first of all, the grass is MUCH greener all of a sudden. although the grass doesn't die away altogether over the winter, it does lose it's luster. and like magic, the calender tells us it's spring and the grass obeys by turning green. my strategically-planted hostas are pushing through the soil throughout our yard, as are the daffodils and tulips that we never planted.

but i know that it's spring because i want to spend hours at Lowes and Home Depot. it seems that since we've been married, kenny and i have a big home or yard project that we start in the spring. the first year we were married, we ripped out our kitchen and remodeled it ourselves. the second spring, we were preparing the nursery for rowan's arrival in july. the third spring, kenny built our patio and cleaned out the ivy on our side lot. the fourth spring (last year), we landscaped the yard and tore out old and dying bushes because we were sure we were going to sell our house last spring.

and now, we are moving into a new home and Lowes and Home Depot will help make that transition go smoothly for us. i love to roam the aisles, inhaling that home-improvement smell.