Can I just slap this picture up of a braille book and not try to explain why I wanted my kids to experience the feeling of closing their eyes and feeling the subtle bumps under their small fingers?

I returned it tonight when we went to the library, Dave the librarian looked at me, he held it up, pointed at it, and then shook his head and said  "Never mind--don't even try, after all these years I know how eccentric you are."

I prayed and prayed a few years ago for a good friend for Jeff and this young boy Josh (on the right) started to attend our church.  It was so beyond what I had hoped for in a friend but then Josh had to move to CA. Once a year for Spring break his parents tell their kids they will take them anywhere in America for vacation and Josh always asks to come back here.  And so they were re united for a little while.

Jeff won a contest at the local library, his teacher had all the kids in his grade write a story and she submitted it, all the local schools were involved.  Jeff came home with an award as well as ten dollars to Borders which he split with Eti.  We went directly from the library to Borders.

My Mother in Law has always been so amazing at sewing and helps bring to life all my ideas.  She took me to Joann's and we picked out this great earthy burlap/linen material for the kitchen.   She sewed it into cafe curtains for me.  Martha (my sister in law) has a professional embroidery machine.  I sketched out "Joie De Vivre" and she scanned it into the computer and embroidered it on the fabric. It means "Joy of Life" in French.

I am putting hints of each of the fruits of the spirit in each room of the house, as I work on the crafts to get a verse in every room I want there to be a subtle theme of the fruits of the spirit.  The kitchen is "Joy".

Jeff's Easter egg, the kids drew on them with a clear crayon and then when they dropped it in the dye it revealed the drawings.  I love this one because it is such a childish thing to do..."Jeff Hi"  the first thing that popped into his head.

Our hilarious Easter morning picture with Jeff leaning way into the camera frame and Eti being all affectionate and Coco eating it up.

Chloe still fits in the hat she wore in 2006.

After church we ate a candle lit Ham dinner, Steve played Handel's Messiah as well as The Oxford Choir which sounded like monks. It was a bright sunny day just like every Easter in my memory. 

After dinner we drove to Steve's parents house.  I read to Steve while he drove and Chloe sang almost the entire way, mostly John Jacob Jingle Hymer Schmitt.  

This was the first year I was there where instead of going out to explore their woods alone I took the boys with me.  They were a little leary at first and I was privately praying that they would see something really cool, and here on the ground next to this overturned tree we found a jaw bone.  Steve's dad thinks it is from a coyote.  Yes, the boys  thought it was very cool.  We brought it home and today Jeff brought it to school for show and tell.

Do you see Eti's face?  I think at this point he was making up a story of how the animal died..  Mom and dad brought the boys home wooden swords from Africa and they used then to "protect" me while on our journey.

I found an owl feather, I have no idea what it is really, but it is soft and super fluffy, I washed it, pinned it on the line to dry and now it is in the bud vase.

Eti fell six times out on our walk.  Jeff and I started counting, the funny thing was that he never stopped talking, before the fall, during the fall, and through the recovery, he just kept right on.  Once or twice he fell in leaves, literally there he was and then he was gone, but up through the leaves I would see his hand waving at me so I wouldn't worry and he would pop back up while finishing his thought.

Today he walked up to me and said "I'd like to start a conversation with you."  I said "Okay, what would did you have in mind?" 

"Oh nothing, what do you want to talk about, Mommy?"

Okay now that I have this all written out, I am thinking that I should have been the one carry along Eti's sword while he was busy falling, but not to worry, he is fine.

Mom and I smelled this fresh basil in the grocery store and could not pass it up.  We made a salad with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes..........it was so light  and perfect!

"best playground ever in the whole world"  Dad and Steve spent their time building the kids a wooden playset, Jeff taped this to one of the beams.

On the right is a little picture of cousin Ethan walking with Coco.  Steve's sister Shel and Brother in law James came up for the day and James made me Indian food.  James and Shel are truly the BEST cooks and I was looking forward to it ALL day.  I kept thinking "I have to come up here for my birthday so I can ask him to make it for me again."

Chloe on the swingset

My latest craft.  I had a whole stash of beads Mom brought me from Africa and necklaces that were special to me that broke, and some antique glass beads Shan bought me when we went to the antique store and now it feels so so good to get them out of boxes and into the light!  The one above has an African bead in the middle and the happiest antique beads I could find to surround it.

I have wanted a Superhero necklace for so long, this necklace above is my nod to Andrea Sher.

Below are some of the other ones I have been working on, the one I am most fond of is the one Chloe is wearing in her Easter picture.  It is hard to see, but the memory behind it is wonderful.  A giddy four year old in A C Moore picking out heart shaped beads and talking about how it will look.