20 of 52

Week 20 of 52. Portraits of my kids once a week.
The Elder and Youngest at the Capitol.

 The Elder (another two-fer!) picnicking in the very hot heat.

 The Younger also picnicking.

Joining Jodi for 52 portraits.

A Spring Walk

This is the magical week when everything starts to bloom. 

The crab apple trees are just popping open, there are huge azaleas everywhere, creeping phlox, violets, tulips, it's just a feast for the eyes everywhere you turn.

Yesterday the Youngest and I went for a long walk and just drank it all in.

 I loved this chalk drawing of the cathedral.

 The view from the Fifth Lamp.

These patient buds are waiting for my mom to get back from vacation before they pop.

This tree belongs to my neighbor and I don't know what it is, but it's always quite spectacular in this first week of real Spring.

Weather Whiplash

We had falling snow 2 weeks ago.
Yesterday it was 90 degrees.
Today I am wearing a wool sweater and it's looking like rain.
However, despite these crazy mood swings that Mother Nature is working through, spring has finally arrived.

How soul-stirring to see green and bright flowers again.
I had this thought yesterday that Winter is a little like childbirth.
It feels like it will never end while its happening, it's painful, it's messy, but when it's over you have something beautiful and you can't really remember the details of how you got there.

Yarn Along

Joining Ginny for a Yarn Along this morning.
Along with finishing the stripey sweater above I have, slowly and steadily, been working on the yoke of my red sweater. A row here and a row there and I have been making some small progress.
It came off the needles for the photo shoot, but all is well now.
There hasn't been much time for reading lately, though I have been picking up Songbook by Nick Horny from time to time and reading a chapter.
It's quite enjoyable.
What's on your needles today?

Love is the Law

This evening our Governor signed a bill into law that makes marriage equality for everyone a reality.
It was such an exciting event, I packed us a picnic dinner and the kids and I hoofed it over to the Capitol to see it happen live.
We were pretty hot, so we stuck to the shady areas on the lawn. It did mean we weren't part of the main crowd, but we could still hear everything and it just felt great to let my kids be a part of such a joyful celebration.

There were lots of kids there, so despite the 90 degree temperatures they all got up and played tag.

The Youngest decided that she does not enjoy eating cantaloupe, chicken salad, bean salad, or fresh bread. She will, under extreme thirstiness, deign to take some lemonade.

I hope the kids remember the joy of this day their whole lives.

We Sang This All Afternoon on Saturday at the Sheep and Wool Festival

Keep Calm and Craft On

Joining Nicole today.
This Mother's Day my Hubster brought The Elder and The Younger to our local Children's Museum and I stayed at home with The Youngest so she could get a nap and I could sit back and knit away.
I managed to finish up this sweater that I started in 2009 for a friend's baby.
Sorry I never got that finished, Krista!

But now it just happens to fit The Youngest like a glove.
I think I must have chosen button when I picked out the yarn, because I had 2 perfect little lime green jellybean buttons, but in the past 4 years I must have lost one.
So, the top button is a little hedgehog left over from The Elder's Easter dress from 6 years ago.
This weekend was actually chock-full of fiber experiences, we spent Saturday afternoon at the Shepherd's Harvest Sheep and Wool festival.

There were so many sweet furry friends. We didn't get a photo of the alpacas, but they were by far, my favorite. They make this little humming sound that was too adorable for words.
Each of the big kids tried their hands at spinning. I didn't get a photo of her, but the daughter of that woman in the tie-dye jacket up there was 10 years old and they were doing a mother-daughter spinning demonstration. The Younger had a little more success with the spinning, the Elder's yarn kept breaking.
What's on your needles lately?