Happy Saturday!

Good Morning! I have a lot of catching up to do. It's been a busy time since my last post, and I really needed to get caught up with a few things. School is over at the end of June, but we are are already getting busy with the end of school year activities. Caitlin's class had a "luau" yesterday to celebrate the successful completion of "Partners in Reading", a program in her primary school. On Monday she has a trip to a farm and on Tuesday, we have her Spring concert. Upcoming school events include a day at the beach, field day, Fun Fair and finally her class party. Lots of fun things. Daisys also wraps up in May, actually May 30th when we march in the Memorial Day Parade. I'm looking forward to it all winding down for the Summer. Billy has finals in June so we'll start the studying shortly. He's a good boy with it; he was taught HOW to study at an early age and that makes all the difference. We never have tears or anxieties before tests because he organizes himself, sticks to a plan, and that makes all the difference at test time.

We enjoyed our trip so much, and I hope you all enjoyed my photos. I printed some extra of Mary Sawyer's plaque, the little red schoolhouse and the photo of the interior of the schoolhouse for Caitlin to take to school. Her teachers never knew that Mary Had A Little Lamb was true, and they were so excited to see the actual schoolhouse and all. If you missed it, go back to my vacation posts.

We had a very nice Easter spent with my family. We were invited to my brother's house in Massapequa. On Long Island, many towns are named after the Indians who lived here. Some town names, besides Massapequa, are Hauppauge, Nissequogue, and others including the town I live in , Commack. John and his family live about 1/2 hour from us and my sister and her family and my Mom were there as well. We had a nice dinner then the kids (only mine, the others are in their mid twenties and up) did an Easter egg hunt around the yard. It was a very nice day especially since we could all be outside for appetizers. The weather was perfect.

I took down all my Easter decorations this week and packed them all away. I do Americana from now until Halloween. I love Americana~~as long as it is old looking. I keep a lot of Americana up most of the year but for Summer I add even more such as my tea stained flags. I also have one special item from my Dad and that is the "76 flag. It was bought that magical summer. The Summer of '76 was my favorite for all the hoopla of the bicentennial. I only put this special flag out for the Summer; I do keep the regular USA flag out (several of them) ALL year. The '76 flag is special and even my son says he knows Summer is here when that flag comes out!

I'm working on a a little button stitchery that is Americana. Hoping it comes out cute. When I finish it, I will post it.

Dutchess, my big calico cat, is thrilled to have a new basket. My sister offered this beauty to me since she wasn't using it anymore and it was a better shape for Dutchess than I had plus a little bigger. She made herself very comfy. She suffers from arthritis so I always keep her basket in front of the baseboard heat. It soothes her bones! Now that the heat is off for the year, she basks in the heat of the sunlight beaming from my big windows!

As I look out my big windows, I am happy to say we are having a lot of plants coming back to life after our harsh Winter. My hosta are sprouting, the peonys are popping out of the soil and almost overnight the bushes are green! I'm also happy my flowering tree is about to bloom! She blooms every other year and this is the YEAR.

Well, now that I'm home from our trip and Easter is over and packed away, I have some serious work to do around here. Cleaning in and out. Can't wait to plant although we can't plant safely till after Mother's Day and so much more. I also want to get the materials for some crafts I have ideas for. Gina of Cat Nap Inn Primitives gave me a GREAT idea for a planter with flowers. I am changing it slightly but stealing the basic idea. Once I get the flowers for it and plant it, I will show it. It answered my question WHAT creative thing could I do with a particular antique I have.

Before I go, I have to say watching the Royal Wedding was such a thrill. I loved it all. I visited England in 1985 and it was amazing. I visited Kensington Gardens, St Paul's Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Trafalgar Square, the Tower of London--all of it and it was really something else. I think they will have a long and happy life together. I was addicted to the tv all day watching it over and over.

And one more thing: for some of my friends who homeschool I thought you might like to know of this great website. In Caitlin's kindergarten class they were studying the food pyramid. Go to http://www.mypyramid.gov/ It's a great website and even has games to help kids learn about proper eating and the food pyramid. She enjoys playing the game Blast Off which is a rocket ship that is fueled by healthy foods. You choose the foods to power it up. It's very fun. It's a helpful tool if you guys are covering the food pyramid.

Have a great Saturday!