to you!

I have a great feeling about this week. A pessimist by nature, I try really hard to stay positive, but some days trying isn't necessary. One deep breath and I know it's good to be alive. Can you feel it too?

Noticing Project photographs are appearing in our mailbox. Hooray! Read the details here if you'd like to play along, but just to clarify: we're asking for ONE photo apiece, no more than 450 pixels wide. But listen now. If you don't know how to resize your photo, please don't let that stop you. We can resize if need be. We usually post over there in the evening, so if your image isn't up immediately, don't be discouraged. Check back in the morning and you'll see it. THANK YOU for playing along and viewing all the lovely noticed moments!

Also, I'm planning a Shop Mayfly update next Tuesday, May 6. I'm going to work hard this week to make it happen. I hope you might take a peek that day.

Have a great week, nice peeps!

Posted by Alicia at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

That's what I've been doing. Wandering around the yard, the nursery, the neighborhood. Wandering and taking photographs of flowers.

This week's shop update was out the window, as was my big plans for some new warmer weather clothes for myself. I've got the Spring Fever and I've got it bad. There will be time. There will be time. Hopefully this weekend, I can squeeze a little studio time in around my meandering.

I'll be back Monday morning, with some last minute details and reminders about the hullabaloo at the Noticing Project next week. Have a wonderful weekend!

Posted by Alicia at 05:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

like poking a nesting goose in the butt with a stick. Or wasting a big batch of homemade yogurt, which were two things that happened. (don't worry- we told the boys to stop poking!)

Thankfully, I don't have bad seasonal allergies, but yesterday I woke up with itchy eyes and the sneezles, so I took a Claritin. I was in a sleepy fog all day. I made a batch of yogurt from my favorite local milk and left it on the counter to cool... all night long. I'm blaming it on the allergy. I'm not feeling at all sniffley today. Perhaps I'll attempt another batch.

We're planning something special over at the Noticing Project next week. Heather and I want you to Be Our Guest. We're betting you are noticing some fantastic things these days. Please share them with us!

And lastly, we (especially N) was thinking about you yesterday, our favorite little Earth Day baby. You're really not much of a baby anymore, huh? Hope you had a wonderful birthday! Maybe we'll Skype you later.

Take care, friends!

Posted by Alicia at 08:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

the smell of flowering trees hangs heavy in the damp air today. breath deeply.

Posted by Alicia at 02:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)

Hello, friends! Hope you are well.

I mentioned last week what we've been working on. A strange sitting room dangles off our bedroom. I suppose it was a sitting room, but for us it was a junk magnet room. It's cold in the winter and hot in the summer and we had the brilliant idea to close it off and make it a walk-in closet. A big FANCY closet.

It's so nice. I'm going to put thin curtains on the closet side of the French doors, so you don't see all the stuff, but for now, we're just enjoying standing outside admiring our work. And by our work, I mean Brian's. (kiss, kiss.) My only official job was to make and hang curtains to keep the direct sunlight from fading our clothes. So... thanks, mom for delivering your old curtains and rod, totally perfect in size and ready to hang. (hug, hug.)

I've never been so excited to put away laundry or get dressed in the morning. Oh, and I haven't had a full length mirror for a couple of years. Why didn't anyone tell me my jeans are almost all too short?!

Posted by Alicia at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)

of the little Fuji that couldn't.

I dearly love my digital Canon, but lately I'm feeling film envy. It's Hannah's fault- she's too good. So I asked my mom if I could borrow her packed-away camera (+ several lenses), and I crept over there a few weeks ago and swiped it. Adventures in film? Here I come. When I removed the lens to blow out the dust there was all this black crumbly stuff inside- disintegrating foam light seals- and then I opened the back and there was more black dust. I inserted two tiny batteries so the light meter would work, but it didn't. Damn. I left it at a recommended camera repair place for an estimate, and yesterday I picked it up. Unrepaired.

The old fellow at the repair store was so cute, "It's really is a great old camera. Vintage." Vintage was his word, Mom, not mine. I swear. "All I can do is encourage you," he said. Now it's not a HUGE amount of money, but it's a decent amount to us. The cost of me staying at home with the kids and only working part time is a very limited budget. My film adventure has come to an abrupt end.

Fooey. Well, I do have a perfectly fancy digital camera and this Fujica isn't really even mine. He told me he'd honor the estimate for several months should I change my mind. I wonder if supporting this little old camera fanatic's (who judging by his tiny, dated, NO-frills shop is certainly frugal himself) store is good way to stimulate the economy?

Ok. Enough bellyaching. Let's all have a nice weekend, shall we?

Posted by Alicia at 02:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)

Hello, friends! We're fine here, how are you? My dad will call soon and say, "You haven't updated your blog in awhile." I know. There's so much to see and do and make and not quite enough hours in a day. I'm sorry if I seem quiet.

We've been busy playing soccer, cooking, reading, enjoying the slow unfolding of Spring, taking photographs (always!), studying spelling words, building a fancy closet (more on this soon), helping out at school, working in the yard. You know- making lists. And checking things off lists. All the while watching children grow at lightening speed. Good stuff- Exhausting stuff.

I still have several long overdue baby gifts to share and some ideas to bounce around. I'm planning a shop update soon, maybe around the 21st, if I can eek out time to work on some of these new ideas.

I hope you're all doing well. Take care, my little cabbages.

Posted by Alicia at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

will hopefully bring May carrots, peas, and lettuce!

Be well this weekend, my dears!

Posted by Alicia at 12:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)

I finished up my square for Kathy's month of the Virtual Quilting Bee last night. Three days late? That's all. Three days late is the new on time.

Kathy pointed us to a few Gee's Bend quilts and Nancy Crow for inspiration, and wanted to keep them in the spirit of log cabin squares. This is my interpretation. It's not at all what I started out putting together- I seem to be having a wee bit of trouble taking into account seam allowances- but I'm happy with it and I hope Kathy will be too.

Can someone please, remind me to go fetch a new rotary cutter blade before I do this month's square?! Eegad.

p.s. Don't miss Shari's interview with Hannah. It's good. And Heather is putting some pinhole pieces in her shop today. Better hurry on those babies.

Posted by Alicia at 09:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

in Texas when the weather behaves.

and so do the children.

and the bride and groom are lovely people, inside and out.

and everyone coordinates with the groom's car.

Posted by Alicia at 08:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)