Springing for the Hodgepodge

Happy First Day of Spring! And welcome to another Wednesday hanging out with Joyce and the Hodgepodge!

1. March 20th is the first day of spring...is she a lion or a lamb in your part of the world?

It's been pretty lamb-like, although we have had some high winds in the past couple of weeks. Monday we had a record high of 89 degrees. I'm loving the sunshine and warm temperatures! But we have some cool fronts coming and we'll still have some lows in the 40's and highs around 70 (or cooler). I never exhale and trust the cold weather is completely gone until we are on the other side of Easter.

UPDATED ON WED MORNING: Scratch that "lamb-like" answer! We got an incredible hailstorm during the night. We probably got an inch of hail and still have hailstones in our yard, on our cars, and on our driveway. Along with most of the leaves and twigs that used to be on the trees. Our driveway looks like it is carpeted in green, and much of the roof is covered. Dreading the call to the insurance agent. We just did this a few years ago.

2. What's the most dreaded task on your spring clean to-do list? Do you have a 'plan of attack'?

I'm not an organized "spring cleaning" kind of gal.

3. Peas...love 'em or hate 'em? What's a favorite dish you make using peas?

Not a fan of peas.

4. Do you feel under-appreciated?

Don't we all at times? I don't sit and dwell on it. The best lesson I learned was in college with a roommate - whenever she got on my nerves or I felt like she wasn't doing "her share" of the chores in the apartment, the best way to get rid of the resentment was for me to do something for her: make her bed, fix a meal, etc. If I focused on "me" and my feelings, I just spiraled into a pity party. If I looked outward and did something for her, my mood and the relationship immediately improved.

5. Have you been using Google Reader? If so, what are you switching to now that GR has announced retirement? If not, how do you read your favorite blogs?

Yes. I haven't decided yet.

6. Anne Bradstreet is credited with the following quote~

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."

Agree or Disagree? Why?

Yes, we always have a better appreciation of something whenever we've been without it.

7. When did you last 'spring for something'? What was it?

Just the other day. The large Hallmark store closest to us lost its lease and is closing. Everything is on clearance and they have a section with jewelry and scarves. My girl and I went in there Monday night and I got her a couple of darling scarves and cute notepad.

8. Insert your own random thought here?

Be sure to check out the CD giveaways at the top of my sidebar!

A good friend of mine who lives in another state has turned her art hobby into a business. She was in town last weekend and I bought this darling collage; I couldn't resist one that was book-themed! She does a variety of things, both painted and mixed media, and also takes beautiful pictures. She even does custom collages similar to this one, using the customer's items and pictures to create a unique memory for them.

I also really like this one, called Paris Spring.

You can see more of her stuff on her website leahmclain.tumblr.com/ and on her Pinterest page.