Check and Check :)

I'm always so much more productive when I take the time to make a list! Check out all I've managed to get done already:

16. Charge the batteries for our camera so I can start taking pictures again! √

Isn't this tree gorgeous? It's right across the street from me, and I love walking by it every day on my way to and from work. It's always the first to bloom every spring - does anyone know what kind of tree it is?

1. Re-pot my houseplants that have outgrown their current homes. √

This was fun! The trickiest part was re-potting the samona (top right) without getting pricked by its thorns, but it was well worth the risk just to be able to play in the dirt :)

2. Pick up the clothes that have erupted all over the floor and wash them. √

Despite appearances, I'm not quite done this one yet - there's still one load to be folded. But when the second-last load came out of the dryer at 11:30 last night, I had to throw in the towel and go to bed. TC will (hopefully) get the last one done before he heads out this morning, though, so I'm counting it as done.

18. Randomly select winner of mystery gift from previous post and send the gift. √

Except I haven't sent the gift yet :) Austen, if you'll email your address to bloomingpatterns at gmail dot com, I'll get it in the mail asap. Thank you all for your wonderful book and author suggestions - I'm looking forward to some good reading in the next little while.

4. Order a shampoo bar. √

The wonderfully talented and generous Sherrie of Birch Bark Soap fame has offered to send me a shampoo bar to try. I can't wait - thank you so much Sherrie! Her soaps are amazing, so be sure to check out her etsy shop and order a few :)

12. Get milk. √

15. Book a massage at the spa. √

Done and done. Not bad for a little less than a day, eh?

To Do This Week:

1. Re-pot my houseplants that have outgrown their current homes.
2. Pick up the clothes that have erupted all over the floor and wash them.
3. Listen to old mix tapes and determine if they're worth keeping.
4. Order a shampoo bar - Sherrie, do you make those? Or know someone who does? I want to try one to see if they work.
5. Order some books from Chapters with my gift certificate (thanks for all the wonderful suggestions, folks!).
6. Plan crocheting lesson for a friend who wants to make a baby afghan.
7. Start making list of what to pack for our upcoming trip to France (17 days and counting...).
8. Arrange for someone to cover my shift in the nursery the Sunday we're away.
9. Buy a pile of non-electric pencil sharpeners. Did you know that many African children become infected with HIV because the only thing they have to sharpen their pencils with is their father's old razor? A friend is going to Africa next week and has asked everyone to bring in as many pencil sharpeners as we can.
10. Pick up one more skein of yarn to finally finish the latticework afghan.
11. Photocopy some sheet music and return the originals to their owner (I know, I know - I'm a criminal).
12. Get milk.
13. Look into sources of local, preferably organic produce this summer.
14. Come up with an idea for celebrating mother's day that doesn't require buying gifts (any suggestions?).
15. Book a massage at the spa.
16. Charge the batteries for our camera so I can start taking pictures again!
17. Call the folks.
18. Randomly select winner of mystery gift from previous post and send the gift.

That ought to keep me occupied! Have you all been out enjoying the glorious spring, even summer weather? TC and I went for a walk last night to pick up the soil for item #1, and it was lovely! The grass is green, the trees all have leaves, and some have started to blossom; daffodils and pansies and tulips are everywhere - it's a beautiful time of year.

Along the way to the hardware store, TC got ice cream while I got some sour gummie bears, which reminded me of all the summers I managed to beg a dollar from my mom to spend on penny candy at the local convenience store. Good times! We got home exhausted, TC from carrying 10 lbs of dirt for half an hour, and me from forgetting that it was 30 degrees out and over-dressing.

It's a warm, rainy day today - the kind that makes the earth smell delicious, and the worms come out to play on the sidewalks. A puddle-jumping kind of day. I'm going to have to find one on my way home :)

Book Contest

I'm back! It's been a while, hasn't it? Last week was...well, it was something I'd rather not have to repeat anytime soon. Let's leave it at that, shall we? Even thinking about it is starting to stress me out.

Maybe it's a result of that stress, but lately I've been in a reading mood. I've always loved reading - my parents had a hard time keeping me in books growing up - and for the past few days all I've really wanted to do is curl up with a cup of tea and a blanket and lose myself in the pages of a good book. At the rate I'm going, though, I'm going to run out of books before I run out of steam. Fortunately I can read and enjoy a book more than once, but I'm already past that point, so now I need your help.

I find it difficult to choose a new book or author without some kind of recommendation - here's where you come in. Leave a comment on this post with the name of your favourite author(s) and/or book(s) that you have enjoyed reading, and next Wednesday I'll randomly select one person to receive a lovely mystery gift from me.

Oh, and happy earth day!

Homemade Goodness - for you!

I first read about this over on Sherrie's blog, and have since seen it in a couple of other places and I want in! I'm always looking for an excuse to start a new project :)

So here are the rules - The first 5 people who respond to this post will get something hand made by me: it will be my choice, but will, hopefully, be something you can use or enjoy for its aesthetic merits. I won't guarantee that you will love it ~ but I sure hope you do! I also promise to mail my handmade gift to you before the end of the year (December 31, 2009) or sooner.

To participate, you must "Pay It Forward" by posting your own hand made giveaway on your blog. Then put together something to be sent out as 5 surprises of your own. These surprises can be anything ~ a piece of art, a photo, a poem ~ whatever you choose.

Now I'll just wait for the comments to come rolling in! If you're one of the first five to comment, please e-mail me your mailing address (bloomingpatterns [at] gmail [dot] com), and my gift to you will go in the mail sometime in the next 9 months!

And the Winner is...

Sherrie G! I know you said not to put your name in the draw, since you are currently suffering from a surfeit of soap, but it didn't seem fair not to include you in the contest - switching to sandals is one of my favourite things about spring too!

So, instead of a bar of soap I'll be sending you a surprise...

Signs of Spring Contest

I would have to say that spring is definitely my favourite time of year. Ever since I was a kid walking to and from the bus stop I have loved watching the world gradually wake up from its winter slumber, peeking out in new places every day.

The first sign is always the little tiny bumps that start to form on the branches of trees and bushes, which slowly become tight little brown buds. Then they begin to take on a slightly greenish hue, and all of a sudden, when nobody is looking, the brand new baby leaves break free and give the trees a misty green shimmer.

Then you hear a sound that you'd missed all winter long but didn't realize it. The birds have returned, with their early morning chorus welcoming the new day. They're busy courting and building their nests, as are the squirrels, who you now see running up and down the power lines, and leaping from tree to tree.

If you look closely you can see that things are also stirring on the ground below. Little green spears start poking their heads though the earth, usually in someone's garden. They grow larger and larger, and soon they are no longer spears. They have become two leaves surrounding a stem with a faintly coloured bulge on the end - sometimes purple, sometimes white or yellow or orange, and sometimes a combination of colours. The crocuses have arrived! And before you know it they've opened up and are creating pockets of vibrant colour everywhere you look.

Then you start to notice that the grass is no longer the dry winter brown that it has been since the snow melted. Every day it becomes a little greener, as the fresh new shoots push their way up to the sun, replacing the remnants of last year's lawn until there's nothing left but bright green grass and maybe a dandelion or two.

Of course spring, like every other season, has its downsides. The melting snow and April showers can create a seemingly endless supply of mud, and the ants and spiders (and other creepy-crawlies) that have lain dormant all winter wake up and rediscover the paths into your house. And while I am not a big fan of these particular developments, they are also signs of spring's arrival, so I welcome them as well.

It's such an exciting time of year! Neighbours sit out on their porches and visit, the kids start playing road hockey, people put away their winter coats and boots and start walking everywhere in their bright spring clothes, the corner stores start putting a plethora of fresh flowers and fruit out on the sidewalk - I just love it!

And I don't believe I'm the only one, so in honour of spring I'm going to have a little contest. All you need to do is post a comment telling me your favourite thing about spring, and on Sunday I will put all the names in a hat (or bowl, or something) and pick one lucky person to receive a bar from my next batch of homemade soap (which is going to be a refreshing rosemary-mint).

Happy spring!

And the winner is...

Maureen! Sorry I didn't get a chance to post this on Saturday, but life has been insanely busy lately. So Maureen, if you will Facebook me your address I will mail you your very own bag bag.

A Surfeit of Bag Dispensers

Inspired by the messy pile of bags that has been accumulating in one corner of our pantry, I made it my project this weekend to find a crochet pattern for a plastic bag dispenser. I finally found one here, and after making some alterations to the pattern they were so much fun to make that I went a little overboard. I therefore need to find a home for an extra that I made, which is where you, o loyal blog readers, come in. If you find yourself overrun by the plastic bags that your environmental conscience won't let you throw away, or you know someone on your gift-giving list who is, post a comment with an idea on how to reuse those plastic bags and on Saturday morning I'll put all the names in a hat (or bowl, or something) and pick a winner, to whom I will send the bag dispenser pictured above :)