Cooking and Stuff

 While I was at Jeff and Christie's adoring little James, I picked some grape hyacinths and put them in my pocket.  I didn't remember until the next day so they are droopy.  Don't you love grape hyacinths?

 I've been on a bit of a food prep binge.  I made split pea soup yesterday (one package of split peas, eight cups of water, chopped up Easter ham, onion powder, salt, and pepper!) and cinnamon rolls.  I took them to Kelli's and we ate outside on the deck while the girls played.  Spring is so hospitable.
This morning, still in a cook-y mood, I made apple crisp (five apples, one cup water, 1/2 cup butter, one cup sugar, one cup flour, 2 tsp. cinnamon) and it is delish!

 I'm still loving the tea maker Jenny gave me.  After pouring boiling water in, seeping the leaves for a brief moment, I put it on top of my mug and it fills my cup!  Easy!

 Here's the finished crisp!  So good!

 Since I had the bread maker out for cinnamon rolls yesterday, I made some honey wheat bread this morning.  It's big.  It's beautiful.  It's delicious.

 I had this fairy house tucked in between books in the guest room.  Time to house the fairies!  

 Bill's been in Romania, so I've had some extra time to sort through stuff.  I found this brass candle stick and the little cardboard message, too.

 Still gobbling up oranges!  I bought lemons today, too.  A friend from the Ukraine taught me to make a lemon treat for tea.  You slice the lemons and then place them one by one in a jar. You put one scoop of sugar on each lemon slice and stack them up until you reach the top of the jar.  Put the lid on. They live in the refrigerator. After about a week, you pour a bit in your tea!  It juices more and more as time passes and makes for scrumptious tea, so I am going to do a little slicing and sugaring today.
My dinner is on the counter.

 While the grands were playing the other day, I sorted through my knitting books.  I have a few cookbooks, craft books and such on these shelves, too.  

 Hmmmmmm.  I have more knitting books than finished knitting projects.  Look at the basket perched on the sofa, waiting for my knitting mood to strike!

 I really don't get a lot of measurable "things" done, to be honest.  Every now and then I accomplish a little something like hanging this little shelf above the sink.
Or knitting for a few moments on this dishcloth.

 Well, I can read for hours and hours.  I like this old book.

 And my sweet mama sent me this book that has been on my wish list for a while!  Hooray!

 It's pansy time!  I'm trying to decide if I want this flat of pansies in the back or the front garden.

 Sunshine, my bicycle, is still suspended on the hooks.  I want her.

 Outside, everything is cheering right up!  
Below:  the curtains in the front window (garage)

 My springy bag!

 And fun news:  we are going to do a few things to our little kitchen.  Did you know that there are one billion things that distinguish one cupboard door from another?  Yikes!  I finally decided on a nice maple wood, sage green.  I love green and I feel sure I shall be happy with green cupboards.  We'll have butcher block counters because they are woodsy and cabin-y and Pom Pom-y.

 So, THAT will happen in a couple of months when the cupboards arrive and the demo and install can occur.
I mentioned that Bill has been in Romania.

 Don't you love these storybook stairs?

 How about this round-walled nook?

 Our girls (the two on the left!) and Jenny's sister-in-law (and friend) ran a relay race yesterday morning.  I'm so proud of them.  

I think I'll go out in the sunshine and pull a weed or two.  There are a lot of aggressive weeds out in the back garden.
I can hear the neighbor's wind chimes singing.  The windows are open, filling the house with fresh air, but before I go out to find my gardening gloves I had better have a few more bites of apple crisp.
Happy spring, kind visitors!