a tale of two [tulip] days

Last fall, Aidan planted a slew of tulips with his Grandma Cathey, and we've been anxiously waiting all winter for the little guys to peek through. Well yesterday was the day -- bingo! Tulip City! Or at least, the early stages of Tulip City.

So we snapped some pictures in the sunshine of our budding buddies, and emailed them off to Oregon for Grandma Cathey to oooh and aaah over with us.

Fast-forward 24-hours.

This morning, April 1st no less, we woke up to a not-so-funny April Fool's joke -- our tulips were buried under about 8 inches of snow. What a cruel twist of natural fate.

However, this afternoon, reaching out from beneath the cold blanket that covered them last night, our persistent friends, the tulips, poked their little green arms out to say, "It's all good. We're still here."

Way to go, tulips! Keep up the good fight! We can't wait to see you bloom!

{ lunch with a view }

We took a cold, snowy drive up the road to Maine today and had a super lunch with a spectacular view at Jackie’s Too Seafood & Grill in Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, ME.

Mussels, wine, falling snow and a churning ocean-front table (indoors, of course) made the experience just about perfect. And when the friendly wait staff oohed and ahhed over Paige, insisting on holding her so we could eat, I almost wept with gratitude (as I ordered another Chardonnay).

I can’t wait to return during the summer months ... again and again. What a fantastic spot in an awesome little town.

mudroom chaos

magic

I’ve discovered that my favorite time during the winter months in New Hampshire is early in the morning after we’ve had a night of snow.

Everything is breathtakingly clean and white and quiet. The effect the snow creates on the branches of the trees is feathery and soft, almost like fern-like. The only word I can muster that suitably describes the transformation is magic.

God’s hand at work, and its so very lovely.

warm piggies

I love these booties (size options go up to 2½ yrs.) from Stonz.

I only wish they came in a ladies size 8.

backyard x games

So much snow has fallen on us in the past month or so, we can now sled down the drifts in the yard.

What a memorable first winter in New Hampshire, we've had.

And oh yeah, there's more snow in the forecast.

tableau tuesday

plum island

We took a Sunday drive yesterday down the road to Plum Island, just outside of Newburyport, MA. Temperatures were in the teens, but the sun was shining brightly and the skies were a magnificent shade of blue. The result was a picturesque winter landscape -- fire and ice.

snow, snow, and more snow

I was starting to think that the infamous New England winters were "no big deal." After a chilly yet pleasant fall, and an almost snow-free December, my southern bones were lulled into a false sense of toasty security.

Enter January.

We were graced with our first blizzard right after Christmas, and every week since has ushered in another round of the white stuff. So much of it, in fact, that it seems as though the 6-foot drifts in our yard will be a permanent fixture 'til June.

On top of the snow, we're dealing with bitterly cold temps. Tomorrow's forecasted high of 16° and low of -11° is just a tad ominous. Thank goodness for warm fires, hot chocolate, and sweats that feel oh so comfy on a most un-comfy cold day.

It's made for a bunch of fun, though, especially for the five-year-old (and forty-year-old) in our household. Aidan and Ty have become quite the sledding connoisseurs. And me? I'm getting really good at figuring out how to take pictures of snow on my camera.