More beautifuller.

First and foremost- GAHAHHAHHAHHHHHH it’s totally Spring, you guys! We played outside today and I WAS IN BARE FEET (well, on the deck. The yard is still quite squishy.) and it was every bit as incredible as I thought it could be. Also, t-shirt. No jacket. No sweater. It. Was. Amazing.

Because I had seen this gorgeous day coming up in the forecast, I decided to choose a very springy activity and a very springy book for book club this week. Turned out- it was a bit too long and involved of a story for probably half of our participants. But, they all seemed to enjoy the projects. Soooo, it’s like a half-win. Next week I’ll be sure to choose something a bit simpler in the book department.

In any case- this week’s book was Miss Rumphius, by Babara Cooney. The illustrations are gorgeous, the storyline inspiring. Plus, you know I love a coastal New England setting. The book follows the story of a little girl who tells her artist grandfather that when she grows up she wants to travel the world and then come home to live by the sea. He says that’s great, but you must also do a third thing- make the world a bit more beautiful. In the end, she chooses to do this by scattering seeds everywhere she goes, eventually covering the coastline of Maine with lupines. Then she rests in her house by the sea, finally presenting the narrator (her great-niece) with the same challenge- to find a way to make the world a more beautiful place to be.

So. On to our projects- I wanted to do springtime paintings, and I wanted to have the kids plant some flower seeds. In hindsight, I totally could have combined the projects and had them paint the pots, buuuut I didn’t.

Again, the reality varied a bit from the plan. The original idea was to have the kids do paintings of specifically lupines, like in the story. It is a fairly simple flower shape, with the green stem in the middle and then perfectly-shaped-for-fingerprinting petals going up the sides. Buuuuut with the majority of our participants being in the under-two set, I quickly scrapped that plan and we just went with the “Here! Here’s some paint! Go at it!” approach.

I picked up a bunch of boy’s button down shirts at the thrift store last night, to use as painting smocks. Are they not the most adorable look ever?

Once we thoroughly painted my kitchen table our canvases (def gonna throw down some newsprint next time- it does wipe clean pretty well, but it would be easier still to just chuck a layer of paper), we headed outside to the back deck (!) to plant our flowers. I probably should have monitored the seed distribution a bit more closely, as I have zero idea of how many flowers went into each pot. But, that means that the likelihood of something sprouting should be quite high. I tried to pick flowers with relatively quick germination periods- so they should start seeing green within a week or two. Fingers crossed.

After the flower planting frenzy, we just turned the kids loose on the driveway with some rainboots and some sidewalk chalk. When they started melting down, I threw some (totally not theme-related, and totally delish) blueberry muffins and cut-up strawberries at them for a snack.  (Side note: ONE time I slightly burned a batch of muffins. ONCE. And ever since then, every single damn time I make muffins, Fiona says “Thanks for not overcooking these, mum. Remember when you overcooked them and they were all black? Remember” Gah. Child. I remember. I learned from it and now I make sure to let the oven properly preheat. Can’t you just let it go?!?!? {let it go… Can’t hold it back anymoooooore.} And yes. The girls are downstairs watching that while I’m doing this. Duh.)

And of course, when Fiona got home from school, she wanted to get in on all the projecty goodness. So she did a painting of me and her with some flowers in the springtime. Love it. Violet also wanted to paint more, so her painting got a whole new layer and a whole new look. Once I put Bianca down for her nap, even I got in on the painting action. I haven’t painted a picture in like… ever. But it was actually really relaxing and fun. I know nothing of technique or shading or anything like that, but still. I made some happy little clouds, and some happy litle trees. And it’s a good day.

Ps. If you didn’t click that link above the picture there, I’m gonna go ahead and insist that you go back up and do so. It’s good times. You’re welcome.

Now, I just want to throw this out to the universe- all my springtime excitement is NOT a challenge. I am fully aware that it’s only early April and is therefore well within the timeframe wherein we could get more snow. I KNOW. But for now I’ve got the windows open and I am enjoying the shit out of this weather for however long it lasts.