March 10 on the 10th

Here are the questions for the 10 on the 10th. I'm joining up with our sweet friends over at Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After.

List your favorite thing about spring.  Which season do you like best? I love the sense of "newness" that comes with spring. To me, spring brings a breath of hope. I love spring but my allergies do not allow me to be outside very much. I love all of the new growth - from tiny green leaves on tree branches to forsythia to tulips and everything in between. I have a hard time picking which season is my favorite. I love lots of things about fall - once again, I love the colors of leaves twirling down the street. I love the sound of a high school band. I love that first crisp morning when the temp might still rise to a hot day but the morning brings a cool touch. I love the summer sky - so blue and clear. I love the lush growth of trees and the whir of hummingbird wings in the summer. The only season I don't really "love" is winter but there is beauty even in winter.

What puts spring in your step?  What does your favorite pair of shoes look like?  When do you wear them? Joy puts spring in my step. Accomplishing a task - especially one that is hard - puts spring in my step. The love of friends and family puts spring in my step. I'm not a good shoe person. I had a pair back in the early 80's that I LOVED. They were white dress sandals with an ankle strap and a high heel. These days find my feet shod in orthopedic flip flops and tennis shoes. I do have on my favorite pair of keens today. 

Around St. Patrick’s Day we see invitations to ‘kiss me, I’m Irish’ on graphic tees and images everywhere.  Are you Irish?  If not, what would your graphic tee read?  ‘Kiss me, I’m…” After sending in 23 and Me several years ago, I found out that I do have Irish heritage. My grandmother's maiden name was Murphy. Mark and I took a wonderful trip to Ireland in October and I would LOVE to go back . . .for a month! We truly fell in love with Ireland. Mark wants to move there. I blogged about our ten days beginning here.

What flowers would make up your perfect spring bouquet?  What is your favorite floral fragrance? I love tulips and forsythia and azaleas and jonquils. I can't do ANY scents due to those pesky allergies. Sometimes I have to move the fresh flowers far away from me even though I love them.

Spring cleaning?  A necessary evil or overrated?  What’s your favorite cleaning tip?  Cleaning product? The lady who cleans our house (not me!) tore her ACL and maniscus and had surgery about 10 days ago. I hate cleaning house. I try to keep everything picked up and fairly cleaned up so that we don't have to do "big" cleaning very often. Dust is another one of those allergens I'm supposed to avoid. One of my favorite tips is to keep your different wall paints in mason jars and touch up anytime you see marks on your walls. These are two of my favorite cleaning items. I found the carpet cleaner through Katie's blog. I love these magic erasers, too.

Slinkies are coiled spring toys.  Did you ever have a Slinky?  Silly Putty?  What was your favorite toy as a child? Yes, I had a slinky. Yes, I had silly putty! I remember taking the silly putty and making copies of the Sunday comics! I loved playing with dolls when I was a kid. Our granddaughters have both had slinkies, too. They are quite entertaining. 

When we ‘spring forward’ on March 13, what do you hope to do in that extra daylight? I'm going to simply soak up that extra daylight. I love the longer afternoons!

The following colors will be trending for spring soft lilac, canary yellow, hot pink, salted caramel, scarlet, sky blue.  Will you be styling any of these?  Is there a color you will avoid? I love hot pink, scarlet, and sky blue. I probably won't be wearing lilac - it is not one of my favorites. I'm not sure about wearing the canary yellow and the salted caramel but who knows? I might wear it!

What will you be reading this spring?  Do you have a favorite devotional or quiet time routine? I love reading cozy mysteries and I'm reading one set in an Irish village right now. Normally, I love to keep a journal and read the scripture early in the morning and jot down a short prayer in the journal. This week, I've been mindful of praying "thank you" prayers five times a day -- thank you when I wake, thank you at each meal, thank you before going to sleep. This discipline is part one of our Lenten study at our church.

Share an inspirational thought or spring quote.  Why does this speak to you?