It's Spring up in Here: A Few Pictures

One great thing about babies at this age (Carter is five weeks old) is how easy they are to just stash places. Just set him right there, oh, and we'll move these pansies too so the chips can be in the middle of the table.

When she brought my kids home today, their wonderful grandmother made some little bud vase arrangements using my hydrangeas (people, my hydrangeas are blooming again!) and some flowers that had survived my hospital bouquets. Flowers really make me happy. And mixing them up and rescuing still surviving blooms from amidst their fallen comrades is something I like to do.



Oh, and the tablecloth. I know, would I shut up for one minute about the shopping? And I do have a rich inner life, I swear, but I was at Target (lord I know how predictable and boring I am at this point but indulge me) this afternoon with Matt's mom Betty, and on an endcap I noticed that Dwell now has tablecloths there. This is one of them, and clearly it's a version of the pattern from their Chinoiserie bedding. Which you can see here. And also in my bedroom if you get really lucky. I am the genius who bought the Dwell bedding just before they started doing the lower cost line for Target.

ANYWAY, the point is that I had not been informed that Dwell was now doing tablecloths for Target. Stop screwing around and go look at them! And tell me which one you like best. I like them better than the Dwell for Target bedding--the online pictures don't do them justice. I also got the Suzani pattern one. Go ahead and mock if you must. I know but it's my life.

Here I'm starting to get my spring mantel arrangement worked on. I am showcasing another piece of Laura pottery. I think this one was meant to be a self-portrait. Blue eyes, check. Blonde hair, check.

As I said, the kids came home today from their week in Chattanooga, and they have both grown two inches and talk twice as fast as they used to. I knelt down in the front door and Hank just barreled into me with a hug. Even Laura was a hugger and huggee. Hank told me he loved me over and over again. They were both happy as the grass is green. These are the times that you want to bottle up, save, and uncork in the last moments of your life. Then Hank asked if I was all better from my surgery or if I still had a bandage. I told him I was still sore but much better than before. I told Laura about my recuperation in a little more detail, including the fact that I still have my drains, and she nodded knowingly. She said, "Yeah, I held my ear to the phone when Daddy was talking to Grandmommy."

In five short days, I forgot how much energy they take, but also how much energy they give back. Parenting, man.