In the process of taking a brain training course, I came across a question asking if I write on a regular basis. At first I thought, "Of course, I write. I have a blog." And then I realized I haven't written at Shebeest in ages. So, here I am.

I'm ready to start being creative again. I want to paint and write and grow and expand. Spring always brings renewal, and I feel this refreshment coursing through my veins like sap in a tree.

Spring has sprung, and so have I.

Relationships are a lot like houses. When you first move in, everything feels new. You excitedly open every cupboard door and stuff the closets full of experiences.

Over time, your home fills up. You forget where you left your special shoes, and never use your fancy china. Later, you start to notice the cobwebs near the ceiling and the cracks in the foundation.

Just like a home, a solid relationship takes work. You need to poke around and see what you've forgotten about. And sometimes you need to grab a broom and clean up the mess that's been sitting there, unnoticed.

The fog licked at the water's edge as we arrived to sail this morning. We hopped aboard the boat, and headed out into the south channel.

Elliot excitedly settled in for his first sail. Five minutes out of port, he decided he wanted us to turn back. Meanwhile, Alden helped steer. We hope he eventually learns how to hold a line because he currently has an...interesting...tiller technique. And by interesting, I of course mean wobbly.

We motored on, hoping Elliot would start to enjoy it. Once we set the sails, he and Alden went below for a little lunch.

Post face stuffing, the boys came back on deck to count all the sailboats they could see. We sailed toward Long Island, then tacked across to Madeline.

The fog rolled back in as we came about, and Elliot started to fuss. With the wind shifting and funky waves, we decided to call it a day. Elliot fell asleep in my arms as we motored back to the marina. All in all, we had a successful first sail!

We painted the walls and added our new stained glass light to the dining room last week. The woodwork needs to be stripped (or replaced), and then this room will be temporarily done.

You can see the awesome chalkboard in this pic. I can't wait to strip off all that white paint!

Paint is Spicy Curry from Ace Hardware.

Stained glass light is from Overstock.com.

We headed out to geocache around lunchtime today. After a quick trip to the IGA for sandwiches and Leino's for a forest parking sticker, we wandered into the woods.
First cache: Long Lake. Alden led the way to the microcache on the other side of the canoe launch. Meanwhile, Elliot scrambled after him, tripping and talking the whole way. We saw a badger den and a couple of geese and a man with no shirt standing by a pointless fire.
Second cache: Valhalla. AJ forgot to add this cache to the GPS, so we hiked our regular ski loop trail. The new maple leaves gleamed in the sun. Alden and Elliot rustled and raced through last fall's detritus. They looked through their holes (Alden) and ate them (Elliot). Alden also decided to fashion a bow out of a crooked stick, which he used to shoot the "enemy bad guys." I also found a cool seed pod that looked like a small balloon.
Third cache: Big Rock. We should have known the place would be crawling with people on such a warm spring day (especially during opening weekend). All the muggles prevented us from hunting for the cache, so we just enjoyed a quick look at the river, then drove home.
Cache count: 1 for 3. We'll try to bag the two we missed another day.

I want this to be a big year, with months filled to overflowing with activities and accomplishments!

1. Family - I want to spend more time outside with my family. We need to go sledding more often this winter. Summer should find us exploring some new places around the area (maybe going east, instead of the typical west). I also want to meet my nephew before he gets too big and visit my sister and BIL once they move to Michigan.

2. Friends - I want to hang out with more people in person, rather than through the computer screen. Ideas in the works include a cooking club and monthly parties. I just need to schedule something!

3. Photography - I need to learn how to shoot with the manual settings on the camera. I also want to learn more about composition and lighting. And I definitely need to take more pictures to practice.

4. Cake decorating - Krista and I have talked about taking a cake decorating class for ages. This will be the year it finally happens. We signed up for the beginner course, and start in February. Who knows how far we will take it.

5. Gardening - I need to make a reasonable plan, that includes planting dates. Weeding and weed prevention have to be top priority, too. I also want to build a greenhouse/garden shed, but need to get some salvaged materials to do it. Anyone know somebody with some extra 2x4s?

6. House - Gutters, paint (inside and out), garage doors, basement, etc. I need to make a plan and schedule the work.

7. Studio - I need to realistically analyze all the stuff in here and get rid of the things I won't ever use (I'm looking at you, upholstery fabric!).

8. Sewing - I want to finish one quilt and start another one. I think scheduling the time to do it will be the key to actually doing it.

9. Organization - I'm pretty scattered at the moment, so I need to organize my things and my time. Focus on what should go where and mark down when things will happen.

10. Travel - We don't have a big budget to travel this year, and we already plan to spend most of it on our Christmas trip to Syracuse. I do think we can swing one weekend trip every now and then. Maybe a trip to Madison, Milwaukee or Door County will work.

Bonus Resolution: I miss blogging, so consider this a notice that you'll be seeing more in this space soon!