It's Spring Again! (Inside the house anyway...)

My orchids are in full bloom. This one my son in law Ben picked out for me a few years ago for Mother's Day...

and this one my daughter Kate picked out the year before, again for Mother's Day. Thanks kids! They are the gifts that keep on giving!

Oddly, my Christmas cactus are just blooming now. More pictures to follow as i have several colors getting ready to bloom.

more orchid goodness...

and my African Violets are also blooming. These were my Grandmother Mary's favorite houseplants. They were like her children and every windowsill was loaded with them in their little pots. Every time one of mine blooms, it's like a visit from my Gram...

So, even tho Spring is still a month or more away(and i consider the slightest sign of Spring to be the first real day of Spring!) I can dream about it in my little house. Time to make plans for the gardens!

A Gift from my Grama

When i was a little girl, i used to get really wonderful gifts from my Grama, Mary Stopera. They didn't have to make sense...didn't have to be "age appropriate"...But it was always something that i loved. Gram gave me my Raggedy Ann doll for Christmas the year i turned 19! My Dad thought we were crazy! My Gram really loved Christmas, and always made it so special for us. So every year at Christmas time i think of her a lot... AND i buy myself something special, just from her. It doesn't have to make sense or be age appropriate still....

This year, i ordered myself a teddy bear from my Gram, from Jess at teddybearswednesday. His name is Pikelet, and he is the little guy sitting on the chair. He is fully jointed and made with love and mohair from her own pattern....

The happy little guy standing next to Pikelet is Peabody. He was also made by Jess and was up for adoption in her Etsy shop. I didn't have any particular excuse for buying him except that he is adorable and...well, just LOOK at him! And he is so happy to have a little buddy to hang out with!

Jess makes these jointed mohair bears, as well as crocheted and amigurumi bears too. You can find other lovely things in her shop and on her blog. Thanks Jess for sharing these little guys. They are very much loved here.