Fickle March

March is such a fickle month. It can't quite make up its mind whether to go ahead and be Spring... or to just allow winter to linger awhile longer. I could decide for it, but then, it didn't ask me, did it?

Around these parts March came in like a lion. We had frigid winds and snow early in the week. We can only hope that it will, indeed, go out like a lamb!

A day or two later the sun came out and it warmed up a little. Still not exactly what you'd call warm, but at least it melted some of the snow... and the sunshine was definitely welcome!

Then we got rain. Cold rain. It melted the snow a little more. Just at sunset time, the clouds parted and the sun cast a gorgeous rainbow across the eastern sky. I was driving at the time, but hoping that Laura saw it and had her camera handy. When we pulled into the driveway, there she was on the step, camera in hand! (She took the above picture. Isn't it neat how the rainbow is reflected in the street?)

Spring will come! Eventually.

Fun honors...

Penny @ Knee Deep in Grace nominated me for the Stylish Blogger Award. This is one of those "pay it forward" type awards. I'm honored Penny thought of me. Thank you, Penny!

The rules are to share 7 things about yourself (which I've done before here and here and here and here!), and then to share 15 recently discovered, great bloggers to receive this award. Here's where I'm going to have to fall down on the job. I just haven't had time to explore and discover new-to-me blogs this winter. I haven't even been able to keep up with all the blogs that are already on my blog reader. Instead, I'm going to name the last 15 bloggers who commented on one of my posts. If you see your name on my list and would like to accept and pass along this award, please do! Those of you who have taken the time to keep up with my hit-and-miss posting the past few months and to encourage me with your comments are definitely what I would call "bloggers with style"! So there ya go!

1. Keetha @ The Eclectic Company
2. Laura @ Thru My Eyes
3. Aliene @ Meditations and Memories
4. Barbara @ Barbara's Bakin' n Bits
5. Jan @ Butterflies and Rainbows
6. Laura @ Glimpses of Our World
7. Lisa-Anne @ The Berry Patch
8. PSE @ For His Glory
9. Angel @ Finding the Inspiring
10. Rebecca @ Making Memories 1999
11. Barb @ Santa's Gift Shoppe
12. Alecat @ Serenades and Solace
13. Dori @ A Moment in Time
14. BP @ Raindrops and Rainbows
15. Flo @ wonderfullyflo

And then... Barb at Santa's Gift Shoppe notified me that she was featuring my little baby booties on her blog. She thought maybe they were tatted, but no, they are crocheted. I can see where it would be confusing, though, as I showed a small tatting project on the same post. Thank you for featuring me, Barb!

Pirose - review

I like reviewing books and educational materials, because reading and teaching are important to me, but every now and then I get to review a product just for fun, and just for me! The Pirose scarf falls in that category. (Disclosure: This is a Mama Buzz review. The product was provided by Reno Rose for this review.)

When I saw how many different ways there were to wear this scarf, I knew I wanted to try it. It also comes in a wide variety of fabric prints (as well as solid black, white, or brown). I didn't have a choice of which one I was sent. I received the one in the picture, and I love it! I really does go with quite a few things in my wardrobe.

I have enjoyed wearing it this winter scrunched up and looped around my neck for warmth. In the summer, I'll enjoy it as a light-weight shawl. It came with a little drawstring bag for storage to make it handy to keep in my totebag. In Idaho, even summer evenings can be cool, so it would be nice to have something like this handy. One thing I especially like about it is how it could add modesty worn over a sleeveless top or dress. It's just really a nice accessory. I wouldn't mind having a few more of them.

Thinking Outside the Box

After I posted about the nice pickup topper we got a couple of weeks ago, I tried driving with the thing on. It was dark and rainy the first time, and with droplets of water on the back window I couldn't see to back up. Driving the truck without the topper makes me nervous enough, because it just feels so big to me, so it really scared me to not be able to see what was behind me. I decided it would probably be okay in the daylight, though, especially if it wasn't raining. Well... not so much if the roads are muddy... and the next day I had to drive on muddy roads which obliterated the back window even worse.

I asked Lyle if it would be possible to leave the topper off except for trips when we needed the cargo space. The only problem with that suggestion was where to store the topper. We supposedly have a "two-car" garage, but that just means that there's room to walk beside the truck when it's parked in there. I can't imagine how you could ever get two real vehicles in at once, but in any case, we have shelves along one wall and a workbench along the other, so not a lot of room for extra storage.

Lyle suggested we could hang the topper from the rafters. I laughed at him. But turns out-- he was serious! He researched how to do it (online, of course), went to Lowe's for a few things, then spent last Saturday "putzing" in the garage again... and voila!

I'm just so impressed with how clever he is!

Not Complainin'

It's a blizzardy morning in my neighborhood today. The view out my kitchen window is rather bleak. It's cold and blustery. We haven't really had much snow to speak of since Christmas time, and the ground has been mostly bare for at least a month, so I had hoped perhaps we would get an early spring. I should have known better.

But I won't complain.

The girls and I have been reading The Lost Art of True Beauty by Leslie Ludy, and she talks about learning to not complain. So instead of whining about a late-season blizzard, I will be grateful that we have enjoyed a relatively mild winter and spring really is right around the corner.

I also won't complain about having a cold, even though it's my second one this winter. Instead, I'll be grateful that it is just a cold, and that in general, I enjoy good health.

I won't complain about not having time to blog as much as I would like, realizing that the other things that have priority right now won't last forever. Especially homeschooling my children. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to sit down with them every day for learning and conversation.

I do have some catch-up posts lined up for this weekend, so hopefully I'll be back soon! In the meantime, what are you not complaining about today?