The weather.....is pleasant. After a light sprinkling of rain yesterday, it looks clear and comfortable today. In the 50s - which is balmy for Minnesota.
Right now I am....listening to the frogs sing in the pond. They have been singing (quite loudly) since last Monday. It's one of my favorite sounds in the Spring. This short video shows our pond in 2011 and the sound the frogs make. It sounds the same today.
One of the many frogs in the pond that the girls have found.
This one was from July 2012.
The ones now will hide and are silent when you approach the pond.
When they know they we are further away,
they begin singing again.
Thinking....about the wildlife I've been seeing and hearing on walks with the dogs: great blue heron, Sandhill Cranes, about six pheasants in a pond/reedy area, a bluebird, and low-flying red-tailed hawk.
Reading...I ordered about 50 books from the library on Saturday afternoon after going through a folder in file cabinet titled "Books."
I've been putting clippings, hand-written notes, and lists of books that I want to read or have the girls read as part of homeschooling. Figured it would be good to order them and start reading or browsing over them.
On my TV.....the last thing I watched on t.v. was Grey's Anatomy and Scandal on Thursday evening.
Instead of watching t.v., I've been:
=> going through files for the A to Z Challenge;
=> setting up a schedule for the upcoming year of when I want to do things (personally and for homeschooling);
=> going on walks with the dogs and by myself; and
=> working on a quilt I've wanted to finish.
A trail at a park on a walk I took last week.
Favorite blog post last week (mine or other)....Yesterday I posted Bears, Bread, Books, and Bodies as part of the A to Z Challenge. I'm going through all my homeschool files (which I've been creating since Sophia and Olivia were in preschool).
Now, as part of the Challenge, I'm going through each file - keeping what I want, recycling what I don't; and adding to my schedule the things I want to do. It's been a great way to get rid of what I no longer need or want; and create space in the process.
Something fun to share....in late-March or early-April, Dayton's (and then Macy's) would host a flower show. Each year it had a different theme. The store was recently sold and literally everything in it is gone. Although there will be no more flower shows, I am thankful for the ones I was able to see.
This is one of the displays from 2014. The dress and hat is covered with flowers.
Sophia, Olivia, and I took my mom that year. Although she was almost blind at that point, she could still see the vibrant colors and smell the wonderful scents of the varieties of flowers.
It was a wonderful day that we spent together. I'm grateful to have taken some photos to remember it by.
Blog hopping (newly discovered blog)....Through the A to Z Challenge, I came across Cheryl Lennox's blog. She's an art quilter who created a tactile barn quilt.
I was thinking she was referring to the barn quilts like my daughter and over 100 volunteers did for our community, but it was actually a quilt that had barns for the squares. She used items she had on hand to create each of the squares. It's a type of memory/tactile quilt using barns as the theme which is very interesting to me.
On the menu for this week....
Monday - Chicken in the crockpot.
Tuesday - Grilled cheese sandwiches using the bread I made on Sunday.
Wednesday - Blue Apron delivery. Spicy Pork with Korean Rice Cakes.
Thursday - Blue Apron's Parmesan-Crusted Chicken with Creamy Fettuccine and Roasted Broccoli.
Friday - Leftovers.
Saturday - Something with hamburger.
Sunday - Pork roast in the crockpot with potatoes and carrots.
On my to do list....in addition to homeschooling:
Monday - Work with Sophia to pick and print photos for her Music Therapy display and presentation at the homeschool co-op. Take Sophia to the American Red Cross blood drive to donate blood. Olivia has her weekly gymnastics lesson also in the afternoon.
Tuesday - Homeschool co-op for both the girls and harp lessons (Sophia). Sophia has her allergy shots as well. Get supplies for the 4-H meeting on Thursday.
Wednesday - Mary B. here for several hours in the afternoon.
Thursday - 4-H Day starting at 10:00 and wrapping up around 4:30 or so. Starts with the Wildlife Project Bowl team practice; then the 4-H club meeting; and then the 4-H banner committee meeting.
The colors of felt and paint that
will be used on our 4-H club's banner.
Friday - Olivia has speech therapy. Travel and stay in St. Cloud for the state 4-H Project Bowl competition.
Saturday - Starting bright and early at 6:30 a.m.: travel to the state 4-H Project Bowl competition in Sauk Rapids so Olivia can compete in the wildlife division. Sophia is coaching the team. They already placed first at the regional level.
In the afternoon (depending on how long the competition is), attend a Pow Wow and then head home. There's a list of Pow Wows in Minnesota if we aren't able to attend this one.
Sunday - Crafting and cleaning.
In the craft basket....I'm finishing up on the Christmas table runner. Just have some blanket-stitching to do around the outside.
This is half the table runner.
The pattern repeats itself on the other half of the runner.
On Sunday, I sewed the quilt front, batting, and backing together for the northwoods-theme quilt. I bought the quilt top for a couple dollars at a quilt show a few years ago. There were UFOs (unfinished objects) that people were selling. All I had to do was invest in some flannel for the backing and batting to finish off this quilt.
Still need to hand-sew the opening (where the pins are); and
do the yarn ties.
Will be doing yarn ties on this quilt rather than a binding since it's a super soft, all-flannel quilt.
Also have been enjoying making some new blends with essential oils. Put together all the photocopies of recipe blends I have into a binder so they can be easily referenced.
Six essential oils were used to create "Love in a Mist."
Looking forward to this week....taking a short trip and seeing how the team does at the state level. Am hoping we are able to see the Pow Wow also. It's been a long time since I've seen one (the early 2000s in Grand Marais).
Looking around the house....Inside the house, I'm seeing lots of things that are in progress. It will be nice to have projects completed.
Outside the house, I'm seeing more signs of Spring: the tulips and lilies are coming up. Also seeing some new strawberry plants emerging. The barn swallows are looking for nests in the eaves of the barn.
From the camera....Sophia is working on a quilt for her room.
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7 comments:
Oh that bread looks yummy!!! Hope you have a great week!!
Wow, you do keep busy! I like the sound of the frogs as well although around here they are mostly the little tree frogs and we seldom see them. I love those colors of your daughter's bedroom. My bedroom when I was a teen still living at home was a green like that except a bit brighter. Hope you have a wonderful week!
I love the video of the frogs, it sounds so peaceful and reminds me of my childhood days camping. Hope you have a great week!
Dayton's is really, really gone!? As kids we used to go down and walk around the building every Christmas season as a family to look at the moving mechanical figures in the windows. Mom took us to see Santa there every year, too--they had different Christmas themes every year. I even took my son Dagan to see Santa there...40 years ago now. I had been to the flower shows a couple of times, too. One of my first jobs was at Dayton's downtown. I actually worked in the men's underwear department--LOL! I can still almost smell the first floor when you came in the revolving door--the polished wood, the ladies perfumes and men's colognes, chocolates, the acres of crisp and soft fabrics...and the hushed sounds of elevators, clerks, customers, cash registers...
Downtown Dayton's was the place mothers drug their daughters to get fitted for their first bras by efficient, grabby, unemotional, scary, older lingerie department clerks. LOL! They had a pet shop up on eight floor for several years and it was the first place I saw gerbils! They were called kangaroo rats and were $50 a pair! Obviously, they were a poor investment I am glad I didn't/couldn't make as a few years later they were $3.99 apiece. I have lots of memories of downtown Dayton's. In fact it figured into a poem I wrote (won first place and $2,000--biggest writing accomplishment)
https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3861821963101964309#editor/target=post;postID=6273611594921865926;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=34;src=postname
I guess I have both bad and good memories of that grande store. Sorry to on but you inadvertently triggered a memory spot more than I had realized. Ah, Dayton's. I remember you well. ;)
Your bread looks delicious! The description of your walks and seeing all the birds has made me want to get out and find a new trail. Have a great week!
Don't you just love the sound of nature? :) Your bread looks amazing, make me want to go home and bake. Thanks for joining in, I enjoyed reading your post :)
There is nothing better than a good walk in the woods! And especially those good head-clearing ones on your own. ;)
That bread looks so yummy!! And I love the projects your working on - so fun to see what other crafty folks are up to. The quilts looks beautiful!! And I just want to dig into that puffy paint and felt myself! Lol ;)
That's so sad about Daytons/Macys. I remember going to the Macy's Christmas display each year when I was younger - with a friend of mine. It was a tradition we always looked forward to for the holidays. That's so sad. :(
Hope you have a great rest of your week lovely Lady! xoox
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