Spring is on the way!

The temperatures are rising, the snow is melting, and I'm happy! I've seen 10 robins so far (yes, I keep count!) and have noticed a few little green shoots poking their heads out of the wet earth. I even saw a fly the other day! Now, I don't love flies, per se, but if it's warm enough for them to hatch, that must be a good sign, right?

I keep scanning the ground, looking for the first flowers. Nothing yet, but I can't wait! I go completely photo-happy in the spring, taking my camera with me everywhere and drinking in the light and warmth and color.

That's one reason I love this print by dkim art so much...it really captures my favorite way to spend a spring day: surrounded by green and blossoms with a camera in my hands!

"Making Pictures" by dkim art
(Note: the listing linked to is sold out, but it's possible dkim would post more if asked, I'm sure.)

Polaroid Week, Day Two

It's Day Two of Polaroid Week! I wanted to go over to the little playground and shoot the swings, but there were people over there and I wasn't about to go over and insist they get off the swings so I could take a Polaroid, lol! So instead, I wandered over to the lilac bushes to check on the bloom status. Getting there, slowly but surely!

Rainy Day Mod

It's been so rainy and grey here that I've been daydreaming about bright colors and bare legs. Well, it may not quite be time for bare legs yet, but bright colors I can handle. I put together a very cute outfit on Polyvore to suit my mood. I already own the bright yellow rain boots, ha, but now that I see this outfit, I kind of want that dress, too! Ha!

Of course, the Lolita sunglasses are for just in case the sun decides to peek through, and the little red flats are for wearing once you get to your destination. I love my Hunter boots, but I can't wear 'em all day, after all!

Blossom by blossom...

It was bright and sunny out today, and just warm enough to be wonderfully pleasant. The wind still had a slight bite to it, but nothing so bad as to even warrant a coat. Light hoodies sufficed. So my husband and I decided to get our behinds up off the couch and, most importantly, outside for pretty much the first time in months! We headed over to the Chicago Botanic Garden, which is only about ten miles away. Wonderfully and amazingly, the crocus were in bloom! I haven't seen real honest-to-Gaia growing-in-the-soil flowers in so, so long. It was amazing.

And I have always loved crocus most of all the spring flowers. When I was a child, there were a few "volunteer" crocus plants that sprouted in random places in our yard. As soon as the days started getting longer and the sun started getting warmer, I would head out into the yard, carefully inspecting those magical locations for signs of those fresh green shoots and sugary purple petals. And then, one wonderful day, there they'd be! And I would know that spring was really coming back! To this day, the sight of the first crocuses of spring puts a smile on my face and a spring in my step...pun intended, ha!

It was a wonderful day!

Yellow Rubber Rainboots

I've been absolutely lusting for a pair of really cute rubber rainboots for while a while, now, but I've never found a pair that seemed to completely fit what I was looking for. I wanted something really bright-colored and eye-catching, tall enough to actually protect my legs from mud and puddles, and well-made enough that they wouldn't fall apart at the first sign of bad weather, ha.

After much searching, I decided a pair of Hunter Originals would probably be my best bet. Now, they don't come in polkadots or plaids or ladybug prints like a lot of other funky rainboots out there, but they DO come in a brilliant array of solids...including lime green, silver, red, orange, and, my personal favorite, bright yellow!! They're a bit more expensive than the average rainboot, but they're a classic and they should be worth it. So I ordered my bright yellow Hunter Originals from Zappos Sunday night, and they already shipped out Monday morning! I love Zappos!



And I can't wait to get my bright yellow wellies. (Really, when it comes to raingear, is there any other color than bright bright yellow?) I can't wait to throw them on with a cute denim skirt and go splashing fearlessly through the wet world of early spring!

Spring is Springing!

Ah, what a wonderful weekend I just had! After working for seven days in a row, I finally had two days off together, and what lovely days they were! It was warm and sunny all weekend, and what a treat it was to feel hot sunlight on my skin after months of chilling cold!

My husband and I definitely took advantage. We wandered here and there, all over the place. Out to breakfast both days, yum, and to antique malls and outdoor malls (because we love to shop, ha!) and our favorite Japanese marketplace. We ate sushi and miso soup and took lots and lots of photos...especially at the antique mall, ha. I just love the wonderful textures and colors of antiques. I also made a great find, mentioned a couple of posts ago...a Polaroid sx-70 camera for only $10! Wow!

Some of my favorite shots from my wonderful weekend follow...


Building Blocks:


Airline:


Cobalt:



And now it's back to work, of course, but the weather is still wonderful and so is my mood! Happy Spring, everyone!!