Friday Fragments

 

 

Woo hoo!  It’s Friday!  I love Fridays (because it’s the start of the weekend), but I especially love THIS Friday!  Because we leave for southern Florida – tomorrow! 

 

 

I also love this Friday because I’ll get to see the Ts today.  Mama has an appointment this morning, so I’ll be watching them.    

 

 

Yesterday was a busy day.  I got my hair cut (way overdue … I went a week longer than normal, and she left it a little longer than normal last time).  And I got my first ever pedicure!  It was wonderful!  I have to tell you that it will not be the last pedicure, that’s for sure!    And now I have pretty feet for the beach!

 

 

I got a pleasant surprise yesterday.  With the rains, our temperatures dropped, so I had to put away my capris and get out longer pants.  I grabbed a pair of jeans … turns out they were the pair that I put away over a year ago because they didn’t fit any more (it wasn’t even close!!).  Now they fit!  Woo hoo!

 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

 

 

1. The first day of spring is here...do you enjoy working in the yard? Weeding, raking, mowing, planting-your favorite springtime garden chore? How about your least favorite?

Mowing is my favorite … I like the immediate gratification of a freshly-mown lawn.  And it doesn’t hurt that our mower has the “personal pace” feature (Personal Pace® self propel system automatically adjusts to your walking speed).  I guess I would choose raking as my least favorite.

 

2. What puts a spring in your step?

Getting to spend some time with my Ts, getting ready to leave on a trip, walking out onto the beach.

 

3. Describe a time when you had to spring into action?

When we had a fireplace fire (not in the flue, but in the framing for the flue … the builder incorrectly installed the flue, allowing heat to escape, heating up the wood framework so much that after a time, the wood finally caught on fire).  I have to admit that my first reaction was one of shock and disbelief … it wasn’t until DD sprung into action that I could get my wits about me and call 9-1-1 and help get our animals out of the house.

 

4. We're having carrots for dinner...would you prefer yours raw or cooked?

Cooked … and if you’re going to cook them, why not add a little bit of glaze?

 

5. Do you take the shampoos and other sundries from your hotel room when its time to check out?

No.  Since we travel by car, I can take my regular, full-sized shampoo.  No need for anything travel-sized. 

 

6. What's the most enjoyable team or club you've belonged to and what was it that made it so?

I belong to a quilt guild, and I enjoyed it because the guild offers workshops, where I can learn additional skills.  I enjoy being able to share experiences and advice with other quilters … and am inspired when I see their handiwork.

 

7. Is cloning a sign of progress?

Not in my mind.  Cloning is an attempt to circumvent the natural order of things, as set into motion by our God. 

 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

For the last week, I’ve been having trouble falling asleep at night, but once I fall asleep, I was able to sleep well.  Last night I fell asleep quickly enough, but was awake at 3:00 and could not fall back to sleep.  What is up with this? 

Happy First Day of Spring!

Today is the first day of spring!

At least according to the calendar … it’s been spring weather here for a good little while already.  I did a little research and discovered that the equinox does not mean that the day and night are of equal length.  I am sure that’s what I was taught in grade school … at least it was my belief all these years.

An equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the center of the Sun being in the same plane as the Earth's equator. The term equinox can also be used in a broader sense, meaning the date when such a passage happens. Although the word equinox is often understood to mean "equal [day and] night", this is not strictly true. For most locations on earth, there are two distinct identifiable days per year when the length of day and night are closest to being equal; those days are referred to as the "equiluxes" to distinguish them from the equinoxes. Equinoxes are points in time, but equiluxes are days. By convention, equiluxes are the days where sunrise and sunset are closest to being exactly 12 hours apart.

The vernal equilux here was Saturday, March 17 when sunrise was 7:08 AM and sunset was 7:08 PM. 

I spent the last day of winter working in DD’s landscaping.  The previous owners liked their landscaping full overfull of all kinds of stuff, a lot of which isn’t to DD and DSIL’s taste.  DD and I dug up a lot of stuff, setting aside spring-flowering bulbs, in hopes that they can be transplanted.  I brought home a bag of bulbs … I need to google to see if they need to be transplanted now, or if I can to wait until the typical spring-flowering bulb planting time of fall.  My muscles are definitely feeling the effects of the work we did yesterday.  

There’s nothing planned … so far … for today.  I think it’ll be a quiet, relaxing day … resting my muscles, watching some Cardinal baseball on TV, getting a little quilting done, and enjoying this gorgeous weather. 

It’s Official!

 

Spring has sprung here.  Not only are we having delightfully warm days, but everything is budding out and blooming.  We were out working in the yard again yesterday, and I thought I’d share the proof that spring is here in Illinois.

 

Here is our pear tree, in full bloom.

 

This is our neighbor’s magnolia, but we see it right outside our bedroom window.

 

My ajuga is blooming (you might need to click on this to open it as the contrast between the blossoms and the foliage didn’t photograph too well).

 

This bush is getting close to blooming.  I wish I knew what it is … but it was planted when we moved in.

Here’s a picture from Spring 2010 … if anyone can identify this bush, I’d appreciate it.

 

And my hostas are coming up.

 

I just love spring … the warmer temperatures, windows and doors open, birds chirping, plants coming back to life.  

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

I’ll be heading out to the soccer field in a little bit … first day of soccer this spring, and I cannot wait … I’m especially looking forward to seeing T#3 play!  It’s always entertaining to watch 4 year-olds try to play soccer, but it ought to be hilarious to watch T#3 … he’s got more energy than ten 4 year olds!  Unfortunately, DH will  miss the games (he’s the chief cook and bottle washer for the men’s prayer breakfast at church).  And DD will miss the games, too (she’s attending the Hearts at Home conference this weekend); she’s especially disappointed that she’ll be missing T#3’s very first soccer game. 

It’s going to be another nice day today … once the fog lifts.  When I got up this morning, there were weather alerts all over the place … heavy fog with almost zero visibility.  Thankfully, the fog is lifting … slowly but surely. 

Since today is also National Quilting Day, I’ll be quilting.  The rains will be moving back in later in the day, so I’ll have the perfect excuse to do some more quilting. 

Friday Fragments

3 of the last 4 days, we’ve matched or exceeded previous record highs –> the weather has been absolutely gorgeous.  All the warm temperatures seem to be bringing in stormy weather.  Up until this morning, the storms had bypassed us (although we had some freaky, scary winds last night at bedtime), but we finally got some rain this morning. 



Not only is tomorrow St. Patrick’s Day … it’s also National Quilting Day.  National Quilting Day, the third Saturday in March, was established in 1991 to celebrate the rich history of quilt making and the many contributions quilters have made to their families and communities.  I guess that means I’d better be wearing something green while quilting. 



Speaking of Saturday, we’ll be heading south a week from tomorrow.  I was hoping that it would be chilly here … so we could really enjoy the warm weather in southern Florida, but no matter … I just remind myself that there’s no beach back here in Illinois. 



With the rain, I guess I’ll be quilting today while DH and I watch college basketball aka March Madness.  I’m not a big basketball fan, but I don’t mind watching a little basketball during March Madness.  If I don’t really care too much who wins, I usually will pick an underdog or a team that hasn’t made it to “the big dance” in a long time … it’s been 12 years since St. Louis University has been to March Madness, and since they’re a local team, I’ll be rooting for them.

Ides of March Musings

 

What is up with Blogger?!?!  I just discovered that updates from a blog I’ve been following for quite a while are no longer showing up in my Reader.  I tried following again … I get the message that I’m now following this blog, but the blog isn’t showing up in my Reader or my Dashboard.  I tried manually subscribing, but the blog doesn’t show up in my Reader or my Dashboard.  <grrrr>  What frustrates me most is that I was removed as a follower … I can always bookmark her blog, but why did Blogger remove me as a follower?  (I did wonder if it was fallout from the discontinuation of Google Friend Connect, but nope … I was getting the updates as recently as March 5.)

 

Our gorgeous weather is coming to a halt … while it’s going to be warm today, it’s supposed to rain this afternoon and evening.    But it’s probably just as well, as my back is still feeling the effects of the last two afternoons spent working in the yard.  I think today will be a “rest-the-sore-muscles” day … best spent quilting.    Thankfully our fantastic weather will return tomorrow.

 

Soccer season starts here this weekend, and I cannot wait!  3 of the 4 Ts will be playing soccer … which means overlapping games.  I can see it now … Nana at one game, Mama at another, Daddy at yet another, and Papa filling in where needed!  Ha! 

 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

 

 

1. St. Patrick's Day will be celebrated this coming Saturday...what's a favorite article of clothing you own that contains a touch o' the green?

Gosh, I don’t have much of green … I do have a citrus-y green 3/4-length sleeve t-shirt … it’s certainly not a favorite, but it’s green.  

 

2. What's a favorite 'green space' in the town, state, or province where you live?

My favorite green space is Township Park, more commonly referred to as Airplane Park.  There’s plenty of open space, pavilions, a hockey rink, and a nice, bit playground.  DH and I took the Ts there yesterday. 

One of the reasons we love Hilton Head so much is their determination to keep “green” a good bit of the island.  That and the wide, flat beach.   

 

3. Do you wish you were taller, shorter, or think you're just about right in the height department?

Oh my … I definitely wish I were a bit taller.  5’ 1 1/2” is just so awfully short.

 

4. What's the surest way for someone to pick a fight with you?

I cannot of what someone could say that would stir me to an actual fight or confrontation … however, I can think of plenty that would hurt my feelings or frustrate/upset me. 

 

5. Broccoli-Spinach-String Beans-Peas...of the four, your favorite green veg? (Or the one you dislike the least if that first option's too hard. I just know there's some veggie haters out there.)

I like them all, but my favorite is spinach.  Hard to think of any way I don’t like spinach … in salad, creamed, sauteed, oysters rockefeller or added to a casserole (ala florentine).

 

6. March is National Women's History Month...besides friends, neighbors and the women you're related to, who's a woman in history you admire and why?

I had a bit of a difficult time narrowing this down, but I’m choosing Mother Theresa … for her work with the poorest of poor. 

 

7. Keep Calm and ____________on.

You fill in the blank.

The obvious answer is of course “carry”.  But I hate falling back on the expected answer.  So I’m going to go with “quilt”.  I saw this on Etsy and am thinking that this belongs above my sewing/cutting table! 

 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

We’ve got another summer-like day in store for us today.  With rain in the forecast for the next 2-3 days, I am definitely going to spend today outside.     

Summer?

 

I guess it’s only right that if we had a spring-like winter, we’ll be having a summer-like spring.  With this trend, I’m afraid to contemplate what our summer might be like. 

 

We tied a record high yesterday – 84.  And it was a marvelous day.  I sat at the kitchen counter at breakfast and heard the birds chirping … I knew then that it was going to be a great day, but it definitely exceeded my expectations.  We opened the doors well before noon … it was simply marvelous to have fresh air wafting through the house.  Since it was summer-like weather, it was only fitting and proper that DH got out and mowed the grass (with the mild winter, the grass didn’t completely stop growing) … nothing says summer more than the sound of the mower.  I joined in the summer fun as well, working in the landscaping … with the baseball game on the radio.   It was truly a marvelous day. 

 

It’s going to be another gorgeous day today.  I may get to watch the Ts today … and if I do, I definitely see some outdoor time for us! 

Miscellany Monday

I got to watch the Ts Saturday evening.  While I only had a couple of hours with them (because they had an early bedtime in anticipation of the time change), it was still a wonderful evening spent with my four favorite little people (can a 10 y.o. who’s soon going to be as tall as his Nana be called a little person???).   



I woke up to a gorgeous sunrise Sunday morning. 
Too bad the weather for the rest of the day wasn’t as gorgeous … we had rain all afternoon and evening.  At least it’s going to be a nice day today … in the mid 70’s. 



The fillable plastic Easter eggs I ordered for the Ts came Saturday.  They turned out fantastic.  Lea at Cici’s Corner shared the link (and the pictures of the ones she ordered for her grands) in last week’s Miscellany Monday. 



I’ve been working on my blue and white Irish chain quilt, but now that the weather is turning nice, I will be spending more of my daylight hours enjoying the wonderful weather. I just love, love, love spring … the anticipation of buds turning to blooms, the greening up of the grass and the trees, the warmer weather, the longer days. 



I am still in the process of changing the time on the clocks time-keeping devices … we only have two clocks … but we have three appliances, landscaping lights timer and exterior lights timer that keep time/have clocks, and that’s not counting our laptops and cable box (which automatically change time – whew!).  I’ve changed the time on the two clocks … but still need to change the time on the appliances and timers.  The only downside to the time change, for me, is changing all the clocks and timers.  Otherwise, I love having more daylight at the end of the day (and wouldn’t mind if we had daylight saving time all year long).