Mommy and Me Weekend

Last year, if you remember, Jocelyn and Auntie and I went on an overnight trip to a dairy farm in PA.  We had so much fun, I decided to take another trip with Jocelyn this year.  I was thinking about going to the dairy farm again, but they were booked up for the weekend we wanted to take our trip.  At first I was disappointed, but in the end, that turned out to be the catalyst to make me look for other options, and we ended up with two great ones!!

First we went to Indian Echo Caverns.  We toured the underground caverns and did some gem mining.  It had rained pretty heavily the night before, so the caverns were "raining" inside down from the ceiling in many places, but it was fun to dodge the drops and we were told by the tour guide that getting wet meant good luck.  Can't argue with that!

Jocelyn next to the "wedding cake" formation.

After the cavern tour, Jocelyn did some Gem Mining.  She was given a treasure bag with lots of goodies, including coins, shells, gems and this arrow head!

After our busy day at the caverns, we got some dinner and then went back to our hotel for a swim.  The next day we headed south west towards Gettysburg to visit the Land of Little Horses, a miniature horse farm.  I had been here long ago when I was a little kid.  I really don't remember much, but it was so much fun to experience it all through Jocelyn's eyes.

When we arrived, I bought her a container with food that could be fed to any animal in the park.  She loved being able to feed the donkey, the goats, the bull, and of course, any pony she could find!

She got to pet and brush the ponies.

And of course she got to ride a pony!!

At the end of the day we were very excited to watch the horses let out to pasture to run free.  They were so happy to be out of their stalls and done performing that they were all running and rolling around in the grass.  What a treat to see that!!

After doing this weekend trip for two years in a row, I think I have decided that a Mommy and Me trip is definitely going to be a yearly tradition.  I love spending this one on one time with Jocelyn and we have such fun experiences.  And now I think we might have to do something different each year.  As much fun as these places have been, it's just as fun to experience new things with her.  However, I do think a day trip back to the horse farm with Daddy later this year is DEFINITELY in order!!!

Bathroom Project

Our master bathroom has bothered me since we moved in, and yes that was 8 years ago.  I have never liked the grass green color of the walls, and the ceiling paint the previous owners used has been peeling since day one.  So with Jocelyn in school and finally the good weather has arrived, I decided it was time to tackle this project and make a change!!

This is what I started with.

When the priming was done, the room already looked so much better, and brighter!!

And then we chose our paint and received a little help to finish the job.

And now with nice brand new towels and rugs, I love how it turned out.  It's so cozy and bright!  I think I need to hide in there!  :-)  Just one problem with that idea...  In the 3 weeks it took to get this job done, in between the demands of normal life, there are some things in the rest of the house that have been horribly neglected.  Next job?   Pre-summer clean-out!!  

Spring and Easter

So time flies and life goes on...

We have had a busy spring.

Easter brought lots of fun.  An Easter Egg Hunt in the neighborhood and a visit with the Easter Bunny -

Flowers and Butterflies!! -

And some of my favorite photos of us!!

Reading!!

Jocelyn's teacher has been telling me that Jocelyn is reading, but until tonight, I hadn't seen it myself.

But tonight, while she was "reading" to herself, she started calling me frantically and when I got to her room, she said "Mommy I can read this book!"

And so I say down in awe and listened to her read...

She didn't know all the words, but still about 75% of them.  She was so excited that she knew so many of the words and so excited to read to me!  I called Daddy upstairs so he could listen to.  It was one of those moments I want to remember always.  And one of those moments that made me cry.  

I am so proud of my Sweet Girl tonight!  I can't wait for her to read to me again tomorrow!

What I've been up to!

I've made a number of quilts and considered myself to be a self-taught quilter, but after many amateur attempts at quilting, I finally got around to taking an actual quilting class.  When I walked into class the first day and saw the project we were going to work on, I thought for sure I was in the wrong class!!  I was completely intimidated by the pattern!

But the class was wonderful.  I learned so much about fabric color and quality, cutting fabric accurately, better sewing techniques, design layout, etc,.

And Ta-Da!!  Here is the finished top of my quilt!!

I'm still amazed that I managed to get it all done!  In 3 weeks we get to go back to learn how to "quilt" the 3 layers (top, batting and bottom fabric) together.  In the meantime, I'm resisting the urge to start something else! 

Snow, Snow and more Snow

This has been a long...  cold...  snowy Winter.  We've broken all kinds of temperature records.  It's been the coldest Winter I can ever remember, even considering my 10 years living in New Hampshire.  We haven't broken any records with snow numbers, but it seems like every few days the weather forecast includes more of the nasty white stuff.  I'm so ready for winter to be over.
With the bad weather, has come lots of missed school.  Schools have been closed 8 days so far this school year, and yes, I say "so far" because this Winter seems never ending!

But the one light in all of this, is Jocelyn has had lots of fun!

The results of a snowball fight!

Helping shovel the walkway.

First time sledding!

Snow Angels taken from above.

My favorite photo of the snow girl.

If the temperatures start to warm up and Spring FINALLY arrives, I certainly won't be sad to see this Winter go, but I'm glad it's been fun for at least one of us!

Jocelyn's 6th Birthday

Yeah, Yeah...
I know...
Better late than never.

On Jocelyn's actual birthday, we did a family get together.  At school, she got a crown to wear and wouldn't take it off the rest of the weekend!

This is my favorite photo!

The next day was Jocelyn's birthday party with her friends.  Jocelyn wanted to have a birthday party at home this year.  She wanted to have a jewelry party where all her friends could make their own jewelry.  She chose the beads for the jewelry, planned the party games (including a pinata!), decorations, and goodie bags, and really enjoyed having her friends here to play at the house.
I liked having it here too.  Even though it was more prep work ahead of time, the day of the party was much more relaxing and fun.
What a great way to celebrate being 6!!

Making jewelry

Look how pretty!

Eating cupcakes with friends.

Blowing out the candles again!