Spring Has Sprung Faves!

Spring has finally sprung here in eastern NY!  and with the arrival of longer days with sun, and warmer temperatures climbing to the low 60s (F) and the shedding of thick, winter coats and scarves, I am finding it very easy to write about FIVE FAVES from the last week.

You can share your five faves by linking up at Susanne's.

• STROLLING IN SARATOGA!  Last Saturday Claire had a pointe shoe fitting appointment at this place  we frequent and my husband decided he wanted us to drop him off at the new bookstore .  We've been to the flagship store in Vermont but this one is so much closer!  It's brand new within the last year so after we got Claire's pointe shoes, she and I walked down the street and around the corner to find Dave and do some browsing for ourselves.  What a gorgeous morning and what awesome finds.  Claire bought a novel she has been wanting to own, and I bought the above booklet.  (more on that in another post!). We had a really nice morning before heading home for lunch and chores/homework.  It was nice to do some strolling in the sun!

• PRODUCTIVE QUIET TIME I had some time at the town library while Claire was in pointe class Monday evening.  After working out at home, doing a 5 mile spin, I was ready to just sit and read a book. But the Lord was pressing on my spirit to dig into the Scriptures for my small group prep. I'm glad I listened to that still, small Voice because sitting in the library in the upper section, where there are individual cubby areas, was so peaceful.  I accomplished a lot in the Word and was able to put together (along with the help of our study book) the lesson a few days earlier than usual!  It was so productive of a time that I finished the entire lesson which left me Tuesday and Wednesday evenings to go over my notes without feeling rushed. I love productive times in Scripture! I also loved that when it was time to go pick Claire up at 8 pm, the sun was just going down...these longer days agree with my soul!

tulips pushing through!

• REAL SIGNS OF SPRING! Tuesday was an absolutely gorgeous day. The afternoon sun was warm....up to almost 60 degrees and I noticed when I got home from work, that the tulips are starting to push up through the soil.  I have a LOT of work to do to get my front yard flower beds ready.  I neglected them in the autumn, so now I'm going to have to spend time after work this next week trimming and laying new mulch.  I noticed that the buds are JUST starting to form on the cherry trees too.  I love the first signs of spring, even though it's a bit late this year compared to the last few years!

photo courtesy of Vera Bradley site

• NEW SPRING PURSE!  Oh.my.goodness.  I saw the Eloise bag from Vera Bradley about 3 years ago and wanted one. But they are usually $75. which is much too high for me to spend on a cloth bag.  I won't even spend that much on a leather tote!  So, I kept watching my inbox because I had signed up to get their sales notices via email.  And last week, sure enough, the one I wanted (shown above) in Portobello Road was on sale for $30!!!!!!!  It was a 2-day only sale (It's still on sale as I type this but now it is up to $45 for this pattern).  I just got it Wednesday and I love it!!   There are 3 compartments. Each side compartment has 2 inner pockets  and the middle section has 2 pockets plus a zippered pocket.  It holds so much and is still lightweight even when full.  I love getting something new in the spring!

• RECESS!  Nothing says "spring" more than seeing the students playing on the playground equipment during recess. Oh how happy they were that the playground opened up again this week.  (the school rule is that if there is snow in the swings/slide, etc. area, then it is closed even though most of the children bring snowpants and boots.  The equipment just gets too slippery in the winter months).  The little boy I work with was so happy to be on the swing and slide.  It is great for the children to  get that break in the middle of the day and be able to have fresh air and sun!  I love that spring has sprung!

What's a blessing that you can share with us?  Please feel free to comment in the comment section and enjoy the upcoming weekend!

God bless you!