neat things to stuff your Easter basket with

spring is here and what better time to explore nature with your kids.  

here are a few kits to watch little things grow big!

i'm not sure who will be more excited about this herc or me? how neat would it be to see a bird build a nest and maybe even start a family!

Nest View

how fun would it be to watch a tadpole transform into a frog?

Young Explorers

                                    or see a caterpillar become a butterfly

Butterfly Garden

fresh eggs, flowers and spring

this past week i saw a note posted in the teacher's work room for fresh eggs.  a parent at our school sells fresh eggs from her farm.  i called the number ordered a few dozen and by the end of school i had these beautiful eggs!

i had to run some errands that day and when i saw this basket at Sur la table, i could not pass it up

so even if it was 17 degrees on the first day of spring, i tried to look on the bright side...and make some sunny side up eggs. or as herc says dippie eggs;)

and to finish my week off, john brought me home a beautiful wild flower bouquet!

so come on spring, we're all waiting for you!

a little funny

via my friend emily 

humortrain.com

my big boy

                                                 i love this kid!

indoor gardens for kids

via fruitflypie on etsy

today is a snow day...we are all home, warm and snuggly.  i am starting to get a little stir crazy, and i miss the warm California sunshine.  i miss the hikes and  beautiful succulent gardens.  one of my favorite places in L.A. to visit was the California Cactus Center in Pasadena.  john would take me there for my birthdays to pick out a pot and design my own arrangement.

California Cactus Center

i thought this was a fun idea for herc's room,  i actually bought a stegasaurus from Target to do this a while back.

via Craftster

i have been reading herc Jack and the Bean Stalk,  he loves it!  this is a cute little project to get started in the dining room window, where the sun comes through nice and bright all day.  i think he will get a kick out of seeing the beans sprout.

Martha Stewart

ready to trade our mittens for some gardening gloves!

 

apple upside down cake...delicious

i found the recipe for this on Pinterest...of course.  yes, I am mildly obsessed with Pinterest, but i have made a deal with myself, as long as I do something creative, bake, do some home remedy, it is not a waste of time!

here is my list of things i have seen on Pinterest and actually tried:

faux calligraphy(more than once!)

baking soda for boiling eggs(easy off peel, it works!)

scarf  folding tutorial

this cake...

tons of art projects with Herc

and i cant remember what else, but i have.

i followed THIS recipe from King Arthur Flour, and changed a few things, cause i didn't have all the ingredients.

via

the recipe called for corn syrup, i used maple syrup.  asked for ground ginger i substituted allspice, and my husband was supposed to bring home apple cider and claims someone took it from his cart so i used water.  it was pretty easy and turned out great! i made it twice by request:)