Spring has officially come here in all its glory, and you may have noticed a lack of posting on my part, but I can assure you it is not because I have a lack of things to share, but because we have been so busy with all the things going on here that I just haven't had the time.  After a long winter it feels great to get outside and just enjoy the beautiful weather we have been having.


The garden is freshly tilled and waiting to be planted.  Because of the very wet and cold spring we have been having, I will be waiting until June to plant my warm-weather plants, but I have already put in my peas, carrots, onions, kale, broccoli, spinach and Swiss chard.


We bought this little gazebo last fall, and my intention was to make it into a greenhouse, but we have changed our plans for it, and have decided to make it a potting/storage shed, and I am quite excited to have a place to store all my gardening tools. I have also created a little "garden within a garden" area to the left of the shed.  It is a lightly shaded area, and as it is a work in progress, I will show you more about it later once I have flowers blooming there, but I am very excited about having a place for my flowers, without worries of chickens or dogs mowing it down, lol!


A year or so ago, our trees were attacked with pine beetles, and we lost hundreds of trees.  The cleanup of these dead trees has been ongoing, and really consuming our time lately.  We are trying to get them cleared up before fire season arrives.


Depending on the size of the tree, it can take quite a bit of work to fell the dead tree, cut off the dead limbs, haul the limbs to the brush pile, cut the wood into firewood, load the firewood  into the tractor, to be dumped onto our ever growing woodpile.


We are so thankful for our tractor as it does a massive amount of work for us.  In the loader of the tractor, it can hold the entirety of a medium sized lodgepole pine tree full of firewood, to be taken and dumped on our woodpile.


This sweet little girl is our ever-present helper as we work on the seemingly endless tree project.


A pensive moment with Miss Riley, shared by myself... as exhaustion sets in, with all the work involved in the removal of all the dead trees.


I don't think you can know the meaning of exhaustion until you have worked with lodgepole pines, lol!  These lodgepole (or jack) pines are considered the "curse of the forest" for many, because they are fast growing trees, but because they grow so fast, their limbs die as they grow, creating massive amounts of dead limbs even on a tree that is living.  So the brush from these trees creates a lot of work to collect and burn.  This huge slash pile that you see was built by us within a few hours, after felling about 15 lodgepole trees.




Here you can see the work that we still have in front of us.  The power company came out this winter, and laid down about 100 dead trees that were too close to the power lines.  We have made only a small dent in cleaning up the brush from these dead trees.


Burning the slash piles is always an exciting event, as it brings us one step closer to our goal of cleaning up the dead trees and brush that are such a fire hazard.


The dogs kept us in close company as we worked.  We have often joked that we wished we could train them to haul brush, lol!


On a happier note... my tulips have bloomed!  I bought these tulips from Breck's last fall, and am thrilled about their beautiful blooms that we are now enjoying in the garden.


I love this gorgeous two-toned tulip.  It doesn't grow as tall as the others, but its beauty is stunning.


Many gorgeous shades of bright colors are now gracing the flower beds.


I surely can't pick a favorite, all of them have beautiful rich deep colors.


My strawberries are beginning to put on their blooms.  These are my June-Bearing strawberries, and we are looking forward to our first strawberry harvest of the year quite soon!


In the yard, wild phlox is growing everywhere.  Its soft purple hues brighten up the world around us.


Our comfy lounge chair has been taken over by our resident napper-in-chief.


A pair of Goldfinches visiting our bird feeders.  We love hearing their beautiful songs as they feed.


A herd of elk have taken up residence on our road, munching on the abundance of green grass that is growing this spring. They haven't visited our yard, as our dogs are not exactly the welcoming committee they hope to meet, lol!


So that is a little update for the busy spring that we have been having here.  My husband and I did take one day off to go up into the mountains and just relax after all the work we have been doing.  I hope to come back in a day or two to share that day with you, it was a lovely one.  I have been quite absent in visiting blogs in the last couple of weeks, and I hope to find time soon to get back to visiting with all my wonderful readers.   :)  Until then, I hope that all of you have a blessed and lovely week ahead of you!

Recently one of my blog readers reached out to me, and we began to communicate back and forth. She felt that my photography needed a better outlet than just my blog, and offered to help me to do that.  I was reluctant at first, as it seemed a bit of a huge project for me to delve into. However, Dianne continued to encourage me to do this, and before long, the two of us began to collaborate together, and I want to show you today the efforts of our work.

This spring was the 10th Tea Cup & Mug Exchange that Stephanie at Enchanting Rose puts together twice a year.  I have participated for the last couple of years, and it has always brought such blessing and joy into my life.  If you would like to know more about the teacup & mug exchange, please visit Stephanie's website at The Enchanting Rose to learn more about the teacup & mug exchange.  There will be another one this fall, Lord willing.  This year there were over 200 ladies who participated, and that becomes quite a challenge for Stephanie to try to organize this, and each of us who participate in the exchange appreciate all the effort that goes into this, and feel so very thankful her efforts!

When Stephanie emailed me who my teacup exchange partner would be, I was so excited to find out that my  teacup exchange partner was from a town in Texas who my husband's brother was looking at buying property in.  In fact, as the email came in from Stephanie, my husband was on the phone with his brother discussing the property that was in the very town my exchange partner lives in!  My new exchange partner, Doniene blogs at Nowitsjusyquilt.blogspot.com, and is a precious Christian lady who is a very busy woman.  She helps her husband ranch and raise cattle and goats, and also loves to quilt. She and I have emailed back and forth and it has been such a blessing to get to know her better.

For her gift, because she lives on a Texas ranch, I had fun putting together some Texas themed items for her.


I found the cutest teacup at a local antique store, and thought it was quite one of the most unique teacups I had seen.  It also had a matching butter pat dish, but I found that it fit perfectly on top of the teacup, and would make a lovely teabag holder too.


I also included an assortment of other goodies including some handmade items that I made - a potholder, a bookmark, a teacup coaster, a country themed journal and pen, as well as the card.


 I included a few other sweet goodies including chocolate flavored tea, some Werther caramels and Cadbury fingers.


While at the antique store shopping for the tea cup, I came across the lovely square quilted pillow that someone had made, and sent it along in the package to Doniene.  It was such fun to put together this package for Doniene, but even more, a joy to get to know her better, and for a new friendship to take place.



My package arrived and upon opening it, each item was beautifully wrapped, and it was fun taking each little gift out.  First up was the card, with a gorgeous teacup on it.


Each item came wrapped so lovingly in pink tissue tied with sparkly pink ribbon.


A BEAUTIFUL tea themed journal was the first to be opened, and oh my, it is beautiful!  I just loved the beautiful teapot on the front, and one can never have too many journals!


Pure Leaf green tea is a brand of tea I've seen in stores, but never bought for myself.  I couldn't wait to try it out, and as soon as I finished opening everything, I brewed myself a pot of this tea.


Along with the tea and journal there was a lovely floral embroidered handkerchief, a teapot steeper, and a teabag holder.




And of course, chocolate!  I love Ghirardelli chocolate!


The loveliest teacup that Cindy sent to me was not just beautiful, but it was very precious and cherished.


Cindy told me she had been out shopping for a teacup for me, but then decided to send one of her very own grandmother's cherished teacups to me!  Oh, it brought tears to my eyes to know that my new friend, who had not even met me, was willing to part with one of her grandmother's cherished tea cups to send to me!  It was special beyond words, and this beautiful teacup will be lovingly cherished by me too.  


It is a Clarence Bone China set made in England, and it matched perfectly with the tea journal she sent me too!



What a beautiful blessing this teacup exchange has been once again!


I found the perfect spot for my new teacup.  It is a beauty!


My daughter was home on spring break, and we decided to have an impromptu tea party with my new teacup and goodies.  I made some blueberry scones from a recipe that Amy of God's Grace Overflows had shared (and oh my, they were delicious!) and we brewed a pot of the Pure Leaf Green Tea.


I had quilted these little tea cup coasters and they added a touch of beauty to our tea.


It was a lovely afternoon, with the beautiful tea package sent to me, and enjoyed with my daughter. Do visit Cindy who blogs at Considering It All Joy, what a precious lady she is, and I've been blessed by our new friendship.

The loveliest part of this tea exchange is not just the package that arrives in the mail, or the one you send, but it is the sweet friendships that develop because of it, and I am so very thankful for the incredible efforts that Stephanie puts into this tea exchange, to make it such a blessed time for all. Already, I can't wait for the next one!

If you want to read more about the tea exchanges, and to see what other ladies received in their tea/mug exchange, please visit the 10th Tea Cup & Mug Exchange linkup party here, and you will be able to see all the tea loveliness there!