It's In The Cards

 Continuing week one of the April A to Z Blog Challenge...

Day 3-C is for Cards and Letters 

Do you write letters? Did you write letters once upon a time? I confess to still loving pretty stationery, a good pen that writes just so, and seeing an envelope in my mailbox that is clearly personal. If you send me a card I will open it, read it, admire the design, and display it for at least a few days on the mantle or kitchen island. 

I have a hard time throwing a card in the trash, but of course I can't keep them all. I do have a collection of some whose words are extra sweet stashed in my closet. I looked through them recently, but could part with none. 

When each of my girls were born I put the cards I was sent in a scrapbook, which sounds a little over the top, except when I flip through that now I'm glad I saved them. I see the words written inside, and remember the prayers of so many family friends who knew me as a child, who watched me grow to become a mother myself, and the memory of these godly women is a treasure. 

In a convenient but unplanned turn of events, hubs and I finally tackled the great attic clean out of 2024 2025 2026 this week, and came upon some cards and letters I'd written him when we were dating. There was my young angsty heart laid bare in ink on slightly yellowed stationery. 

A stamp in 1980 was just 15¢, and that's the sort of time capsule you won't get from a deleted email. 

We started dating towards the end of a spring semester, then spent that summer apart so we wrote letters. How fun to read what my 20-year old self was thinking and feeling in the earliest days of our getting to know one another. 

Four pages front AND back...

I was not dramatic at all. Ha!  

I think about the world today and how communication is instantaneous and mostly brief. Texts, emails, messages sent via the miracle of technology and all that jazz. On one level this is wonderful, but I can't help but think we've lost something too. 

Something precious and worth keeping. 

There's a thoughtfulness to the act of letter writing that is mostly missing from an email. How often do you save and re-read an email time and time again, years apart even? An email goes into your digital trash can. A card or letter from someone who loves you, who appreciates you and tells. you why, who encourages you and lets you know you're thought of, well that is at the very least a day brightener and most often it's something more. 

A keepsake to hold on to in a disposable world. 

A Bookish Post

Sometimes a letter in the April A-Z blog challenge lands on just the right day and today is one of those. It's the first Thursday of the month and I usually share what I've read the month prior on this date, joining Joanne (Slices of Life) and Dara (Not In Jersey) for Share Your Shelf. 

Conveniently my word of the day going along with my theme of The Things We Keep is books. 

 Day 2-B is for Books 

I used to buy a lot of books, but it's rare these days I actually purchase one. I love the public library and that's mostly the way I read. I also subscribe to Audible because we're on the road a lot and I like to have something to listen to when I drive. 

I don't typically hang on to novels unless they have some special meaning. I have some here on my bookshelves that guests can pick up if they're so inclined, but usually I read and then pass them on. 

Most of the books I hold on to are older and spark a memory. 

Many relate to travel. 

We've traveled a lot and I love buying books, coffee table or otherwise, from the places we visit. When we lived abroad I especially loved getting my hands on the DK Eyewitness Guides to various cities and countries we were visiting. Seeing them lined up on my book shelf makes me smile still. 

I have a lot of books that would fall under the category of 'religious' too, commentaries, Bible Study aides, lots of topical books, and these I hold on to because I sometimes want to refer back to them or because they taught me something. I have the Bible I was given when I was nine years old and its another book treasure I hold on to. It's the KJV so not my go-to on the daily, plus the cover is coming apart, but I won't part with it. 

I have a collection of children's books too, many of which belonged to my girls when they were little that I now read to my grandchildren. Some of the series we owned I've passed on to them to have in their own homes, but it's nice to have books here to read when there are littles in the house. 

I'm so glad my girls both love to read, and sometimes one of us will tell the others they need to read a particular book because it must be talked about with someone asap. Part of the fun of reading for me is talking about the book with other readers when I'm through. 

I think books are meant to be shared. But! There are some books that hold the memory of a place in time, or the person who gave it to me, read it to me, or lived it with me, that I cherish and those books are for keeps. 

Now let's talk about what I read in March, all from the local library-

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans 

I feel like I was on the wait list for this one forever, but finally snagged a copy and read it in a day and a half. Then I gave it to my daughter and she read it in a day. And, my younger daughter also happened to be reading it at the same time too. I was a little worried that by the time I read this one I'd find it over hyped, but that was not the case at all. Five stars for me. 

Such a wonderfully original story told in the form of letters written by a woman who had a successful career in law and now spends her days corresponding with all manner of people-family members, authors, corporations, university deans and more. I loved it. 

I'm not going to spoil anything for those who haven't read it yet (I definitely recommend), but in her letters to various people she and the recipient of the letter often share what book they happen to be reading. This appealed to me, and I found a list of the books mentioned. My plan is to read them all. Most are well known, some are classics, and there are about forty in total. As it happens I've read quite a few on the list already, but I'm going to see if I can get to them all. 

Also, read The Correspondent. So good! 

Bel Canto by Anne Patchett

This is one of the novels mentioned in The Correspondent and since I like Anne Patchett's writing and hadn't read this one I thought I'd start here. It was published in 2001. 

I loved this book. Ann Patchett writes beautifully and her characters are fully known.The novel is very loosely based on an actual event, when terrorists took over the Japanese ambassador's residence in Peru in 1996/1997. I didn't remember that happening so it didn't impact my reading, but there are some who have strong feelings about basing a novel on the incident. 

Bel Canto (beautiful singing) tells the story of a group of party goers taken hostage in an unnamed South American country. The group were guests in the Vice-President's home where a birthday party was being held for a wealthy Japanese businessman, Mr. Hosokawa. The world renowned and much loved soprano, Roxanne Coss, was also there as the invited entertainment. Mr. Hosokawa has a love of opera, and the voice of Roxanne Coss in particular. 

Terrorists storm the party with a plan to kidnap the country's president, not realizing he was a no-show at the event. They now have a large group of captives, and end up releasing all but the wealthiest men and also Miss Coss, so are left with about 50 in total. 

The hostages are held for four months and in that time bonds are formed, relationships develop, and above all we see music connect people very different from one another. 

The Engine House by Rhys Dylan 

I think there are about twenty books in the series featuring this same detective and I plan to read more. This one came out in 2021 and had been on my Goodreads list ever since. I need to read a good mystery now and then and this fit the bill. 

A landslide on the Pembrokeshire coast of Wales reveals the remains of two bodies, and as a result DCI Evan Warlow is called out of quiet retirement back in to police work. He was the original investigator on the case of the missing persons eight years prior. 

He's working with a new young team now, and carries the burden of wondering what he might have missed in his earlier investigation. There are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, plus the Welsh coastline makes the perfect backdrop for this slightly dark, atmospheric mystery. 

James by Percival Everett 

This is a reimagining of The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn told from the point of view of Jim, an escaped slave. In this telling Jim becomes the central figure and we hear about his experiences as a slave, and his life as he journeys down the Mississippi.   

I revisited Huck Finn last month in anticipation of reading this one, and I liked having read the two close together. The first half of James follows the Huck Finn storyline pretty closely, but then takes a very different turn a little more than halfway through. 

While I enjoyed the story it felt like something was missing. The women were not given enough attention (based on the little bit we are told there should have been more) and there was a depth of emotion overall that I was missing. Still a clever flip on a classic tale. 

Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox

A debut novel that kept me reading til the very end. At times it felt like a YA novel, but it was still a very good read. Party of Liars is described as a psychological thriller with a broad audience. The plot centers around a death that occurs at an over the top sweet sixteen party in the Texas hill country. 

Sophie Matthews wealthy father (and his young second wife) are throwing a huge party to celebrate her big day in their supposedly haunted mansion. There's a large cast of characters, and the whodunit aspect of this one kept me guessing.  The story is told using multiple points of view, which in this instance I really enjoyed. The author has another book releasing in July (Pretty Dead Things) and I'll definitely read that too. 

And Away We Go

If you're here for the Wednesday Hodgepodge today you’ll find it here

Hello friends and strangers too, visiting from the April A-Z Blog Challenge. Thanks for stopping by! If you're not familiar with the A-Z go here to get details. It's not too late to join the fun, signups close April 4th and you'll find that form here. 

My theme this year is The Things We Keep: An A-Z of Ordinary Objects. My loose plan is to look around my house at the things I hold on to and tell a story as to why. Let's get started-

 Day 1-A is for Aprons

I have a drawerful. Maybe two, but who's counting? I love a pretty apron and I like to cook so win-win. Remembering to actually put the apron on before I'm halfway through a bake is sometimes a problem, but I get there eventually. 

There's something about cooking while wearing an apron that makes me think of my mama, and also my girls. My girls love to cook and have their own collection of aprons, most of which they were gifted by me.  My mama, who I feel very tender about these days, was a far neater and much better cook than I am and she always wore an apron when baking. 

Here we are in our aprons making quiche for my daughter1's baby shower nine years ago. 

Nine years? Is that right? Can that be right? Evidently it can. 

There's something that feels homey and a little bit old-fashioned about wearing an apron and that's probably why I can't part with any of mine. I have a couple of favorites-

I bought this one in the Harrod's shop in Heathrow on a trip to France with girl friends. How could I possibly part with that? 

I have some Christmas aprons I wear during cookie baking season.

This one is probably my most worn because it's pretty, a dark color (iykyk), and the fit is really comfortable. 

This was a gift from Daugther2 one year because 'stay tuned for letter H'. 

Here are my girls wearing aprons, home on college break helping with Thanksgiving dinner-

Maybe when I look at my aprons this is really what I see. People I love, the memory and the moment of time spent in the kitchen cooking, talking, being together. The apron pings the memory. 

A is For Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge and Day 1 in the April A-Z Blog Challenge. Some Wednesdays I'll probably use the random thought space here to post my A-Z, but not today. My letter A post started running a little long (shocking I know!) so I've decided to give it a place of it''s own. You'll find Letter A posted here. 

And if you're visiting from the A-Z welcome. The Hodgepodge happens here every Wednesday and you're invited to play along. Hodgepodge links only please on this post. 

And if you're here every week I'm glad you're back. Now here we go-

1. March is rolling on out of here. Sum up your March in ten words or less. 

March was a whirlwind of activities, events, and family fun. Whew! 

I know that's eleven words, but adding that Whew! at the end felt essential. 

2. Are you afraid of heights? When was the last time you found yourself dealing with a height, and did it make you nervous?

Heights don't bother me so much as what is often required to reach the height. I love a big, wide, expansive view from up above, but greatly dislike a sky tram, gondola, cars hanging from a string high above the earth, which is so often how you get from low to high. 

I've ridden many of these contraptions, and have to give myself a talking to the entire time we're moving. Or swaying! which is really not my favorite. 

Yes I rode a gondola above the clouds near Mt. Blanc. A crowded one too, where I wondered about the weight limit the entire ride up. It was a long, long, long way. 

I haven't dealt with any scary heights recently. I can handle tall buildings with the top floor reached by elevator. We spend a lot of time in the mountains and I love those sorts of heights/views. Driving high coastal cliff roads with no guard rail is unnerving, but also a little bit thrilling. 

Big Sur 

No post of mine regarding heights would be complete without another mention of the gondola that dangled by a thread I rode on to get up to the tea plantations in Taiwan. (I wrote a post about it here-Quake, Rattle, and Roll) The wind was whistling through the open windows and the car swayed in a way that was slightly terrifying. See those specks in the sky? 

That's me. The gondola made a stop halfway up and not gonna lie, the height and angle on these temple steps was a little nerve wracking too. 

3. What's a word you struggle to spell on a regular basis, and sometimes need to double check before writing it down? Use the word in a sentence that tells us something about your April calendar. 

necessary

Rain will be necessary here this month, if we want to get out of the current drought conditions we're experiencing. 

4. Love 'em or hate 'em, with Easter comes the sweet treat known as Peeps. So... do you love 'em or hate 'em? Speaking of peeps, what's your favorite way to have chicken? 

I like Peeps okay, but wouldn't say I love them. They're a fun, festive treat this time of year, but I don't seek them out. I'm sure I put a package in my girl's baskets when they were young, because more than the taste I love the look of them.  

When my daughter2 was first married and living in Pennsylvania we went to a peep and wine pairing at one of their local vineyards and that was kind of fun. 

My favorite way to have chicken? As an ingredient in a Thai green curry.  I prefer chicken baked and with a lot of flavor added, teryiaki, BBQ sauce, that sort of thing. I don't eat a lot of fried food anymore. 

5. This week's Hodgepodge lands on the first day of April, which happens to be National Poetry Month. Do you like poetry?  Share a favorite line or two from one of your favorite poems. What makes this one a favorite? 

I started thinking about copyright infringement after posting this question and here's what I found on line-

'You can safely use short excerpts from poems published before 1925, as they are in the public domain. Generally, using 1-2 lines (especially if they are not the heart of the poem) is often considered fair use, though not guaranteed, while quoting 3+ lines or more of a recent work usually requires permission.'

I do like poetry, and I wish I'd memorized more when I was young and my brain wasn't as crowded as it is today. I have several favorites, but one I love is The Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe (c. 1849). The main reason I love this poem is because my dad knew it by heart and would randomly recite it from time to time. His grandgirls absolutely loved that, and this poem always makes me think of him. 

"It was many and many a year ago, 

In a kingdom by the sea, 

That a maiden there lived whom you may know

By the name of Annabel Lee;

And this maiden she lived with no other thought, 

Than to love and be loved by me..." 

by Edgar Allan Poe

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

It's Day 1 in the April A-Z blog challenge, and if you don't know what I'm talking about go to this post (The ABC's of April) to get the 411. Essentially you blog one letter of the alphabet every day but Sundays in the month of April. My theme this year is The Things We Keep: An A-Z Of Ordinary Objects. You'll find Day1 in the challenge posted here. I hope you'll follow along! 

Also, I cannot let this week pass without wishing you the peace and blessings of Easter. 

May you know the hope and joy that is ours because of the great gift of God's only Son, who died in our place and rose from the grave. Happy Easter! 

Monday March Madness

It's the end of March and I'm going on record to say the first quarter of this year has positively flown.  I feel like that's something old people say, except all the young people I know are saying it too. 

Is it because the world's in chaos? Is it because we're regularly checking the very full calendars we now hold in our hands, and as a result our lives are marked by 'what's next'? Is there some scientific explanation for it? Whatever the reason I want to remember each day is a gift and to keep a grateful heart. 

Let's chat about our weekends with Holly (Pink Lady Blog) and Sarah (Sunshine and Books) who host the Hello Monday hop.  

We were at home this weekend which was nice. I've either had a houseful or been in the car going hither and yon the last four weekends, and then I was at my daughter's all last week which also meant a road trip, so I'm glad to be livin' local for a few days. 

I drove home from Tennessee Friday morning, arriving back at the lake around 1. Hubs and I had a light lunch, I did three loads of laundry, caught up on some paperwork, then got ready for some Friday night fun. 

A really great night out with friends. Those aren't them -ha! We went to a local venue that's part farm-part Airbnb-part cooking class locale. 

We signed up with friends for this month's pizza class. There were twelve of us in total, and the set up is really nice. We started with a simple but super delicious appetizer-baked brie made in ramekins. We put cubed brie, raspberries, blackberries, chopped pistachios, a little bit of a spicy seasoning, and a drizzle of honey and balsamic glaze in ramekins, then baked. 

This picture is pre-bake, but once they came out of the oven the cheese had melted into the berries and the combination was so good! They were served with grilled crostini and I'll definitely be making this at home. I've done baked brie before but I liked the individual servings and the way the melted cheese was contained in a bowl, so more like a dip. 

I wore my pizza sauce colored shirt because I know myself, but they did provide aprons so all's good. The host had made the pizza dough ahead of time so it could proof, but she shared the recipe and the particular flour and yeast she likes to use. We worked the dough and added our toppings, and then they were baked in a pizza oven on the deck that overlooks the farm. 

note to self-purchase a pizza oven 

This isn't my pizza, but I forgot to take a picture of mine before we ate it. Everyone shared their pizzas so we got to taste a variety. We've done pizzas on the Green Egg at home, but we struggle with getting the cook just right. The class used two different ovens but she recommended the Solo brand and I currently have one sitting in my cart on Amazon. 

There was a super creamy homemade strawberry ice cream for dessert with a small chocolate brownie and I want to try the ice cream recipe at home too. Melt in your mouth good! 

It was a fun evening with a nice group of people, lots of chatting, eating, and learning a few helpful tips for our future pizza cooking too. Bonus we were home in time to watch our Vols beat Iowa State to move on to the Elite Eight playoffs in college basketball. 

Course the game started after 10 PM so I snoozed through it and hubs watched and told me they won. Worked for me as I was pooped. 

Saturday we had things to do in the morning. Hubs worked on finishing up some painting in the lower garage that he started while I was away. We have a wall of wooden storage drawers we got when we built the house, and we've wanted to paint them ever since. We didn't pick these out, but our builder knew of another home build where they were not going to use them after all, and asked if we wanted them. 

The drawers hold a lot and are really practical for the space, but while we do love our wood here we have never loved the tone of this particular piece. Plus we already had a gray-ish countertop to use and it clashed with the wood. It's a garage so not a huge deal, but we wanted to make the change. I didn't get a before pic, but you can see the color here- 

 

Hubs used chalk paint and he's meticulous when it comes to painting. He won't like me posting this 'not quite done' picture, but the paint looks great-

Yes those are cassette tapes on top of that counter. They're relegated to the garage though. 

The drawers are now black and look so much better.  They need a clear top coat which will happen this week, and the drawer pulls need to be reattached, but otherwise a project completed. 

While he was busy with that I ran to the library to return a book, the post office to mail a package, and the market to pick up a few things to get us through the weekend and the beginning of the new week. I came home and made an appetizer to take to a neighborhood party that evening. It was tricky and I forgot to snap a photo. 

Basically it was a Caprese tulip garden...here's a link to the picture I'd seen and was inspired by. You x the top of a cherry tomato then stuff the mozzarella pearl inside, pop it on a toothpick, add basil for the leaves and then stick the whole thing in a cucumber slice. It looks like a tulip and when you make thirty of them you have yourself an edible garden. I added a drizzle of olive oil to mine at the end. A couple of tulips tipped over in the transport, but they were all eaten so calling it a win. 

My daughter1 dropped by with her little ones before we left for the party, and we visited with them for a bit before heading up to our clubhouse. It was sunny and I snapped a picture of this 'flock' of turtles on our neigbhor's jet ski dock. This is the local turtle hangout-

Also, a grouping of turtles is called a bale. Who knew? 

Our neighborhood had a casino night in the clubhouse and everyone brought appetizers to share. It's not Vegas so no real gambling, just a fun night with friends. There was roulette, black jack, and bingo and they had the room decorated for the occasion too. 

Sunday morning we went to church and had plans to go to lunch afterwards with my daughter and her kiddos. Her hubs was on call this weekend so was busy doing surgery and didn't make it to church. Anyway, we got in our car after the service to drive to the restaurant and the tire light came on. Yes! Again! Ugh! And yes, it was just last Sunday we had a flat on the way to church. 

Thankfully this one wasn't flat, but it was low so we pulled in to a gas station and hubs discovered a nail in the tire. Not the new tire but still, super annoying. We decided we better go straight home just in case it deflates before we can get a plug put in it tomorrow, so that's what we did. 

We had lunch at home, and watched the Vols sadly get clobbered by Michigan. I worked on my blog a little, but probably not enough. The A-Z challenge starts this week and looks like it will be a blog as you go proposition. Time to sit and blog or just time to think about what to blog has been in short supply this month, so while I have a theme I haven't actually written any of the posts ahead of time. I think most people do, but sometimes I do better with a little pressure. 

That's what I'm telling myself anyway. 

Sunday evening our church had a special night of worship to begin this Holy Week and we were tired, but got ourselves together to go and were so glad we didn't miss this really wonderful service. 

Have a wonderful week everyone! 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 647

Here are questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here on Wednesday (April 1st) to share answers with all your peeps. See you there! 

1. March is rolling on out of here. Sum up your March in ten words or less. 

2. Are you afraid of heights? When was the last time you found yourself dealing with a height, and did it make you nervous?

3. What's a word you struggle to spell on a regular basis, and sometimes need to double check before writing it down? Use the word in a sentence that tells us something about your April calendar. 

4. Love 'em or hate 'em, with Easter comes the sweet treat known as Peeps. So... do you love 'em or hate 'em? Speaking of peeps, what's your favorite way to have chicken? 

5. This week's Hodgepodge lands on the first day of April, which happens to be National Poetry Month. Do you like poetry?  Share a favorite line or two from one of your favorite poems. What makes this one a favorite? 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Not Just Friday Favorites

I've been out of town all week spending time with my daughter2 and her very busy, very chatty littles. They wake up and it's game on. My son-in-law was working out of town all week and having some extra hands in the house is a blessing. 

I'm linking today's post with Erika and Andrea for their Friday Favorites hop. 

I was supposed to drive over to TN on Monday morning, but that flat tire we had on Sunday ended up with me needing a brand new tire. My tires are only a year old, so super aggravating, and getting said tire took the whole ding dong day. I know I sound whiny but I truly am so thankful the flat happened Sunday and not on my drive over the mountains. 

They finally had the car ready at 4 PM so I got a very late start. It's a little over three hours drive time, but since the sun doesn't set until 8 PM right now I knew I could make it before dark. I guess I'm old. I don't like driving curvy mountain roads in the dark. 

I travel a back way to my daughter's house which is great because I bypass Atlanta traffic completely, plus it's beautiful, but it is very curvy and you have to really pay attention. As my hubs says whenever we make this drive together, 'you have to drive every inch of the miles'.  fyi-hubs was at home with the little brown dog so it was just us girls which is what we had planned. 

You never outgrow the need for mother-daughter time. 

I made it to TN just in time to jump on a Zoom call with my siblings. Literally I pulled in at 7:35 and the call was set up for 7:45 so it was a little crazy but it worked. Arriving right at bedtime is never ideal, but it couldn't be helped. 

That would be the kids bedtime, not mine just in case that wasn't clear-ha! 

Once my call ended D2 and I settled in to start our Great British Bak Off binge watch. We only watch one episode a night because actually our bedtime is not that much later than the kids. We're just now watching the most recent season which I think aired in the fall. 

The next season (not sure when it comes out) is going to have a new judge. Prue Leith is leaving and Nigella Lawson will take her place. We love listening to Nigella talk and I told my daughter we need a bingo card to mark her use of words like pungent, luscious, and unctuous. We like Prue, but we're really excited for Nigella. 

This was what we did every evening I was in town, once the kids were in bed. We settled in to watch the baking challenge together. We love it and it definitely makes us want to bake. 

Tuesday morning the little guy had preschool, so once we dropped him off we went to a nearby coffee shop that is new to me. They make their own pastries and they are decadent. We shared a cheese danish and a sausage and egg bagel, and Sugar thoroughly enjoyed every last drop of her cold hot chocolate. 

After breakfast we went out to the Carter's outlet to look for an Easter dress for Sugar, but they didn't have one we loved. I did buy her a cute set of overall shorts and a tee to go underneath, so not a wasted trip. 

Have granddaughters so you can buy all the cute clothes. 

We came home and while Sugar napped we watched more baking. We're trying to squeeze the whole season, or most of it anyway, into four days and we did a good job of it too. We picked up little man from school, played outside, walked the dog, and then had a nice dinner at home. 

Wednesday my daughter had arranged for a babysitter. We've not done this before but she wanted us to have lunch out and do a little bit of shopping sans kids. It was such a nice day. We love the babies, but shopping with your girl without having to keep up with little ones is a real treat. 

We went to the absolute loveliest home/gift shop where I could have bought a hundred things but settled for just a couple, and then to our favorite children's boutique in that same shopping center, where I did find a sweet Easter dress and also a coordinating shirt for brother. Can't go wrong with Beaufort Bonnet-

We had lunch at CAVA which is a chain, but I'd never eaten there before. It was so good. We both had bowls with rice and salad greens, grilled chicken, tzatzki, eggplant, and whipped feta. It was filling and neither of us needed dinner that evening.  

After lunch we moved on to several more stores including the J Crew Outlet which is almost as good as the actual store here, but half the price. We got back to the house about 2 and once Sugar was up from her nap we drove out to a nearby farm that also grew tulips this year. 

This is the last week to come pick and quite a few are bloomed out, but still plenty to choose from. 

 

We cut a dozen to bring home and the kids had fun feeding the cows. 

You could buy a small sack of feed so the cows were friendly. 

Thursday was another school day for sweet baby J and another coffee and breakfast out for us girls. From there we went to Wal Mart and picked up some Easter goodies, plus I impulsively bought some seeds and will see what happens. My girls both have raised beds and I got swept up in all their gardening-growing excitement. 

It was a beautiful spring day so after the school pick up we decided to check out the local Farmer's Market. It sits behind a plant nursery so we walked through and browsed their huge selection of plants, garden fountains and accessories too.   

I was sitting on the couch watching my daughter finish up the dinner prep Thursday evening, when I felt a wave of tenderness and nostalgia wash over me. Not that long ago (okay, more than a decade) she was my college student, home on spring break. And now here she is married, running a home, helping her two little ones grow and thrive, greeting her husband after work with a kiss and a 'how was your trip'. 

In this season we create our own version of 'spring break'.  Now I’m the one who drives to her, and we fill our days with playtime, little outings, doling out snacks (so many snacks!), books, baths, and all the small and steady things that make children feel safe and loved. 

It's not a sunny beach in Florida with twenty of your closest friends, but it's still a pretty wonderful spring break.