked Phillip to take a quick picture while it was still clean. ;0)


I hope you all are having a great week. The weekend is almost here!

Springtime in Texas

Springtime has definitely arrived here in Texas. As you can see, our Bradford Pear tree blossomed this week!


It's covered with these pretty flowers...


Also growing like crazy, is the ivy in my backyard. I brought some of it inside and put together this arrangment. I took a painted flower pot, put a cereal bowl inside and filled it with water and then floral moss. I gently bent the ivy branches into an oval and tucked the ends into the bowl of water and moss.


Hidden among the moss is a small birds nest and egg.


This nest happens to be a real Mourning Dove nest. It was built on top of our internet cable box out by our back patio. It was a home for two baby birds and we had lots of fun watching them grow up. Last fall, the box needed to be replaced, so I had the repair man gently take down the nest for me to keep. The eggs aren't real. ;0)


Nests and eggs seem to be my spring theme this year...here is the spring wreath I made for my front door. I took a grapevine wreath and wrapped ivy around it.


Nestled in the soft moss, a bluebird sits on her nest of eggs.


Uncle Stephen went home this morning. Everyone is feeling sad so we are trying to keep busy. Today, the bedrooms got a deep cleaning and tomorrow we are going to the garden center.

Thank you for looking at my springtime decorations!

Monday, March 5, 2007

Good Morning! Thank you for your comments about my Five Senses Weekend and spring layout change. I always enjoy hearing from you!

Uncle Stephen is going home tomorrow, so we are going to make the most of his last day here. The girls and Benjamin will miss their trips to the park and I will miss all the fun and laughing together.

This weekend we had chicken and dumplings for dinner.



These are not the southern version of chicken and dumplings. Basically, you make a chicken stew and when it's finished cooking, you bring it to a slow boil and drop spoonfuls of biscuit dough on top. In about 10 minutes, they will be done. I pop the whole pot under the oven broiler for a few minutes to brown the tops of them.



Yesterday, after church, we took Uncle Stephen to our secret pond. It has been named that because you can't see it from the nature park trail. It was pretty much empty last summer, so it was so great to see it nice and full again!

We ate chicken salad sandwiches, grapes and fruit bars for lunch, by the edge of the pond.



Then, Grace, Emily and Benjamin led the way to the...



...creek!



The kids had their rubber boots on so they had fun wading in the water.



This evening, we are having a friend over for dinner and I think I will make White Chili. I made a pot for Stephen last week and he loved it. It is very quick to put together.



White Chili with Chicken

1 lb. cooked chopped chicken
1 onion, chpped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans chicken broth
48 oz. can white northern beans (I can't find large cans so I use 3 regular sized ones)
1 (16 oz.) can chopped tomatoes, drained
1 (4oz.) can chopped green chilis
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. oregano

Saute onion and garlic in a large pan until soft. Add remaining ingredients (along with salt and pepper to taste) and cook on medium heat, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until the mixture is hot and well blended, about 45 minutes.

This is fairy mild so you can spice it up with chili powder, cayenne or hot sauce. I usually add some garlic powder and more cumin at the end.

Serve with tortilla chips and a variety of toppings: sour cream, grated cheese and chopped green onions.

Enjoy!




This coming week, I will share some gardening and spring decorating projects I've been working on. Talk to you all soon!

Five Senses Weekend

It's time for another "Five Senses Weekend!" Just a warning for my friends with snow still on the ground, some of these pictures are of my patio and a few flowers I planted this weekend. Don't worry though, in July, when your gardens are just starting to look beautiful, ours will be burned from the hot Texas sun! :0) Anita asked about changing the picture at the top of my blog, and I agree, it's time for a more spring-like picture!! I have one all picked out and Phillip will switch it out this weekend.


Hear: I like to get a new wind chime every spring. I found this dragonfly, hummingbird and butterfly one at Hobby Lobby a few days ago.


I am also hearing my water garden fountain. It was in need of a good cleaning. Now I'm just waiting for the lily pads to start growing.


Smell: Light pink carnation on the living room coffee table.


Touch: I am touching soft baby cheeks. This is my sister Jenny and her baby, Jackie. Isn't she sweet?!


Taste: Jackie is tasting the baby carrots that Emily is feeding her.


See: I am seeing a basket of begonias and my resale find birds on my small patio table.


This is also a view from my patio. I hung the bunny picture up and found a spot for the terracotta candle holders.


Now that is warmer, I moved my wicker chair outside.


Jenny and Jackie are going home today but Uncle Stephen is here for a few more days. We are going to buy a few rocks for my garden, and probably stop by Sonic (fast food). Stephen likes their fruit slushes. :0)

Thank you for reading my Five Senses Weekend and I hope you all are having a great weekend!!

Welcome March!

Happy March 1st! We are getting closer to spring now! Thank you so much for all the comments on my finds at the resale store! I'm having fun finding spots for everything and I'm glad to hear there are so many Hollie Hobbie fans. :0)



According to my Mary Engelbreit calendar, March is Umbrella month. I'm not exactly sure what that means. Maybe we can expect lots of rain!

I shared some unique and sometimes silly holidays for the month of February, so here are the ones for March...

March 5~Unique Name Day

March 15~Absolutely Incredible Kid Day

March 20~First Day of Spring!

March 26~Make Up Your Own Holiday Day. This one is my favorite!

Have you heard of this saying?

If March comes in like a lion, it goes out like a lamb,
and if March comes in like a lamb, it goes out like a lion.



The March wind roars
Like a lion in the sky,
And makes us shiver
As he passes by.

When winds are soft,
And the days are warm and clear,
Just like a gentle lamb,
Then spring is here.

-Author Unknown

We have been having some very warm days here in Texas, but the next few nights will get down into the 30's.

Is March coming in like a lion or lamb at your house?