Food Network has launched a section on their site dedicated solely to healthy spring recipes. Spring is a time when I start thinking about lighter fare, moving away from the heavy chilis and stews and pastas from fall and winter.

They provide a large assortment of dishes to try out, and I’ve bookmarked the Mock Risotto, which uses fresh vegetables and brown rice; Papaya-Avocado Salad; and Caramelized Onion and Artichoke Pizza.
The Saucy Chicken Menu and Japanese Chicken-Scallion Rice Bowl also look very yummy!
What are your favorite springtime dishes?
[image: flickr]

As I pull out my sketch book and various pencils and colored markers, my thoughts turn to spring and my enjoyment of flowers.  I’ve often drawn and painted flowers, used them dried in crafts, and gathered them for bouquets.
Recently I viewed a demonstration by a fabric artist where she used her floral sketches for small mixed media “quilts.”  She scanned her sketches onto firm
fabric, treated them with gesso, and then filled in with scraps of fabric, paper (including torn pieces from a phone book), yarn, floss, and other embellishments.
Before there were too many embellishments, she did decorative stitching by machine.  …read more

If you love crafts, JoAnn Fabrics is having a “pre” Easter sale, April 9-11th both online and in their stores.

While it’s a little late for Easter crafts, you can still get some fabulous decorations and home items for as much as 40% off. You can also get a jump on summer decorating items for 40% off.
We frugal folks like discounts, don’t we? Besides that, what better way to celebrate spring than with new crafts and projects.
Image: JoAnn Fabrics

Want a fun and frugal way to dress up your Easter meal or even coffee table? Take a plain vase (and I know we have a lot of those clear vases lying around!) and stuff it with Easter grass.

If you’re like me, you probably have a bunch of different types and shades. I tend to buy some every year and then hesitate in throwing out the old stuff.
For this project, take all your old Easter grass and stuff it in the vase. It doesn’t matter if the colors or textures of grass are different. Throw a …read more

As the weather warms, we gardeners are eager to get out and work around the yard and exterior of our homes. However, it’s wise to use caution, especially after a rather sedentary winter season. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons offers a few tips on avoiding spring cleaning injuries:

Proper techniques for lifting, carrying and bending should be part of
any spring cleaning project:
— Separate your feet, shoulder-width apart, keep your back upright
and bend at the knees while …read more

“Can you smell spring, Mom?” I recall my 7-year old daughter saying, as she rushed in from out-of-doors.  “Come, Mom.  Come smell spring.”
So I went outside with her and enjoyed the scents and sounds of spring.  When we stop and wonder with our children, we’ll enjoy the small miracles of nature we often rush past in our hurried adult life.

Listen to the bright red cardinal sing his merry song in the maple tree.
Watch the robins bring straw and grass and other objects to build a nest.
Splash through water in a puddle.  Never mind that feet get wet.
Skip stones across the brook on …read more

Quilts reminding us of spring, on this first day of Spring 2009,  may have bright and cheery designs, springtime images, or names that reminds us of flowers and the newness of this season.
In addition to being the first day of Spring, today is my granddaughter’s 18th birthday, a time for her to spring into adulthood.   She’s looking forward to graduation from high school and entering college, venturing into that world away from home.
She also is a quilter and creates unique quilt hangings and bed quilts, often for high school projects.
Flower named quilts are numerous.  You may want to look into …read more

Ok, quick like a bunny…it’s time to think about yourself, noone else just vous. Time for a little feng shui of the mind, soul and body. Here is my list of spring things you need to do: (If there are things you’d rather see on the list, please feel free to add!)
Go shopping
Watch Food Network for 12 hours straight
You must get a manicure
You really must get a pedicure
Change your hairstyle or find a new salon
Endure/enjoy a department store make-over
Learn how to cook something you’ve never cooked before; better yet, start a cooking club
Buy a really expensive bottle of wine
Go to …read more