Sweet! Lots of SWEET!

 The sun is shining today and the air is warm!  There are no leaves on the trees yet, but we can be outside without freezing - a huge PLUS! 
The other day I was at Jenny's and Plum Cake found my lipstick.  I think it goes well with her blue-so-blue eyes. 
It's still chilly in the mornings so hot chocolate's on the menu around here.

 They're home now, but Millie's family had a little jaunt to Disneyland.  She's so sweet, still loving the characters.  

 I added yellow and pinky-purple to the mittens.

 This morning we decided to take James to the mall and we were able to keep him happy in the stroller for two big loops around the shops.  His reward:  a vanilla milkshake.

 And then to the park.

There are many jobs to do around the house on this springlike Saturday morning.  I already have almost 8000 steps so there is no need to push, right?  I have to remind myself that I can really only do one thing at a time so it's a little silly to form so many lists in my mind.  
And there is a yarn store going out of business with lots of yarn and books for sale.  They are even selling the cute upholstered chairs, but I don't have any room for additional furniture since we never get rid of anything and our house is brimming with hand me downs that have become permanent fixtures.  Smile.
Decided.  I'm heading to the yarn store.
Happy Saturday!  Happy DAY!  

A Mitten and a Good Book

 I bought the pattern and fabric for my Easter dress yesterday.  It's turquoise (light) with coral roses and some dots.  I ordered turquoise things to wear with it (long sleeve shirt and leggings) and a pair of ballet pink Vans.  I wish to look Easter-y and celebratory for the grands and if upon completion I find myself rather ridiculous, I'll simply add bunny ears and call it good.  I also bought this bright wool because I have been in the mood for mitten-making. 
One of the books that I am still reading is Moon's Apprenticeship with Jesus.  It's a 30 day endeavor.

Each day I fill a page of a medium-size Moleskin.  I am on Day #11 now, but here is page #5.  It's all working toward the final completion of my personal Rule of Life.

Bill and I are leaving soon to enjoy our walk, walk, walking.  I am going out to lunch with our Jenny today (and Sam and Plum Cake).  I woke up way too early so a nap is in order, too.
I'm joining Ginny's Yarn Along.  Pop over and read the posts if you have time.  Even if you don't mess about with yarn, it's still fun to see what other people are reading, don't you think so?

My 1000th Post!

(I just noticed that this is my 1000th post!  I'm glad I caught it!  What fun PPP has been for me!)
 All the necessities are close by in our neighborhood.  The bakery/coffee/lunch restaurant is a short walk, but Millie and I drove down to meet James and Christie for a mid-morning snack on Wednesday (second breakfast/elevenses).  I CAN walk to the grocery store, the post office box, the bank, the library, and the nursing home.  I figure these places are my community.  Even in a big city, we can find a small section of blocks to call our own, don't you think?

 Christie was at the library with James when he said, "FOOD!" so she figured he was hungry!  Ha ha ha!  Silly little bug!
Millie said she didn't want the luscious mac and cheese so she had a grilled cheese.  She looked at it when it came and said, "I changed my mind."  Somehow I convinced her to eat her sandwich and then she finished off James's mac!  Funny! 

 Remember that I went to my mom's H20 at Home party?  I bought this laundry ball.  It has little beads in it and you are supposed to give the ball a four hour sunbath and then it really interacts with dirt so you don't have to use very much laundry soap.  It works!  

 I'm reading this book again.  I love the writing/the story.  Have you read it?

 Plum Cake came over for dinner because her parents went out and Sam was visiting a school friend.  Excuse my messy counters (vitamins, glass cleaner, junk) but isn't she cute?  She was helping make salad.

 After dinner we took her beep beep to the park.  

 I'm going to bore you with another radish photo.  They are SO gorgeous!  The radishes in Washington were various colors but ours are just rosy radish red!

 James wanted to play in the "garden" I mean the dirt!  

 All children need barbecue-flavored potato chips while they watch Little Einsteins.  Don't you think so?

 We had a sleepover on Saturday night!  We played with Play Doh, painted with watercolors, and watched movies.  Actually going to sleep was tricky and I was tired the next day!  

 The grass is starting to turn green!  Woot!  Woot!

 Another thing the H20 at Home lady showed us was micellar water.  I have been using it to clean my face (instead of cleanser or soap) and it seems like my face is less spotty.  I ordered this from Amazon because the H20 at Home micellar water was more expensive.

 I added strawberries to our green salad last night.  YUM!

 Angel in the Garden and Betty the Wood Fairy told me about this book and it came the other day.  It's VERY cheerful and artsy!

 I bought these to refresh our grandkid art supplies.  THEY SMELL SO DELICIOUS.  

 I found a birdie bargain at the grocery today.  When I paid for my prescription (cream for an annoying rash I've been battling) the pharmacy worker said, "You have earned $25 worth of groceries!" My reward made me feel less silly about buying two garden birds.  They are going to stay inside.  Bill likes them, too!

Here is a cheery smile for you!  I hope you are having a happy Monday!  

Did you watch Downton Abbey last night?  One more episode - the last!  I loved it last night and I am looking forward  to reading what Susan Branch has to say about it.  She blogs about DA.
Take care, kind visitor!  Bye-ee!  

Chimes, Trolls, and Buzzing

 On this warm afternoon (70 degrees!) the wind is blowing.  My neighbor's wind chimes are singing away!  I found the photo above in my archives.  I don't think this little chime made much of a racket.  I am going to shop for wind chimes soon.  Do you have chimes?

While I was visiting my hometown, I was able to visit with my troll friend.  She and I had two wonderful years (fourth and fifth grade) of delightful creativity, sewing little felt clothes for our troll dolls.  We made bell bottom trousers, dresses with a variety of ties and bows under the trolls' silly little chins, puffy wedding gowns and SHE made tiny beds and refrigerators and stoves (she was SO clever and still is).  She also created a miniature postal system and we wrote itty bitty letters to each other's troll dolls.  We painted on nail polish lipstick and pierced their ears.  It was great fun! My sister played with us, too.  We grew too old for dolls and started worrying about teachers, grades, and boys.  Dash.  It was more fun playing with dolls.

 Are you doing anything special for Lent?  Going to Wednesday night church services?  Following a special devotional?  I am simply thinking about Easter.  I just might sew myself an Easter outfit (a granny dress of some sort) and I'd like to put a little more thought into a special Easter meal, too.  

Now that I mention it (he he he) I think I might visit the fabric/craft store today and peruse the spring "junk" that is originally marked sky high and eventually reduced by 70%.  Many visits to the fabric store result in very small purchases of stickers, a skein of yarn, or a magazine.  We'll see.  

Today when I was sitting quietly, listening to what the Lord might reveal, the image of a bee hive came to mind.  I had read about creativity and the holiness of it in the Apprenticeship With Jesus book earlier.  What kind of buzzing creativity is circling your brain today?

Pom Pom's Roots

 Hello again, visitors!  Yesterday I stayed at Jeff and Christie's while James napped. They had a doctor's appointment because (wait for it) they are having another BABY!  Woot!  Woot!  Double Woot!  
 I always look forward to spending time with Scout, but she really doesn't get too excited when she sees me.  She napped beside me.  Isn't she cute?
Was your Valentine's Day full of hugs and kisses?  Chocolate?  Flowers?  Sweet cards?  I hope so.  I didn't make heart cookies.  Truthfully, they make me feel horrible, but I LOVE the way they taste.  Maybe next year (using Jody at Gumbo Lily's recipe) I shall make many yummy sugar cookie hearts.

 This morning I had to run a few errands and I thought, "Since I am out in the car anyway, maybe I should go some place fun like the garden store or the antique mall."  Well, I didn't feel THAT ambitious so I came home, but last fall my friend Janis and I went to the garden store and viewed all of these pretty things.  The fairy gardens are especially pleasing.  I have moved beyond my fairy garden obsession because the grandkids do not share my vision.  They sort of throw the stuff around.  I think fairy gardens are for fairy grandmothers, do you think so?

 Someone asked me, I think it was my new New Zealand friend Julie, where the name Pom Pom came from.  (I mailed your pattern today, Julie!) Well, since I've been blogging for so many years I will explain it to you.  About twenty (gasp!) years ago,  I met a clown at a department store and I asked her what her credentials were (ha!) She told me she went to clown school with the Colorado Clowns. I decided to do the same!  I learned to do a few tricks (very few, turns out I'm not tricky) and I learned how to put on the make up.  I found my face that way!  I had to drive very far, through the city, to find a real clown nose and I ordered my clown shoes from a company in Nebraska.  I sewed my Pom Pom dress all by myself.  I found my wig in my neighbor kids' dress up box.  For a while I did birthday parties.  It would take me one hour to apply my make up and if I goofed up, even more time.  On my way to birthday parties I'd stop at the toy store to buy the birthday kid balloons and a small gift.  By the time I went to all this trouble and entertained the kiddies (I hated it when the adults/parents wanted to be entertained because I'm not THAT funny!) and drove home, I could not conclude that being Pom Pom the Clown was a money-making endeavor, but it WAS fun.  Only a few friends call me Pom Pom because that was YEARS ago, before I went back to real college to finish my degree and begin teaching school.  Jeff and Christie found my business cards (joke!) a while back.  Christie asked if I could perform a singing telegram.  Oh, that was a long time ago.  Fun and silly.  Now you know where my blog name came from and why I have continued to be a form of Pom Pom.  My wig is purple.  It looks black in the photo. 

I just looked at the time and it's only 1-ish.  How lovely!  At school when 1 pm rolled around I would think, "I NEED coffee to make it through the rest of the day."  Now, I think, "YAHOO!  The day is young!"  
I hope you are having a peachy day, doing things you like to do and rubbing shoulders with VIP's like your friends and family!
(BIG HUG!)

Happy Love

 Happy Valentine's Day!  Did some chocolate find its way to you?  We had yellow cake for Birdie's birthday!

 Birdie and CB spent the night (CB is allergic to cats so she can't sleep at Kelli's).  They were such good little nine year olds!  I went up to bed before the movie was over (Harriet the Spy) and told them to turn off the TV and go to bed.  They did.  Darling lambs. 

 I ordered these furniture covers from Zulily and I really like them. Do you?

 I thought I'd take a quick shot of the cute toy shelf here.  Most of the toys are hand me downs from Kelli's girls' storehouse.

 I have two or three more sheep pictures to hang in the family room.  This is from Gumbo Lily.  Peek-a-boo!

The sun shines in on the unmade bed.  

 Uncle Jeff and Aunt Christie gave Birdie a five pound bag of Sour Patch Kids and this funny whipped cream game!  They HAD to try it.

 We walked to the park.  I made them find the way.  They did!

 Yikes!  #1 and #2 grands are growing up!

 Plum Cake has taken charge of her new chicken Winnie.

We are having pork chops and a sweet potato for our Valentine's Day dinner.  Quietly.  We have a lovely week of fun ahead with friends and grands.  The weather is supposed to be warm.  I will find some quiet moments to read and pray, think and examine.

I am thankful for love.