Is it Spring yet?

The wind is howling as I sit down to write this post and tomorrow's forecast calls for more wind, rain and snow. We're wearing sweatshirts and Reina is bundled up in big brother's hand-me-down camo. It's definitely not summer yet. Two nights ago, the winds calmed down and we all spent a little time in the backyard after dinner. This is the view from our back yard. The land behind us belongs to the Air Force Base so we have a pretty view of the prairie. It was one of the selling features when we bought the house, even though we've since learned that we are the first buffer for the wind and all of the tumbleweeds. The previous owners of our house were very handy and one of the things they left behind was a 2-story playhouse. When the kids are older, it's going to be a great place to have sleepovers and hide out from parents. Right now, it's more of a place to bonk your head and get a splinter. Will and Glenn shimmied up to the second floor and hung out for a while. And by "hang out" I mean, pretend to shoot imaginary gun-guns at imaginary bad things on the horizon. Lots of testosterone floating around our backyard. Finally, Reina and I braved the man cave for a few minutes so that I could properly document the occasion.

Even though the temperature outside doesn't feel like Spring, inside - I've got a serious case of spring cleaning. It's been helped by the fact that Aunt Vicky is staying with us this week and she's been watching the show "Hoarders." Everytime I hesitate about throwing/recycling/giving something away that I haven't used in 2 years, she threatens to sign me up for the show. So with that in mind, I present you with the cabinet-that-stands-outside-our-kitchen-that-is-usually-filled-with-crap-that-we-never-sort-through. TADA! Take a good look because it will never look this good again. And guess what? Both drawers open AND shut!

Here's an example of my hoarder-ness and procrastination paying off. This week, I went to finally take down the Christmas wreath that's been hanging on our garage since early December.
I noticed a little nest inside the wreath and after finding something tall (Will's wobbly trike) to stand on, I noticed this inside:

Good thing our neighborhood doesn't have any of those pesky 'holiday decoration time limit' ordinances! This wreath will be up all summer long!