Coloring Eggs

Last night Lily and I dyed Easter eggs. Charlotte and Tyson stood by, but we didn't get around to coloring eggs until the evening and that is Charlotte's cranky time so while Tyson took care of her I got to sit with Lily and help her with the eggs.

At the beginning she really had no idea what was going on. She thought that the colored water was juice, but once she got closer and smelled the vinegar she backed off.
We put the eggs in and the hardest part for this little girl is waiting. Someone needs to invent instant egg dye for toddlers.
She kept lifting them up with the spoons, so excited to see them change colors.
The pink was pretty weak though, not a lot of color out of that one.

Lily was so excited when they were finished. I dried off an egg and asked if she wanted to go show daddy. She grabbed, climbed off her chair, and ran as fast as she could to Tyson to show him her green egg.

So, aside for some spilled dye, colored hands from grabbing wet eggs, and my kitchen smelling like vinegar it was tons of fun, but really, with a toddler, you have to expect those things.

Catching a Smile

I've been trying to catch Charlotte's little smile on camera all week with no success. Every time I picked up the camera she stopped smiling. It could even be sitting right next to me and by the time I grabbed it she was done and would not be coaxed into giving me another one no matter how much a begged.

This morning I determined that today would be the day. I was just going to snap away all day long and I would end up with a great picture. This is what I got:

She started to smile so I snapped a picture quick as I could.

Once she saw the camera this was all I got from her.

Later this evening I got this little half smile.A little later this little grin. Most people probably wouldn't recognize it as a smile, but I've seen this little grin on a lot of my family's faces over the years.And of course when I got the one big grin shot she arched backwards and my camera was a little close so she is a bit washed out.Oh well, I guess that I will just have to keep trying.

*After publishing this post I sat down to feed Charlotte and then put her to bed and as soon as I laid her in my lap she looked at me and just started smiling away. My camera was on the ottoman so I grabbed it and got a beautiful smile!

You might also notice that Lottie has a little skiff of hair on top of her head. She actually has a decently thick layer of white blond fuzz up there. She may not end up being bald for the first few years of her life after all.

Getting Ready for Spring

We can't wait for gardening weather to get here. Tyson has been getting the garden prepped and inside we have been starting our seeds. I hate buying plants for the garden, they can be so expensive so this year we are doing everything but the tomatoes from seed.

My craft table has been taken over and is covered in trays and pots and I can't seem to stop myself, I just keep planting more.

Some of them are getting so big!

They are beautiful! I love this big table covered in green in my living room, but they can't stay here forever.

This is my favorite part, watching the seeds emerge. I planted more nasturtium last week and they have started to spout. Every time I look at them I see another one starting to pop through the soil and it makes me giddy.

Outside Spring is certainly here. My daffodils, hyacinths and tulips are blooming and my perennials are all popping back through.

I planted some hollyhocks and poppies last year and they are doing great right now. I can't wait to see them bloom along with everything else. I like the vegetable garden, but that is Tyson's domain. My real love though is my flower beds. This year I've planted dozens of new perennials and I can't wait to get them into the beds and watch them fill in over the next couple of years. Every year these beds are getting better and better.

Sidewalk Chalk and Sand

We had some nice weather again today. This spring has been pretty cold and wet thus far so we are taking advantage of these warm days when we get them. So after nap time we went outside. Lily loves to color, all of the time, all over everything, so sidewalk chalk is awesome. She can draw all over everything outside and the rain tomorrow will just wash it away.

I drew the star and started to color it in and Lily decided to take over. She is learning to match colors which is awesome. I love watching her learn.We then went out back. Tyson has been working on redoing our back pathway and he is putting sand under the flagstone. He isn't quite done yet so there is a small pile of sand sitting in our driveway. Last week when I had to run an errand he had Lily out there with him while he worked and got out her sand toys. So when she saw that pile of sand she ran and got the toys off of the patio and went to play.

She eventually started burying her legs in the sand.

She found her piggy watering can and ran straight to the garden.

And of course she had to go for a little drive.

She did not want to come inside so we had snack time (a frozen gogurt) outside on the front steps.

And this is how Charlotte spent our afternoon outdoors. Soon enough she will be big enough to play too.

Why Kids Should Have Dogs

Who needs toys when you have a dog and a vacuum extension?

And just because it made me laugh, here's Charlotte making faces.

I have the cutest kids! Right now I have to find the things that make me laugh. Charlotte has colic and Lily is going through a "no" phase so sometimes the days can get a little long and my patience can wear thin, but I love my girls and I'm grateful to be their momma.

Vintage TV Makeover

Again I found an idea for a project online and I couldn't help myself, I had to try it. I was perusing one of my new favorite blogs and I came across this http://www.infarrantlycreative.net/2010/09/roadkill-rescue-vintage-tv-ii.html.

I love watching craigslist for free stuff that I can rework and remake into something new, so the other day when I spotted this old TV I jumped on it. Tyson went and picked it up for me and brought it home.

This was our starting point.

I pulled the back off and it was instantly clear that the people who owned this TV for the last 40 years must have also owned cats. It was filthy inside, but my first goal was to get the tube out.

We got everything out, but the interior needed some serious work.

I forgot to take pictures in between, so sorry, but steps are missing. We added a shelf and facing. I had intended to paint it an off-white, but when I was at the store, the apple green called to me. I can't help it, I love green and since this table it for my girls' playroom I figured that I could get away with it. This is a picture after the first coat was applied.

The final product! We had leftover bead board from redoing our stairwell so we used that as the backing and I love the detail. Not too bad when you consider that the only cost was $7.00 for 2 cans of spray paint.

I decided to add a photo of it all filled up and in use.

How Lily Gardens

Today was BEAUTIFUL!

So we spent it outside working in the yard and garden and just having a great time. Lily worked in the garden with her daddy when she wasn't swinging or running around the yard, and by worked I mean climbed through the garden beds while Tyson planted strawberry starts and put up the trellises. In the process Tyson moved some soil around and I suppose that is where Lily got this idea. She kept going...for a very long time...a VERY long time.

My sweet girls!