Lilac house

We pass this house on one of our walking routes, and I've been waiting all year for this to happen.  Lilac bushes that match the front steps + siding??  Best idea ever.

Montana Poetry Slam (dunk)

Last night I went to my very first poetry slam.  It was pretty intense--so many verbs and adjectives flying around!

Montana's Poet Laureate (Henry Real Bird) was there and he wore a cowboy hat.  Which made me very glad.

And okay, as much as Evan and I love poetry, the real reason we were there was to show some support for my paintings.  You see, they had a bit of a 'coming out' party and we wanted to make sure everyone was nice to them (they were).  I had Evan take these paparazzi shots of Mr. Fork and Mrs. Spoon because I was too chicken.

Life is but a dream

A little late in coming, Spring is finally here to stay.  I think.   And it's making up for it's tardiness with bursts of color everywhere.  Perfect weather for bike ride dates  :)

Mr. Fox

I made Evan a little felted fox for an anniversary present (we're fancy like that).  Because they are his favorite animal (he thinks they're sneaky).

And I tried to get a shot of Evan caressing the fox to his cheek while wearing his 'fox-riding-a-bicycle' shirt, but it didn't happen.  Besides, I'm pretty sure a real fox would rather be photographed next to a lichen covered stick.

p.s. Evan did NOT get me any anniversary knives.  Just in case you were wondering.  

Gesso's forehead smells like potato chips and warm dirt

Which is maybe my favorite smell ever.

Once upon a time,

there was a seed (metaphorically speaking).

It grew up and bloomed and turned into a Scarlet Gilia.

The End.

Weekend Report

*Shooting Star (look familiar?)

* Prairie Crocus

 Before moving here, I was pretty sure Montana was all huckleberries and mountains (it's not).  And this past weekend, instead of driving west to the mountains, we drove east to Steamboat Butte.  It was so lovely and we even saw some wildflowers!

 And on the ride home, we concluded that it's ridiculously easy to get a good cloud photo in Montana.  Because the clouds here are amazing.

*flower photos by Evan

Happy Mother's Day!

To our Mother's:

We miss you and love you and wish we lived closer so we could bring you a tray of these scrumptious cupcakes (dark chocolate with cream cheese coconut frosting)!

Hope you have a fabulous day
xo,
Holly and Evan (and Gesso too!)

{this moment} -- extended version

As I was looking through my pictures trying to pick a 'moment' to share, I decided to just share them all!  Early morning sun making the plant seat glow after days of gloomy gloomy weather, perfecting the crust recipe for our weekly Friday Night Pizza Party, the cutest staring contest in the world, our first homemade ice-cream of the year (Heath Bar Crunch, of course!), a creepy dog staring at me sideways, Evan's new (beautiful) fenders he's been drooling over for more than a year (or as he likes to say, Sweetness just got sweeter), and my silly puppy in his favorite sleeping pose.

Glacier Lily

In case any of you out there aren't keeping track, this is wildflower #11.  Which means that I have just one left to complete my 'series' of 12.  I know!  And I decided to let Evan choose the last flower, because let's be honest, it was his affinity for wildflowers that got me hooked.  He has been taking this assignment very seriously...and he has definitely probably narrowed it down to just four wildflowers.  Cute!

Some more jabber:

::  Tonight we are going to see this, and we are just bursting with excitement.

::  I have been helping a friend out with her colicky baby about once a week and I can't stop calling him Gesso.  Or telling him what a "good boy" he is.  Awkward!  Even more awkward when she happens to be in the room with us!

::  Yesterday I had a little meltdown when Gesso ate two holes in my favorite brown cardigan and then proceeded to eat both of my brand new blending pencils that I been searching for all year.  Both of them.  Reduced to little slivers.  Good thing he is cute.

::  I mowed the lawn yesterday (after the meltdown) for the first time this Spring and it made me so so very happy.  I have to mow it while Evan is at work or else we fight over who's turn it is.  It's basically our #1 hobby.

Christmas in May

This past Christmas, I received a gift card from my work.  It was rather generous, the only catch being that you had to spend it somewhere in "Downtown Billings."  Let me tell you something, Billings doesn't have much of a downtown.  And so it sat in my purse.  And I thought about it a lot.  I'm not one of those patient people you hear about.  I like lists, checking things off lists, and getting things done.  Not much time for patience.

And then one day I got brave.  I wandered into one of the stores downtown that wasn't technically under the umbrella of "Downtown Billings."  And I asked the sweet old lady if my gift card would work there, because hey, it was almost downtown, right?  She gave me a little wink and told me she'd make it work.

Okay!  And so I spent a very snowy Friday in April perusing the best antique store in the world, and came home with some treasures.

Hello globe.  I love that you have curly metal ends holding you in place.  You may live on my mantel.

Oh dear.  I mean deer.  Would you look at this little vixen?!  I think she deserves a terrarium of her very own.  Yes I do.

And a little blue tray.  Oh my.  I love this so much.  It already has a permanent home on top of the microwave and lately has been used for carrying my lunch outside for a little picnic.

These treasures, combined with a pile of books, and some quick thinking by a sweet old lady, equaled the very best antidote to a snowy Spring day.