Vintage Easter Blog Hop ...

If you love vintage Easter décor or just in the mood for a walk down memory lane stop in and visit the Vintage Easter Blog Hop over at anything goes here . It is a beautiful blog full of antiques and art.

When I was a kid my mother went all out when she decorated for Easter, well any holiday for that matter. She hung the brightly colored plastic eggs from the trees, everything had Easter grass sticking out of it, and she had these blow up bunnies she used to put in the front window. I wish I had those bunnies, they were so cute. My kids are not as lucky I keep it pretty simple. Here are a few new finds that I have added to my collection this year.

I bought a plastic baggie full of Easter trinkets at my local flea market a couple weeks ago. Inside was a variety of goodies. One of the treasures hiding inside were these bunnies, they are so bright and cheerful.

I found this little bunny on a table covered with bunnies. I thought he had a little more personality than the rest.

These brightly decorated eggs were also hiding in that bag of treasures. Inside each egg is a little chick. They are a little weathered; I think it just adds to their charm.

This is a happy little bunny, he makes me smile. Thanks for stopping in and checking out my vintage Easter treasures.

Winter ... Spring ...

Good Bye Winter ...

On Saturday we said good bye to old man winter. Part of me is going to miss him. The beautiful sunsets that fade behind the leafless trees. How magical the world looks when everything is painted white. The comfortable silence that surrounds you right after it snows. I think my favorite part of this winter was watching the excitement in my children’s eyes every time the flakes began to fall. This was the first time either of them have seen that much snow. This winter was packed full of so many special memories, this was definitely one winter I will never forget.

Hello Spring ...

On Saturday we said hello to spring. I have a love hate relationship with spring. I love that everything comes back to life. Everyday something is a little greener, something new is blooming and there are a few more birds singing. Each time you walk outside there is something new to see, the world comes alive and everyday is a new adventure.

There are however a few things I hate about spring. My brain goes into overdrive, one minute I am depressed, then anxious, and finally manic. My moods seem to mimic the crazy spring weather. It’s as though all the changes that are happening around me influence my moods. It can be overwhelming some days but it is who I am, at least spring isn’t boring. The other part I hate is seeing that there is a little bit more of me. Seeing those glowing, slightly plumper arms in the mirror for the first time after months of sweaters can be shocking. The bright side is I have three months to fix that problem before I have to squeeze into a swimsuit.
Happy Spring!

My Little Seeds Have Sprouted …

I planted four types of seeds last week from annual flowers I grew last year. Two of them have cooperated, the Purple Zinnias have all sprouted and four of the Pink Cosmos. I am still keeping my fingers crossed that the Mexican sunflowers will sprout, they have a longer germination time.

As you can see I have taken the containers out of the plastic bags and propped them open with my high tech gardening pencils. I have set the strawberry containers in a tray so I can water the seedlings from the bottom. They will stay in these containers until they grow their second set of leaves. Stay tuned to see my scientific transplanting methods.

Quick Tip: Make sure you rotate your seedlings to keep the stems strong. You don’t want them leaning one way it will weaken the stems.

Here are a few packets of seeds I picked up this week while I was out. I am hoping to start them this week. I will let you know if I have any luck with them.

A Few Tips for Starting Seeds Indoors ...

Some women are addicted to buying shoes others purses, I have a problem with flowers. Enough is never enough, come May and June if I pass a farmers market or a road side stand I get the shakes. The last couple of years I have started several annuals from seed so I could double the amount of flowers I have but spend less money. I still buy a few flats to satisfy my addiction but I don’t have to buy quite as many.

Monday I finally took time to plant a few seeds I collected from annuals last fall. I usually buy packets of seeds but I wanted to try drying the seeds over the winter and see if they would sprout in the spring. I planted six seeds of each of the four types I collected, they are my guinea pigs. The seeds I planted were Mexican Sunflowers, Tequila Lime Zinnias, Purple Zinnias, and Cosmos.

I am not a professional Gardner, I do not know the scientific names of the flowers I plant, but I do seem to have a green thumb and I truly love gardening. Here are a few tricks I have learned that have been successful when starting seeds indoors.

My favorite containers to first start the seeds in are plastic strawberry containers. I have found this is the best place for the seeds to germinate. After I plant the seeds I slip the containers in plastic bags and seal them, this keeps the soil moist and the condition constant for the seeds. I first did this last spring it worked great.

Before I place my potting soil in the strawberry containers I place it in a plastic bag and add warm water right into the bag. I only add enough water to make the ground nice and moist. Once all the soil is damp I add it to my containers.

If you decide to use strawberry containers I usually only sew six seeds per container. Every type of seed has its own specific needs. So for best results follow the packet directions or go online and look up your specific flower.

Once I have the seeds planted and bagged I write a label with the name of the plant, the date it was planted, and the expected germination time.

I am hoping my little guinea pigs sprout so I can sow the rest of my seeds and if they don’t I will have to grab a few extra packets or flats.

Sun ...

I think my crocuses were as happy as I was to see the sun today. They have been waiting patiently for the sun to break through the clouds so they could bloom. Their vibrant colors are a sharp contrast to the dead landscape that surrounds them. Seeing the crocuses beautiful colors makes me long for the warm summer days that feel so far away.

Sun ???

After a long cold winter we are all anxiously waiting for the warm sun.

I am Thirty What Today ...

I can not believe today is my 31st birthday. I can remember my eighth birthday like it was yesterday. I had pinkeye, my parents threw me a surprise birthday party and I got to go to The Academy of Natural Science Museum in Philadelphia. When I was eight I was obsessed with dinosaurs, going to the museum was my present, Stegosaurus was my favorite.

As far as birthdays go this one is not very exciting. My husband is out of town, Noah has school, Abbey has speech, and I get to go grocery shopping. The last couple days for a lack of a better word have been kind of shitty. Seeing my parents was hard, Michael being away sucks and well having a birthday brings up so many different emotions.

I wanted to do something fun for my blog post to distract myself. So hear are 31 random things about yours truly.

When I was thirteen I gave a boy a bloody lip for trying to kiss me.
I think bugs and spiders are beautiful.
I have spilt water on my laptop at least 3 times, some of my keys no longer work.
I love warm summer evenings, the smells, the sounds, and the stars.
I have a black cat named Scream.
My favorite character from Sesame Street was the Count.
I cannot walk in high heels without assistance.
I secretly love watching Star Wars with my son.
I have four grey hairs. I almost cried when my hairdresser told me.
I steal my daughters Hello Kitty lip gloss because I am too cheap to buy my own.
My favorite TV shows are, Dexter, True Blood, Weeds, and the Golden Girls.
I hope I live long enough to watch my great-grandchildren playing in my gardens.
I played volleyball in high school and college.
My favorite children’s book is, The Little House, by Virginia Lee Burton.
I don’t believe in doing anything unless I am passionate about it.
I am writing this while watching Twilight, I know I am too old to love this movie.
The three places I want to visit before I die are Greece, Egypt, and France.
I have loved my husband ever since I first saw him.
My dream home would be a little cottage with a wrap around porch on a lake.
My favorite radio station is http://www.radio1045.com/.
I am shy.
When I grow up I want to illustrate children’s books.
I dislike closed minded ignorant people.
My favorite kind of sushi is eel rolls.
My husband still gives me butterflies.
I am a terrible speller.
I could sit and stare at the ocean forever.
I wish I was as carefree and fearless as my daughter.
I wish I was as intelligent and confident as my son.
I love working in my flowerbeds almost as much as I love to paint.
If I have learned anything in my 31 years on this planet it is to not take anyone for granted and love as many people as possible.

Sad ...

I remember a time when I was close to my family. I always thought I would be close to my parents. I had a wonderful childhood. I had two understanding parents who loved me, my sister and one another. I thought my father hung the moon and stars and although my mother and I would have our battles I always new she would be there for me.

It’s nothing like that anymore. I saw my parents for the first time today at my uncle’s memorial. I hadn’t seen my mother in eight months and my father in seven months. In the last two years I have seen my mother three times. She has not seen my beautiful children in almost two years. Abbey has no idea who she is and the grandson who saw her at least once a week has not gotten to share the wonderful young man he has become with her. My father vanished from our lives seven months ago. He was full of empty promises and lies, he broke my heart.

I don’t know what happened to them, they went from honest, moral, loving people to people I no longer recognize. I have often thought if the people who raised me could see who they would become what would they say. How would they feel if they could see how they would eventually treat each other, their children, and their grandchildren.

I went to the memorial today to support my cousins. I can’t imagine the pain the three of them are dealing with loosing their father. He will never be there to walk his daughter down the isle, hold his grandchildren, or grow old. My parents have that. They have children and grandchildren who would love to be in their lives and they are not there. They threw us away and I don’t know why. I will never understand why we were not good enough.

I talked briefly to my parents, nothing meaningful, idle chit chat. My father said this makes you think, he mentioned fixing things, changing things. He has been saying this for months. It is so easy to say something, the hard part is actually doing it. A part of me is hopeful that we will find a way to have a relationship. Another part of me is hurt and confused, I just don’t understand why? How do four people who loved each other so much hurt each other so much.

There are times I have felt like a lost little girl. A little girl who someone forgot about walked away from. The turmoil with my family has taken its toll on my marriage, my family, my life. Every time they hurt me it touched every part of my life. I had to walk away my husband and children deserved a wife and a mother who wasn’t sad all the time. My children deserve the happy childhood I had.

I miss my parents everyday. I am willing to try to make things better. It just saddens me to know things will never be as they were. Will I ever trust them again? Will I ever feel loved? I guess only time will tell.

Looking for a Little Advice ...

The last couple of days I have been focusing my time and energy into giving my little Etsy shop a face lift. I woke up a little discouraged Friday morning about how things have been going so I went to The Etsy Seller Handbook and began taking notes. I redid my banner, retook pictures of all of my listings, twice, changed tags, and removed all of my Christmas items. I am so tired of taking and editing pictures, it’s frustrating just when I think they look great, they don’t. I probably took at least 40 pictures of each piece twice. Sunday I took them by the back door, they didn’t come out right so Monday and Tuesday Abbey and I bundled up and spent sometime in the great outdoors taking photos. I sit here like a nut holding the art work next to the computer, I want to get the photos as close to the actual painting as possible. I keep asking my husband, does this look clear, does it look like the painting, and does everything look uniformed. I think he was more excited than me when I listed my final painting last night.
Sometimes I feel like a needle in a haystack, there are so many amazing artists on Etsy; I wish I knew how to make my works of art stand out. I am very critical of my work, I am my toughest critic. I joined Etsy in May of last year and did not list anything until October. I kept dragging my feet. I was nervous that I would fail miserably. I have sold 11 items in the last four months, I know it is a slow process, I know it takes time, and I know I have a limited amount of time to put into the shop. I am first a stay at home mom so creating takes a backseat to life most of the time. I am so happy that I did set up the shop it has given me something that is my own, I love creating first and foremost but I would also love to establish a successful business for myself. So far this has been nothing but a positive experience for me I just want to make it better. I would love some advice on how you make your businesses successful. It doesn’t even need to be an Etsy shop I would love to hear some great tips and learn a few things . Thanks for listening to me ramble, Heather