AN UNORTHODOX EASTER GIFT

Since our little Calvin is still too young to eat any of the junk that normally goes into an Easter basket, or play with any of the small toys and gizmos one usually puts in them, I invited him and my daughter to browse around Target with me to find something a bit more lasting and memorable for him. For less than $20, we found this:

I had been considering one of those collapsible crawl tunnels that can be flattened and stored under a bed when not in use, since Lexi is doing her best to avoid clutter accumulation. When we went looking for those, we found this instead, which also collapses. Best of all, you can later add tunnels that actually connect to it. What fun!

Me, well, I'm just tickled to death over the color-mad coordination of the floor tiles, cube, and Calvin's onesie. Don't you just love it when that happens? No? Perhaps that's my own special quirk.

Anywho, it's obvious that someone is already having a blast with it. We're just grateful that he is willing to share it with little Calvin.
 

MUSE MAGIC

Yesterday the Muses gathered at Outdoor Woman's house for lunch and a fun art project -- something we have been talking about for nigh on a year now, but just couldn't seem to pull off. It all started when two of the Muses took a wonderful workshop with local mixed-media artist Nina Mihm, and had so much fun they couldn't wait to do something similar again with the rest of us.

Lunch included these beauties, made with fresh eggs plucked straight from Outdoor Woman's own chicken coop!

We were told the only thing we needed to bring was a stash of papers or some magazines we could tear up to use in collage. It was so interesting to me to realize that each "stash" was a reflection of our individual personalities. Mine, of course, was a color-mad collection of my favorite hand-painted papers.

Next we were given a piece of poster board and told to get gluing! O.W. kept telling us not to spend too much time stressing over placement or composition, since that wouldn't matter when we moved on to the next step. Of course, we didn't really believe her.

Can you guess which one is mine?

But of course!

We discovered why that was a total waste of time when she made us flip them over and cut them up. Well, not a total waste, when you consider how soothing it is to just cut and paste -- kinda like being in kindergarten again -- and all the great conversation we shared in the process!

Then we flipped all the newly-by-accident-formed pieces of art back over, and each tried to decide which was our most "artful" composition.

From Spirit Woman, who is all about connecting to nature.

From Outdoor Woman, who is all about travel, history and exploration.

From Fiber Woman, whose art projects come to her in dreams.

Not sure what exactly I will end up doing with these eight little color-mad jewels, but I'm certain they will find their way into one of my art journal projects eventually!

It was the best of days!

TURN THAT FROWN UPSIDE DOWN

Thursday did not start out well. We were driving over to San Antonio for a meet-up with our C.P.A., knowing we owed the IRS more than we've ever owed in our lives. Believe me, it was YUGE! That's what happens when you don't plan ahead and tell them to start taking out more each month, when you know you are going to start receiving Social Security payments and withdraw large sums from your investments for weddings, travel and a car -- money which becomes taxable as soon as you withdraw it, and bumps you up into a different bracket. So yeah, we were not happy campers, to say the least. On the plus side, we finally got our refund from two years ago, when our tax return got hacked. So, that helped our moods a little bit. Plus, it turned out to be a really gorgeous day, ideal for patio dining, so we headed over to one of our favorite lunch spots, La Fonda On Main.

Then, because it was such a gorgeous day, and Fiesta on Main was just a couple of blocks away, we decided to walk down there to look around. Which is how we ended up with a few more of these beauties to replace some of the faded-to-bland bottles on our bottle trees.

 
Fortunately, the color in these is mixed into the glass, instead of painted on, so it doesn't fade. And, as you surely know by now, all it takes is some good Mexican food and a bit of color-madness to turn my frown upside down!