Spring has sprung in Montana!

After a LONG winter, Friday brought spring not just on the calendar but also in the weather and my temperament! Friday I cleaned house like a maniac so the weekend could be "my own".  Saturday I did a little "junking." Years ago Mom and I used to do this every once in awhile but I really haven't done it since The Chick moved into her own place and needed a few things to round out the first apartment. (black paint always coordinates everything!)

I found a frame and original painting dated 1966 of an aspen grove and teepee for $6 by someone I hope never rose to fame and fortune in the artistic world because...

I did a DYI project for my fiber room.  I'm going to add a quote on the blackboard after the paint cures a few days.

The blackboard paint was so fun and easy that after I made instant Chi Tea and Cappuccino I sprayed the lids and added the name of the contents and amount needed for a cup!

Chi Tea
1 c. nonfat dry milk powder
1 c. powdered non-dairy creamer
1 c. French vanilla powdered non-fat creamer
2 c. white sugar ( I used a sugar substitute)
1 1/2 c. unsweetened instant tea
2 t. ground ginger
2 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground cloves
1 t. ground cardamom

Place into jar and shake, shake, shake!

Cappuccino
1 1/3 c. white sugar (I used a sugar substitute)
1 1/3 c. French vanilla powdered non-fat creamer
2/3 c. nonfat dry milk powder
2/3 c. instant coffee granules

Place into jar and shake, shake, shake!

I found a wooden Easter decoration. Years ago I noticed how scratched the front door got with my seasonal decorations. I bought an old window frame and now use it on the front porch.

Also, there is a new piece of petrified wood added to the collection. Hubby brought it home from his latest adventure. (Some boys never grow up and will always bring home an interesting rock or bone!) I love our rock collection on the front porch welcoming all visitors. They have a reason for being there other than just a display - Pirate I bet you know!

I also found two great baskets. One is handmade and I'm going to use it for my ongoing Down The Rabbit Hole Blanket project. The other is an old picnic basket (dated 8-1-41 on the bottom). The stories I could make up about where that little basket has been but I'll just use it for yarn storage in my fiber room for now.

I like the idea of using old picnic baskets for storage and will keep my eyes open for more in the future.

I also got the courage to look at my Kombucha in the cupboard. It  has been left to take care of itself since Thanksgiving. Oh my, the SCOBY looked like a dog chew!

 In desperation I texted and SOS to The CaliforniaDreamingFamily  asking for H-E-L-P!! I was told they thought the SCOBY was a lost cause but SCOBIES are hard to find around these parts and I had read about buying dehydrated SCOBIES so I plopped it into warm water.

After some soaking I pulled the baby SCOBY from its mother, tossed Momma to the turkeys and am now brewing a new batch! I had to pour a four month bottle of Kombucha in the batch, it was hard because it's the best Komucha I've ever made!

While at the store I found some pansies pleading to go into my cart and be planted. It's a little early but I needed to get my hands into the dirt and pansies are a hardy bunch so...

I cleaned out the front flowerbed for the daffodils and columbine to grow and added pansies to the three pots out front (Chicken wire?? you ask. Yes, to keep the deer out. It seems they don't like columbine or daffodils but love pansies!) Then off to the deck where I added three more small pots of pansies near the back door. AHHH, Spring!

I'm not done yet but I'll write about the current project when it's done!