same garden, same sweatpants. no rain

 

now with daily sweater

blackberry bush

lavender

i spy...

more apple blossoms

the january bed

 

whimsy & wonder art club

 

traveling snacky board

I put together this snacky board fro a friend's birthday.  Popped all the happy bits into containers, added a tray, a dishtowel, and wee little bowls, and assembled it in the car just before knocking on her door. Happy birthday, friend! 

wool flowers: visual diy

muffins

 

I have a couple of go-to muffin recipes I bake several times a month. This one is a basic muffin recipe that I added a pint of raspberries too. I generally am not a raspberry fan, but in muffins, they add just the right amount of fruity tartness to begin your day. I use this recipe from Baked by an Introvert, and full disclosure, I use oil instead of butter because butter is getting a bit too spendy. I also use turbinado sugar on the top. These work really well plain, served with jam and clotted or barely sweetened cream. You can also add frozen berries but they may need a little more baking time. Use a toothpick to check. 

winter beach wander

 

thrift score! under $20 total.

 

still raining

 

whimsy and wonder art club

This rain, I tell ya, is sapping my creative energy. I am fuzzy brained and unmotivated. Luckily, I found a nifty account on instagram called The Whimsy and Wonder Art Club that offers up a weekly prompt through a selection of vintage or antique objects or object. I'm late to the game, and may not manage every week but this might kick my ass back into crafting. I may even get back to making the bed all fancypants like. 
 

it's rainnnning...again! still?

newcomer!

the apple tree, she is confused

she really wants to go out, but it's wet! 

 

another day, another day of rain

With the wind and the cold dismantling any wintering blooms, I have resorted to the hummingbird feeders for our tiniest of friends. I whip up a new batch o' nectar every three days and they have been consuming most of it. You just want to make sure to toss out the old mix and clean your feeders frequently so as to deter the parasites that can kill them. In the spring, the feeders come down as we have enough blooms to sustain a few. Hummingbirds are very territorial. It's fun to watch them as they protect their food. 

So many new batches of mushrooms popping up. The mr. a-go-go has identified these but I have forgotten what they are called. They are pretty small and very abundant. 

It's been so wet, the garden shelf has developed a wee city of lichen and moss. I am LOVING it. Why is moss so cute? I may even coo at it when I walk by. Shhh. 

Another day of rain, and me here in my new sweatpants, again. Hey, they keep me warm! I may need to hit up a thrift store for a sweatshirt or flannel soon. Let's bring back the 90s! I'm sure it will happen soon anyway. 
 

we have rain! again.

Well whadya know ,it's raining, again! Whoo! We have had a lot more rain than usual. It's been nice, but also, it's been cold! I even bought a long sleeved shirt and sweat pants! And, I'm wearing socks! Brrrr. It's been so dark it is tricky to wake up when you don't really have to. Ahem. These past few years have been the most wonky, fer sure. I suppose everyone is feeling a bit tired of the chaos and uncertainty. 

I know this photo is super blurry, but I wanted to remember this. It's been so wet and rainy, the poor wintering birdies have been huddled on a beam just above the porch. It offers them enough shelter from the cold and wet, but it's also super full of birdies so some are camping out on our doormat too! Our doormat! The cat is going bonkers as she can hear them through the crack there and so she sits and howls with her tail swishing in anticipation. It's funny but also...ack, stop howling! 
 

puzzling

 

backyard mycology

 

I lied. I have not identified these visitors to the yard. All I know is they are cool, and in the yard, whoo-hoo! The orange one is about the size of a half dollar, the fuzzy bits on the tree are on the peach tree, which may mean it is doomed, and they are not fuzzy at all, but hard as the wood they are nesting in. Gulp! 

new year, new crafting adventures...maybe

 

Using up old tea to create collage ephemera. Why? Why not. Really, I have no idea, but I love the colors and textures. I may end up throwing this all away, but maybe, just maybe I try something new. What new things are you going to try this year? Me, I'm just going to make it through with a smile, I hope. 

Happy 2023

We've had enough wind and rain to sprout my clover seeds I had hiding under an awning. I ended up tossing the whole mess into the green waste, but I'm sure there will be red clover popping up in spring! 

I love that our daisies grow in January. When everything else has passed and gone to seed, we get this happy pop of color at the front of the driveway. I have even caught college girls coming up to the patch with scissors to cut some for their own. Not cool! At least ask. Sheesh! 

After the rains, if you look long enough you will find wee cities of fungi all over the yard. These weren't here yesterday...er...last year! 

Rain or shine, the cat gets her daily outside time and here she is hiding out in the red flax which is blooming way too early, thanks to that rain! You can't see it, but we put a bell on her to keep track as she is a mad birder and we have so many birds that come to our yard! Happy New Year! I hope 2023 is a healing year. Get yer boosters, wear your masks, stay home if yer sick, and always, always, be kind. 

does anyone else have this problem?

I'm no good at multiple choice questions regardless of what they're for. If it's a test, I may take issue with how a question was formulated which totally will have a different outcome, even though I know what answer they want but technically it isn't really the right answer, so I'm stuck. Anyone else have this issue?