Hoppin' down the bunny trail

I LOVE Easter.  I LOVE Christmas, too, and I used to say it was my favorite holiday but the stronger my relationship with Jesus gets, the more I am becoming an Easter Girl.  Easter is THE day.  Easter is absolutely the greatest love story that was ever told, when God gave His only Son to die for our sins, so that we wouldn't have to die.  There's a line from a book and movie I love, "Life of Pi" where Pi, raised a Hindu but learning about Jesus, goes, "Why would a god do that?  What kind of love is that?" and the priest answers, "Amazing love."  Love we can't even imagine yet it's ours for the taking.  Easter is so, so much more than what it has become --- chocolate, bunnies and egg hunts.  I grew up having all that and I still enjoy celebrating that way but I always knew the true story, too.  Jesus' resurrection is the TRUE story.  A beautiful, wonderful story that gives me goosebumps and makes me grin from ear to ear when I think of it.

So, yeah, I'm getting excited about Easter!  Resurrection Day!!  We're planning a long overdue family reunion that day and Rhiana, Juan and the girls are coming, too.  I'm really looking forward to a beautiful day.

Even though we're still a month away, I'm already decorating!  I have my tea cart just about completely full.  Larry went to an estate sale this morning and got me one more blow mold closer to having all of the blow molds that remain on this planet.  Squeeeee!!!  

 He found this little cutie, too...

And all of these...(I love that sweet little wooden bunny pull toy!)

And this is what I've done so far for a dining room table centerpiece.  I love it!!

There are many verses in the Bible that I love, scripture that speaks to me and comforts me.  This is without a doubt my favorite.  How exciting it must have been to say that!!  This is where they put Him but He ain't here no more!!

Just ducky!

I went by the antique mall here in town today after work to look at a blue floral loveseat Larry found.  If I liked it, I was going to pay for it and he'd go get it tomorrow.  I want one to make a little reading nook in our bedroom and we've been on the hunt!  Figures I loved it and figures it was sold when I got there.  It had a receipt pinned to it.  Oh well.  It was $250 anyway and if I can get out of paying more than $50, I will.  Ha!  It was a beaut, though!!  Since I had $250 in my pocket, I decided to look around.  I turned the corner and I saw him.  I have become obsessed with vintage light-up blow mold figures.  I want all of the blow mold figures that remain on this planet.  And there on a table, looking dead at me with huge blue eyes, was the cutest little blow mold Easter DUCK!!!  I actually squealed out loud in the store.  I ran a sprint ever so calmly walked over there and scooped him up, not even looking at the price tag.  Didn't care.  I knew he'd be perfect on my Easter tea cart.  And he is!!

I also picked up a couple of things that I wanted the last time we were there and I didn't get them.  A Lefton spaghetti pink cat with rhinestone eyes...

...and a Glasbake milk glass Have A Nice Day blue tulip coffee mug. 

Calendula Dreams: The Beginning

I planted some calendula seeds today!  It's March 1st, after all.  I started my first 18 little plants in egg shells like I saw on Pinterest.  I've been saving white egg shells for a couple of weeks for this purpose.  I have a carton of fresh brown eggs in the refrigerator right now that I got from a guy at work that I'm going to plant the next ones in.  I'm curious to see if one set does any better than the other.  I'll let y'all know!

Happy growing, little calendulas!

So long, February!

This month is gone already!  Shortest month of the year and probably the coldest one we're gonna get.  I hope!  We missed the snow by about a hundred miles and I am not mad.  It's been cold, though.  Stupid cold for me and I'm ready to welcome March and a little sunshine! 

We have been very busy around here!  Larry got a new job (thank you, Jesus!) and right now, it's six days a week.  We are grateful, though he is tired.  If you think about it, say a prayer for him please. 

Larry's birthday was the 24th and we celebrated pretty much all week.  Starting on Sunday, the 22nd, in Atlanta with Rhiana, Juan and the girls.  They threw him a surprise party and I played my part, telling him we were going up there to fix a few things around their house.  He did fix a couple of things but he also had German chocolate birthday cake, strawberry shortcake ice cream, blue and white birthday balloons, an awesome gift of an in-ground basketball system and all the hugs and squeals he could stand from his girls.  Since I couldn't actually tell him we were having a party, he made plans to meet some old friends while we were in Atlanta so after we left the kids, we drove to Cumberland Mall to The Cheesecake Factory for a reunion and another birthday celebration.  I had never been to The Cheesecake Factory so when Larry asked me to pick the place, it was an easy choice!  I got a slice of heaven in their Lemon Raspberry cheesecake and when we sneaky-sneak asked them to come out and sing "Happy Birthday" to him, I ordered a slice of their German chocolate for them to put the candle in.  Them folks know how to make cheesecake!

On the night before his actual birthday, I baked him another German chocolate cake (it IS his favorite, after all!) and decorated the living room with streamers, balloons and I even got a small pinata and filled it full of candy and hung it up with a HAPPY BIRTHDAY banner.  He was genuinely surprised when he came home because we'd said no more cake and no more party, blah blah blah.  Sneaky-sneak.  That's what you do, right?  I played along and then did what I wanted to do anyway. Ha!

I was sick with a sinus headache on his birthday (but NOTHING LIKE LAST YEAR OMG) but after swallowing a handful of sinus medicine and Excedrin, I was feeling pretty good by noon so we went to Lowe's and got a couple of white porch rockers for our front porch.  Larry had those things together in 20 minutes!  They look so nice on the porch.

I can't wait to get some hanging baskets of pretty flowers and ferns and a big old bowl of peas to shell.  :)

Since tomorrow is March, I took down my Valentine tea cart and started putting together my Easter one.  This is what I have so far.

I just love this little guy.

Calendula Dreams

My calendula seeds came this weekend.

I am so excited to get them started!

 

I have dreams of a yard like this.  :)  

If all goes well through the summer, there will be some yummy homemade salves and scrubs for Christmas gifts!  Fingers crossed!

Ooh la la!

We'll get back on our healthy eating track next week but for this weekend, Larry and I are following the Fat-Folks-On-The-Beach diet.  He asked for it so I made French toast this morning.  With huge slices of bread and syrup!  Yummmmm.

Texas toast soaked in heavy whipping cream, an egg, cinnamon and nutmeg and then fried in butter.

Fat folks on the beach, we will be.  :)

All you need is love

We've enjoyed Valentine's weekend around here so far.  Yesterday was our 16th wedding anniversary and I came home to a beautiful and absolutely delicious chocolate/cookie crumb/candy heart-shaped cake that Larry made all by himself!  He did such a great job, too.  I didn't even want to cut it.  I found the strength, though.  LOOK at it.

We went to the movies and thrifting yesterday afternoon and found the most beautiful vintage tray!  Made in Italy, out of the old 70's melamine.  For THREE dollars.  I just love it!  I also found a Le Creuset ramekin for a dollar.  Squeeee!!  I adore ramekins and use them all the time, for all kinds of things.
 

One of our "things" is "then, still, always will" and Larry made me the sweetest board art with that on it and a cute sun wearing sunglasses.  I just love it!  He hung it for me today in our dining room.

We pretty much celebrate Valentine's Day every day of the year but we're still suckers for the whole box of candy and cards thing.  We got each other a big box of candy (so there goes the diet for a week or so!) and the box I got him plays "I Got You Babe" by Sonny and Cher.  

I picked up that little I Love You dish yesterday to add to my Valentine tea cart and that little red speaker thing?  Is Sonny and Cher doing their thang.  Every time you walk past it, turn on the light, pretty much breathe in its general direction.  It reminds us of the movie, "Groundhog Day".  Hilarious.  :D