How Does Your Garden Grow?

Nice enough to put some gewgaws out in the garden. A nuthatch is more interested in the bird seed.

Cool. dreary week and the daffodil buds make an appearance on Wednesday.

A close up of the cardinal nest. She had just brought the leaf. The nest is about 4 inches in diameter. She brings a twig, leaf, or bit of grass. Puts it in the nest. Turns around a few times and sits as if trying the nest on for size. Not sure where she is spending her time as she is not sitting in the nest full time. Every time I think she has abandoned the site, I see her bring another twig.

On Saturday morning, a bunch of daffs decided to bloom.

Some crocus

Not sure how much rain we got, but we got a lot this week. The ground is too soggy to hold up the rain gauge.

Some more daffs and Alpine bell shoots make an appearance.

How does your garden grow?

Saturday Afternoon at the Movies

This idea came from a Facebook meme:
Over 10 days, post your 10 all time favorite films. What movie has really made an impact on you or what films can you watch over and over and never tire of? Post either the movie poster, DVD cover or even a screenshot on your timeline. No need to explain.

Only I had a hard time picking out just 10 movies so my favorites over the next few hundred Saturdays 😸 in semi-alphabetical order:me favorite films. What movie has really made an impact on you or what films can you watch over and over and never tire of? Post either the movie poster, DVD cover or even a screenshot on your timeline. No need to explain.

Only I had a hard time picking out just 10 movies so my favorites over the next few hundred Saturdays 😸 in semi-alphabetical order:

The Great Escape (1963), Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, Donald Pleasance

The Friday Five Good Things

Five good things that happened this week.

1. Play day with my friend, Teague

2. Finally saw a robin in my own backyard

3. Made a pot of chicken soup

4. B-Dry Basement installed the double pump system, drain at garage door, and repaired part of the garage floor. And the pump is so quiet!

5. Enjoyed an afternoon at the mall with the Young One.

How was your week?

Throwback Thursday - The Notebook

To clear up some confusion, the Notebook passages posted on Throwback Thursday were written by my father and found by me after he passed away. They were his attempt to tell the family history. He was in his late 80s or early 90s when he wrote them. Today's chapter:

Mary invited some of her co-workers shortly after we had settled in our apartment.

I took time off. The government gave its employees a day off a month. And we were told that we could keep adding to them and if we left they would pay for the unused days. We were also putting money in a retirement account.

One year I was told that I should take some time off as I had too many days and towards the end of my association with the government I took 16 days off in December adding two holidays. 18 altogether.

I took the time off to allow Mary at the time to be with the girls. And I did the honors. Brewed the coffee, tea and goodies and clean up and washed dishes etc.

When they left Mary said, "if I ever go to work and complain that you were not a good husband, they wouldn't believe me."

Your mother was expecting [ed: 1948 - 1949] and the Arnolds suggested that we go to Dr. McCarthy, their doctor. We did and he was a great doctor. During her pregnancy, Charlie would stop by, they did not live too far and he used to take their laundry to Cambridge. He did not want to put too much stress on Mary and he would bring his own can of soup or some canned goods for lunch. Doris also visited while Charlie went to do the laundry. She told mother that she wanted to know when things were happening that the time had come she had put cab money aside to get to us. Mother had a hard time. I took her to the hospital on Friday and we checked in. And a nurse came to take her to the delivery area. I walked along until we came to a line painted on the floor. and the nurse said this is as far as you can go. So I said, Ok, where should I go?" The answer, "Go home. It will be some time before she gives birth. We will notify you."

Wordless Wednesday

T Stands for Tea Cake

Made by Celebrity Cakes by Janeth

Grab your favorite beverage and enjoy a slice of this incredible tea cake. It's almost too pretty to eat. Almost.  =^,.^=

Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.

Gratitude Journal

Later in the month, I'll be teaching a gratitude journal workshop. Following the directions for Teesha Moore's Amazing 16 Page Journal (If you follow the link there's a part 2 to the video so be on the lookout for it), I made a sample journal. Participants will be given the materials to make their own journal.

Moore's instructions were to use one sheet, 22 in. x 30 in., Fabriano Artistico, 140 lb hot-press, watercolor paper.  WAM, where I work, didn't have this paper available. I just needed a sheet of paper 30 inches wide or long or however it was measured, preferably a watercolor paper that would be soft enough to bend, but not crack when folded. I was given a 22 in. x 30 in. 250 gsm (140 lb), sheet of Rives BFK print making paper.  It worked like a dream.

The book measures 8 1/2 in. x 10 in. (Maybe I folded something incorrectly because Moore's journal measures 8 in. x 10 in. It's sewn with a simple 3 hole pamphlet stitch. I used some crochet thread I had hanging around. Before sewing the pages together, I paste-papered the cover. The Rives BFK held up well to the paste and acrylic paint. I also found a tiny, hourglass charm to use as a dangle. I sewed from the outside to the inside so I would end up with a tail on the outside to tie the charm to.

Some of the pages have flaps which if you don't like you can tear off. I'm not sure how Moore arrived at 16 pages as not counting the covers, I ended up with 18 pages to write and decorate. 20 if you count the covers. No matter, plenty of pages to keep a monthly journal. I'm using this journal for my April Friday Five Good Things that happen during the week.

I divided each page in half and used a number stencil to number the days. I used another stencil to draw the dingbats between each day.

The Rives BFK is delicous to work on. It takes colored pencil, watercolors, Tombow markers well. I've had a bit of an issue using a Sharpie pen as it smears slightly if you erase pencil lines. Oh, well. Wabi Sabi

From classes and workshops I've taught, I'm always amazed by the number of people who say things like I can't draw, I can't do that. So I printed out a coloring book image of a robin, colored it with colored pencils, and pasted it on the page. I used a photograph I printed out on the previous page. Just to show people they don't need to draw. Photos, clipart, stickers, rubber stamps, stencils, collage will all work.

This shows the robin page flap opened up as a 3 page (6 day spread).

If you enjoy making your own journals, this is a very easy book to make. Besides Fabriano Artistico and  BFK Rives, you could also use Arches Text Wove though you would have to fiddle with the measurements as the paper does not come in a 20 in. x 30 in. sheet.