happy twisty trees

Look at the trees, look at the birds, look at the clouds, look at the stars... and if you have eyes you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful. Everything is simply happy. Trees are happy for no reason; they are not going to become prime ministers or presidents and they are not going to become rich and they will never have any bank balance. Look at the flowers - for no reason. It is simply unbelievable how happy flowers are. ~Osho

I think it is true... trees are always happy. And I am happy when I am with them. Who can look up at a twisty tree and resist it's whimsy and laughing leaves? Not I.

fresh air and movement

Fresh air impoverishes the doctor.  ~Danish Proverb

A lovely place for a little workout.

I've been trying to be more health conscious lately, and combining my love of nature with my love of exercise has been so enjoyable. My favourite activities are hiking, biking, and most recently working with this awesome outdoor exercise equipment.

And of course, who wouldn't love playing tennis amongst the pine trees.

Fresh air and movement... it feels good.

naturally dyed eggs

With Easter just around the corner, I thought I would once again share my ideas for naturally dyed eggs. I so love making these eggs each year.

We always have such a good time looking around the kitchen and finding things to dye our eggs with. Some work... some don't... but the process of finding out is always fun. Here we used:

• left over morning coffee
• green tea
• ground turmeric boiled
• old smashed berries

The turmeric worked the best... as did the smashed berries.

Looking forward to trying a few different things this year. I'm thinking boiled spinach leaves and red onion peals this time. I'll let you know how they turn out.

growing babies

"I used to visit and revisit it a dozen times a day, and stand in deep contemplation over my vegetable progeny with a love that nobody could share or conceive of who had never taken part in the process of creation.  It was one of the most bewitching sights in the world to observe a hill of beans thrusting aside the soil, or a rose of early peas just peeping forth sufficiently to trace a line of delicate green."  ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

My babies are growing. Up north here, you must start indoors if you want veggies throughout the Summer, and I currently have two separate groups of seedlings growing in the bay window in my kitchen. A tiny family of little plants, that will hopefully provide a bounty of goodness this Summer.

I can't help but smile every time I see these little guys. There is something about a garden, even the beginning of one, that always makes me smile. The tiny plants always look so happy... almost smiling and giggling together. 

I can not wait for the warmer weather to come, so that these babies can go outside. This is one of my favourite parts of Springtime. 

books

I so love this! 

well, hello there spring

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: 
when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.  ~Charles Dickens  

Spring has arrived... well, on the calendar anyway. And our day, that started off being dark and chilly, has turned into a sunshiny breath of fresh air. Oh the wind does blow cold, and the greening as not yet begun... but that bit of sunshine on our shoulders and the thoughts of what soon will come does warm our hearts. 

 Happy Spring!

a couple of layouts...

My friend Jodi and I went to an all day crop a couple of weekends ago, and I actually got a little scrapbooking done. These are a couple of the layouts I finished (just need to add the photos). I had a bit of a button thing going on that day.

Jodi doesn't understand how I can use buttons in my layouts. She stores all her buttons in jars and other containers, just so she can run her fingers through them at any given time. And that... right there... is one of the reasons I love Jodi so much. :)

the leaving of winter

You can tell when you make that turn towards Spring in Canada. The feel of the breeze on your skin is different. And the scent of the pine trees is strong.

On my walk yesterday, the sun shone through the branches of the poplars and willows, sending warmth to my face. I stepped through puddle after puddle of melting snow, leaving a trail of boot prints behind me on the path. The birds sang love songs to me, and the bunnies and squirrels watched me as I passed. As I came too close to one them, he scurried up a near by tree knocking loose a pine cone that fell to the ground and rolled to my feet.

There's still snow on the lake... and snow on the toboggan hill. Tomorrow most will be gone. The leaving of winter is always quick it seems.  So we will stay out until the sun falls behind the hill, and enjoy these final few days. Spring... it is coming.

crafty saturday

I've had a bit of a crafty Saturday.

I saw these adorable pin cushion mason jars on Pinterest, and I decided I just had to give it a whirl. So easy and fun! A wonderful little addition to my craft room, where I do not spend near enough time these days.

Now, I found this idea on Pinterest (thanks to Traci at Stolen Moments). After reading her post I found out the original idea was from Martha Stewart's Sewing and Crafts book. I have no idea if I used the same technique or not, but it doesn't really matter. It's all good! So I hope I am citing the correct place for credit on this cute little project. And if you have a few minutes to wander around, go take a looksie at Traci's blog. I enjoyed it quite a bit.