A Lazy Sunday

 We spent a peaceful...snowy...stuffy nosed Sunday...

 Thankfully this baby is still healthy

 The family puzzle

 baby snuggling

 Carson swinging

My dad's begonia

If I'm looking at you, I'm talking to you.

Beat the Doldrums...Day 10...For the Birds

A sign of spring? 

The temperature did get above freezing today...maybe it will be a trend.  

We headed to Grandma and Grandpa's for the annual corned beef and cabbage dinner...a bit late, but it took this long to get everyone healthy.

 A beautiful Easter Lily

 A downy woodpecker taking off...

 A tufted titmouse in flight and a goldfinch

 A hungry housefinch

 It's hard to catch a chickadee sitting still

 Goldfinches changing to their summer colors....

Beat the Doldrums--Day 6--Birds, Sprouts and Reading Aloud

 We had a brand-new visiting the past few days....a Fox Sparrow.  It is just beautiful!!  It took 2 days to identify it since an unnamed child has lost our birdbook.  I expect we will only see this guy for just a few more days because his summer habitat is north of us and its winter habitat is south of us.  

I'm just really, really glad it stopped by this year! 

 Our beautiful pilliated woodpecker showed up today....WE LOVE OUR "WOODY THE WOODPECKER"

 Luke had a new pretty little tree sparrow visiting his homemade feeder today. 

Another happy sight today was the surprise of finding so many of our flower seeds sprouting.  We only planted them two days ago, so it was a sweet surprise to find our little plants. 

Begone...doldrums!!
I also have joined the Read Aloud Revival site.  They are offering a limited $5 monthly fee to try it our and see how you like it.  We read everyday....A LOT!  And I love all the suggestions, fun ideas and books list to help you build your world around books.

Our of the Doldrums..Day 5....

Beating the doldrums...day 5

 There is still about 8 inches of snow on the ground but it has begun to melt...but that also means the birds are still very hungry!  

I was very happy to see a splash of red from one of my favorite birds...the male house finch.

I also made my first ever 100% cotton loofah.  It's so soft and squishy.  I'm very happy with how it turned out....If you would like to order some...just send me an email!!

Out of the Doldrums....Day 4--Visiting Birds

 A sparrow peeking at a female downy woodpecker

An odd looking sparrow...along with two friends....nuthatches. 

 female cardinal

 Mark captured this cardinal...I sent him out to "catch" a male cardinal..I needed a splash of color.

 A downy woodpecker....if he would turn to show the red on the back of his head..you could tell he is a male.

 After a month of March with the temperatures well above normal.  And after my husband draining the snowblower of gas and getting it ready to put away for summer. And after filling up the lawn mower and sharpening the blades....we received over a foot of snow between Sunday and Monday. 

 So the doldrums ran deep.  I had no idea want photo could lift my spirits.  It was Laura who said, "Get you camera and take some photos of the birds"  That suggestion was all it took...I did manage to get carried away to a happier place...our "birdie backyard!" 

 Luke took it upon himself to construct this bird feeder using a plastic cup, sharp pencil, yarn, duct tape and birdseed.  I tried to assure him the birds wouldn't find it...(we have many other feeder in the yard)  but suprise to me....this beautiful tufted titmouse enjoyed the feeder all afternoon. 

 A pretty little chipping sparrow

 Slate colored junco (snow bird)

 field sparrow

 A mourning dove...taking off

Wind chill was in the teens yesterday...this is a very cold, chipping sparrow...no quite sure though...he wasn't interested in showing his proper coloring. 

Our Homemade Birdbath

I look at Pinterest occasionally ....(cough, cough).. and I saw cute terracotta bird baths.  I ended up combining several examples to complete a project completely our own. 

We used three terracotta planters....10 inch, 12 inch and 14 inch.  The base is 14 inches.

 Any craft or home paint will work for this project because you seal it with a spray on sealant.

Colorful jewels, dry grout and Liquid Nails finishes this project. 

 Laura and Kimberly were happy to paint.  Luke brushed a few strokes of paint on the base and then was done with this step. 

 We dotted our red pots with blue paint and foam "dot" brushes.  These were only about a dollar. 

 Our craft paint was MOSTLY washable!

 All stacked up...but not yet finished.

We sealed each pot with a spray on outdoor sealant. We used about three coats of sealant. 

This step is best done outdoors.  I had various "jewels" in our craft supplies, using Goop glue, I placed a bit of glue onto the base and then the kids put a jewel on the base with a Popsicle stick.  The glue has a very strong smell, so do this step outside or in a very well ventilated area.   

Continue gluing down jewels until the

 base is covered as much as you wish. 

We left the base to dry for 2 days, making sure the glue was totally set. 

 Mix grout in a throw away container. 

 Smush it between the jewels.  We had a container of fast drying grout so we had to move pretty fast. 

 After completely covered, using a sponge, gently wipe away the excess grout.  

We then allowed the grout to set for 2 days.

 Kim and Luke enjoyed polishing the jewels.  

 They used a paper towel, a tiny bit of water and a lot of elbow grease. 

 Daddy taught the kids to use Liquid Nails and a caulk gun.

 This was also allowed to dry for a couple hours. 

 Filling the birdbath!

 I planned on having it out back with the bird feeders, but it came out so cute, the big kids insisted it remain in the front yard. 

Ready for the birds to take a dip!