A beautiful warm, sunny, and windy day. A perfect day for washing the new fabric I'd bought and putting it out on the line to dry.

Fabric to be made into a picnic blanket for the girls--a project I started last summer but never finished. I'm determined I will finish it this year...because doesn't a sunny day spent eating raspberries and cream on a brand new picnic blanket sound...just lovely?!

Alright, well all I have is a head for the marionette so far. She had a neck at one point in time, but it was rather delicate and then Pookie ripped it off. She'll have a neck again soon and...hopefully she'll get a body at some point too...I feel like I'm moving so slowly! So anyway, here she is:

She's going to be a queen and for some reason red seemed like the only fitting hair color for a queen, so red she is. And that lovely crown/tiara you see in her hair?...

that is made of buttons found on an unusable rummage sale skirt. I think she is going to have a black velvet dress and then I have some with a high gold lace color and trim (both of which will come from other rummage sale outfits that are...unwearable to say the least.)

I'm having a lot of fun with this new project...a lot of fun...I think I'll have to start a King to go with her sometime....soon?

No crafting this weekend--just a little bit of shopping!

I love old book stores, I really do, so it makes me very, very sad to see one going out of business. But the going out of business sales--love those! I had a limited amount of time to shop, but luckily I managed to find and buy these lovelies.

I am happiest about that little red book you see there--that would be Anne Bronte's "Tenant of Wildfell Hall." She is the one Bronte sister who's work I have been unable to find (in the old bookstores that is) and so I really couldn't believe my luck in finding this!

Oh let's see, then there is also pictured (in no particular order) "Lydia Bailey" (haven't read this before, but enjoyed Roberts other books), "Mutiny on the Bounty" (I was very much into ocean adventure books when I was younger, so I really loved this!), Alexander Pope's works (I thought he was a genius when we read his poems in college so I knew I had to have this) and....Milton's works. I felt incredibly guilty for grabbing Pope and leaving his bookshelf neighbor "Paradise Lost" (which I do not yet have a copy of) behind on the shelf...so I bought Milton...my "I really should" rather than my "I really want to" purchase... Anyway, they all made me a very, very, happy girl and I really cannot wait to read my new Anne Bronte!

And besides all this I haven't been up to much. As it was a sunny day I tried taking some new pictures of the birds, but Fig kept interrupting the photo shoot. Hopefully I'll be able to get some pictures tomorrow and then it will be off to the shop for my little parasol birds. It's always rather sad to say good-bye to the birds, but it's always nice to learn that they have found themselves good new homes. I was so very happy to see that one of my birds has a lovely new home here! (Thank you so much Vicki, I'm really glad you like him!)

Yes so pictures tomorrow and...lots of sleep needed here tonight (when exactly does all the teething end??) I leave you with one of today's photos...

Fig, trying to steal my camera. Maybe tomorrow you'll let Mommy take pictures...right Fig?

It's miserably cold and it's raining too! We've been cooped up indoors for the last several days...but...well all this time inside and I can't say I've been doing much of anything. No sewing, no sculpting, no drawing, no...anything really. The only thing I have done is try to come up with new ways to entertain two very energetic and awfully sick and tired of being indoors girls. Couch leaping, pillow throwing, while jumping on Mommy has managed to get out some energy and pass some time...but...we are seriously in need of some sun here!

The only thing I have managed to do is get a "robin's egg blue" picture for the flickr group "A Year of Color". (It's a much harder task than you might imagine it to be--that color is nearly impossible to find!) My picture of...

...my daughter's teething ring. A mundane subject I suppose, but still..I find myself liking this picture. When I find things like this lying around...well they're just little everday reminders that there are two beautiful little girls living here with us...

...I like that.

Changing dirty diapers, scrubbing dried smooshed bananas out of clothes, making midnight...then 2AM...then 4AM bottles, cleaning up toys....all worth it--I really do love being a mother!And what a splendid Mother's Day I had! Perfect weather, delicious strawberry cake, yummy Chinese food and this gorgeous tea set from my husband:
I have wanted a tea set forever and my husband not only bought me one, but knowing my love of all things old, bought me one from an antique store! I can't tell you how excited I was! Sadly I had to pack it (six teacups and saucers, six dessert plates, sugar bowl, creamer, tea pot, and coffee urn) away for when we move...I can't wait until we're settled someplace and I can finally use it!In other news, I finally finished my white parasol bird.
I had some fun taking the birds outside and taking their pictures.
looks like they're having a pleasant chat, doesn't it?

and I rather think this looks like a parade of some sort...a parade that will eventually march its way to my shop...eventually...

Yet another bird with a flower parasol. I'd name this one, but I haven't quite decided what kind of flower she is holding yet... These pictures aren't the greatest...somehow or other I didn't realize it was such a gray day when I was taking them. She's actually a lovely little pale blue and not the greyish color she appears in the pictures. *sigh* I'll have to try for some more pictures on a sunnier day.

So I have one last little parasol bird to finish up--a white one this time--and then I'll be taking a bird break for a little bit--I have a marionette I need to work on!

You see Pookie is very into the "Lonely Goatherd" scene in The Sound of Music and so I thought she might like seeing a real marionette. I've slowly started working on one and yes do I mean slowly...I started several days ago now and I still only have a head! Someday I'd love to have a ton of marionettes for the girls and a real nice puppet theatre (I'm dreaming of changing scenery, curtains, props, and lighting)...but for now, well just one marionette...if I start working a little faster.

When I was young I remember wondering why we celebrated Mother's Day and Father's Day, but there was no special day for kids. Well now that has all changed!

On Sunday we took the girls to the city for the Children's Day celebration. Balloons everywhere, all kinds of free food (for the kids, not the parents...I did sample a little anyway though!), puppet shows, live music, dance performances, finger painting, pony rides--everything a kid could want!

The girls had a wonderful time. Pookie especially enjoyed getting to meet her hero...

Curious George!

And Fig very much enjoyed the "frost your own cupcake" experience...a lot!

And of course we had to get a balloon--what child doesn't love getting a balloon?!

So with all the excitement of Children's Day and also our very fun/very busy Saturday (rummage sale, kite flying, picnicing) I'm quite seriously all tuckered out. How nice it is to now have a warm lazy week to wind down and relax!

Peony

My little pink bird...

with her pretty pink peony parasol!

April showers bring Mayflowers and...

Forsythia

Star of Holland

Ferns and best of all...

puddles!!