Halloween in Wonderland...

Chloe and I hosted a Halloween mad hatter tea party today. She dressed up as Alice in her little blue vintage dress. I was inspired by the article styled by Debbie Dusenberry in the Halloween issue of Better Homes and Gardens. They have these print outs that are fabulous. I also purchased and framed these Alice postcards from Emily Martin.

Don't be late!

I also made a scrapbook with Hallowe'en in Wonderland papers by Graphic 45.

What a fun gathering and a great way to start our Halloween festivities!

Around the yard....

Beautiful blue skies were back today after a weekend of heavy rain and storms. Last weeks stunning crabapple blooms are now but a memory with a carpet of pink blanketing the ground.I have spent the last few weeks doing lots of yard work. I was thrilled to find the compost bin that we've had for the last 7 years and never touched, was full of rich organic compost just perfect for all the planting I was preparing to do.
My first spring yard project was clearing the entire top of this retaining wall that goes the entire length of our backyard. It had some flowers that were transplanted to another bed, but mostly it was cleared, amended with compost and mulched to make way for all the veggies now planted there: cucumber, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, herbs, and peas. You can see in the background the new fence that my husband is building and clearing of the shade garden we have behind it.
Strawberries were planted in a basket and clematis transferred to the arbor now the entrance to our other garden that has sunflowers, tomatoes, acorn squash and mini ornamental pumpkins.
The succession of beautiful blooms is showcasing lilacs and their delightful smell fills the air.
Other blooms around the yard in pots and newly planted in beds that used to be weed filled. The darling and fragrant lilly of the valley hides in the shadows of the lilacs along our fence.
This weekend we had a visitor, a mother wood duck and her brood of nine babies. What a treat!
Our resident garter snake. I never have found more (fingers crossed) and he doesn't cause any trouble. We'll see what Bodhi does when he sees him. Hope you enjoyed a walk around our yard.

feeling springy...

Today is the first day of spring break for my kids. Luckily it was the first day that kinda sorta felt like spring around here. It hit the mid-40's. A big deal here in Minnesota! We first brightened up the house a little bit with some spring color. Then the kids opened a play doh bake shop. By afternoon it was finally warm enough to bring out the sidewalk chalk. They have literally been looking forward to this for months! A hop scoth board was immediately drawn and put to good use.

Happy campers they were!

We then took a little trek to the lake stomping through mud puddles.

The ice is melting!When we arrived home, we realized the crocus were blooming in our yard. Definitely the first sign of spring. Can't wait for more!

Good-bye March!