A very colorful Spring-y Easter post!

Happy Spring!

  I don't remember ever having weather this nice, and blooms and buds this early in the year, but I'm glad of it!
  I am very excited about beekeeping this season, and so far so good on my hives.
(although you never know for sure until you get inside and inspect)

We've spent the last few days preparing for Easter dinner.  Last count... 25 people.
I cut some forsythia branches last week and brought them inside to force them to bloom.

When we had Easter last year, we ran up and down the stairs bringing food up because I didn't have a kitchen on the main level.  This year, I have a kitchen.  Mom asked me if I needed any help.

YEP!

 And Mom ALWAYS volunteers Dad!  See all of those lights and fans hanging in the above picture?  Well, we are still constructing on this level, and everything is dusty.  So while I went up the ladder to clean each and every blade and shade, I had Dad hand me the rags.

While Mom took a Q-tip to the door frame! 
Laaaaw that door frame ain't nevah gonna see a q-tip with me. 
Nevah I tell you! 
Who does that?
 I guess there was "a bug in the door frame."
You go Mom.

 And this is the "big room".  The "dining/living" room.  Or the "great-banquet hall".  Depends on what we plan on using it for at the time.  Lately, it has been the "construction site", where we saw wood and paint trim.  So, we cleared all of the construction materials out of the room and re-located them in various places in the house.  Then we washed windows, window sills, and swept the floor.  
Then, we went to the various places in the house, and pole barn, and got whatever tables and chairs we could scrounge up.   

No worries on the junky looking tables, they all get covered.

I also planted a bunch of rye seed in various pots and containers.  Or maybe it was wheat, it's been too long since I bought it.  And either way, it looks like grass, which is the idea.

But I was getting concerned because it wasn't growing quickly enough, so I drug it all upstairs to the big room and put it in the windowsills.

And I started baking.  Cakes freeze pretty easily, and I decided the more I can get done earlier in the week, the better.  Only now it's Thursday, and I'm still baking cakes!

I did NOT bake this cake.  My neighbor did.  I just ate some of it, and wanted to show you because it's so pretty and colorful and spring-y looking! She invited us over for coconut cake the other evening and My Shug does not say no to coconut cake.  Or sugar cream pie.  Or peach pie.  Or chocolate sheet cake.  I could go on.

I did get one thing hung on the wall in the kitchen.

And you remember the pansies and such that I bought at Horton's a couple of weeks ago.  Well, they are planted.

 Finally, sunshine is making the grass grow!  That...and water spritzes three times a day.

I especially needed the grass in these pots to grow!  They were for my friends in crochet group.

 And I needed to figure out this Peep pattern before it did me in!

 Well now how cute!

 The pattern is a free download on Ravelry titled Easter Marshmallow Bunnies by Doni Speigle.

 And look why I needed this grass to get growing.  I was hoping it would turn out as cute as I planned in my head, because late last night I was finishing up these Easter peeps!  And I needed them this morning!

 Adorbs, if I say so myself!

 

Can't stop taking pictures......

Dixie is looking out for the Easter Bunny! It won't be long now.

Cindy Bee

Downton Abbey tea

A few weeks ago my Sister asked me if I wanted to go to a Downton Abbey tea party. 

 Sure...if I don't have to dress up. 

"Nah" she says, "I'm not dressing up!"

So about a week before I called her

"I'm dressing up!"

"WHAT!  WHY?"

"I think it'll be fun."

So off I go to Goodwill to look for accoutrement.

I found a bag for me....

and a bag for her.

I had an idea of what I was wearing, and it had black in it, so I also bought a couple of black slips, with the intention of adding lace.

I also found shoes that I loved, but I was afraid I'd break my ankle trying to walk in them!  How do they walk in some of those heels I ask you?

 Somehow, I spent 20 bills on stuff I didn't need and don't even remember what I bought!  Except for the bags and slips.
Then I came home and started trying on clothes....and I had a style show with my crochet friends, Debbie and K, via the phone.  (My other crochet friend Cheryl was on some voyage in the seven seas)

I did not plan on wearing leggin's.  I just had them on so they wouldn't have to view my legs!

This was the dress I planned on wearing, but K said, "well, that's ok if you want to look like Mrs. Patmore!" 

WHAT!  Dammittohell......

 Sorry Mrs. Patmore, but NO MORE BASEMENT DWELLING FOR ME!

 

 What about this....

 or this....

 or this....

 

 Now, which hat?

  Oh wait, I forgot I bought this one on our shopping trip to Nashville.  What do you think?

 Now let me see if I can find some gloves...at which point Debbie says, "You have all of this stuff in your house?"
AhhHeeemmmmm...(loud throat clear)

 Oh wait, look what purse I found.

And what about these shoes....I was going to sell them (they're Danskos and I've worn them once).  They were one of those deals where you buy one pair on sale you get the second pair for 70% off the sale price...something like that.  I don't wear much of a heal anymore.

So, the day arrived.

I was just getting ready to shower when I get a call... "Cousin Vickie is in ER!"

"WHAT?  Why?"

She was driving and her leg got a tingly feeling and she couldn't see for about 15 seconds!

Oh no...I'm on my way.....nooooo, no need to come, she's fine now.

Now, cousin Vickie lives in one direction about 30 minutes away, and sister Theresa lives in another direction about 45 minutes away.  I could not go to both.  So I call sister Theresa.  It was a quandry.

Because Vickie's Shug said do not come over, that she is fine now, BUT they are doing precautionary tests.  

Well...what if she had a stroke....I had to go there...didn't I?  

So I called Theresa again.  I was going to see Vickie.

I called Vickie's Shug again.  

NOOOO.....go to the tea..she is FINE.  Her test results came back fine.  

WTH happened then?

Apparently you should NEVER mix blood pressure meds with cold meds.  

NEVAH!  

Ya hear me.

NEVAH NEVAH NEVAH

It does weird stuff to you.

And TAKE THAT BP med as directed.  

ALWAYS

 At this point, I was running behind a tad.

I already had everything laid out, but there would be no chatting with Anna a.k.a. Mrs. Bates, while she helped me get dressed.  As a matter of fact, when Vickie finally called me to tell me she was ok, I was stretching on some tights!  Ugh Ugh Ugh....I haven't worn tights in years.  

PUULLLLLLL!

As a matter of fact, I had just given all of my panty hose to my shug to use to tie around tree branches and plants and such!  They make great plant ties because they don't cut into the plant.

Laaaw peeps, I didn't know I'd be needing them!

took me a week to prepare to dress for one day (I have a whole jar full of faux' pearls too).

I'm thanking the Lord right now for jeans and sweaters!

 I'm ready to go and What the H!

No driver!  

So, I get in the car and bump my hat, 

and who can drive in those gloves.  

Off comes the scarf (seatbelt issues), hat, and gloves.  

And I made it with moments to spare!

 

 They had wine, and cucumber cream cheese sandwiches, and poached salmon with little toppings of which I did not partake (of the toppings, I did have the salmon)

and some sort of crusty bread that you were to put your salmon on

and they had wine...

 and pork tenderloins or baked chicken and green beans....

Grammama was not happy with me.

(Come on Violet, loosen up!)

 Carson was less than happy with the wait staff.

 Uh oh, Sister Theresa is in troub!

 Oh yes, did I mention the tea...

 served on a silver platter...

 and tarts....

 Lady Edith and Lady Mary were both in attendance.

 Ahhh...here's the driver!

 Could have used her a couple of hours ago!
Wait....HER?


We had a great time.  We even won a book and some tea for having the most correct answers for, "Who said....Downton Abbey Famous Quotes?"  We tied, so my sister graciously let me have the book.  She took the tea.  And we had different answers correct so we did not CHEAT!
Let's see how you do....NO CHEATING!

Who said....

"Does it ever get cold on the moral high ground?"

"I said you could go for a drink of water not a trip up the Nile"

"I'd rather have the right man than the right wedding"

"I don't believe in types, I believe in people."

"Oh, Heavens Girl you're building a fire not inventing it."

"We all have chapters we would rather keep unpublished."

"Don't be a defeatist, dear.  It's very middle class."

"I'd rather sleep on the roof than share with Edith."

"Oh dear, have you swallowed a dictionary."

"If you're tired of style you are tired of life."

"What's a weekend?"

Oh no...I just realized I think I got one wrong that I did not mark!  Looks like my sister might have been the real winner.  Hmmm....I wonder if I can keep the book anyway.  We do get along better than Edith and Mary do, after all.

I told someone at the tea (dinner, really) that I didn't watch the show for the first two years (I Know!) and when my Mom, Dad, Sister and I went to Italy, my sister downloaded the first two seasons.  We watched the entire first two seasons on the ipad in the evenings in Italy, and on the plane rides.  It was fitting that we celebrate the end of the show together.  I will miss it.


Lady Cindy!