about a green girl

Spring Forward!

This weekend marks the "Spring forward" into Daylight Savings Time.

Just as the dull, gloomy days of a relentless Michigan winter have begun to beat me to an over-salted pulp, this little hope of Spring and the shiny days to come always saves me from the desire to drink Drano. (Not that I'd really drink it! This is just my standard phrase since I was 18 ys old and watched Heathers with friends over one blurry, snow packed weekend duing Freshman year in my dorm room. It describes exactly what I feel at the END of something: relationship, job, weather, current haircolor, a weekend stuck in a dorm room with silly girls watching 80's movies...whatever!! When you feel like you want to drink Drano...you really know you are done and have had enough! :)

I miss the chirp of birds. I miss having the windows open. I miss skiping the "bundle-up dance" with our boy (boot, hat, mittens, scarf, coat, "momma, I have to go potty...") to run out for an errand, and mostly I miss walking barefoot in the garden with the green trees waving around me.

Seasonal depression or whatever they call it is just a fancy way of saying, WE WANT THE SUN! I can't wait to get back outside more often and work in our ever improving garden. Of course, sometimes my projects get too ambitious for my husband to handle. The beautiful thing about the internet is that it has such a wealth of info for the "do-it-yourself'ers", be it with a gardening project or any type of home repair.

My latest find is http://www.askthebuilder.com/. The brilliant columnist who invented it has parlayed free DIY tutorial videos he's placed on YouTube into a smart, well organized website which feeds his multi-layered business. If you are planning a spring home or garden project, do yourself a favor and research this site first!

I have also given up Diet Coke and Anderson Cooper watching on the 11pm news for Lent. Between this and the gloomy last grip of winter, I will let you know how I progress into Spring sans Drano.

For now, I can gaze at the little vintage ceramic bunnies, (I found here, off the beaten path near Kalamazoo, Michigan last year,) and look for the return of the birds outside our kitchen window as I do the daily dishes.

Spring Showers, May Flowers

Today was perfectly rainy. I was lucky enough to be home to enjoy one of those picture book rainy days with my son. We watched a movie, baked an apple cake (straight out of my family recipe book,) and then dressed in rain boots, coats, and hats and grabbed our umbrellas for a walk in the sprinkling rain. We did some good puddle jumping (or jumping into...) and then took a nap while the house was all dark, surrounded by storm clouds.

I love spring and fall...they are the preludes to the really strong stuff of summer and winter. I was never a serious tulip fan but I am sad to see them fade. Here are a pretty bunch that have been living on our mantle for a few weeks.

I have also finished a few projects around our house. The work of buying a "fixer-upper" never ends, but we have fun with it. Here is a peek at a few of the decorative pieces around our pad now: 

-----------------------------------------I LOVE SPRING CLEANING! (Okay, maybe not the work, but the outcome...)

Besides finally displaying my beloved ivory 40's USA pottery on a shelf, I've found a nice little display shelf for the bedroom. The idea to find such a shelf came from genius, 25 year old artist and blogger Emily Martin. I adore her shop on ETSY, and if I ever have a female child her room will undoubtedly be peppered with Emily's adorable illustrations and dolls. Anyhow, after seeing her take on such a pretty spot for little things to be grouped and displayed, I went to a thrift store and found a similar one for $2.00! A little coral orange paint and a few nails and wwha-La!...a bland wall suddenly has interest.

I also recently put up a pristine vintage dart board in our boy's room. It was found several years ago when we traveled and shopped the Five State Garage Sale on Route 127, past Cincinnati, OH. Take a look!