Spring is here! "April Fools!"

In the morning, when I wake up...
I am going to hope that the weather forecaster was wrong
(and that he just played an "April Fools" joke on us)
when he said to expect more
snow.

Instead, I am going to imagine that
the spring blossoms
are in full bloom!
"I love spring anywhere,
but if I could choose
I would always greet it in a garden."
-Ruth Stout

Happy "April Fools" Day!
(I borrowed last year's pictures.)

It was a great party!

It was a great party (I'm told)!

This cute centerpiece is a diaper cake made by my sister Linda.
She rolled up diapers and shaped them with ribbons.
Looks good enough to eat, doesn't it?

We have a sort of new tradition in our family.
Since we live a few hours drive away from each other, we include everyone in our "showers".
Men. Kids. Everyone.
(Who wants to drive that far and then hang out in the basement?)


Our menu:
Chicken Orzo salad
sweet and sour meatballs
cucumber sandwiches
rolls
relish tray
lemon bars
peanut butter bars
chocolate dipped strawberries
chocolate chip cookies
mini eclairs

Thanks to everyone for doing all the work!
Sorry I missed it!

(Thanks, Liz, for the pictures.)

I guess the cards are stacked against me....

Today my family is having a baby shower for two of our cute nieces,
Holly (top left) and Kelli (bottom middle).
You might not think that having a simple baby shower could be so complicated,
but...

Coordinating schedules: We spent hours on the phone trying to find a date that would let the most people attend. The first good date was the end of June, but the babies wouldn't wait that long.

Changing locations: The party was originally going to be at my house, but we moved the location to my sister's house to be closer to Holly who is almost due. Then we changed it again to another sister's home in Idaho to work around a cousin's funeral.

Funeral: Our cousin Jon Hyde passed away this week from cancer and we all wanted to attend his funeral (In Idaho). He was much too young and will be missed by a lot of people.

Flu: After all the planning and changing I am now missing
everything, including this fun event, due to the flu!
(My family is all gathered together right now and I am here wishing I were there!)

I hope it is a nice party!

(Thanks Michelle, Katie, and Liz for doing my cooking! I love you!)

"fluffy hyperbole" ......

Last night I learned something about my writing style.

"Fluffy hyperbole"!!!!!

(No, it is not pronounced like the super bowl.)

We were learning how to make good webquests
and one of the "pitfalls" to avoid was "fluffy hyperbole".
(I must have missed that in my English classes!!!!!)

Anyway,
I love using a LOT of "embellishments" in my writing!!!
Can anyone understand????
Am I alone in this??????????????????

I also love cute things.
Like this playhouse at my sister Linda's house.



(I want one just like it!!!!)

I confess, I hang decorations in my storage room, too.

I put a patriotic sign on our shed.

When I camp, I like to decorate the campground.

Do I need therapy?????????

Pansies, Pasta, and Porter paint

Yesterday I planted some pansies!
(I love spring flowers!)

I got in on a great sale on pasta/macaroni.
My neice Jenny told me about a sale at Smiths' Grocery Store.
(Each package was about 49 cents- if you bought them in increments of 10.)

and....

My husband has been painting our office and a bedroom.
YEAH!
Now the fun of putting the rooms back together begins.


* * * * * * One more unrelated thought.... * * * * * *
My attitude about teaching school has been quite stinky lately!
(It seems there is just too much pressure and focus on TESTING, TESTING, and TESTING!)
By Friday night I was feeling quite burned out
(just ask my husband how much complaining I did)!
Anyway....
I attended a workshop on Saturday and the presenter helped me remember
why I became a teacher.

The kids!

Want to save some money?????

My niece Jenni has started coupon shopping.
(Pictured is her cute daughter Emily.)
Look at some of her bargains!

Visit this site www.pinchingyourpennies.com to learn more about it.

Jenni said, "It is my new 'fun'. It is fun to see how much money I save. I might look like a big dork, shopping w/ my binders, but I don't care. It's also been fun to take Karli and let her see how much money you can save."

She also subscribes to the newspaper and they send her a daily paper and 5 papers on Sunday, so she gets 5 sets of coupons. There are also links to print coupons online.

Check these links out:
www.coolsavings.com
www.smartsource.com
www.save.com
www.coupons.com
www.eclip.com
www.valpak.com
www.bettycrocker.com
www.pillsbury.com
www.nestle.com
www.generalmills.com
www.pg.com

Thanks for the great tips, Jenni!

A great book!

I love children's literature!

This is another one of my favorite books.

The main character is Fanny, a "sturdy" farmer's daughter
who can pitch hay and weed a garden with the best of them.
(Maybe I like it because I can relate to this story.....)

The problem is....

She wants to marry a prince (or someone just like one)!

While she is waiting for her Fairy Godmother to come and grant her wish,
Heber Jensen, a simple, humble farmer, comes along instead and pops the question.
"Will you marry me?"

I won't spoil the book for you by telling you how it ends,
but it has wonderful illustrations and a
timely message.
Add it to your collection!