April showers ...

...bring May flowers!

Don't these just scream spring?!

Even on a rainy day these cuties will bring a smile to your face. I wore one on my jacket and got so many compliments. Being the nice person I am ;), I sent one to my sister in law and I'm going to surprise a friend of mine with one this week.

They are so darn cute that I had to have more, more, more. Poor Rachel had to scramble to come up with fall colors ~ I'm thinking ahead!

We quickly realized that we *needed* to talk in person. I'm telling you she is fabulous! This wonder woman can carry on a business call (that quickly turned into girl friends chatting) and still focus on her children and their busy schedules (there is a time difference between our home states) without missing a beat. Oh how I wish she lived closer. By the end of our conversation one would have thought we were childhood friends just catching up!

Okay ~ if (and I truly suggest) you feel like you need a little pep in your spring wardrobe, head over to Rachel's. I promise you'll be delighted.

Enjoy!

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Fieldtrip Fun!

On Thursday I took my students to Project Oceanology. We have been working with them all year. In our classroom, in their labs and on their classroom boats. The children love it! We work with another classroom from a school in a neighboring district.
This is an amazing opportunity for the children (and adults). My own (biological) children have experienced this trip as well and thoroughly enjoyed it at a high school level.

We couldn't have asked for a better day {albeit a little chilly}. The sun was out, and the waters were calm. When we pulled our nets in they were full of fabulous ocean "loot" ~ as you can see. I so wish I could show you my really good shots of our day on the high seas {ok, not really} but, due to the fact that my student's cute faces are in the pose, I must leave them out. I wouldn't feel comfortable exposing them when I don't have permission from their parents.

One fun find was our little jelly ~ found on the blue glove. A little interesting fact was that fluke is really a summer flounder. If you visit the shoreline this summer and go for the infamous fish and chips you'll be sampling our catch of the day! The spider crabs are always a hit. I was rather excited when we pulled up the lobster. Unfortunately, he wasn't dinner size :)
We were able to take a few (small) finds back to our classroom tank ~ Project O has come in and set them up for us as part of the year long project.

We were also treated to the passing of a submarine. Surprisingly, many of the children on the boat had never seen one in the water!

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Weekend Review

This is the finished product of our weekend. The mulch is down, new areas of the yard are in the process of being developed, and I even found time for a quick trip to the gardening center to pick up a few of my favorite herbs.
I added a fresh coat of black paint to my "find" (thought of you Lisa while I was spraying away) and they are ready for their new home in my herb garden. While roaming our front beds, I found this nest. Over spring break I saw a very busy bird working hard to build a home for her babies. She flew back and forth with goodies she found and created this ~ I'm amazed at the details and workmanship of this nest. I guess I never put much thought into the construction of a nest. How do they know to create a rounded opening that gradually gets smaller towards the bottom with sides that fit so well between branches with a support system? I must admit that I was very impressed as I took in all the details of this little home ~ perhaps the heat from our 86 degree day is getting to me and I'm slightly dehydrated or even delirious! :)

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Wonderful Weekend

It has been a gorgeous weekend here in Connecticut! The sun is out and the weather is wonderful ~ 77 yesterday and the same is in store for today only better.

My husband and I spent the entire day outdoors working in the yard. While it's too early to plant, I did clean out my herb garden, planted a few flats of veggies, gourdes and additional herbs. I put up the peonie supports, rounded up my trellises, and put down fresh compost from our own composter. I let my husband have all the real fun ~ spreading the mountain of mulch that was delivered on Thursday. : )

I'm so ready to see everything in bloom. My favorite flowers are peonies. Last year for Mother's Day I was given a white plant. I can't wait to see its fluffy head blooms this summer. I'm trying to figure out how to make a hedge along the side of our yard in all peony bushes. Unfortunately, this area doesn't get much sun.

After a long day of working in the yard, we met two other couples (good friends) at Sol Toro Grill for a delicious mexican dinner. It was great to catch up with them and enjoy an evening out.

Today I'm back outside for a short time and then hitting the market to pick up a few things for my weekly dinner menu. I see a lot of grilling going on in this household for the up coming week!

Enjoy your day!

Jo

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Spring Break ...

Has sadly come to an end.

It was a great week off {with the exception of the computer issues we've had} and I could really use just one more week; please?

It's amazing how much you can accomplish when you don't have to the leave the house from 8~5 each day. I must admit I also enjoyed lounging in my pj's and enjoying an extra cup of coffee each morning.

We were lucky enough to have sunshine and warm temperatures. There were even a few days in the high 70's ~ yeah!

How many more days until summer vacation?

I think I may need to start a count down calendar ~ something like a Christmas advent calendar with the chocolates in each window : )

We celebrated spring with our first visit of the season to Eliza B . There were so many wonderful choice that it was really hard to pick just a couple.

I added to my pink collection and also added a few "fun" items as well ~ can't wait to wear them.

However, that day must be postponed. It is 50 today with heavy showers in the forecast. Oh yes, reality has returned with the reminder that we live in the northeast and it's just not ready to commit to 70 degrees just yet.

Hope you have a great day!

Jo

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Score!

Guess what I got ...
First I must explain that this never and I mean never happens to me. I'm always the one that just misses a great deal or hears about it the next day from a friend and it's too late! For that reason alone, I was jumping for joy ~ I was finally at the right place at the right time!
While running a few errands, I decided to pop into Talbots. I needed {wanted} something springy to wear while I pretend it's spring here in the still chilly northeast. While meandering around the store, I noticed they had items in the back of the store that resembled homeware (not sure that's a word) goods next to the shorts, and summer shirts ~ not the normal selection one would find at Talbots. The lovely Talbots lady explained that they were display items that may or may not have been used in the store and were selling them to make room ~ at ridiculous prices I might add!



What's a girl to do when faced with such an unexpected surprise? Load the back of your SUV and quickly drive home to admire your stolen {I mean sale} items!

My herb garden will look lovely dressed in black this year ~ just what I was looking at last week at the garden shop ~ three staggered sizes with cute finial tops.

I've always wanted a pair of "old" suitcases but could never purchase them from an antique shop due to my mold allergy.

The picture is hard to see and I don't care for the blond wood frame so I'll have to add a few personal touches before it makes its grand debut in our home.

My real thrill of a deal are the three self standing lattice panels ~ I'll share what I'm doing with them in just a few days.

Even Bozley admired my fabulous deals.

All these goodies for a mere $50.oo!

As if actually finding this amazing deal wasn't enough ~ I was able to use my Talbots card and get double points ~ that makes this a double score!

I was so excited about my goodies I completely forgot to look for clothing ~ guess I'll just have to go back : )

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Easter memories

~ A few pictures of our Easter ~

We had a quiet and relaxing day at home ~ just what we all needed.

I made our traditional Easter breakfast before scooting off. We enjoyed brie and fresh fruit while preparing dinner. Once everything was in the oven, my daughter and I took a very chilly walk with Bozley. After dinner was over and we found a little extra room, we managed to "try" the cheesecake with a chocolate drizzle and fresh strawberries ~ I hope Lori isn't reading this ~ I only had a small piece :) Our evening was topped off with movies in our jammies!

It was my first year without my son so I sent him a monogrammed pail in Carolina blue filled with Easter treats and goodies. I made a friend of mine a special Peter Cottontail to hang in her home.

Easter morning my husband surprised me with a few goodies and some lovely spring flowers {much appreciated in the 50 degree weather we had} . Bozely enjoying his first Easter basket ~ it was rather humours watching him prance around his basket. He had no clue what to do or how to get the toys out with the basket handle in the way.

Sorry, no pictures of my husband {not willing to be photographed} and our teenage daughter needed more than 15 minutes notice before her photo is taken and me? Well someone had to be behind the lens!

{just a little side note, I FINALLY figured out how to make a collage!}

Hope you all had a blessed Easter!

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