earth hour & gardening update, and Sweet Papery

We celebrated Earth Hour last Saturday from 8:30-9:30 pm.  I thought it was/is a great way to consider the environment, and a tangible and uniting way for humans to show their desire to conserve our limited resources.  So while looking for candles to light, I got this basket of tealights down from my cupboard and looked at it lovingly.  It's special to me, as my friend Kristen gave it to me when she gave me a blessingway when I was pregnant with Lily.  So those candles were first lit then, almost 5 yrs. ago.  They were lit again when I was in labor and about to have Lily (I think??  Or there might not have been time.  *I* sure didn't light them).  Then they were lit again when I was laboring with Calvin.  These candles provided the only light (except for the flashlight) when he was born at 1:30 am.  Nostalgia!

So anyway, we lit candles and ate popcorn and read stories.  We talked about how when this house was built, there was no electricity, only candles and lamps.  How different the world was then!  And hard to imagine, but fun to try to by candlelight. 

Our seeds are sprouting!  We're 12 days post planting.  Not all are up yet, so I'm anxiously awaiting that.  Outside the lilacs are leafing out like crazy, daffodils and hyacinths are blooming, peonies and hostas are coming up, too.  And I can hardly believe today is April 1st!  I thought it was still March for part of the day, disbelieving it can really be April.

We met some friends at the Children's Museum today for the first time and had a great time.  We (my internet friends and I) laugh about meeting our 'imaginary' internet friends.  I feel so grateful to know so many great women, near and far. 

Just got an email from Sweet Papery :

Happy April Fool's Day!

We love a good joke, but we love a good sale even more. Starting Friday and ending on Sunday we are offering our favorite customers (that's you!) 25% off your entire order. Just go to our website: www.sweetpapery.com and enter the following coupon code when checking out: tomfoolery

I love their stamps!  I have this one: 

cutest round stamp ever, pipecleaner christmas tree, and jean patching

I had a coupon code for Sweet Papery and got this cute stamp.  I've wanted one for years!  sweet papery

I love it.  Lily did the cutting there.

And I've been meaning to make this, from Martha Stewart.  Hint:  you need to double up the pipecleaners when you make the 'snowflakes', otherwise they're way too flimsy.  At least the pipecleaners I used.

And I am trying to get my mending done.  I wondered how best to patch the 4 holes (one on each top corner of my jeans pockets) and then I got some embroidery floss and sewed side to side and then wove it in the length of the hole.  I'll see how it holds up--hopefully no more underwear peeking through!

And this (darn fuzzy camera!)...I saw this a couple years ago now somewhere--it's like magic I swear.  To tie a knot--put the needle point facing the thread end as shown.

Wrap around a couple times, hold on and slip down the needle and length of the thread.

And you have a knot! It always stops about an inch before the end of the thread.  Amazing!