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With Spring on its way, here's how to prepare for brighter days ahead.
With Spring on its way, here's how to prepare for brighter days ahead.

Springing Forward 🌷

Typically at this point in the year, we're pretty dang excited for warmer weather to arrive. 🏖️

But it's 2021, and as the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines picks up — increasing our chances for a closer-to-normal year — we're more excited for spring than EVER before.

And we bet you are, too! 😎 After "springing forward," the days are a hair longer, so let's look at some quick ways to prep for brighter days. ☀️

Maybe this is the year you're determined to finally start a garden. 🍅 Or maybe you’d like to brighten your living quarters. 💡 Perhaps even celebrate St. Patrick's Day — with or without a parade. ☘️ 

Tomato Tips ✔️
According to the K-State extension office, you can seed tomatoes directly into the ground. But if you don’t want to chance an April freeze or rain washing away the seeds, start your plants inside. 🍅

Just about any type of container with drain holes in the bottom will work, but if you use a cardboard egg carton or make a little cup out of newspaper 📰 you won’t have to remove the plant before you put it in the ground. Use potting soil rather than a scoop of outdoor dirt so you know it’ll be free of weeds or bugs. 🌱🐜 Add several seeds to each pot and place them in a sunny window. 🌞 The optimal temperature for early growth is 70° to 75° during the day, and no lower than 60° at night. 🌜

About a week before you want to move them outside, water them less than you have been, and let them spend a little time outside each day to prepare your plant babies for the move. Position them where they’ll get full sun for at least half the day, but wait until late April before you make the move. 📅

Crafty on the Outside 🏡
How about a bright new wreath for your front door? 🚪 If you’re a wreath kind of person, perhaps you already have one — or maybe this year has driven you to consider making your own.

To make one, you can repurpose anything ring-shaped — think a bike wheel 🚴‍♂️ or the kind of Frisbee that has a hole in it. 🥏 You can shape a wire hanger into a circle, or cut out cardboard in the shape of a wreath. You can also hit a craft store and buy the materials you need, starting with a wire wreath frame, a foam craft wreath or a grapevine wreath. What happens next is up to you!

Adorn it with fake flowers. 💐 Wrap it in ribbons of your favorite color. 🎀 Tie spring-themed cookie cutters to it, stick rubber ducks to it, or use miscellaneous green items and call it a St. Patrick’s Day wreath! ☘️💚 Whatever strikes your fancy and makes you feel happy.

Crafty on the Inside 
And speaking of feeling happy, if your inside space has gotten a little drab after this long pandemic winter, now might be a good time to find a way to add pops of color. 🌈

While we can't teach you how to sew or weave a rug, new slipcovers for old pillows are an easy and inexpensive way to freshen the look of your living space. 🛏️ It's all too easy to get used to our décor, whether we still like it or not, and forget that there are very small things we can do to change its appearance. You can also invest in a new indoor doormat, small throws for your couch or even repaint a little coffee table, side table or chair. 🛋️ Some tips from our pandemic winter prep email might be applicable here, too. ✔️

St. Paddy's Day
According to the Kansas City Star, only one 2021 St. Patrick’s Day parade will march on this week: That’s the one in Leavenworth. ☘️ It will begin at noon on Wednesday, March 17, at 4th and Cherokee in Leavenworth, Kansas. Masks are required for all viewers and participants with no exceptions. 😷

You can also celebrate from home with a whiskey tasting 🥃 or grab takeout from Browne's Irish Marketplace. This year, in lieu of its usual celebrations, you can pick up some Take & Bake Reuben kits or Bangers & Mash.

For more ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in-person and virtually, check out the Kansas City Irish Center.

 More Adventures in Kansas City

March Scavenger Hunt

Kemper Museum's monthly art scavenger hunt is back! During your visit to the museum this month, you can receive clues for your self-guided scavenger hunt and a take-home art activity kit, too. Register online for a free ticket before your visit.
Women's History Month Pop-Up

This Saturday at 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Strawberry Swing Indie Craft Fair is popping up on the lawn of the Majors Barn with women-owned food trucks and makers. Then, head inside the Alexander Majors Museum to learn about Elinor Majors Carlisle, Alexander's suffragette daughter. Learn more online and don't forget your mask. 😷

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Photo Credits:
1. Flickr
2. Anne Kniggendorf | KCUR
3. Awesome Sauce Creative | Unsplash
4. Quentin Rey | Unsplash
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