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Today is Flag Day, the date which honors the adoption of the "Stars and Stripes" as our nation's flag.

"Resolved that the flag of the thirteen United States be Thirteen stripes alternate red and white: that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."

 - Continental Congress

June 14, 1777

You might commemorate the occassion by flying your own flag, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, singing the National Anthem, seeing how our flag has changed in 233 years, and learning the Flag Code.

You might also enjoy some Flag Day crafts and activities.

Two interesting Flag Day websites are USFlag.org and National Flag Day Foundation.

Don't forget to read this article about President Obama's Flag Day proclamation. As has been customary through the years, this entire week has been declared National Flag Week. In his proclamation, Obama urges Americans to fly Old Glory and publicly pledge allegiance to the flag, from today until Independence Day, as a celebration of our national heritage. A very good idea and one that was put forth by another recent President. 

The Caron yarn company blessed us again with a free yarn sample - this time a very soft Bamboo blend.

It's so soft. I can't wait to try it out.

Easter celebrations at my house may have been a bust, but I did manage to whip up a couple of Peep Bunnies:

The pink one is 10in x 5in and the yellow one is 3 1/4in x 1 3/4in. The eyes and noses are painted on with brown paint. I managed the eyes and nose for the tiny Peep Bunny by using an unused pencil eraser to paint the circles. Worked perfectly.

The pattern for the small Peep Bunny is here. I just copied and pasted the pattern into Microsoft Word and then enlarged it to make the large Peep Bunny. 

The yellow Peep Bunny is for myself, but the pink one is for my daughter who says Easter is not complete without Peeps to eat. (Yes, we made sure she had some edible Peeps, too.) I told her not to eat this one - might cause indigestion.

Yesterday, after yet another doctor visit (hip, hip, hooray), we popped over to Walmart to comb through the clearanced Easter candy. Post-holidays are when we indulge the children with sweets and it's a bit of a treasure hunt to find the good stuff in the randsacked holiday aisles.

Candy isn't the only thing clearanced after Easter is over. I also snatched up these 50% off Easter baskets. I'll probably use these in my craft cubbies in the Family Room. I really like that the handles fold down, unlike most of the baskets I acquire.

Also, if you're looking for Toy Story III and other children's theme tin buckets, Walmart had those. 

So, now is the time for inexpensive baskets and decorative buckets, as well as solid chocolate bunnies.

Remember that offer from Caron for free samples of their new line of yarn? Although we understood the offer to have ended after only two days, my daughter and I sent our requests anyway.

I've always wanted a Hobbit home. I think it has something to do with the round doors. I prefer round things, curvy things. They meander gently, without the sharpness of angles.

Knowing my fondness, my daughter made me a tiny Hobbit hill with a minusucle Hobbit house.

Isn't that so sweet? I'll completely overlook the fact that she made this whilst she was supposed to be engrossed in schoolwork. Ahem.

Really, though, who can be mad at her for long? She is such a sweet lass. And her left eyebrow always rises when she laughs. Just like her father.

He has very curly hair and promised she would too. He swore she'd have a head full of delicious baby curls.

Imagine my surprise when the midwife handed me a nearly-bald baby girl. But my husband promised me...and I've been bringing that up for fourteen years. 

Yet, the poor child still had nothing but straight hair.

Then, suddenly, these springy spirals came from nowhere. I still can't believe it and I can't stop making them go boing-boing.

What an obnoxious mother I am!

But, honestly, could you restrain yourself around such angelic ringlets?

It took quite a while, but my husband did indeed keep his promise and gave me a beautiful, curly-tressed daughter.

But I supplied the freckles.

• a clear glass compote
• a straw bunny
• silk daffodils
• green tissue paper cut into strips

There are no special instructions and you can vary the items you use according to what you have on hand, which makes this a free Easter centerpiece.

Prior to the unfortunate theft and vandalization of our property, I decided to give the entryway mirror a little makeover.

This mirror was gained at a yard sale - way back in 2006. Can you believe it was free? The seller had broken one of the side mirrors. Each side panel is about 8 1/2 x 11, so the whole thing is rather large. It hung in my son's room for a long time, but he never really used it. Turns out boys aren't as into mirrors as girls are. Go figure.

So, I kind of stole it from him.

But, look, the size and shape is perfect for that entryway wall.

Convinced? Okay, back to the mirror makeover.

I decided to print out a picture of Jane Austen for the left panel. My shamelessly purloined version of Dear Jane is, I believe, the 1879 engraving which was based on Cassandra's drawing.

For the right panel, I chose one of Miss Austen's witty quotations, printing it out with a downloaded Jane Austen font.

"Pictures of Perfection make me Sick and Wicked."

When we return to our normal balmy weather, I think I might use this instead:

"What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance."

The portrait and quotation are printed on turquoise paper and I have placed three turquoise glass votives from Big Lots betwixt the two panels.

So, what do you think? Would Dear Jane approve?

***More lovely transformations are linked at Between Naps on the Porch for each Metamorphosis Monday.***

When I was looking for a nice St. Patrick coloring page last week, I happened upon Catholic Icing and knew I had discovered a gem. Kid craft sites are a dime a dozen but few focus on the Liturgical Year and the many facets of our faith. While the site is Catholic, most posts are pertinent for all Christians.

To learn more about Catholic Icing, check out the About page or read about Lacy, the woman behind the blog.

I think you'll like:

the Last Supper craft,

the Lent Lapbook ideas,

the Pro-Life posts

If you, like dear @JacobiteRose on Twitter, are looking for a St. Patrick coloring page, here are a few links which might help:

One

Two

Three (PDF) - This is the one I like best.

Four (PDF)

I discovered The Pleated Poppy blog this weekend. It's oh-so-cute and full of crafty inspiration. The blog's subtitle is "Beautiful Imperfections of the Everyday". Lovely.

Let's have the woman behind the blog tell you about herself:

hi ! i'm lindsey cheney. i am married to an incredibly supportive husband and am mom to 3 littles, 6 and under. my days are full of sewing, home schooling, crafting, snuggling, avoiding the laundry, sneaking bites of chocolate, and wondering "is it naptime yet?".

Lindsey sews a lot (she has her own shop, too) and she throws many parties. She's also kind enough to give glimpses into her lovely home and often features guest bloggers.

I think you might enjoy:

The Family Rules Tutorial

The Pleated Poppy Shop

The Playroom Reveal