it's spring!

It's kind of an

unwritten rule

as a blogger
to post on

this oh
so very
special day

there was a part of me

that wanted to

write about our last day of winter

because

oh, what a winter

it was...

deserving of accolades and praise!

I took this picture one

week ago

here it is today

I know there are parts of the

country that were blessed

yes blessed!

with more snow last night

just this once

we were missed

and we are expecting to see 

50 degrees 

tomorrow

I do however 

take my obligations

as a blogger

very seriously

so today

in keeping with strict guidelines

I will focus on 

the happenings

that reassure

in the promise

of springs arrival

the sweetest little girl

on the planet

celebrates a birthday

snow boards

are collected and put in storage

a non-wearing polish girl

is compelled to buy

the palest of pinks

buds

appear

in response

the sky  

smiles down

bluer than ever

homemade cards with flowers

are displayed

and enjoyed

each time I reach for

my finger-less

 gloves

pretty pink

and new green

combine in a way

that make you

feel hopeful

even mom's sweet 

china string dispenser girl

adorned in a delicate calico dress

adds to the charm

of this corner

like a breath of fresh air

lemons

for fragrance

flavor

and color

happy yellow!

and when the juice is

blended with

confectioners sugar

something

magical happens

and the plate of Norah's Lemon-Lemon Cookies

(thank you, sweet-toothed Isa from PPK)

disappears quickly

since I am thanking...

thank you

Mom

for 

Meyer lemon

fragranced

kitchen hand soap

what a refreshing blast of

springtime

each time I wash my garlic-y fingers

but nothing

no

NOTHING

speaks louder

of the vernal equinox

than

a back deck

free from snow

with access to the grill

and the consideration

of putting shovels

to rest

well...

that

AND

sprouts!

It's there if you look...

spring is sprouting

all around us.

Oh, Happy Day!

nature's heartbreak

This is not for the faint of heart

or the weak in spirit...

this cleaning of outdoors

that will change with the wind

as the maple decides

like a little joke

that this is the night to drop its

seeds...
"whirlie-birds"
 everywhere.

Michiganders

have a rule...

Don't clean your windows

until the cottonwood

has dropped its

"cotton"...

Save yourself from doing the job

twice!

But as the weather warms

and the sun shines

its hard to hold-off

on some of the jobs you want to have done

before the heat of summer

saps your energy.

And so
you clean house
and invite unregistered guests

to come for a spell
with enticing accommodations.


They take the hint
but prefer their own
construction.

Thank you very much!

A good
sturdy
location for her babes
to grow until they're
ready to
leave the nest.

She chose wisely.

Another robin did not.
Unfortunately for her
she decided my dryer vent was an
ideal location
for nesting.

With care we removed the nest.
Gloved...
we gave it a relocation
with its 6 precious
robin blue eggs.

I was concerned.
As any good hostess would be.

"you live here now..."

Joe cleaned the air vent
but when he heard
a clunk and roll
was sure one of the
eggs got away.
I agreed that
this must have been the case
since
my clothes began to reek
as they came from the dryer.

We had a big job ahead
that involved
power vacs
leaf blowers
power tools.

No egg was found.

Warning!
This is where the story takes a turn for
the morbid.

After removing the back of the dryer
we found the stink source.

Let's just say mama bird
must have been in her
nest at the time
of our relocation
and flew away from the light.

It was a sad night here
at the Ondrus home.

Joe said he thought we should put a screen
over the outside opening
to prevent such a
horrid accident from happening again.

Good idea.

Or add to the waiting list
that has come from living in these parts:

Wait for the whirlie birds to fall
before cleaning the deck.

Wait for the cottonwood to fall
before cleaning windows.

Wait for the eggs to hatch
before clearing-out nests.

Learning the hard way.

lovely may

With a flip of

the calender

The addition 

of new boarders

The opening

of windows

The return

of color

as life

bursts forth.

I welcome thee

O dear, dear friend

Returned to me

At winter's end

A telltale sign

That love shall win

And all will sigh

assured

amen.

stout, biscuits & tips

A late St. Patrick's Day 

Dinner

From the kitchen of

Isa Chandra Moskowitz

of 

Post Punk Kitchen

(I've added her to my sidebar

since she's a regular mention)

Mushroom Stout Pie With

Potato Biscuits

Recommended Listening

while preparing:

Gillian Welch

One More Dollar

Recommended Viewing

While Eating:

The Quiet Man

Actually Watched:

Big Bang Theory

Okay...

so I wouldn't be posting if it

weren't

fantabulous!

Boys drawn to the kitchen

during gaming

to see what

smelled so darn good!

Joe asking for seconds

with a

"Thanks, Mom!"

Ahh...priceless I tell ya.

Quick confession after yesterday's post...

I kinda hinted at the fact

that gathering at the table is as frequent

as a Spring Equinox...

well, maybe not that rare...but...

our meals are most often

enjoyed while...

dare I say it...

watching television!

Yeah...it's true,

we're one of those families!

So I've decided to post movies

I think would pair delightfully

with your meal.

Believe and trust me here.

I have VAST experience in this area.

Basically what I'm saying is

don't question me...

just do it.

With that over with

I had to share this picture

I was so thrilled with the

outcome...

picture perfect.

I never made anything like this before

so I was very impressed 

with myself.

Those potato biscuits were so

flaky and moist...

I have many plans to incorporate them

in my upcoming meals.

Now for the tip.

You know when you have

a recipe that calls for 

1 Tablespoon of Tomato Paste?

You go to that little can

in the pantry...open it...scoop out what you need

and...

refrigerate what's left so you can

toss it in a month when it

has turned a shade of

Spring Green?

Nah...

you've never done that!

Well, I have.

So I decided to be smart and freeze

the leftovers...frugal me.

Not so smart though

cuz...when I went to use it...well...duh...

it was frozen in a nice
hard brick I had to thaw.

Plan B:

A Genius Little Plan.

Measure the leftovers in

1 Tablespoon scoops

place on wax paper and an old Corelle plate

Flash Freeze

and then...

store in the freezer

in a small Ball Jar and you're all set

for that next pot o'

Stout Pie.

Accolades accepted.

I came upon this idea with my

own wee brain.

So if some of you have been doing this

for years...why didn't you tell me?!

And, yes...I have heard about the paste in tubes

but there aint no way I'm paying

3 bucks for what I can get for 59 cents.

Dems the facts o' life.

Music and Making.

Movies and Meals.

Musings and Masterminds!

Happy St. Patrick's Week!

Happy Spring!

Alleluia Chorus!

baby it's cold...

It's hard to capture cold.

Hard to show in a picture

booger freezing temps

in the single digits.

Wind chills

in the negatives.

The dogs are staying

indoors

all day long

as is their fragrance.

Humidifiers

are working overtime

to counteract

the static effect...

crazy wild hair

zapping each other with a kiss

sparks flying

when you scootch on the couch!

Back a few months

my hubby shared the news

that he (we) had won a trip

to the Dominican Republic

because he had such a good year

in sales.

Ugh...

a work-fun (an oxymoron for sure!) trip

to a resort local

that had me dreading the day.

I don't own a resort-style wardrobe.

Active mom-style...

yes.

As the day nears

I have acquired a few

last year mark-downs

a this year swimsuit

a few attic finds.

Fast forward

or would that be

flash back(?)

to today's frigid temperatures

and you know what?

I think that chaise lounge

has my name written

all over it.

Yeah...

it's gonna be tough

but I'm willing to

take one for the team.

Today...

I'm beach dreaming!



still life

the pause.

the freeze frame.

that weird week between

christmas and new years

(until schedules resume!)

where real time ceases to exist.

if you follow any blogs

then you have surely read about

this anomaly.

or spoke with a friend.

each has their unique take on it.

for some it is a glorious

break from pace

others feel a little lost

wandering aimlessly

some may find it expresses itself

as a continuation

of the previous month...

filled with more malls

more food

more...

finding it hard to

s-l-o-w

down.

each year seems to yield a vastly

different feel for me

none stranger than this

it is reflected in those around me

feeling a little numb

finding we have successfully

exchanged our days

for nights

nights for days

yeah...

can't wait to see how this

effects our school time

our meals have taken

on a time of their own

breakfast at noon

(if we're up by then)

lunch around 3:30

dinner at 9

i could look at it and say

 we are eating

when we're hungry

a good thing

i know...

i'm digging deep for that one.

the only days i can relate to these

are back when we first had

our babies

and my hubby would come

home and i would

proudly announce

i got a shower in today!

and that would be my greatest accomplishment

and somehow

it was enough

i will glean from that experience

we have seen our way

through some tough times

disease

surgeries

death

happy holidays

i will no longer ponder
 the why of this break we're taking

i will be gentle

i will lift a prayer of thanks

for a time well deserved

for this warm

fatherly

outflowing of 

love

wisdom

and strength

for the granting of

still life.



inspired to

january  

elizabeth st hilaire nelson
paper artist
extraordinaire
her amazing work with collage-ing
is so inspiring to me
and why I felt drawn to
this lang calender

when you sit with it
you will soon see
beyond the sweet bird
to snippets
of postage
sheet music
a child's homework

captured and preserved

oh
how i feel a stirring
of inspiration

exactly how that will
express itself remains
to be seen

inspiration abounds
and can feel like a slippery slope
when you begin to peruse
the internet

i'm not a pinterest gal
but i am a blogger
who can
pin these little
trysts
that interest
me

a hodge-podge really
of things that caught my eye
on a recent
sitting at my desk

these darlings will
look adorable
out of my felted wool stash
a martha project
that i will make my own

hopefully.

then i saw these babies

 a feast for the eyes

what is it about bacon?

i have successfully captured
its flavor with tofu
no joke here
when my boys tasted it
they wanted seconds
and it is super-duper easy
the recipe:

extra-firm tofu; drained and sliced thinly
a hot frying pan with 2T canola
get 'em frying
about 10 minutes on one side
flip
4 minutes on the other
(you want them brown and crispy)
sprinkle all with
2T nutritional yeast
a few shakes of soy/tamari sauce
a few shakes of liquid smoke
serve it up

between pancakes
swimming in
maple syrup
or
any
way
you like it.

up next...
exercise.

yep.
that's right.
from bacon to
sweating on the mat
no connection...

or is there?!

an ab workout
that claims to be the best

 by
tone it up

 i stumbled upon it
at a blog called
the stirring place
which has a video clip you can
watch
but you'll only reap the benefits
if you do

while there
check out what's stirring in
 faith's kitchen
so good
it got her doing this workout
to compensate...
hmmm...
sounds familiar.

and so it's
january
a month to
renew
unwind
curl up
with a good book
and treat her
like
the good friend
she is.

:)