I mentioned in a previous post that winter has been endless in the midwest.  We actually had a significant snow storm 2 weeks ago.  My parents who live in Northeastern Wisconsin received 24 inches of snow in one weekend.  The snowfall broke some records from the 1800’s.  I have lived in Wisconsin most of my life, I cannot recall ever receiving that much snow in one event, let alone in the middle of April.   Flooding is a concern, as that is so much water to deal with while temperatures rapidly increase. However, just like everything else in life, the weather changed quickly and within a few days we were in the 50’s and 60’s.  Fast forward 10 days and the snow is gone, the robins are happy and the tulips are growing.  Spring is here at last.

I have always been a person who anxiously anticipates the next season because each season has so much to offer.  Spring is tied with autumn as my favorite though.  I am not a religious person, but Easter is my favorite holiday.  I love the idea of rebirth, the very meaning of spring.  My Easter decorations remain on display because I love the colors of robin’s egg blue, lilac and pink.  This is the season of celebrating life; newly hatched chicks, lambs and bunnies.  All symbols of spring and our Earth waking up.  Nothing feels better than going outside on a warm, sunny day after 6 months of winter.

With the change in seasons, my backyard is being tended by my husband has he plants the seeds that will give us food over the summer and into fall.  I have mentioned that he is the gardener.  He has a green thumb and has harvested some beautiful and delicious produce over the years.  I am however the cook of the family and I cannot wait to share some my creations over the summer with what he grows.  I truly love to cook and provide my family and friends with delicious food that came from my backyard.  This summer will have so much to offer and I am excited for it’s arrival.

On a personal note, I want to thank everyone for the private messages I received in regards to the loss of our dog, Stella.  In a world with so much sadness and what I believe can be a lack of empathy, it gives me hope when I hear from people who value pets as family as much as I do.  We all know those people who believe the loss of a pet is just the loss of an object, but I found over the last week that those people truly are the minority.  Thank you.

Stella on her 12th birthday

For my mother’s birthday, I found a fun DIY craft with crayons that is super easy and fun to do. It doesn’t take a lot of time, and you can personalize it however you want.

Supplies:

Crayons of any colors you want

Hair dryer

Canvas or a wooden board

Hot glue gun

Masking tape (optional)

Paint (optional)

The first thing that you have to do to make this is glue the crayons onto your canvas. I did mine a gradient going from red to purple, but you can put the crayons in whatever order you would like.

If you would like to create a design onto your canvas, you can use masking tape to create the design. Doing this will leave that section blank of any wax and will make it look like the wax went around it.

After the glue is dry, set the canvas up against something and begin blow drying it to melt the crayon wax down. Make sure that the canvas is upright so that all of the wax melts down.

Allow the wax to completely dry, then take off the tape if you chose to make a design. Be careful taking the tape off so that you don’t take off any wax with it.

If you choose, you can paint the design. I painted my heart a solid white, but you can use whatever color you choose to personalize this art.

Once the paint completely dries, you are all done! This art will look great as decoration, and it is fun to make! I really enjoyed doing this project, I think that DIYs are really great when you are bored or want to make a gift for someone. They are thoughtful and more exciting to give to someone.

I hope that you enjoyed making this craft, because I enjoyed making it a ton.

Last night it snowed, bringing with it another blast of arctic air.  Part of the reason I love living in the mid west is the unspoken promise of 4 seasons.  So far, I am not seeing that promise fulfilled.   This year it has been either rainy and cold, or just cold.  By April, I am ready for those hints of better weather; tulips, daffodils, birds who are not confused and temperatures that are above 32 degrees.  Wind chills were actually mentioned today!

As I write this, my husband is diligently planning for summer.  His greenhouse is finished (I will be writing a blog post about that) and seeds have been planted in egg cartons in the basement, growing under grow lights.  Our bees have been ordered and the hives are finished.  He is researching the chicks he plans on ordering in late April, as the coop was finished in September.  The beer brewing that he enjoys needs to wait until warmer days so that he can do that project outdoors.  I am married to a man who is happiest when in his yard.  This never-ending winter is making these plans seem like they may never be completed.

On a day like today, it is hard to believe that my college aged children are  just weeks away from their summer vacation.  My son has signed up for summer classes and my daughter is looking forward to her summer job.  My youngest will be going to France in 76 days.  All things marked on our calendar, to be part of summer.    But, as we all know, the days drag and the weeks and months fly by.  Before we know it, the windows will be open, tomatoes will be ripening on the vines and another season will have passed us by.  After all, my daughter told me today that there is only one more snowfall  in the forecast.

Welcome to our blog.  My daughter, Maeghan, and I are excited you are here while we start this new adventure!

This blog is going to be a little bit of everything; cooking, baking, gardening.  Really anything that goes with being part of a family and living in a home is up for grabs.  We live in suburban Milwaukee, WI, about 20 miles away from Lake Michigan.  We truly love living here and while life in the country would be great, we have become accustomed to the benefits of living near a city.  We are fortunate to live on close to an acre of land, which allows my husband to do what he loves.  Garden.  Our gardens provide much of our food in the summer, but we have yet to get to the point of being able to preserve enough for winter.

As a family, we believe in the importance of conservation and lowering our carbon footprint.  While we will never be perfect, we strive to make choices that help our environment.  Much of what I plan to discuss will focus on earth friendly and sustainable ideas.  I am always open to new ideas and better methods, so if something can be done more efficiently, let me know.

Here’s to a new adventure!