Flowers

"Flowers always make people better; happier; and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine to the soul."
~ Luther Burbank

Make your kisses count

Pic


"I leaned over and kissed him. I tried to make it count. A person had to be diligent about kissing. Kissing was the affirmation of the union, the secret handshake that identified its members. And even knowing how important it was, it was easy to let it slide altogether, and suddenly one day you wake up and realize that it has been weeks since you really kissed your husband. Worse still were the kisses that became mere gestures of kissing, those hard pecks like the kind you got from a great aunt when you were five, kisses that weren't kisses at all but said instead, I used to kiss you and this is the symbol that now stands in its place. It was the difference between eating a great meal and looking at a picture of food in a magazine: One made you feel full and the other only reminded you that you were hungry."

-Jeanne Ray, "Step-Ball-Change"

Clouds

This is the cloud of the month from the Cloud Appreciation Society.

We did some cloud appreciation today while resting from jumping on the trampoline. I loved hearing about what shapes the kids saw in the clouds. It is a fun glimpse into their imaginations and how their little minds work.

Where do you keep shoes at your house?

Can you tell what doesn't belong in this picture?



Okay, first I will tell you a story, then I will give you a closer look. Sunday morning we were getting ready to walk out the door to go to church, but we had a little problem. We could only find one of Ella's church shoes. We searched frantically for the next several minutes but to no avail. Finally, we found her old church shoes which barely fit and don't stay on very good, and just went with those.

Fast forward to today. As I started making lunch I went to get some tomato soup and look what I found.



Ella's Shoe!!!

No wonder I feel like I am loosing my mind at times! I have a little friend (Jace) who likes to switch things up on me, just to keep my life interesting.

Dining al fresco

"The cream of enjoyment in this life is always impromptu. The chance walk; the unexpected visit; the unpremeditated journey; the unsought conversation or acquiantance."

-Fanny Fern






Yesterday, we ate our Sunday dinner outside. Keni had just brought out the outdoor dining set that he got me for Christmas. It was a beautiful day and I just couldn't resist. They kids loved it too.

My Partners in Crime

We had so much fun yesterday with our little May Day celebration. The kids made cute little Happy May Day cards (I forgot to take a pic) to go with the plates of cookies we made. We then set out to deliver them. I told the kids that we didn't want to get caught. In the old May Day tradition, if you got caught you got a kiss. I told this to Gordon and said that we didn't want to get kissed and he said, "But, I like kisses."

Anyway, doorbell ditching is kind of tricky! Especially, when you are only 6 and 3. Gordon and Ella were doing it by themselves, while Jace and I waited in the car. They got caught twice. No kisses though, just thank yous. I think Gordon was a little disappointed. At one house, while running back to the car Ella slipped on the gravel and fell down. So, I had to get out the car and run and get her. That is one of the places we got caught.

The kids were so much fun to watch. It was an adventure and they loved it. I'm already looking forward to doing it again next year. The kids will be able to hide a little better and run a little faster by then. Good doorbell ditching skills are essential to childhood mischief. We just might have to practice again, sometime soon.

Secret #12: None of you are safe.

Happy May Day!

May Day is a celebration of Spring.

One of the most popularly known May Day traditions is the giving of "May baskets", small baskets of sweets and/or flowers, usually left anonymously on neighbors' doorsteps. The trick is you don't want your neighbors to see you! If you get caught, you are supposed to get a kiss.

In medieval England, people would celebrate the start of spring by going out to the country or woods—"going a-maying"—and gathering greenery and flowers, or "bringing in the may."

On May 1st, people in Hawaii celebrate their own version of May Day; they call it Lei Day. People give Hawaiian leis to each other. They put them around each other's necks and sometimes give a traditional kiss.

I think the idea of May Day and celebrating spring is sweet. The kids and I are going to try and start our own little May Day tradition today by delivering treats to our neighbors. I wish we could deliver treats & flowers to all of you too. Happy May Day!