Happy May Days!

Happy May, everyone! Finally, we get to hear Spring's announcement: "I have arrived!" Daffodils are blooming, swallows are swooping, wrens are calling, and tulips are blooming. Yes. Spring has finally arrived here in North Idaho, and it is cause for celebration! After winter, when the blooms begin to share their glory, it is cause for joy and celebration in our hearts! 

And we did have quite a celebration last week - a birthday celebration.  Ryan turned 28 (how can it be!), and we had a big day here.  The guys teamed up to play airsoft games outside on our 10 acres all day, and Alanna and I cooked up a huge roaster pot of chili with all the sides and fixin's.  

Alanna made a homemade ice cream cake, and a gluten-free Buttered Coconut Cake. SOOO good! 

And by the end of the day, this entire roaster was emptied! Lots of men with hungry bellies, and chili was the perfect meal for them. 

We've been enjoying time on our back deck! A neighbor and her dog stopped by for a visit, and we enjoyed a cuppa tea together. 

I spent time with Danielle and Danika this week. Danika and I made sourdough biscuits together. She is a big fan of homemade biscuits! 

My tulips have bloomed! Hooray! 

Alanna and I took a walk together with Baby Clara. The day was warm! All of a sudden, we are having temps in the 70s. It felt so good! 

Baby Clara and Gramma took a bit of a nap together after we got back from our walk. Precious times together! 

More tulip blooms!

Our precious neighbor turned 100 years old this week! Miss Irene is a treasure, so sweet and knows everyone. She has a large family, and there was a huge turnout on Saturday to her 100th birthday party.  What an incredible milestone! She still lives in her own home with her daughter who lives with her, and son and daughter-in-law who live on the property. They raise cattle, and she stays very involved with the farm. Incredible people, and we are celebrating this incredible milestone with them! 

My rhododendron has bloomed! Oh, the joy! Such colorful blooms to behold. 

My forsythia, planted several years ago, is just now blooming this year! I'm so excited! 

A sunset we enjoyed from our back deck recently. We are blessed here with such incredible skies!

On our morning walk this morning, I took this picture! Dan walks with me on the weekends. We walk 2 miles together. I praise God for His goodness that we are still together, walking, and enjoying His creation. I have so much to be thankful for! 

Wild phlox is growing abundantly everywhere. 

I am thankful for this season of abundant color, new growth, and rich blessings of the Lord. It seems like all of creation sings in Spring! The birdsongs are amazing to hear, the bees are buzzing, and the frogs are croaking.  The chickens are happy foraging in the growing grass and chasing the bugs around. 

I am thankful for this season of abundant color, new growth, and rich blessings of the Lord. It seems like all of creation sings in Spring! The birdsongs are amazing to hear, the bees are buzzing, and the frogs are croaking.  The chickens are happy chasing the bugs around. We have heard that bugs and ticks are expected to be bad this year, so I am letting the chickens out in the evenings to forage, and hopefully get a head start on keeping the critters away. 

I hope that you can find some time to sit out in the sunshine for a few minutes - soak up that precious vitamin D and let your body smile. Just enough sunshine is good for our bodies, but not too much of course (and that goes for many things!) We have a week of amazing temperatures ahead - 70 degrees most days this week! Perfect weather. I plan to enjoy every minute of it. I hope the weather is pleasant and beautiful where you live, and if it's not, I hope you can at least find a ray of sunshine to enjoy. 

Thinking about sunshine, I found a video I made some time ago about Heavenly Sunshine... I think you will enjoy it. 

Have a blessed SONshine-filled week!