The Birth of a Princess

Last month a new Princess was born - 

 Marietta's Lilah! 

Oh, you thought I meant THIS Princess -Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (ie Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana...)  Sober looking little thing, isn't she? 

Not as good looking as "Uncle Henry", but here are all of Lilah's Aunties and cousins - checking in to see what all of the excitement is about. 

This is Lilah's brother Sammy  -  (pre-sold, can you believe it!)  They are actually almost a month old, so I need to get out and take some new pictures.  His horns are going to be massive and she has just the sweetest face. 

Nothing says spring like new lambs! 




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A Catuirday report and Mummy's Finished Object

Hello Effurry Body and EffurryKitty!

It's Caturday!  And it's been one pretty nice week here in the Pacific NW.  Georgie, Bella & I have spent a lot of time out in the Shepherd's gardens - partly because it has been sunny and warm out, but partly because some mystery ebil kitty has been coming into mummy & The Shepherd's house through OUR cat door and eating our food and making it stinky in the kitchen.

Mummy is upset - but The Shepherd is fur-i-ous.

Mummy wanted me to tell you about the blankie that she made *crocheted) for the grand niece of her older sister.  It is kind of round and kind of star shaped.  And BIGGER than she thought it was going to be - but the colors were so pretty and the yarn was a soft & fluffy stuff - she hopes that the new baby will like it.












 
This is Glory of the Snow.  The Shepherd didn't think it was coming back in the garden, because it was a little slow to come up this year.  But, it is up, and it is ALL over the place.  Where it was originally planted (in the flower bed in the front of the driveway) and over there - (across the driveway,) and over there - (under the bamboo), and over there (by the big pine tree) - Mummy says it's like lemmings marching to the sea! 

We wanted to wish EFFURRY one of you a Hoppy Easter.  The Shepherd and Mummy will be verry busy with church things this weekend and then Mummy is going to bake a Turkey for Easter Dinner.  I hope we get a little bit.  I likes Turkey! 

This little blankie is for the baby's older sister (she's about 4) This is for her dolly.  It would also work for big sister to put her head on when she is lying in the grass. 

Mummy said I could finish the blog today, with my verry best poem -

     " Happy Easter!
          Happy Spring!
              Happy, Happy
                  Everything!" 


We hope you all have a great weekend!!

Love, your roving reporter,

              Gracie! 

Church breakfast

 Last weekend I helped with a fund-raiser breakfast that we had at church.  My part was to bring cinnamon rolls.

I used this recipe for "Sensational Overnight Cinnamon Rolls"

But I didn't make them "overnight", I just let them rise the second time and baked them on Saturday, and wrapped them in foil (once they had cooled) to keep them fresh and to keep marauding felines out of them.

And like the recipe suggests, I used my long, unused bread machine to mix and kneed them. It worked like a charm.(and I have promised my co-workers that I would make some for them someday soon)

And let me tell you, they WERE sensational!


And since it was St. Patrick's Day, I tinted the frosting green!

We had scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, fruit (oranges, pineapple and banana chopped & mixed) and fruit juice.  It was delish. 

Then we went upstairs and had our choir concert.

It was called "Long and Winding Roads" because all of the songs that The Shepherd, who also moonlights as "The Choir Director"  had references to "roads" in them.  He also brought one of his favorite J Jody Bergsma paintings to decorate the front of the church.

And this big bouquet of daffodils from our yard.

I read a blog yesterday where the kitty called daffodils "Sunshine on Stems" - I thought that was very appropriate.

We had a very fun day and there were four cinnamon rolls left over for snacks later.  Yum. 

Happy May Day!

When I was a child we would make little bouquets of wild flowers for my mom and grandma (who lived right next door) on May Day.

First you take construction paper and decorate it with glitter and crayons. Then you cut a strip off the "short side" (this is for the handle), and then maybe a little more so your paper is in a square. Form the paper into a cone and staple or glue the sides together. Take the strip that you cut off and staple or tape it to the sides of the cone so you have a handle.

Go for a walk out into the "scab patches" (or if it was raining, just thru mom & grandma's gardens) and pick a little bouquet of flowers to put into the cone.

Proudly give it to your mom (or grandma).

HAPPY MAY DAY!

Happy Easter, Happy Spring!

Happy, happy, everything!

Happy May Day!

We had a May Pole Dance yesterday at church - the weather cooperated - it was supposed to rain out of those big fluffy clouds - but it held off.

The beautiful ribbons entwined down the pole as everyone danced. It was a great time for young and old!

Complete with bubbles. It was fun! Thank you Margot!

Spring has sprung

The flowering plum is in bloom - and it smells so sweet - and the frogs are chirping at night - so loud it is almost deafening. The man in the moon was sleeping in a very skinny hammock tonight and there, can you hear it? "Brrrrr" (make sure you roll your tongue when you say it - "BRRRRRRR" From one side of the house to the other - like a little bitty jackhammer! "BRRRRRRR")

Yes, the woodpecker has arrived and he is looking for a girlfriend - how better to announce your arrival in the neighborhood than to beat on the vent covers of the houses - it echoes so sweetly - surely all the lady woodpeckers in the whole dang area will hear "BRRRRRRRR"

And look, he got a big purple bug to run out of that house - wait a minute, why is she yelling and throwing rocks - Maybe better fly over to that tree and laugh at her "Aaak, aaak, aaak, aaak, aaak!" Oh, and HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SPRING!!!