We've been spoiled ...

Inspired by Connie Babbert and Barb Mulikin

The weather in Vermont has been record breaking ... reaching near 80 this past week!  I found myself drawn to the outdoor sun.  We just finished a few short weeks of making some yummy syrup in the backyard sugar shack (the season cut short by the unusual weather).  I found myself slacking in preparation for a scheduled Stampin' Up workshop (Yup, it's tomorrow) ... tonight I pulled some supplies off the shelf and enjoyed some time putting together some card kits.  I made this adorable tootsie pop bouquet inspired by Cindy Vinson.  I love the Mixed Bunch stamp set and punch offered by Stampin' Up in their current mini catalog!  There is so much that you can do with it...


Now it wouldn't be right to talk about Vermont syrup making without sharing some of the fun with you.  It is such a priceless experience to share with your children and I can not wait to take the pictures from our season in the backyard sugar shack!

 Here I am with my first jar of pure Vermont maple syrup!  For those who do not know ... it takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup ... and we do it all by hand from tapping trees, to gathering sap right down to the boil and draw!



Below you will see the stages of boiling sap - a truly amazing picture captured!

And of course I had to share a tapped tree!