happy belated birthday, dad

robin turned 51 this year and while we did celebrate on the day, we're a little belated getting pics posted. love you dad!

peter and pairs/pears

he loves this game. and he knows all his letters, but refuses to learn how to read. since mike doesn't want to sit on my lap to read or be read to anymore, i think he's afraid if he learns to read himself, i won't let him sit on my lap to read anymore. we still read aloud at night in their room, and try for once a day sometime during the school day, but he likes his special one on one time with mom. and he loves this game (even though he makes up his own rules about it)... love you pete.

view from my kitchen window

this year winter wasn't as fierce or as white as last year, but this was the prettiest snow out my window in january. we are still waiting patiently for spring to actually get here. it has been so rainy and cold... but the garden is ready!

life's too short not to arrange your books in rainbow order

finally a chance to relax/breathe.. here in tennessee celebrating easter again with my brother and his family.

and a chance to post pictures that i took in january of the "new" house!

but i don't know why they post in opposite order from how i chose them.



















the new ikea dining table which opens to 11 feet...




this is the view from the front door as you walk in looking left. i want it to eventually look like a dining room, not a school room (and in fact the globes are now in the family room to brighten up the dark fireplace wall) but my kids and their friends LOVE to use the chalkboard, and i love my kids and their friends and in probably 8 years they won't have an interest anymore, so the chalkboard is in here for now. this room will (Lord willing) get its makeover "lite" this summer, with batten board siding and new paint/curtains, but leaving the cheap (ikea) light fixtures for now.











these are the same bookshelves we had in florida, but we painted them. this is without a doubt my favorite room in the house, but keeping the dogs off the furniture is a problem.



i came up with a brilliant idea of where to put my cake plates-- both pretty and useful. as different vignettes on the shelves. now i can add to my collection without guilt (book or cake plate collection, you decide).