Early Spring at Home

This has been my favorite place to enjoy coffee in the early part of the day when the sun has made its way up up up, and our sunporch becomes drenched in the warmest morning light. I found that little table at the thrift store for $3 and painted it a smokey gray. It’s the perfect table for my mug, and its legs are my favorite part.

Do any of your little ones still sleep with you? We put Theodore in his bed every night, and every night he makes his way into ours. We don’t like it at all if you can’t tell. 😉 I love this picture of my boys so very much.

I have been making a lot of tasted granola bars this season because the kids are bonkers for them and they make the best on-the-go snacks. But truth be told, I haven’t landed on a really good recipe yet. Do you have any recommendations? I am wanting simple and wholesome – preferably with little to no sugar. And with dates. And dried fruit. And I’m picky.

I cannot recall what was happening in this little scene but it kills me. Look at those cheeks and that tiny pout, you guys. Alf has the best expressions and I swear he’ll go into some kind of performance art one day. I’ll be at every show, Alfalfa.

Every year about six daffodils bloom in our yard, and every year I pick those six daffodils and set them on this window sill. I like to watch the sun shine through the petals when I do the dishes.

The kids and I have been doing a little wheatgrass project that I am going to share here hopefully next week. It’s a wonderful lesson in growing to do young ones because this variety of grass grows super quick, perfect for the impatient folk. And if you use mason jars you get to watch the roots form! I like to snip it and add it to my green juice in the mornings.

For whatever reason those little white flowers popped up all over our yard this spring for the very first time. Did I mention that our lawn care providers killed our lawn last year? They did and it was an awful mistake. Anyhow, I am almost positive these are from the weed family, but they might just be the prettiest weeds I’ve ever had the pleasure of picking! When the kids get antsy I’ll send them to the backyard to pick them for mama, which daddy loves because weeds, and mama loves because tiny white flowers.

This spring I changed up our bedding and decided to pull out my great grandma Mabel’s antique bed cover, something my grandma Vivian passed down to me early on this year. The intricate detailing mesmerizes me and looks so beautiful in this dark, stormy light. I am very much drawn to neutral layers that are very texturized, so this blanket is pretty much a dream to have in our home. I love running my hand across the tiny cotton beads that make up those floral designs. My great grandma was a feisty woman, a maker, and an energetic spirit. I am adopted, but I like to think that some of her fiery light runs through my veins, too.

I was having some pretty bad cramps a few weeks ago so I lit a candle and hopped in bed to read for the night with my heating pad. Andrew broke out a good bottle as a little surprise and had Stella deliver it to me so I could sip wine by candlelight. It was such a sweet, romantic gesture. Cramps are crap. Candles and good wine and kind husbands and kids who deliver wine are not.

I love this little shot of Stella in her new spring shoes and green raincoat standing by the pantry in the kitchen. I am pretty sure she’s peeling an orange, something we all do many, many times throughout the day.

The other morning I noticed this pretty fellow fluttering around in our sun porch. He kept me company as I sipped my coffee so I decide to take his portrait. Her portrait? The kids got a kick out of seeing this beauty up close on my camera, so I think we are going to do more nature studies with photography this year. I also want to get Stella her own camera for her birthday, what do you recommend for 6 year olds?

There’s something about an old, corn broom that makes me smile. We pick this one up years ago at a local hardware store and I remember loving it because of that light blue handle. It lives on our porch and is the perfect tool to sweep dust and leaves. Old-fashioned cleaning tools are the best, you guys.

I’ve been very drawn to the shadows of this season and all the ways new growth makes our home look and feel in the light. Seeing green again is the biggest breath of fresh air. I love all the seasons, but spring is my favorite, with autumn a close second.

This is old news, but I can’t stop eating this stuff. I discovered Trader Joe’s sells “everything” seasoning and when it comes back in stock I am buying it and putting it on everything.

This past weekend the kids had a little tea party on the lawn while Andrew and I sat in the rocking chairs on the front porch and listened to music. There was cold beer in our hands and it was a delight. And I am obsessed with how Alfie is crossing his feet here. He has been doing that since he was born and we think they must have been crossed somehow in my womb, his tiny toes overlapping.

Somehow the back of Theo’s head is always fuzzy and this makes me very happy.

It has been a very rainy early spring, and while I do enjoy the sunshine, I’ve been so grateful for these dark, wet days. There’s something about a mellow, rainy week that helps push me into rest mode, something I don’t alway recognize that I need until it’s too late and I am burnt out. This old house has so many windows and when it rains I love to watch it fall while we move from room to room. The boys and I ended up taking the longest naps during those two weeks of constant downpours, and it was wonderful.

 

  • Heather Legge - Amanda, this is so lovely and sweet. I love everything you shared here. I’m going to look around my home at the small things I love, and I am going to take note of them.ReplyCancel

  • Breanna Marie - Such lovely little moments. Thank you for sharing!

    https://bybreannamarie.com/ReplyCancel

  • Stephabie - Oh she glows! Angela’s bars are my go to. No bake! Come out perfect everytime. Each time I make them, I vary my dried fruit or nuts depending on what’s in my pantry. My daughter loves them!ReplyCancel

  • Heather - Hands down my favorite homemade granola bar: http://www.fannetasticfood.com/recipes/no-bake-peanut-butter-granola-bars/

    Also, I have tried several different brooms over the years and always go back to my corn broom. It’s the best.ReplyCancel

  • Lisa - I’ve been making oatballs for the past couple of weeks and this recipe is super yummy! No added sugar either 🙂

    1/2 c honey
    1 Tbsp chia seeds
    1 tsp cinnamon
    1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
    2 c oats
    1/2 c craisins
    1/2 tsp vanilla
    1/2 c peanut butter
    1 c chopped nuts

    Mix everything in a bowl. Refrigerate for 1 hr. Roll into balls. Enjoy!

    I don’t remember where I got the recipe, but I’d give credit to that person if I could 🙂

    I love your blog. It’s humbling and brings a calmness to me. Thank you for that.ReplyCancel

  • Sarah Keller - Wow- that bed cover! So my Great Grandma had one JUST like that, that was on the bed I slept in when I lived with her for a few years. I hadn’t thought about it in forever, until the other day when it popped into my head and made me wish I could find another just like it. I’ve never seen one of those anywhere else but here! What a coincidence 🙂ReplyCancel

  • Brandy - Thanks so much for sharing all these little thoughts. We’re growing some wheat grass, too, for Easter. Do you think it works to put it in smoothies?

    all the best,
    BrandyReplyCancel

  • Rachelle - Another vote for oh she glows bars! They are so good and you can change them up depending on what ingredients you want to use. Those are definitely weeds. We have them too but I mow around them because I love picking them 🙂ReplyCancel

  • Sarah - I love this post, Amanda. And I get the rainy day love you have. I love rainy days and snowy days because they give me an excuse to stay home and nest and maybe just wear pajamas all day. I live in the mountains in a very active community where outdoor recreation opportunities are everywhere. I’m really grateful for this, but sometimes I need to hit that reset button too and just stay inside and be cozy and honor my true homebody nature!ReplyCancel

  • Laura Johns - Hi Amanda – Loved this post! Beautiful photos!
    I recently found a great muesli bar recipe in the cook book “The Thrifty Kitchen.” They were really yummy! I found the recipe online here – check it out! http://messmymonth.blogspot.com.au/2010/05/day-7-fruity-muesli-bars.html
    Enjoy xReplyCancel

  • Susanna - What a lovely post! So very sweet! And making me wish I lived in Missouri instead of Maine at the moment since spring isn’t here yet. Thank you for sharing these little tidbits. My parents had two bedspreads just like the one from your great grandmother on our twin guest beds growing up. A rush of memories just flooded back to me! I wonder where they are… They always left funny little dots on the back of your legs when you sat on them. Thanks for the mid-week inspiration. 🙂ReplyCancel

  • Taylor - My one tip for homemade granola bars is to use both regular oatmeal and then my own flour made of ground oatmeal. Sticks together well.ReplyCancel

  • Maegan M Stunkard - Hi Amanda,

    First one super excited for your worship playlist! Your blog is always giving me so much inspiration in many areas of my life.

    I’ve been hunting for a “heirloom” quality white quilt or blanket for our bedroom. I’ve been hunting for awhile and have been afraid to make an online purchase not knowing the quality etc. I figured you might be the perfect person to ask, if you have any recommendations for brands or shops to consider for this purchase.

    Blessings,

    Maegan Stunkard
    LovingasimplelifeReplyCancel

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