We're seeing spring in fits and spurts. Super warm, then blustery cold. But it is of course, very exciting and beautiful to see everything greening up. 

This is an inspired time of year. I know why folks clean house in spring. So many cobwebs. Open the windows, let the breezes blow them aside. (Or at least into the corner again.)

I've spent the winter playing with paint, but mostly making a big dent in the couch, stitching. Lately, it's stitching up these little cottages for my Etsy shop and doing some commissions. Fun matching my materials and vision to real houses. 

Working with the children at school in the art room stirs my creative spirit too. So inspired by the beauty of these big paper puffy birds the 4 year olds made. Loved watching them come together and now floating in the gallery space. (When I took out the box of feathers, poms poms and bottles of glue, the ta-da's took flight!)

They were easy to make. I cut out two bird shapes at once from newsprint. Stapled the edges all around and like a pillow, left an opening at the top or bottom. I stuffed them ever so lightly with crumpled paper. Doesn't take much to give it a form. Then I stapled it shut. The children painted them with tempera paints, careful not to oversoak the paper and let it break down. When they were dry, wing cut-outs (again from from folded newsprint) were painted and stapled to the top of the body. Tail feathers were literally torn strips of construction paper, bundled and stapled too. Decorate with feathers, pom poms or whatever you have handy. Suspend with clear thread. 

So, to the title of this post.

Last night there was a quick storm and then this amazing double rainbow appeared out the front door (first ever). Outside my window today, there is a pair of bluebirds making a home and nest in the birch tree. For a girl who never sees anything on that list of special things, seeing the bluebirds (first ever) and the rainbow is a big deal. 

The redbud.

My mom and I loved redbuds, loved the early flowering trees deep in the Missouri woods in the spring. The girls love them too because we planted one in our backyard in Chicago when they were little. They grew up together. After Mom passed, Maggie and James were gifted a tree of their choice to plant in the yard as a memorial to Mom. They chose a redbud. Redbuds are fussy. They like the forest and less so suburban yards, but this one is thriving. It burst into bloom a week or so ago. Maggie sent a photo with the caption, Grammy's here! 

It will be a year tomorrow. We miss her. So very much. 

Yeah, Mom! Ta-da!