Plum Island Adventure

 Plum Island day dawned sunny and chilly.  Still, we packed the car full of coats, hats, and snacks and headed out for adventure.  First stop was Hellcat Observation Tower overlooking the marshland.  After the long drive to get there, the girls were thrilled to get out and run!

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 We climbed up the tower, but it was way too cold to "observe" anything.  We took this photo and got down as fast as we could!

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 Instead of the wide open and windy marsh trail, we took an inland hike on the boardwalk through the reeds and grasses.  I promised a dollar for the first one to see a frog or turtle, and $2 for a snake sighting.  We didn't see any of those, though.  Just some beaver dams and trails, geese, ducks, a swan, and a woodpecker.

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 They say "It's not a party til something gets broken".  I say, It's not an outing til you get a cheesy self portrait!"

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 These two gave a hearty thumbs up for the boardwalk trail.  We were the only ones there for the most part, so the cousins whooped and ran like little banshees.  Hmm.  Maybe that had something to do with the lack of *other* wildlife sightings.

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 The girls got a workout from all of their running and climbing.  Here they are looking a little hot and windblown.

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It is piper plover nesting time, so much of the public beach on the island was off limits.  There was a nice long boardwalk and stretch of shore to explore, however.  We found several types of shells, some driftwood, a piece of clear beachglass, and a dead crab.  Sophie filled her coat pockets with treasures!

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On the way off the island, we had lunch at the BEST seafood shack ever.  Bob's Lobster is a place we will definitely be seeing again!  I'm ready to go back right now :)

Friday's Favorite Vinyl Find

 I don't make too many vintage vinyl finds, so this is my favorite one in, well, probably forever.  Not including my collection of record albums which were NOT vintage when they were purchased.

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 Look!  There's NINE FEET of this wonderfulness!  Put on your red tank and black leggings and line those shelves, baby!

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But seriously, isn't this the prettiest vintage shelf liner?  I found a roll and a half of it!  I'll be selling the full roll, and will use the partial for under my own bathroom sink.  Look for this in sosovintage next week!

Thursday's Treasure

 I found a clear bag filled with these miniature books at the thrift store.  They staple these bags shut, so while I could see what was inside, I couldn't really "see" what was there.  For 90 cents, I gambled.

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Brought 'em home and how about that- all 12 are here, in perfect condition!  I'm a little confounded by these, though.  Need to do some research.  The copyright dates of the original stories are printed on the back covers of these, but it doesn't say anywhere when these actual little books were made.  I'm not parting with them anytime soon, though.  ;)

The Butterfly Place

Our big outing today was to The Butterfly Place in Westford, Massachusetts.  What a wonderful time!

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blue morpho from costa rica

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It was such a peaceful garden.  You could sit on benches and the butterflies - all sizes and colors - would land on you if you sat still enough. 

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blue morpho drinking rotten banana juice

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Besides the thousands of butterflies, there were also adorable button quail birds and a few zebra finches flying about.  There were moth, cocoon, and chrysalis exhibits, and a very nice, knowledgeable woman who answered all of our questions about the butterflies.

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Much fun and bonding were had by all!  Here's Sophie with her Aunt Gretchen and Cousin Elena.  We haven't seen them since last Easter, so it has been really fun to spend time together again.  Tomorrow we are off to Plum Island- a small barrier island that is mostly wildlife refuge.  It will be chilly, but we'll bundle up and walk the beach for treasures!

If I Could Sew

 I was drawn to the vintage fabric of this item as it hung on an endcap at the thrift store.  So, I picked it up... and...

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.. oh my gosh, the CUTENESS!!!!  No, it's not a puppet.  It's a potholder!  My new favorite one, I might add.  It is handmade~ and very well. 

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The interior is lined with a lovely off white nubby barkcloth, and the mouth (where you would grab a hot dish) is lined inside with a pink quilt remnant.  If I could sew, I'd make a whole zoo of these.  It brings me so much joy, it's ridiculous.

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If you sew and decide to start making animal puppet potholders, PLEASE let me know.  I would so love to see what you come up with :)

Makeover Monday: 4/2

This is the main fabric chosen for the ruffled Easter basket purchased last week.  Given a choice of green, blue, yellow or pink for the base, my customer chose pink.

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Here she is in all of her girly glory, ready to head off to Missouri today!  This is the last basket for Easter 2012.  It's never too early to order for Easter 2013- I can make these year-round :)

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Today is packing day at the Thoma house- a most dreaded day indeed.  I am still planning to blog while I'm away, so please check back often.  Have a great week!!

A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

 The weather couldn't have been more perfect for the gathering of the "children of the forest" today.  From just-born babies to new teenagers, the kids and their families came in droves to the riverfront for an egg-stravaganza. 

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Egg hunting, egg dyeing, and egg/bead stringing mixed with treat~eating and playground playing to create the perfect afternoon.  All of the photos I took of Sophie "in action" came out super blurry, so you'll just have to take my word for it that other people *were* there.