I've spent the last few weeks working on costumes for my daughter's school play. I don't often get the chance to work with fabric this sparkly and shiny.

And speaking of lovely, shiny dresses, I got up early today to watch the Royal Wedding. I remember watching Charles and Diana's as a child, and somehow it seemed very important to me to watch this one too.

Today is maybe the perfect day. Sunny, warm, spring. A good thing for a Friday.

I just added some more red stripe grainsack pillows to my shop. The red is a soft washed out color, so pretty! I'll be adding some bright red stripe pillows soon, I'm just waiting for the pillow inserts to arrive.

It's sunny and warm today, blossoms exploding all over town. I've got a bit more work to do before I can go outside, but it's so tempting!

Easter was really nice this year. A bit different because this is the first year my children no longer believe in the Easter bunny. Kind of relief not to have to pretend anymore, and the Easter baskets were enjoyed all the same, no matter who brought them! It was warm enough to sit out on our back patio with afternoon drinks and grill the Easter dinner leg of lamb on our tiny barbeque. Hope you all had a nice Sunday whether you celebrated Easter or not!

I like it when Easter falls so late in April that it really feels like spring. Okay, maybe it's not so warm here yet, but there are blossoms on the trees and daffodils and tulips in the neighbors' yards. Tomorrow we will dye Easter eggs and get things ready for an Easter breakfast and dinner. For me, Easter is all about food and spring time, a way to celebrate a new season.

Happy Easter!

Patio furniture came out of storage this weekend and I made two trips to the garden center. First one just to look, second one to buy. It turned out to be quite a shopping spree. What came home: a hellebore, 3 strawberry plants, ferns, some lily of the valley, a bunch of seed packets (wish me luck with these, I'm feeling a bit intimidated that I will actually be able to coax them to grow), and a few little house plants. Okay, now I have my work cut out for me to plant these.

I have a huge crush on the color of this hellebore. It's called cotton candy. Perfect. Feels like I'm writing a flower blog these days. It's just that season, you know.

These tulips are just about over. They were so gloriously orange when I bought them earlier in the week.

In a quiet and sunny moment in my kitchen, I went through all these old Toast catalogs and ended up feeling overwhelmingly inspired to make things. Now I have too many ideas running around in my brain and don't quite know where to begin. I have a slightly daunting project to finish before I can begin any of my own work. But it will get done and I think it will turn out okay.

Have a nice weekend!

Just the beginning of things starting to grow and turn green again. Since it's pouring rain today, that will help things along on the next sunny day. Our lilac is starting to get buds, and when those blossom it's my favorite smell ever.

I took a quick walk through my neighborhood garden center yesterday, keeping my eye out for new things that might be fun to grow this year. I'm thinking I'd like to grow more herbs in pots this summer and maybe try planting some lettuce in pots as well. Anyone out there ever had any luck with that? I've never been much good at growing vegetables, only flowers.

This afternoon, green tea and dark chocolate to get me through the rainy weather.

Spring weather today! Our neighbor's magnolia tree bloomed in the warm sunshine and we made avocado milkshakes to drink outside after school.

For two big avocado shakes or four small ones mix in the blender:

1 avocado

1/2 cup milk (I use whole milk)

1 cup of ice

2 tablespoons -1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk (depending on how sweet you like it)

Blend until all ice is crushed and blended in. Pour into glasses and enjoy.

Got a 9 year old birthday to celebrate today. I love this guy so much! I just can't believe he's 9 already. Seems like just yesterday that he was born. Time flies. Have a good weekend. Weather is sunny here for two days now and perhaps over the weekend too. Fingers crossed.

Sometimes a little orange is just the thing. I don't have a lot of orange in my house, so I was suprised to see that when I rearranged my book shelves by color, some of my favorite books have orange spines.

What is the what. By Dave Eggers

Balzac and the little Chinese seamstress. By Dai Sijie

Crossing to safety. By Wallace Stegner

Bridget Jones's diary. By Helen Fielding

I love the randomness of these books together. All they have in common is orange spines, and the fact that I enjoyed them heartily.

Just started reading The Tiger's wife, by Tea Obreht. So far, so good.

Somehow the weekend flew by with not much to show for it. Some nice moments, like dinner with friends, and the sunny weather yesterday was great for a walk around town. I can't believe these seedums survived the snowy winter in a pot which I neglected to bring inside.

Last bits of Mexico, this time from the ruins in Tulum, a Mayan city that flourished around 900 A.D. I find it extraordinarily humbling to look at what's left of civilizations, keeping in mind that someday in the distant future, the bits and pieces of our own will be examined and analyzed. Who knows what conclusions future archaeologists will draw about us?

Mexico is an amazing place to visit. This was my third trip there, and I look forward to going back again. Especially today, the first of April, as it is snowing and sleeting here in Cambridge. How crazy is that?

Hope you all have a nice weekend, and I do hope it is warmer and sunnier where you are than it is here.