Spring

Hello, Dear Friends! Here we are, welcoming spring in just a few 

short days, and I am enjoying the first, lovely blooms. 

This charming primrose caught my eye at the local garden center, 

and I just had to take it home with me.

There were only three of these 

unusual, ruffled beauties, so, of course they all had to come home with me!

xx 

I planted over 100 tiny bulbs in my galvanized 

tubs last fall, and these sweet irises are the first to bloom. 

  

They have such a sweet, heavenly scent. 

I found a flat of strawberries at the garden center, too.

You can see that the pots have their own patina! 

I've had them for years, and found them languishing 

in the back garden full of weeds.

 I emptied them and gave them a wash,

and now they are serving their rightful duty

once more.  

Up on the deck and away from the critters. 

Well, hopefully...

The few crocuses that the squirrels haven't found are blooming, too. 

xx

We had several days of warmer weather last week that 

prompted me to get outside and do some yard work. 

There's always so much to do, but I did make a little progress 

in tidying things up. 

I also emptied the last of the pots and gave them all a good bath

in preparation for planting. 

I was able to trim all the old blooms off my hydrangea hedge, too. 

This hedge is taller than I am and straddles both sides 

of the fence with a tangle of twiggy branches. 

I filled up an 8' x 10' tarp with all the trimmings! 

And my hair ended up with a few twigs, too! 

I keep the old blooms throughout the winter to help protect 

the new buds from frost. 

Hydrangeas are one of the few things that the deer won't eat. 

There, much better. 

Now I need to tackle the ivy. 

But not today. 

I heard the change of weather coming in through the trees as I worked. 

The wind reminded me to, "Rush - Ruuuush", as I worked 

quickly to avoid the incoming rain. 

I've redecorated the kitchen for spring while I wait to get back 

to my yard work. 

I sewed two more small pillow covers from some vintage rose fabric I found

in my collection. 

I wanted to keep things soft and pretty for spring. 

I kept a few hearts from Valentine's Day, but I did change the curtains. 

I added baby's breath to the vintage vent covers. 

White flowers. 

xx

The lace and twine decorated canning jars 

were from my daughter's wedding

a few years ago. 

xoxo

Vintage lace from my dear sis-in-law, and carved wooden trays 

from a trip to the vintage market last year. 

Oatmeal-raisin cookies baked by me. 

They are the Mr.'s favorite. 

xx

Would you like to see what's inside? 

Rose patterned dishes, of course! 

I've been collecting them here and there 

over the last year, whenever I see them. 

They are hard to resist. 

For a dollar or two, they make me happy.

A sweet little cookbook on the cupboard door. 

Another thing I love to collect. 

I have to be selective, though, because 

my collection is outgrowing its cabinet. 

I'm trying to convince the Mr. to build me more shelves, 

but he has been busy...

He's remodeling the upstairs bathroom. 

He's almost done. 

I can't wait to show you the finished results. 

xxx

A hand-painted beauty that I've had for years. 

Pretty shortbread cookie mold. 

My daughter gifted me this simmer pot for Christmas. 

Just a few simple ingredients make the house smell so divine. 

Cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, dried orange peel, and cloves. 

You can use virtually any type of herbs and spices

and it is so much healthier than scented candles

or other synthetic products, which always give me a headache. 

When I was a little girl, my grandmother, Beatrice

taught me how to make paper roses out of tissue paper. 

They are so easy to make and look so pretty. 

To make them, you need tissue paper, large sized hair pins, 

and green straws (for stems). 

Oh, and a ruler or measuring tape! 

Do you like my fancy one? 

To start, you need 8 layers of 5" x 7" pieces of tissue paper. 

Fold accordion-style starting at the 5" side, approximately 1/2" wide

by flipping back and forth for each fold. 

Slide a hair pin over the middle of the folded 

tissue paper.

Fan the pleats and carefully separate the layers, pulling them 

towards the top of the hair pin. 

Don't worry about crumpling the paper a bit, as it 

adds to the ruffling of the 'petals'. 

Slide the hair pin inside the green straw and display 

in a pretty container. 

My Grandmother called them 'dressing table roses' and 

would spritz them with her favorite perfume to scent the bedroom. 

How sweet is that? 

xx

Take care of yourselves, Dear Friends. 

And take care of each other. 

We're all kindred spirits

and we're in this together. 

xx