I'm on a kick making purses. I've posted and sold a few on Etsy. I've always had a creative side doing various things, most recently ceramics. But, with two jobs the effort to get out the clay, and work with it was too exhausting and I found myself spending most of my free time surfing the web. So, I decided to start sewing, and it's been a very rewarding process, and not too physically demanding. My latest creation I really like, I added a flower that I made out of my daughter's old jeans, and then added some bead stamens, and I think it is adorable. What do you think?

This time of year I always love and hate my yard. It's a great yard, with lots of landscaping, plants, water features, etc. But, with that comes tons of work, and every spring, tons of cleanup. Not to mention the fact that we also have a dog and so he creates his own special little messes for us to clean up.

Mother's Day was great, everyone, including the snotty teen, went out and spent several hours on various projects. Tree trimming, perennial shaping, digging out the dead stuff, and poop collecting. It looks so much better, and we got out all the patio furniture and had dinner out there. Lovely!

Wow, I just finished my next to last week at the library. The last week I always show the kids a movie as they can't check out books. I always stress out about what to show because it has to be around 20 minutes long and I want it to be very entertaining. This year I am so excited, I purchased this DVD of the most excellent Storyteller Bill Harley. I have heard him several times at the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival in Orem, UT. He is so awesome and he has some hilarious school stories on this DVD. I can't wait to show one of his stories to the kids, if you're interested you can buy it here, it's only $15 and it is well worth it!

We had a spectacular time over spring break. Visiting sunny California with Grandma and Grandpa Tedrow. What a fun time!

See picture of Jackson (brown shirt) and Dillon (blue shirt) and friend Zach on the log ride.

This week I am showing the kids the new Caldecott and Newbery winners for 2008. I am quite proud that I had purchased both of them already and had them on my new book displays. I was in the middle of reading The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman when the award was announced. I'm almost finished, and I like it. It's definitely a book for kids that like things creepy. But, he manages to keep a sweetness to it that is very charming and that I really enjoyed.

I'm also reading Little Beauty, by Anthony Browne. I love it, if I'd been on the committee it would have gotten a Caldecott!