April Showers Brought Mother's Day Snow

"Rainy Day Painting"

"Toy Cars Have Many Uses"

"I'd Rather Be Gardening"

"Can you see the snowflakes?"

Last Wednesday, we did our creative project, which was fun. We worked with Playdough today but I couldn't get a good shot of him at any time we were working the dough to make letters, shapes, smell it.... So far, the little man is not too hung up on painting but I think with time, he might change his mind. We're painting again tomorrow but with our fingers instead. And if not, its not a big deal; I trust he'll like what he likes, and not push him to be over the top with achievements. I want what's best for him but I want him to want it for himself. Happy, a life filled with sunshine with the occasional cloud-those do come, even if you don't want them to-and to just be; that's my goal as a parent and what I can give to my son.

And yes, we got snow on Mother's Day....something else. It was interesting to look outside, watch the snow fall in large, wet flakes, see that it wasn't sticking and staying. The day before, I took Tristan to Lowe's for their kids' workshop for a building project; he attends these little workshops and is really becoming more and more hands on with the building. I'll have to post about his projects.

Its been so busy here these last couple of weeks; I still have a list of things to do, writing to get through, soap to make (seems non-stop), a garden to continue planting, and priceless moments to spend with the man of the house-yes, the toddler rules the roost. I'm also research reading and reading to pull myself away from the "heady" stuff to give myself a mental break. And the fiber work? Yeap, still slaving away at that project, and wondering why the potty chair lays in pieces and there's Cheerios under the couch and coffee table....~Mom

The Last Wednesday of April, part one

"Tulips Resisting the Cold"

"Potted herbs with a Blanket"

"Who Requested This Weather?"

I have so much to write about today, so I'm going to have to break it down into a couple of entries. Spring/Winter weather changes, creative project for Tristan, and the dinner I cooked on Sunday; I still have to take a picture of Tristan wearing his new sweater so that I can put that post together but that's for another time.

It started snowing yesterday morning, after a light rain and slight hail decided to fall first. I stood in the kitchen, looking out the window by the back door, watching it come down. Little did I know, it would keep snowing right into mid-day today. Now, its moving over into a small patch of rain, and according to the weather man, who is never truly right anyway, its supposed to stop and start warming back up between late tonight and into tomorrow. Global warming? Climate change? Human kind messing with the planet? Lots of possibilities....

"The cure for boredom is curiousity. There is no cure for curiousity." ~Dorothy Parker 1893-1967

Changes, Sunshine, and Spring on the Way

Vanishing Oatmeal Cookie Bars

1/2 lb. (2 sticks) margarine or butter, softened
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
3 c. Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned , uncooked)
1 c. raisins

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together margarine and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Stir in oats and raisins; mix well. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 mins or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack. ~4 dozen

*Bar cookies: bake 30 to 35 mins in ungreased 13 x 9 inch metal baking pan.

I made this recipe for the bar cookies and because of the size of my pan-roasting pan, that is-I had to double the recipe to have the right proportions for the size of the bars. YUM!!! These are soooo good; we still have some in a ziplock bag, and try to limit myself to one a day or every couple of days to have a "sweet treat." I posted the activity on my business blog originally, experiencing some tech issues with pic layouts, so decided to add the recipe another day. In the process, I decided to add those creative activities to this page instead of my biz page; business is business, and creative projects are here at home to be enjoyed. I don't want to confuse my fans, so I when I had an epiphany to create a page just for creativity and my writing, I knew I had to do it. What Tristan and I do here at home, especially when it comes to schooling and having fun with him, I will post here. Check under "Where to Find My Writing," and you'll know right away where to find my creative and words on the page moments.

" A Snow Man? I thought it was a snowcone!"

We had fun last Thursday when we (I say we but Momma did the hard work, Tristan supervised and thought it was a giant snowcone) built our first snowman. Living in an apartment complex for the first two years of Tristan's life didn't give us much opportunity to get out and play in the snow but since we've moved into our own home-we've been here for almost a year now-he loves to be outside, regardless of the weather. I'm thankful for that each and every day, even on those days where its raining and I have to scoop him up to run from the car to the house and he gets madder than mad because I won't let him play in the rain. Hey buddy, when we buy your first rain boots and coat, then you can play in the rain, ok? How about this spring? Sounds like a good idea to Momma.

"My Sunshine"

Spring is coming but I hope we're not getting teased before a major snow storm; I mean, New England living is what it is and the weather here can change in a heartbeat, that's why we don't get too excited about warmer weather this time of the year. When its April and we're in the midst of mud season, then we can get excited.

So, here's to changes, sunshine, and knowing that spring is on the way. Love, Mom