spring things

Since I last stopped in to give you an update more things have transpired. First, my baby lost her first tooth. Seriously...adorable, right? Second, a friend of mine, that lets me enjoy her chickens, got six new chicks. They're fluffy and chirpy and adorable.

We held them and watched them as they pecked and scurried around in the warmth of the heat lamp.

Third, my flowers are blooming!

Tulips, grape hyacinth, daffodils...gorgeous, colorful signs of spring in every spot in the yard I could plant a bulb.

The azaleas have buds and will be blooming soon.

Forth, we have been enjoying the warm, sunny days that are sandwiched between cold, rainy, wintry days. The confounded dandelions have made a serious comeback this spring. I love their cheerful, sunny color...but I don't want them to take over my yard. The clover has dibs on the yard evidently, but the dandelions are giving them a run for their money.

Fifth, we've had a few play dates that were spontaneous and fun.

Spending time with friends is such a treat. That just about sums up the last couple of weeks. The next few days look very promising. There will be lots of yard work fun work and gardening and playing! enjoy, my friends, enjoy! xoANG

tea time

My girls were invited to a lovely tea party last week. They had a great time with their friends. The weather was beautiful, the bugs were minimal, and the tea was perfectly brewed, sweet, southern, iced tea.

After the tea party they all took turns on the world's best swing. I tried to capture a sweet, tea party moment for Dad to enjoy, but this is what I captured. They are more like their Dad every time I take my camera out.

After our friends left we went for a nice stroll so I could take some pictures of the girls looking especially beautiful in their mama-made clothes among the flowers. We also went down to the lotus pond to see the frogs and flowers. It's so lovely at the pond...and we were not disappointed.

This collage at the pond is a classic moment. 1-are we done with the pictures yet? we just want to look for frogs. 2- whoa, did you see the frog that made that big splash! 3- okay, we'll smile quick for you mom, if you let us hunt for that frog.

Cute, no? If you could see the gnats...ugh! But the temperature was great and so was the light.

I love this ginormous flower pot. The girls thought it was great, too, but they still didn't want to smile.

Now, that's a keeper!

Flowers around the pond.

Frogs, tadpoles, and fish in the pond.

We had a great time with our friends and a great time enjoying the beauty of nature.

Happy Sunday. xo ANG

friends

We are getting set for our vacation so things may be a little slower around the Clothesline next week. I'm packing and cleaning and list checking, all the while trying to retain my sanity. I feel pretty relaxed even though my to-do list is still long. In fact, the girls and I spent some time this morning with our friends at the park. The weather was nice, the kids were nice, the conversation was nice, the snacks were nice. Does it get any better?I mean, really. I've moved around a lot and I know the value, the treasure, the blessing of having dear friends, friends that are like family. So when we're going to be away for a week it's always nice to drop everything and spend a few extra hours with friends before leaving. It's good for the kids, it's good for the moms, it's just plain ol' good. Okay, seriously, I really should be packing and all that jazz. Have a great weekend. Happy Friday! xo ANG

settle down, beavis...or playing with fire

sunshine + magnifying glass = fire

sunshine + magnifying glass + slight breeze = small fire
sunshine + magnifying glass + slight breeze + broken flower pot = contained fire

sunshine + magnifying glass + broken flower pot + extreme heat = exploding fire

As you can see, the girls aren't in any of these pictures. They were very interested and amazed that Dad could start a fire just using the power of the sun and the curve of a magnifying glass. So, yes, there was some actual learning going on here (homeschooling at it's best), but the girls opted to keep their distance to be safe. They did collect leaves and sticks to make the fire bigger and bigger. Then, yes, the pot exploded from the heat. Just so you know, the pot was already cracked from being crushed by several feet of snow over the winter months so we knew it was a possibility. The fire was always contained but it was so hot that the concrete driveway was warm to the touch. Amazing! Playing with fire - check...learning about fire -check...being safe around fire - check. Now the girls want to start a fire by rubbing two stick together! Happy Tuesday xo ANG

it's a zoo out there::part three

Okay, this is my final post about our trip to the NC Zoo. These pictures are all from the North America side of the zoo. We spent our morning in Africa, went out to the car for a nice picnic lunch, then drove to the North American side to begin the second half of our day. I must confess, we did rent a nice double stroller for this part. I know, my kids are 7 and 4 and they shouldn't need to ride when they've got perfectly good feet for walking. But let me tell you...there is a lot of walking. Tim got a nice workout pushing the stroller, especially on the uphill parts. The girls did get out and walk a lot, but when they were tired and hot it was nice to have that stroller with a canopy to keep the whining at bay. Anyway, on to North America. First stop...seals, sea lions, and polar bears. The sea lion was taking a nap with her snout in the water, the seal entertained us with her underwater acrobatics, and the polar bear was getting a light snack. Evidently he didn't want me to catch him eating...but I did anyway!

Then we were on to the stream and river section. Oh, there's a lovely, yet dark, indoor exhibit with many types of fish, snakes, bats, and owls. Most of those pictures didn't turn out very well. But, when we went outside the next animal we came to was the river otter. Seriously, one of the cutest little mammals out there.

Next up, after a nice stroll through the woods, was the grizzly bear. So cute and fuzzy, but seriously scary claws. Looks like someone could use a mani/pedi.

Then we made our way over to the black bear. These guys are everywhere around here but I've never seen one up close. This one at the zoo was loving the attention and after a nice bath by the waterfall and posing for a few close-ups, he decided to stretch and out be cute.

Lastly, we encountered some frontier animals. The bison were so big and majestic. They were very calm and quiet as they munched on the grass. Every time I see one it reminds me of Dances with Wolves. And then there were the elk. The female obviously didn't want me to take her picture. I assume it was because she was shedding her winter fur and was a little mangy...but did she have to stick her tongue out? Sheesh! And the male, well, he sauntered around with his newly growing antlers like he owned the joint. Amazing creatures.

So there you have it...our trip to the North Carolina Zoo. We all had a great time and if you can make your way there I know you'll love it, too. Happy Friday! xoANG

it's a zoo out there::part two

Throughout the North Carolina Zoo , on the trails between exhibits and as part of some exhibits, there are many beautiful plants and flowers. Here are just a few that I captured along the way. Unfortunately, I didn't catch the names of these beauties, but they are still gorgeous, nonetheless. And just so you know, there will be an amazing display of orchids in the African Pavilion during the entire month of May.

We also spent a lot of time in the aviary. It's such a strange, yet wonderful feeling to be near so many birds. Exotic, tropical birds. The sounds they made were amazing. Some of the birds weren't too scared of us and they let us get pretty close. Others didn't really care to have us in there and watched us from above. And still others sang loudly as if playing marco polo with us. We just had to follow the sound and have keen eyes and then we'd spot them.

This zoo used to have a petting zoo section but not any more. I was kind of sad about that because I really wanted to see some goats and sheep and chickens. To our delight though, they turned the petting zoo into a wonderful area of exploration for the kids. There was a butterfly garden, a long, winding maze of a balance beam made of logs, garden trellis tunnels to walk through, a bamboo maze (which the girls did by themselves-twice!), a wall on which to draw with chalk or paint with water, a pond stocked with tiny fish and timid frogs that drew us in because there were little nets all around for us to use in catching something...we didn't. It was still very fun.

A new section that we were excited to find was all about honey bees. I was quite smitten with the whole design. The walkways and garden fencing were all hexagon shaped. There were flowers everywhere to attract the bees and little information signs with cool facts about bees. There was also a real hive enclosed in glass so we could see all of the activity and bees in various stages of life. Fascinating.

And just so you are completely aware...the Africa side of the zoo will be opening a new exhibit on May 22nd....Lemur Island! Happy Wednesday xo ANG

it's a zoo out there::part one

We went to the zoo a couple of weeks ago and I've been dying to share some pictures. What zoo? you ask. The North Carolina Zoo. It's so great! If you live within 3 or 4 hours it is well worth the trip. We got up super early, made it there by 9am when they opened, and had a great day. There are two parts to the zoo, an Africa side and a North America side. We started our day in Africa hoping to catch some early morning action. The lions, much to my dismay, were already snoozing and didn't seem to have any intention of getting up while we were there. So, on to the apes we went. The chimps and gorillas are always entertaining and fascinating. The giant silver back gorilla named Nkosi was amazing with his piercing stare and playful antics. The chimps, well, they're always so funny. There's always a couple of jokesters in there. They are such a hoot! A couple of them had handfuls of monkey chow that they were being stingy with even while they played. Several of the others found green beans to munch on while they seemed to study us through the glass while we studied them. It was a fun way to start the day!

Next, we went through a building that used to be an indoor monkey habitat but now housed flowers and banana trees and coffee plants. Right after that was the baboons. There were two new babies that chased and played. There were also some very menacing older baboons that weren't too keen on the lady with the camera, hence the intimidating stares I captured.

Elephants were next. Oh, we've never been so close to them. They were quite majestic up close like that. Okay, dirty and stinky, but still quite majestic. There were some rhinos in there too but they were being antisocial.

Then on to the lovely and beautiful giraffes and zebras. So there were a few ostriches thrown in there for fun. The giraffes chased them around for a while as the zebras seemed unimpressed. After all of the running the ostriches stared at us for a while, no doubt trying to make me insecure about my short and inadequate eyelashes.

So that is Africa for you. The zoo is a natural habitat one so there is plenty of walking in between each exhibit. There are plenty of beautiful trees and flowers to enjoy while strolling along.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures! Happy Tuesday xo ANG

you capture::spring

Besides the fact that my children are growing like the weeds in my yard every spring, they very excitedly discovered the first of the caterpillars in our yard. They are fascinating and fuzzy. The girls anticipate their arrival every year. Thankfully, for the sake of the caterpillars, every year the girls are a little more gentle.

My azaleas have bloomed! I look forward to this every spring. These azaleas are what drew me in when we were house hunting five years ago. They are just gorgeous. Although, sadly, one of the bushes has died so I'll have to dig it up this summer. Any azalea pruning tips and tricks are welcome.

Now, it just wouldn't be a proper spring without a quickly arriving afternoon thunderstorm which just happened to produce the most beautiful of rainbows. If you look closely you can see there is another rainbow above the bright one. And yes they were full rainbows...a rarity around these parts.
For more spring captures go visit i should be folding laundry. xo ANG

spring top

Well, my spring top is done. I used the Summer Nightie pattern from my new favorite book...One Yard Wonders. It can be a nightie or a super cute top with shorts or jeans. The fabric, from my Grandma's stash, is most likely a vintage cotton. The purple gingham bias trim, which I made, also from her stash is newer and certainly cotton. The pattern was simple and the directions were easy to follow. It all came together so nicely and fits perfectly. The only thing I changed was making the straps criss-cross in the back. Voting for Spring Top Week begins soon. There are so many great tops to see and much inspiration to be gained. You should go check it out. xo ANG

bring it

Over the past couple of weeks the weather has been very summery. You know what that means? We're outside as much as possible.

While waiting for some friends one day we had to enjoy this gorgeous pink tree. I don't know what kind of tree it is but it looks like a tree full of carnations.

It was warm enough for swim suits and sprinklers, walks to a playground for some seriously high swinging, and playdates with friends.

The early warm weather also brought about lots and lots of blooming. Above is a variety of tulips. Some from our yard and some from our walk to the playground. Below is a couple of close-ups of the pink tree, a fabulous forsythia, some yellow irises, and my very own daffodils.

We all love being outside to soak up the heat and enjoy all of the color after such a long, cold, snowy winter. Okay, this week is going to be more spring like in temperature...cool and breezy. I prefer it hot...so come on sun...bring it! Happy weekend. xo ANG