An Easter Carol

An Easter Carol

Spring bursts today,

For Christ is risen and all earth's at play.

Flash forth, thou Sun,

The rain is over and gone, its work is done.

Winter is past,

Sweet Spring is come at last, is come at last.

Bud, Fig and Vine,

Bud, Olive, fat with fruit and oil and wine.

Break forth this morn

In roses, thou but yesterday a Thorn.

Uplift thy head, 

O pure white Lily thro' the Winter dead.

 Beside your dams

Leap and rejoice, you merry-making Lambs,

All Herds and Flocks

Rejoice, all Beasts of thickets and of rocks.

Sing, Creatures, sing,

Angels and Men and Birds and everything.

All notes of Doves

Fill all our world: this is the time of loves.

CHRISTINA ROSSETTI 

Happy 6th Birthday, Frankie

 Dear Friends,

Yesterday we celebrated the fun of having a boy in the family for six whole years; he definitely keeps us hopping and we are so glad he is here with us!

Here are a few photos of the fun:

~Anticipation~

~A tiny bow and arrow made by Evangeline~

~Someone new to fight the bad guys~

~And lots of art supplies for when the soldiers need a rest~

And lastly, yet another video created by Audrey in honor of the birthday boy~



We hope you are having a wonderful weekend, wherever you are!

Love,

Marqueta

Happy Spring

Dear Friends,

A happy first day of spring to you! Our forecast is calling for snow for the next few weeks, making us wonder if we brought Idaho's spring weather with us this year. Never mind, all the moisture will mean lots of flowers in due time!

"Nothing much happens without a dream. For something really great to happen, it takes a really great dream."

~Robert Greenleaf

Extra days of cloudy weather give us more time for dreaming, which is what Frankie was caught doing recently (He fell asleep holding an arrow we bought him for an early birthday present)~

On a clear evening, lie on a blanket in your backyard and really look at the night sky. Gazing at the stars reminds us that there's more to life than we'll ever realize and that every day brings new chances.

~Sarah Ban Breathnach

Last Friday was such a nice day, the children and I decided to sleep out on our deck under the stars (Of course, "sleep" is a term used lightly when sirens, trains, planes, automobiles, and extremely loud barred owls are your lullaby throughout the night).

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."

~Johann van Goethe

AnnaMarie has been amazing us lately with her painting talents; look at this box she is decorating with characters from "The Hobbit!"

"Down deep in every human heart is a hidden longing, impulse, and ambition to do something fine and enduring."

~Grenville Kleiser

We've been pulling out our Easter decorations and have been reminded of the gift of friendships, and how blessed we are to have such talented ones. Our blog friend Linnie sent us this goose egg she decorated a few years ago, and we still cherish it~

We don't know the artist behind this egg we found at a thrift store, but the cutwork on the shell is very boldly and beautifully done~

"The great opportunity is where you are. Do not despise your own place and hour. Every place is under the stars, every place is the center of the world."

~John Burroughs

May this spring bring you every blessing pertaining to the promise of new life.

Love,

Marqueta

When the Snow Turns to Slush

Dear Friends,

When the fun of sledding and snow-sculpting have worn thin (along with the snow on the front lawn), what could be more fun than making up a big batch of Play Dough and setting up a "bakery?"

When the Play Dough is no longer fun, then you find other forms of entertainment.

This house sparrow makes me feel guilty for not having a heated birdbath... maybe someone will get me one for my birthday (hint, hint!).

And lastly, AnnaMarie and Audrey have been entertaining us with creating beautiful music, such as the following video~

I hope you're having a lovely week!

Love,

Marqueta