Here We Grow...

Alright....A and I decided to take full advantage of the gorgeous sunshine we are having on this Pajama Monday. So while Had was napping, we decided to get our vry first crop planted. OK, by definition it's probably not exactly a crop but we did plant two rows of peas.

As we dug and raked over the dirt, we were greeted by a whole bunch of wormy friends (they weren't nearly as excited to see the sun as we were). But they'll do our garden good.

We then dug our trench and proceeded to gently place our 'pea sprouts' into their new home. A was ever so gentle doing this(if only I could convince her to treat her sister the same way).

And then once we decided that we had planted enough of them. We carefully covered them up, and now we are eagerly awaiting them to show thier little green faces . I can hardly wait....it seems as though there are a lot of recipes that are catching my eye that call for fresh spring peas.
And if fresh means from the garden...all the better.

Here is a picture of Carlos doing a little 'quality control,' although, since he is not convinced that he is in fact a cat and NOT A DOG, he may dig them up when we're not looking. Crazy Cat!

...and in case you're counting,

Spring will be here officially in ONE WEEK!

You've Gotta Try These...

So now that I have re-entered the blogging world, I find myself peering through my friends Inspiration Pages and finding fun new blogs to follow (and I am automatically drawn to those posts that mention food in the title). OH, HOW I LOVE FOOD!!!

So here is where I give thanks to my dear friend and neighbor, Bri, for having a link to the blog:

A Hint of Honey. Oh the hours I have logged on this Blog perusing through a variety of different recipes trying to find, "THE ONE!" And then...it happened! I found it!

CARROT CAKE COOKIES (with frosting)!!!

And it gave me a reason to drag out my dear friend, Hazel.

She's my mixer, a gift from one of the dearest women I have ever met, Jason's Grandma Emily. Oh how I miss her. But she would love these cookies.

I decided that if I was going to bake something, that I would choose something that was on the healthy side. Hey! There was carrots (vegetable), whole wheat flour, raisins (fruit?)...just disregard the 2 sticks of butter and the 2 cups of sugar (not counting the frosting).

SEE...CARROTS!!! A whole 1 1/2 cups...totally healthy!!

They are incredible! I would strongly recommend you to try these...and by try these, I mean, make them...because ours are officially gone. I am getting ready to deliver a few to Bri and Phil. I figure since I would not have found this site without her, I at least owe her a few. I certainly hope they enjoy them as much as we have.

I think that I will make them again for Easter...the perfect not-to-heavy dessert following a great Easter Brunch.

PS...This is not my picture, its from A Hint of Honey...

We ate ours before I got a chance to get a picture. They were that good!

Oops! Forgot One!

Apparently, when I blogged about my hobbies and things that keep my creative side buzzin'; I forgot to mention creating beautiful jewelry. Although, I guess in all fairness, I had not made any jewelry at the time. But OH, that has all changed. After seeing a beautiful (but pricey) necklace online, I HAD to make my own. Lucky for me, my dear friend, Margee, is a veteran jewelry maker, and had all of the tools that I needed. So a quick trip to the bead store and a few hours at the table while Had was napping and A was at school, I, with the help of Margee, created this beauty of my own.

I even made the little bird's nest.

I really like how it is such a great combination of classic (pearls) and junky (metal). And it was a stretch for me, but I also really like how it's not symetrical...a stretch for me...but I am a work in progress.
And OH HOW I ADORE IT!!
I am hoping that this will be the first of many more unique pieces to come.

If One is Good...More is Better?!?

Since I am no longer teaching, I needed to find a new hobby to put my creative eneregies into. Instead of one hobby, I have found many that seem to grab my interest. These include:

Building Randoms - check out my adorable salvaged shed. Jas and I saved (tore down) an old garage in a neighboring town and then decided that it should be resurrected as a potting shed. Complete with recycled windows, doors and paver floor. Oh how I love this shed and I'll be blogging more about it.

Gardening - These are a few of my new lovelies that are just starting to reimerge from a long, soggy winter. Oh how I have missed my little friends and the joy that they bring me and my girls.

A is ALWAYS on the look out for new blooms any time we step outside. (She even pointed out to a friend the other day, "Look at our hellebores blooming!"). She is so obviously my girl (and for those who dont know, these are hellebores)!



Sewing - A hobby which I think my mom is secretly thrilled about. I started with A's starfish costume from scratch and it's grown from there. I have even tried making a few things with patterns (a novel idea). Here are a few of the aprons that I have delighted in making!! I love using bright and cheerful fabrics and what girl doesnt love wearing something fun while 'slaving' away in the kitchen.

Crafty Frames - A friend of mine taught me how to make these and I LOVE THEM! I can quickly change the look and feel of a room at the drop of a hat. I can change them per season and they make GREAT GIFTS!

Cooking and Baking - I began with a love of baking...however, I had to stop or I had to start saving more for new jeans, as mine were getting tight. Oh, but how I still love making beautiful and delicious cupcakes...if you ever need, I have quite the library of cupcake cookbooks. I have redirected my energies into cooking. Having two growing girls to feed, I do my best (although, I'm not perfect) to feed them mostly healthy foods. So far this is paying off, as both of my girls eat things that some adults won't touch. A and Had both LOVE TOMATOES. Truly! I can't wait for to get some into my garden. And with a 'Hunter Hubby,' I'm always on the lookout for new 'big game' recipes.

As I am passionate about each of my hobbies, I'm sure to be posting more about them all soon.


Here's to another great week!
God Bless You All.
Please pray for Luke and Caroline, as they are grieving the loss of a loved one and could use some.

Pajama Monday!!!

That's right! Pajama Monday...the name says it all...we dont change out of our 'jammies all day. Doesn't matter where we need to go, or who may unexpectedly drop by; we are comfy cozy. I don't want you to get the wrong idea though...just cause we're in our 'jams,' does NOT mean that we are not productive, especially when it's gorgeous outside.

Here's a little glimpse of our continued progress outside today...

We got down to business and planted our window boxes. I love it when I'm in the dining room and I can look outside and see these little beauties in all their glory. Especially the daffodils, because I can watch them as they gradually progress into their full bloom.

Had did a little gardening of her own. She was having a great time and by the time she was done, she had begun dumping it down the front of her shirt.

Oh well, it was almost bath time and time to put on a clean pair of jams for bed
(and I'm not one to detour my girls from getting their hands or faces dirty).

Avary decided to take advantage of the sun and practice riding her bike. My lil 'Pixie' sure looks cute on her lil Schwinn Pixie. Our dear neighbor, Carla, picked this up for A a few summers ago for only $2! Such a deal! And of course Grandpa Hal decided that he needed to get it some new tires and push out the dents in the fenders as best be could. She is sure proud of herself while riding.

Had decided that between the sunshine and all of our hardwork, it was time for a lemonade break. Notice her 'lemonade maker' is my vintage lawn sprinkler (picked it up last summer for ONLY $1). She makes noises like steaming milk and then when finished proudly calls, "Ma-Ma."

Jas got home a little early from work to continue working on the playhouse (which for a short while this afternoon was also 'The BatCave'). A was eager to help him use dad's hammer tacker aka staple hammer. She went to town and put in probably triple the necessary staples to hold the paper up. I couldn't be more thrilled that Jas is so patient with her. I know that building this playhouse with her daddy is going to be something that she remembers always and hopefully it will inspire her to continue to build things on her own (like her momma).

And as you can see, Ole was less than thrilled that it was Pajama Monday. He was just wonderin' what time dinner was. This, after he'd chewed up a half-a-dozen sticks from my previous days pruning.

Well according to the weatherman, all of our good luck in the weather department is about to change. But I can say that we took FULL ADVANTAGE of all of the gorgeous sunshine that we've had the past week-plus.

But SPRING, Please Hurry! The Skaug Girls are anxiously awaiting your arrival

They Dont Get Better Than This!!!

So here we are in the midst of a NorthWest winter...cue the rain, clouds, drizzle, etc. NOPE, NOT THIS YEAR!! We have had nothing short of amazing weather these past few days.

In fact my first tete-tete (mini daffodil) opened.

We have been spending so much time outside and we are loving EVERY MINUTE! Not only is it nice to get a refill on our Vitamin D, but the girls sleep so great each night!

(So does their daddy!!)

If you were to drive by this past week, you wouldve seen us doing a variety of things.

We've been mowing the yard, gleefully washing and detailing the truck, working on the playhouse, deadheading the hydrangeas, pruning the roses, cleaning up our flower beds, spreading compost, playing hide and go seek (A's new favorite), looking for wormies, laughing as our cats chase each other through the hedge and enjoying the dogs as they lounge in the warm sunshine.
Here is a picture of one of my rose beds post pruning and composting...oh, and I have the scratches to prove it! But they will be beautiful this summer...definately worth the pain!

Oh, and can you smell that? That would be the smell of us BBQing EVERY NIGHT THIS WEEK! It's weeks like this that make me grateful to live in the NW...days like this in February make me realize that spring, followed by summer, will be here before we know it!!
Hope your weekend was just as wonderful and full of memorable moments!

Here's Carlos taking a much needed rest in his favorite basket.

In a Nutshell...

My Oh My...where does the time go? It seems like only yesterday I was huge pregnant and expecting our 2nd and loving my time with my almost 3yr old peanut...BLINK!!!


SO A is now ALMOST 5, which, by my definition makes me old! And our 2nd bundle o joy arrived May 28, 2008!! No, not a typo...TWO YEARS AGO! As Im sure you know already, she is a beautiful little girl! After a few minor bumps (insert 1 month at Childrens), she came home to join our family. Jason is now the minority in the family (and seems to extending his hunting season a few extra days every season).

OH how I love being a stay at home momma (most days). It seems like there is never a dull moment around this place. And as we EAGERLY await spring, we are finding ourselves outside a whole bunch more trying to absorb as much Vitamin D as possible. As a matter of fact, Jas is in the midst of building the girls a playhouse.

A, of course, has been in the middle of the action and helping as much as she can. J even let her shoot the 'pa-chooer,' as she calls it (J likes to refer to it as a nail gun, sounds a little more manly). Although, I would secretly love to hear him refer to it as the 'pa-chooer' on his job site. A has a ton of pride invested in her playhouse already and is eagerly anticipating its finish.

OK, maybe enough details for now...dont wanna spill it all at once. But I do have lots more fun stories and information to share...STAY TUNED!