A little dust in the air!

April 8

And so it begins!...It's nearly 5 weeks later than usual, but Dennis and Jon got some tractor time in today.  Round Up application on the dryest field they could find marked the official start of spring work. Hopefully Mother Nature will get the memo and cooperate!

A Delayed April Fools?

We awoke to a (forecasted) skiff of snow this morning.  I love living in the Palouse beacuase we (usually!) get to experience and appreciate each of the four seasons, but winter seems to be hogging things this year! 

My daffodils just worked up the courage to bloom in this cold weather, now they're regretting it, I'm sure! 

My cold, cold bleeding heart!

The BBQ could now double as a cooler!

Ready to roll if the weather would cooperate!

It's not uncommon to be annoyed er--- awoken by a spray plane this time of year. What IS uncommon, are the snow-covered hills he's flying over! We are about a month behind on fieldwork, they haven't been able to get out there at all so when they can, it will be a 24/7 operation. Unfortunately, this recent storm is actually the calm before the storm! 

Brothers

At the end of a fun afternoon with friends, I thought I would blog about the laughs and the shopping at Hurd's~ we found some wonderful things, left with wish lists a mile long, and even found some inspration for projects we'd like to try ourselves.  But, as I sat down with my laptop and looked across the room, I saw something that trumped it all...

Tyler is on the couch, sporting his usual evening attire of a t-shirt that he has cut the sleeves off of and a large pair of basketball shorts.  His hair is still wet from the shower and he's periodically texting someone.  Snuggled up beside him, under his arm, is his littlest brother.  He's lovingly patting Kacy's arm and whispering to him about someting and Kacy is loving the attention.  It's these moments that I cherish most.  Having Kacy as a little brother isn't easy and the boys have each gone through different stages of accepting the reality, however, they have always loved him unconditionally.  It makes me realize that being a brother is even better than being a superhero.

NaBloPoMo Prompt: What are you waiting for right now?

There are a million ways I could answer this.... but I JUST ordered the cutest camera bag I've ever seen and so I will go with "Today, I'm waiting for my camera bag!" 

Since getting my camera a couple of years ago, I've been searching for the "perfect bag".  I've been keeping my eyes peeled for one that meets some very specific criteria: 

•  It has to hold the camera, a lens or two, and my flash.
•  It has to be a cross-body bag or at least have that be an option.
•  It has to be able to hold more than just my camera and supplies-- at least my wallet, sunglasses, Blistex, and a small container of Tylenol.
• It has to be cute!

This morning, while perusing some photography blogs, I accidentally stumbled across several  bags that would fit the bill.  Since the boys and I are heading to DC in June, I figured I may as well bite the bullet and go for it.  So the winner is....

THE LOLA BAG BY EPIPHANIE! 

Check this bag out-- how perfect is it?!  I'm so excited!  Can't wait for it to come! And yes, I got it in RED! 

School Supply Shopping!

I am a sucker for school and office supplies! It's probably part of the reason I became a teacher! Things have come a long way since the PeeChee, retractable 4-color ballpoint pens, and the Trapper Keeper! The rainbow of colors and patterns that tempt me seem to change every time I stop at Office Depot, Staples, or the office supply section of Wal-Mart! Today, I hit the motherload! I had a discount coupon to use and other than some gel pens for correcting papers, there wasn't much on my list! However, I wasn't very far beyond the automatic doors when I saw the dollar bins overflowing with pens, pencils, white-out tape, file folders, etc., etc.! I quickly grabbed a carry basket and limited myself to what I could fit in it. This late in the school year, I will likely not break the seal on most of these items, but I will be prepared for next year! Yes... it's an addiction. But there are worse things to be addicted to, right?!

A Rake, A Steak & A Cake

Today was delightful! The sun was shining and everyone was healthy and happily enjoying day 2 of Spring Vacation! We started the day at church and enjoyed Pastor's sermon. Dennis, Brett & Uncle Jon made a trip to Central Ferry with some equipment we've sold and they brought back a load of fertilizer. If it ever dries out, they can use it! ha! (actually... that's not so funny!) Dennis and I ran to Pullman to buy new patio chairs for the BIG table he's making me (yay!) and I drove his new pick-up for the first time! Haven't driven a stick shift in about 10 years-- but I did fine! (Whew!)

The weather warmed up a bit this afternoon and allowed us to work in the yard for a couple of hours. I cheerfully announced to the boys, "Get dressed! It's family-yard-clean-up!" They didn't exactly jump for joy like they did when they were toddlers- but they realize now, that many hands make light work, and they participated willingly! Twigs, leaves and pinecones were raked up and hauled off to the burn pile. Their reward was our first BBQ steak of the spring and, mmm.... it was delicious! Angel food cake, fresh strawberries & whipped cream finished off the evening! It was the kind of afternoon that made us all long for summer~ and all it took was a rake, a steak, and a cake!

Eggstra Eggs!

I made a trip to Costco today. The cupboards were so bare that the kids were eating cans of olives! My list was long because in addition to "the usuals," I was also picking up quite a few "extras." The boys are home this week, thanks to Spring Vacation, and that means there will be constant grazing between meals for the next 8 days. I love growing boys-- but they sure do eat A LOT! Anyway.... I was in the dairy section at Costco, debating over whether to pick up one or two cartons of 18-count eggs. I am planning on doing a lot of baking this week, hard-boiled eggs are a great high-protein, diet-friendly snack for myself and the boys, too, and if all goes according to plan- I will be serving up a hot breakfast each morning since we aren't rushing out the door to school. The decision consumed a good five minutes of my shopping experience, until I finally realized there was barely room in my cart to keep one carton safe, let alone two! It was a good decision because when I got home, Dennis greeted me at the door saying, "I hope you didn't buy eggs?" I assumed that he had found an extra carton or two in the garage fridge~ it's not uncommon for me to forget about the items I stash out there and this wouldn't be the first time I added an item to an abundant supply. But that's not what he was referring to. He'd been watching the hen house closely this week, and today, he was surprised to find the treasure of 21 eggs! We now have 39 eggs in our refrigerator with more on the way, of course! Looks like I'll be searching for "egg recipes" and in the meantime, baking angel food cakes, making omelets, scrambled eggs, poached eggs, creamed eggs....