I love this tree!  I call it Beaver Lake's Joshua Tree...it stands alone in the meadow.

Wild Violets? So pretty and dainty!

During the spring break last month, I took the kids on our first outing of the year to Beaver Lake...lots of new plants growing, budding and blossoming!  

Beautiful tulips...not sure what variety, though I have seen them in catalogs.

A single pinecone.

Gorgeous purple hyacinth.

Looking up a pine tree.

New tulip bud.

I believe this is a dogwood just starting to bud.

My favorite photo....I think I may frame this one.  The sky was SO blue that day...and that tree so striking against it!

Looking through a hole in a stump..focusing on the background.

My kids all in one shot...this is rare!  Caitlin did not want to stop and turn around for me...that took a little coaxing!

Cara...she loves the outdoors like I do!

Caitlin...she does too...she's the one to get dirty though!

Brendan...stopping to get something out of his shoe.

A tiny new sumac plant coming up in the pines.

Merino wool

2 skeins of Angora rabbit...both dyed before spinning.

Gray Romney wool overdyed in a leftover Turquoise dyebath.

Perfect for spring...soft wool in shades of green with a touch of brown.

These are just a few of the skeins of handspun I have available for sale.  I will be listing them in my Etsy shop soon...prices will be low as I need to move them out!!

And here's the finished yarn!  Isn't it pretty??  I ended up with over 200 yards....I can see this being knit up into something special for a precious baby girl!

This is what I'm spinning now...a Merino, Targhee, Rambouillet wool blend that I dyed myself. This roving actually was dyed first in white, a bluish-lavender and pink. I just didn't like it, so I decided to put it in a leftover dyebath of turquoise...and this is what happened! I love it...so very pretty to spin. I'm spinning it fairly thin and I'm not sure if I will keep this yarn or sell it.

Sonny is now just over 6 weeks old...and growing fast! He's eating now, with a little nursing snack on the side every now and then, using the litter box and climbing the stairs! Our neighbors will be giving him a new home in a couple weeks!

Closeups from a pretty bouquet my friend Pam and her mom gave me...for a Happy Spring!
The yellow flowers are mums, the pink an Alstromeria and the peach, a carnation.

Winter Visit to the Zoo!

The kids had winter break last week, so I decided to take them to the Rosamund Gifford Zoo in Syracuse. All through January and February, the admission fees were less than half price. The four of us got in for $9!
It was cold and windy that day, so we only went outside to see the elephants. There are plenty of animals inside to keep little ones busy on a cold day. When warmer weather comes though, we will be going back and I will take more photos of the outdoor creatures!

The monkeys above are Golden Lion Tamarins...such a beautiful color!

A Puffer or Porcupine Fish.

Naked Mole Rats...truly ugly!!

A gorgeous Macaw, who wouldn't turn around!

One of the two lionesses...she was very busy watching something, or waiting maybe for dinner??

The other lioness and male...cozy in their little cave. I think the zoo is fundraising to build a better enclosure for them!!

Lions are absolutely BEAUTIFUL up close...WOW!

A Fossa(pronounced foosa), which lives only on Madagascar. They are a beautiful, reddish-brown color with huge chocolate eyes. This one was looking right at me. I think this is one of the zoo's newer animals.

A Fennec Fox. I don't think I was supposed to take pictures in here because it's so dark...saw the sign too late. Cara loves these animals and begged me to buy her a stuffed one in the gift shop!

The zoo's bull elephant, Indy. He is huge...weighing more than 11,000 pounds!

A powdery Cockatoo looking at treats the zookeeper is offering it. This one seemed very shy. This bird is fairly new here too.

I didn't write down what bird this was...but it is very pretty anyway!

A baboon watching the people. The kids get such a kick out of their colored rears!! It's very funny to hear other children's comments about them.

Swap-Bot "This is Where I Live" swap!

My name is Amanda and I live in Central New York, USA. We live in a small house in a very small city in lake effect snow country! Sometimes I can't stand the cold and snow, but I'll take that over earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes any day!

Sean and I have three children ages 10, 8 and 4...and now are expecting baby #4, due in September! It's going to be a little snug in here, but with a little rearranging, we're able to give Brendan his own room, the girls share a room and an old small bedroom will become the nursery!

I'll be posting photos of the nursery work in progress on my pregnancy blog which can be found here. It has to be totally gutted and we'll be using a part of a large closet on the other side of the wall to create a built-in dresser and closet. Have to make the best use of the space!

This is the messy closet upstairs...my husband's and my clothes, as well as a catch-all. This is due for a good cleaning and reorganizing very soon! Our bedroom is off to the left.

Our livingroom...small, but cozy. I am a handspinner, so my wheel is always there waiting to be used! The entire house has the original (1913-14) pine plank floors. They are splintering and paint is peeling, so we would love to put down laminate flooring eventually.

The right side of my kitchen...I have very little counter space, so I often catch myself filling it up quickly with everything!

The left side of the kitchen and the back door. That sink and cabinet(white) is from the 50's I think...I'm REALLY looking forward to that being replaced...as well as the stove!!

The full bath upstairs...looking down the short hallway. Like the color?? I love bright colors to brighten up small spaces!

Cara(10) and Caitlin's(4) room...we totally cleaned this yesterday.

Our diningroom with a vent-free gas stove behind the table...keeps us very toasty and we can still use it when the power goes out! Caitlin was playing at the table with her little pigs and bunnies.

Our computer area on the landing at the top of our stairs, next to our bedroom. We painted this area just a couple months ago..used to be an icky yellow...what a difference!!

Brendan's (8) room downstairs. This is where the computer used to be. This was painted last month....just a little more spot painting to do. He LOVES his new room, but it still needs a door!

The kid's bookcase outside the upstairs bathroom. Most of these books were found at thrift stores!

A shot from last May...our beautiful lilac bush next to our neighbor's garage. It's getting a little out of hand...time for a trim!

My veggie garden behind our home...last summer. Our property is only 33x66 feet, so I have to make very good use of all the space!

A view of my side flowerbed from the upstairs window last summer. The tall ligt pink and purple flowers are cleomes. Some of them were over 6 feet tall!!!

And a shot from early this winter...just a little taste of the snow that was to come. I think we've received well over 100" so far...and there still almost 2 months of winter!!!
I AM READY FOR SPRING!

Cara and her new sleeping bag set...isn't it cute??

Cara loves her stuffed animals...and most recently...Webkins. She got a tiger this year. She gets to use the code and play games to earn points on the website.

Sean chilling in his chair...stinks that I have sneak photos of him!!

Our Christmas tree for 2008! We took it down New Year's day...our living room seems huge now.