Week 18: Fiesta or Siesta

Last Friday my youngest son and I went to my parents house to help my mom with some garden work. While we were there my son found 2 caterpillars. One long and creamy yellow, one short and grayish. My mom put them in a small jar for him and we brought them home. The next morning I brought out a large canister glass jar and in the rain we went outside to fill it with sand from our sandbox and various leaves and branches from around the yard. It turned out to be a fancy looking habitat for 2 caterpillars!

Finally came the exciting moment, to introduce the caterpillars to their new home. 

When my son opened the little jar and pulled out the leaves we discovered that the small grayish caterpillar had morphed into a shiny brown-reddish cocoon overnight. The shiny new cocoon twitched and wiggled when we moved it. It was a bit creepy! The yellow caterpillar didn't appear well and healthy. The sluggish little guy seemed to be fading away.

{ Project 52 Week 18 Fiesta or Siesta }

We placed the caterpillars in the jar side by side and kept peeking in on them all day. The yellow one never moved again. My son thought it must be "napping" because "maybe he didn't feel good". By the next day it was clear that the yellow caterpillar was taking an eternal siesta. Too bad. Maybe we didn't move it to it's bigger home soon enough and it got cramped in that small jar? Or maybe we didn't have the right kind of leaves in there for him to munch on? And the other guy, in the cocoon, well, hopefully his siesta is only temporary. I'm not sure what it'll turn into if it pops out of it's cocoon, a butterfly, a moth or something else? But we're keeping an eye on it and excited to see what happens. We're also keeping an eye out for more caterpillars to add to this fancy new caterpillar home.

Week 17: Green

{ Project 52 Week 17: Green }

This weeks theme for Project 52 is: Green. My favorite color! And lately I've been in love the shade of chartreuse. With it's golden green color, it has a warm and bright and lively feel. Everything chartreuse catches my eye these days. This wispy dandelion definitely caught my attention the other day as it basked among the sunny chartreuse backdrop of flourishing spring grass.

Week 16: Things That Grow

{ Project 52 Week 16: Things That Grow }

Well this was an easy theme for me since my true love is definitely...things that grow! Spring is bursting forth with new life and growth all around. We had frost on the ground the other morning but by 8:30 a.m. it had warmed up enough to turn the frost into dewdrops. I love the way the grass sparkles in the morning sun as it's draped in shiny droplets. Catch the light just right and tiny rainbows appear too. It's like a magical springtime dreamland!

Week 15: Sacrifice

{ Project 52 Week 15: Sacrifice }

"Awake, thou wintry earth - 

Fling off thy sadness! 

Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth  

Your ancient gladness!"

~Thomas Blackburn, "An Easter Hymn"

Winter is a bit like sacrifice. We surrender to the bitter cold. We forgo lush green life. We give up long sunny days. Knowing that spring will be the reward. Spring will resurrect and renew. Spring will revive the world and the days around us. This pretty daffodil is a welcome sign of spring. It was blooming on Eater Sunday in my mom's garden.

Week 14: Foolin' Around

{ Project 52 Week 14: Foolin' Around }

I'm a little late on Project 52. I'm still in that slump, I guess! The theme this week is: Foolin' Around. This was another difficult theme for me but then I spotted these emerging on one of our maple trees and thought...did you ever fool around with these when you were a kid? We called them 'helicopters'. They are actually the "fruit" of a maple tree. Right now they are just babies in shades of pinks, corals and reds. When mature they will turn light brown. These playful little cuties twirl down like a helicopter when gently dropped to the ground. As a little girl I remember my mom pointing these out to me. I can thank her for teaching me the whimsy of nature and the importance to observe all things, even the small and simple. And now I'm passing on those teachings to my sons. My youngest son still gets excited every time he comes across a 'helicopter'!

Week 13: Details

{ Project 52 Week 13: Details }

With this weeks theme: {details} I had many photos to choose from but found it difficult to take the time to pick one and decide how I wanted to interpret it. I'm feeling a creative slump or block lately. I sure hope I can shake it off! Finally it occurred to me, though, that I'm really enjoying the vast details that spring is displaying lately. For the first time I've noticed how brief certain phases of spring truly are. Baby tree buds change daily and if you don't take the time to look close everyday, you just might miss something special.

The branches above belong to what I think is a maple tree. It's growing at my mother and father in-laws home. Soon the frilly buds will fade and turn into lovely leaves that will fill up the branches and provide shade until fall. Enjoy the buds while they last, they won't be around long!

Week 12: Hunger

{ Project 52 Week 12: Hunger }

This weeks theme is: Hunger. 

I've been hungry for spring all winter. 

I've been hungry for the fresh scent of damp soil sprinkled with spring rain. 

I've been hungry for the vivid green of new life. 

I've been hungry for tender buds and sprouts just beginning to form. 

Thanks to our mild winter, I've been feasting on spring all week. 

Within the week, the ground has thawed, 

dull browns have greened and 

spring showers have bathed young foliage. 

I'm full, overflowing and so happy that spring is here!

Week 11: The 'Eyes' of March

{ Project 52 Week 11: The 'Eyes' of March }

It's already Week 11 of Project 52 and the theme is: The 'Eyes' of March. And these are some of the prettiest eyes I've ever seen. These sweet little pale green eyes are the beginning of new life. They are the start of what will become the bright green foliage of a potato plant. They'll grow taller and taller throughout the summer, reaching for the sky and the warmth of the sun. They'll sprout yummy new baby potatoes below the soil surface. These eyes are wide open and ready for a fresh spring day to set root in the garden.

Week 10: Be Still

{ Project 52 Week 10: Be Still }

It's Week 10 and I'm linking up with Life With My Three Boybarians for Project 52. This weeks theme is: Be Still.

Spring seems to have sprung abruptly here in MN, with record shattering high temps. The snow that piled on us a couple of weeks ago is nearly gone and puddles are forming everywhere. In that case, it's literally IMPOSSIBLE to be still when there are perfectly good puddles to jump into...at least for this little preschooler of mine. He's drawn to puddles like a moth to a flame. He did stand still though, if only for a moment, briefly filled with anticipation before the first big SPLASH. Hello spring, we are so happy you are here early!

Week 9: A Great Leap

{ Project 52 Week 9: A Great Leap }

It's Week 9 and I'm linking up with Life With My 3 Boybarians for Project 52. I had no idea what I was going to photograph for this weeks theme: A Great Leap, but then it happened, our first big snow storm of the year. So on leap day, the day of the snow storm, my elementary schooler had his first ever snow day…NO SCHOOL! We spent a lot of time out in the fresh snow. Later in the day, after the snow plows had been through the neighborhood, big piles were left behind, irresistible to this little stunt guy. He leapt and leapt and leapt, doing twists, turns and kicks to his hearts content. Many GREAT LEAPS on leap day!

Week 8: Cabin Fever

{ Project 52 Week 8: Cabin Fever }

Last fall when the weather was cooling and winter was inevitable I decided to take in the succulent plants that I had on my deck. I planted them in this little galvanized planter and placed it on my kitchen window sill. I spend a lot of time with my kitchen window sill. All day, from morning coffee to afternoon snacks for my preschooler to evening dinner and dishes, my window sill is always there keeping me company. And bringing a little bit of summer inside has helped combat the dreadful cabin fever that makes me long for summertime. 

Also on my kitchen window sill this week is what remained from my valentine's flowers. I'm savoring every bit of them before they fade away. Additionally...as if having cabin fever this time of year isn't bad enough, the stomach flu came to visit my family this week too. You never want to answer the door when the stomach flu comes knocking, but you don't have a choice.  Before you know it, it wiggles it's way in and makes itself right at home. Mean ol' stomach flu, you are not welcome here...leave and take cabin fever with you!

Week 7: True Love

{ Project 52 Week 7: True Love }

Aside from my beloved family and friends, my true love is, flowers...blooms of every kind! From bright and colorful to soft and pastel. From frilly and fluffy to simple and sweet. From lilies and roses to daisies and goldenrod, I simply love all of them.

This beautiful lily was a valentine's gift from my husband. I woke up on valentine's morning to a sweet bouquet of colorful lilies, in shades of orange, pink and yellow. They are so lovely and just make me smile. I guess I was really longing to take photos of flowers too because I somehow managed to take about 86 photos of this little bouquet.

And I'll let you in on a little secret, believe it or not, the lush-looking green background is a green t-shirt that belongs to one of my sons. A fun way to make it seem that the lily is blooming in the warmth of mid summer instead in the depths of this dreary winter.

Week 6: Drink Up...Coconut Cocoa

{ Project 52 Week 6: Drink Up }

This weeks theme is Drink Up and I'm choosing to feature one of my favorite warm drinks this winter {Coconut Cocoa}. The perfect drink for this frigid February weather. With a subtle coconut flavor, it's very creamy, chocolatey and indulgent and only 3 ingredients. So simple to mix up on a Saturday afternoon or anytime for that matter. I'll share my *approximated* recipe because when I make it, I kind of just throw it together. You know, a splash of this, a sprinkle of that. So if you try this recipe you may need to alter it to your liking.

Coconut Cocoa  

1 cup Coconut Milk 

1 tablespoon Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder 

1 tablespoon Pure Maple Syrup 

Blend all 3 ingredients in a blender, I use a Magic Bullet. Blending makes it frothy and luscious...yum! After blending well, warm in a small saucepan over medium low heat, stirring until desired tempurature. Or you can warm in a coffee mug in the microwave. Makes one serving.

That's it. Simple, right? If you love coconut and chocolate, you must try it!

Week 5: Shadows

{ Project 52 Week 5: Shadows }

Turns out I'm not very good at looking for shadows. I'm usually looking for light, glimmer and fine detail. I realize that when you find light you also find shadows, but for some reason I don't always see the shadow, only the light. I have to force myself to see the shadows. The other night I looked out the window before going to bed and I made myself look for shadows. As I saw the shadow of two snowmen that we built in the front yard it made my heart skip a beat, it spooked me! I guess shadows scare me a little...ha ha...well especially at night. But this project has been a fun eye opener for me. I'm learning to see something I haven't focused on before.

When the sun finally came out this week I was able to snap this shot of the shadow cast by my garden fence on the snowless frozen ground in the morning sunshine.