Friday Flowers~

A little bit of spring on a rainy day...

The candle is from Anthro-Avocado & Mint.  Smells so yummy!

Love Daisies!

So cute in a bud vase.

Picked up these cute hand towels at HomeGoods...love the bright fun colors for summer.  And, the best part (at least for my oldest), they came in sets of two...a set for me and a set for her!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend.  We are expecting storms this evening.  Boo...we had plans to attend an outdoor concert in the park.

A little bit of spring~

While things are starting to warm up around these parts and the first signs of spring are apparent in the blooming dogwoods and the daffodils peeking through the ground, mornings and evenings are still a bit on the cool side.

This is the time of year I love to bring a little bit of spring indoors to remind me that it is just around the corner.  So while at Trader Joes the other day, I purchased these beautiful yellow lilies.  Their bright yellow color just screams sunshine.

And, on a side note...

Mom has been left home ALONE!!!

Our youngest flew home for spring break Friday, and she, her sister and her dad are all headed to the airport this morning to fly to Michigan.  They are surprising their 94 year old grandmother with a visit.  She has no idea the girls are coming!!!  Praying they don't give her a heart attack.  Better yet, praying they don't give their dad one (those two can be double trouble when together, LOL).

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

A little bit of Spring

The weather here lately has been so dreary!  The North Georgia mountains are expecting snow tonight, and we may wake to icy conditions on the roadways if the temps continue to fall.

While at Whole Foods picking up groceries for dinner, I spotted these beautiful white tulips.  A little bit of Spring in the midst of a rainy, cold winter day.  I love white flowers in the winter time, so crisp and clean.

Hope you are staying warm and dry in your neck of the woods!

A bit of sunshine~

We are experiencing some CRAZY weather here in the south.  It was near 80 on Friday, and then the terrible storms and tornados rolled through...it is now in the 50s with gusty wind!  To look outside, you would think it was a beautiful spring day, sunny and everything is starting to bloom, but take one step outside and you will be jolted back to reality!!

I was itching for a bit of sunshine indoors, so I picked up these beautiful sunflowers the other day at the market. 

And, I've been meaning to share this beauty...my Valentine's Day present (hubs was there, but I got  to pick it out)...

I love orchids, but they don't tend to love me...so the fact that this beauty still has blooms on it is quite amazing.  Now, don't get me wrong...I can keep the actual plant alive, I can just never keep the blooms for long and have NEVER been able to get one to rebloom.  This one is actually two plants placed together in the larger container.  I have always had trouble knowing how much water they need.  Well, the directions this one came with (from Trader Joes) said a couple ice cubes, once a week (so in this case, 4, since there are two plants)...I can do that!!!  So far so good.  And, at $21, hubby's exact words, "even if it only blooms for a month, it is still cheaper than me buying flowers every week!" LOL Thanks honey.

Summer Blooms

I love summertime.  Not so much this awful heat, but I really love summer flowers.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Hope you are all staying cool!

Phlox and Aster~

Our Phlox and Aster are finally in full bloom.  The Phlox gives off such a sweet scent.  I decided to bring in a few before this hot Georgia heat gets to them, and make a little arrangement for my office.

I love using silver mint julep cups for small arrangements.  The glass Murano candies we brought back from our trip to Italy several years back.  I love the bright colors, and the best thing is they are calorie free!  You can catch a glimpse of the chair we had reupholstered for the room as well. 

Hope you are having a wonderful start to your week!  I am off to have lunch with my girl (well, one of them).

Heavenly Hydrangeas~

It is summertime (at least temps wise, not quite June 21st), and our hydrangeas are in full bloom.  I love being able to cut a few each week and bring them indoors to enjoy!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Hoping to wrap up  some of the many projects we have going.

Peonies~

I love this time of year!  I love the renewal of the earth, and the bursts of color that come with it.  Our peonies are in full bloom, and are just beautiful.

Really...no need for more words.  Enjoy!

The 1st Blooms~

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!  Our oldest came home for a visit, which is always a treat.  She and her sister had a great time Saturday evening dying Easter eggs.  Just goes to show...you are never to old to dye Easter eggs!!  It was fun seeing the two of them acting like they did back when they were 8 and 4!! LOL

Easter Day we enjoyed the service at church and then a home cooked meal on the grill with just the four of us.  We don't get to do it very often, as our oldest is in college, working and interning!!  We are quite proud of her however, as she will graduate in December (a semester early).

I was also excited to see that our tea roses are in full bloom!

They smell so good!!  Our knock-out roses are blooming as well, and our hydrangeas and peonies are just waiting to burst open.  I cannot wait.  I absolutely LOVE our backyard when everything first blooms.  The herbs and vegetables have been planted as well, and are already getting big.  The fish emulsion really does work!

We will be attending the Honors Breakfast and Honors Night tomorrow at our youngest daughter's high school.  I am sooo proud of her.  Despite the fight with migraines this year, she once again made the Honor Roll and will be receiving another Honor tomorrow night (we aren't sure what for just yet, however, she was named Jammin' Junior recently).  Will update tomorrow after the awards ceremony!

I'll leave you with something I heard the other day on the Nate Berkus Show.  He was interviewing Gretchen Rubin, the author of the Happiness Project.  She said, "the days are long, but the years are short."  Watching my two girls, now 21 and 17, dye Easter eggs this past weekend, I have to agree 100% !!!

Tip toe~

through the tulips!

Our local Whole Foods had a special on beautiful tulip bunches from Virginia, and I couldn't resist!!  They add the perfect touch of springtime to our home.  I also purchased some ranunculus and a bunch of sunflowers (Trader Joes) earlier in the week.  We also added a living basil plant to our kitchen, it is a bunch of basil minus the dirt (you keep the roots moist).  I used an old pickle jar filled with water to keep ours, and we have been using it at mealtimes this week.  On fresh pizza, in salad, and tonight on grilled chicken breasts with orange and lemon drizzled with a bit of olive oil.

It is prom weekend, so we will be busy!  Will post pics on Monday.  But, for now enjoy a touch of spring!


You can spy another new accessory from West Elm on the mantle-love this candle holder!




I love the tangerine color of these!



Yellow-my all time favorite color for flowers and our Spring Chalkboard!



Sunflowers and Living Basil-yum!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!  We are praying the rain stays north of here...prom is just not much fun in the rain!!

Summer Love~

I am loving Sunflowers and their bold color!  I am really hoping to post pics soon of all the projects we have been tackling.  "If" my desktop will cooperate! But, for now we will savor the last of summer as it is back to school for our household Monday!

April Showers Bring May Flowers~

And, boy did we get some April showers. We have had tons of rain this year. Quite a change from just a year ago when we were in the midst of the worst drought in history!