Colors

Brrrrrrrrrrr! It's cold in Colorado tonight! There was snow on the ground when I woke up this morning. My friend Sara from lovely California sent me five perfect avocados from her very own tree. It's guacamole for us tomorrow!
It's an adjustment for Bill, this cold. He just returned from Kenya. I had said earlier that he was going to Uganda. Turns out it was Kenya all along. Ooooops. He met with some amazing pastors in Nairobi. I'm glad he's home safe!

I found some old drawings in a journal. I like this little girl, do you?

Sometimes I can draw bears. This bear comes bearing cake!

Here's a slice for you!

I have so much going on in my little brain that I have to read aloud to myself so I can REALLY consider what I'm reading. So, a little reading about the English language and then a dip into The House at Pooh Corner for a chaser! I'm also reading The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge. Thank you, Frances!

I'm still knitting a sweater for Millie. I'm a smidge stumped and I'm waiting for my knitting light bulb to go on so I can knit on with confidence!

When I'm sitting on the sofa watching news, I look over at this big granny square and THINK about getting up and bringing it to my sitting spot. I'm not good at multi-tasking.

I ordered The Collected Works of Louisa May Alcott, Jane Austen: The Complete Collection, and The Collected Works of Frances Hodgson Burnett for my Kindle (less than five dollars - BARGAIN!) Delicious reading added to the mile high stack! I think Kindles are very handy. I like real books better.
I decided I need a few things when I go shopping: a better bedside reading lamp, an electric pencil sharpener for my colored pencils, a humidifier, a haircut, a bigger paperback dictionary so I can mark it up, and different bird seed because the squirrels are making a huge mess with the black sunflower seeds! What do you need when you go shopping?
Even though it snowed, my peonies are pushing their way up! Hooray! Five more weeks until my summer starts, even if it's snowing now.

I'm very sad about all the bad weather in America right now. God bless the people who are suffering, the families who have lost loved ones, and the clean up crews. It's heartbreaking.
I wish you a calm day. Sometimes there is no tangible reason for us to feel peaceful and serene. That's the Comforter. He works miracles in the human heart.

Because of Bunnies

I received that fun thing in the mail. Isn't the mailer it came in cute?

Drum roll . . .

My Easter shoes!

I had a poetry class after school and it was so inspiring that I stopped on my way home to buy pens (I am very picky about pens) and other inviting supplies. I indulged my love for smelly stuff and purchased scented markers. I can't wait to smell them.

Have you smelled the sweet smell of crayons lately? Oh, do. It's a whiff you'll savor.

Guess what? I get to teach sixth grade next year! I asked earlier this year, but you don't always get what you ask for. I'm thrilled. Is there anything cuter than an eleven year old? It means I have to move classrooms. That sort of makes me want to say, "ugh". I DO like to decorate classrooms, though.

I'll share some of the poetry ideas. I can't wait. The teacher is my favorite kind of presenter. He's articulate, humble, full of ideas, and NICE. I like nice people very very much.

I have been picking up the pace as I pad around the house. I figure I can scurry a bit in appreciation of my bunny slippers. Hop! Hop! Hop! Well, more like hip hip hitch shuffle.

It's cold here. We're having a bit of a break from spring weather. It's okay. It makes bed feel more snugly.

April showers bring May flowers. Whee!

Easter Aftermath

It seems like Easter took forever to come. I have just six weeks left of the school year. I can feel it. I am tired of driving down the highway every week day and I am very tired of grading student work. I wish we could go outside and run around every day for the remainder of the school year. I have waves of zero creativity and I'm very thankful that they don't last long. Tomorrow we have testing in the morning and I'll think of something jazzy to add to the afternoon. I hope.

Something I want to do: write and write and write in my journal. After I grade five more projects, I am going to write like a crazy scribbler.
Easter dinner was colorful and tasty. The dishes are whirring in the dishwasher and the sink is shiny white.
Easter dresses adorned pretty little girls.
With all my talk of what to wear (dumb, I know) I wore jeans and a turquoise tee shirt with grease spots I choose to ignore. I guess I'm tired of dressing up, too. Well, dressing up is a big stretch because my wardrobe borders on resort wear. Some teachers look fancy but not me.
But I have something really fun to show you tomorrow or the next day.
I can't wait!
Because I long for summer when I can stay home, I keep thinking about The Wind in the Willows. I will get my homey bearings and reacquaint myself with a mop. I don't know why I love Ratty's house, Mole's house, and Badger's house so much. But I do.
I was watching Angelina Ballerina with Birdie today and Angelina's grandpa had the coolest outfit on. He had a bright blue jacket, a red shirt and a yellow tie. I watched "The King's Speech" and I adored the tweedy clothes. I would be too hot in wool, but I do like it. Beatrix Potter wore a lot of wool, too. I'm conflicted: wool or resort wear? The truth is, I don't care about clothes that much anymore. Don't worry. I shall keep wearing them.
I care about the words of those I love. I care about individuals. I hate parties. Have I ever told you that? I really loathe parties and big groups. I like one-on-one tea parties and informal sitting around on cushy sofas.

Maybe it is because I did some heavy duty cooking today, but sometimes (brace yourself) I think "dinner" is over rated.
Bed is not over rated though. Five more papers, a half an hour of mad scribbling in my journal and off to bed.
Guess what? It's a brand new week!
Search around for some very inspiring words of love. I know where you can find them. Mine is big and black with golden edged pages. Inside: lots of colors and notes and DEPTH.
Unlike this silly post.
Thanks for reading, nice person.
Oh, and guess what? I lost my diamond. I have had it for 33 years and yesterday I looked down and it was gone. I have no idea when it fell out of my ring. Bill said, "A diamond is just a thing." He's right. I've never been big on gems. I am a little sad that it's gone though.
(BIG HUG and three pats on the back because YOU are a good soul)

Portions of LOVE

Hello, we're just about to launch into the joyful Easter weekend!
Let's straighten our shawls and make sure our bunnies have all the buttons on their little blue coats.
The flowers are wearing their springtime best. Hooray for the lily!

And hooray for miles of geraniums! So red! So robust!

I'm going to live dangerously and plant seeds this weekend. I know it's too early to put out bedding plants, but the sweet peas are up and they were planted long ago in the middle of the love month. Here we go!

Oh, I am reminded deep in the depths of my squishy heart that Jesus loves me, gave His life for me, and rose victorious. The earth (bless her and bless her day today!) sings in full blown praises of all that is holy, all that is heavenly, all that is miraculous.

I hope you feel the boundless, buoyant, passionate LOVE that is pouring into your life. My cup overflows.

How Do You Like Your Eggs?

Hello, Bunnies! Today I asked the writers in Writer's Workshop to answer this question: How do you like your eggs?
I loved hearing their responses (we always share out) and I came home at 6 pm and made an omelet. They made eggs sound so delicious!

Are you feeling spring-ish?

See how cute bunny slippers can be?

The blossoms remind me of brides.

Eggs for sale! Eggs for sale!

Fancy golden bunnies for sale, too!

Samantha Rose came over yesterday. We strolled to the park so she could swing!

Now it's night time. I'm not sure if the moon will shine on us as we sleep. Last night the moon was glorious! The night before - also, glorious!
I am very sad for those who are suffering in the south as a result of violent storms. I'm also worried about the fires in Texas.
We are still following the disaster in Japan and our neighbor across the street is very sick.

I am thinking of how painful this week was for Jesus when He walked the earth not so long ago.

Thank you very much for stopping by.
I am very curious . . . how do you like YOUR eggs?

April, Good April

Hello. It's time again for A Pause in Lent. Already! One more week until Easter Sunday. For dinner: a big pork loin, cheesy potatoes, asparagus, watermelon, and banana bread. For dessert: A cake covered with jelly beans. Easter dinner is easy. Last year I ate quite a few chocolate bunnies, but this year I do not think chocolate bunnies sound yummy. Maybe next year. Do you have an Easter dress or a special Easter outfit?
I would like one. If I had time (or the sewing magic mood) I would make a blue and white stripe cotton skirt, an underskirt of calico, a soft cotton (flouncy, very flouncy) blouse and a pink print apron. I would wear bunny slippers (you know, for the bunnies). Well, maybe I'll wear my ivory salwar kameez and the silk scarf that one of my students brought me when he returned from a wedding in India, just a short time ago.

But next week is Holy Week. After all the hoopla on Palm Sunday, when Jesus rode into town on a donkey and He knew what was coming and how He would very soon be bearing the world's sin . . . His friends would not stand up for Him. The world would turn very, very dark and our Jesus would die. Good Friday.
Then - the glorious Resurrection.
I've had 52 Easters. He IS the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

. . . and April showers are refreshing.

The blossoms are prettier than a picture.

It's windy enough for pinwheels.

And twenty-five years ago, I had an April baby. Remember the sweet smell of a newborn baby sent straight from heaven's gates?

Bill and I had a skillet dinner with lots of ketchup (ha ha, we are NOT fancy eaters) and I am grading written work. My students wrote about music, their favorite songs and how the songs they love connect to their lives. Some of them are so deep, so dear.
Lately, I've been playing music to read by at school. They like piano music and they've been reading their Hero's Journey novels with that lovely deep reading-zone look on their faces.

Just like the wind that blows the pinwheels, the Holy Spirit will blow into your world, into the corners of your house, into the recesses of your soul. You are loved. You are cherished. You are precious.
I wish you a holy Holy Week.

Poem in Your Pocket

Hello Everyone! Do you like last year's fairy garden? It's not quite time to dig and plant yet, but I'm ready to prepare for the fairies. The weeds are appearing so maybe a tiny bit of gardening can be done.

What are you having for Easter dinner? Bill will be in Uganda and Brad will be preaching so just four of our seven bunnies will be at Granny's table.

Oh, I almost forgot to offer you a cup of tea! I found PG Tips at the grocery store and my friend Lynn had suggested it months ago. She even sent me some straight from her house in England. Now I have a box full. I'll pour out.

It's also high time you sew a bug on your dress. Just a suggestion.

Love doves are spying on us.

If I had a barn (this one is in Washington State) I would keep my goats inside. Oh, and then I'd have a whole flock of chickens . . . sheep and a turkey. What would you keep in your barn?

The other day I asked my writer's workshop class to draw a poet's brain. They labeled the parts. Yesterday I asked them what a poem smells like. Smoky campfires, flowers and wine, night time, my house. What do you think a poem smells like? Tomorrow is Poem in Your Pocket Day. Try to find a little poem to carry around all day. Give some poems away, too. We are going to be poetry ambassadors today and tomorrow. Click on this link for inspiration.
I'm off for another cup of coffee and a quick stand at the ironing board. Have a bird chirpy day, friends.

Butterfly Baby

"Peace is always beautiful." ~ Walt Whitman

"Peace begins with a smile. Smile five times a day at someone you really don't want to smile at at all. Do it for peace. "

~Mother Teresa

I'm so thankful that the wacky shawl I made late last summer can now wrap up a tiny little bird. Do you see Millie's fingers poking out?

Jesus + nothing

Two more weeks until Easter.

"Spring sprang suddenly onto the land." ~Jean Giono

"Spring has returned. The earth is like a child that knows poems."
~ Christina Rossetti

Today, I hope you hear heavenly tunes, experience deep quiet, and consider the Savior of the world. It's Jesus + nothing. Only Him.