tire swing :: kid projects :: inspiration

"It is a happy talent to know how to play."

 ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

blueberry lemonade :: inspiration

happy weekend friends!  i hope it's the kind of saturday that you enjoy the outdoors, play with the kiddos, and watch the sunset relaxing with something wonderful like a blueberry lemonade.

the story of daisy :: dog photography :: personal story

you've met daisy dog.  she's a pain.  but we still love her... well i do anyway.

today i want to share daisy dog's story with you.  it started out pretty sad.  keep reading though, 'cause it ends happy:

about 13 years ago, i was hiking in shawnee national forest (southern illinois).  happily hiking along.  that's when we happened along a very tiny, very skinny puppy limping through the woods.  she couldn't walk on one of her back legs.  when we got close, we noticed her protruding hip bones, ribs and about a million fleas jumping off of her.  she was pathetic.  but...

she had to belong to somebody and some point.  her tail was clipped.  i quickly scooped her up, not even caring about the leaping fleas, and snuggled her the rest of our hike.  we stopped by the forest office on the way out to see if anyone had reported her missing.  no one had.  then we all stood around and discussed what to do with her... well, everyone else did.  i just kissed and loved on her.

posters were hung.  ads were put in the paper.  this was just a quick weekend trip for me, so i made my friends promise to take good care of this little puppy while i returned home.

her owner never came.  after 2 weeks, a good friend brought her to me.  she was mine and i named her daisy.  i don't think she touched the ground for 3 days because i loved on her so much.  when i took her to the vet, he estimated her to be 3 months old.  she had been hit by a car and her hip had healed itself incorrectly.  we could do surgery, which would cost a fortune, or she could just live out her life with a limp.  i chose the latter because i was 19 and had no money.

now, i'm not gonna say this has always been an easy or happy path.  the dog drives me crazy at least 80% of the time.  she barks for no reason at nothing at all.  she gets in the garbage.  she sheds.  a lot.  she can't go up or down steps very well (but somehow can jump on the couch).  she's a nervous dog.  and impatient.

but!  something wonderful has happened as she has gotten older and we have moved to the farm.  she runs.  she runs fast and free all day every day.  pictured above, she is rolling over... something i never saw her do until recently.  it's like her hip suddenly stopped bothering her.  it's like she's a puppy again.  it's like she's benjamin button!

i don't know how much longer i have with this old{young} girl.  she's been a big staple in my story of life.

isn't that the most beautiful thing about pets?  they make your story so much more interesting.  xoxo

car collection :: farm photography

i was visiting a relative's farm the other day and spotted these two.  i love photographing junk and this combo made me laugh.  who knows how long each has been sitting there...

the top one looks like it should be the bad guy in a children's movie.  i believe the bottom car actually belonged to a high school friend of my husbands.  both sit at the back of the farm by the 'junk barns' as we call them...  old barns that are barely standing with a collection of forgotten items.  it's fun to go exploring there.  the boys certainly love it.

so... here's to spring and all the new that is growing around the old.  happy day friends!

pink blooms :: nature photography

there is a weeping cherry tree on the university of illinois campus that i have admired for years.  it can easily go unnoticed until this time of year when it is the brightest, most beautiful thing in a 10 mile radius.  i love it and i go visit it each year.  i even hug it.

do you have a favorite tree?  i can think of a few that have grown with me and mean something special.  ones i climbed as a child, ones i have taught my boys to climb, ones i planted when young, ones that i swung under, ones that i photographed, ones that have fallen and i made a clubhouse out of their trunk...

you should photograph your favorite tree and send it to me.  i would love that.  xoxo

spring weekend :: personal story

hi friends!  did you have a good weekend?!  we certainly did... it was one of those beautiful spring weekends that you spend your winter days dreaming of.  here are some highlights:

1. it has been raining so much, our creek is pretty full!  the boys took a little canoe trip
2. while out, they picked me some "flowers"
3. on saturday afternoon, we had some dear friends over for a cookout. the kiddos rode the 4-wheeler, played in the mud, suffocated the baby chicks (not really) and explored the barns.
4. my husband somehow caught an adorable bunny!  i have always wanted a bunny, so i snuggled it all evening until we had to release it back into the wild.  that was sad.
5. i quickly cheered up though when we built a tire swing!  i looooove it.  i practiced my swinging gymnastic skills for far too long.

xoxo

quick market bag :: diy

hot air balloon candy dish :: diy :: party inspiration

yesterday, for the us kiddos class at the shop, we looked 'up' for our inspiration! we made hot air balloons, airplanes & butterflies... all to the delight of 8 (yes, i said 8!) young children.  it was a busy & crazy morning, so i knew we would need a little sugar fuel to keep us going.  how perfect this little hot-air-balloon-themed candy dish fit our needs!

p.s. washi tape makes everything better... don't you agree?!

soft spring :: nature photography

it's been a cold and rainy spring here.  (remember the snow?!)  i was able to run out and grab a few photos just before the rain came down last weekend... so happy i did.

xoxo

may day basket :: diy

awww... may day.  it's the perfect day for a random act of kindness.  the boys and i are already working on our list of friends we plan to surprise with a gift on their door!

here's an easy diy may day basket that you can fill with a fresh bouquet of flowers:

1. cut burlap (or fabric of your choice) at least twice the height as a plastic sandwich bag
2. sew along vertical edges, leaving an opening at the top
3. flip rightside out and modge podge a doily, sew on fabric flowers, paint or decorate
4. sew or staple ribbon on the inside hem
5. place plastic bag inside so that you can place your fresh flowers in a touch of water without soaking your fabric
6. add a small note with a cheerful spring message