IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE…SPRING!

Spring has sprung in south GA…although the weather is still a little chilly on some days (like today).  I have a love/hate relationship with spring!!!  I love the loveliness of spring with all the flowers & budding trees, but oh how I HATE THE POLLEN!!!

 Plus, I know that our spring quickly turns into a very hot summer…and I hate HOT!!! 

Spring also brings with it a LOT of projects.  So here are some of the ones I’ve been tackling recently.  The yard still has a way to go…pine straw for the flower beds is next on the list.  Probably ought to transplant some more HOSTAs but OH MY GOSH…that’s a very difficult & tiring job!!!  Here are a few photos showing what I’ve been up to….

 LOTS OF PAINTING!  I love birdcages & metal pieces for our yard and porch.  Also included were 2 glass-topped tables and 2 chairs for the deck.  Thank goodness for SPRAY PAINT, but it’s still not my favorite thing to do!

Another “un”-favorite is CLEANING!  Between the winter weather and the spring pollen, there’s a lot of scrubbing going on☹

LOTS OF PLANTING GOING ON!😊  I love Gerber Daisies! 

The HOSTAs are beginning to wake up and reach for the sun.  I really need to transplant some, but it is definitely one of the most difficult of garden chores…in my opinion!  I like to put hostas in pots…I’ve had luck with that so far.

We have a large wrap-around porch on 3 sides of our house plus a medium-sized deck.  I love to DECORATE them both.  Got 2 cute bird pillows from Wal-Mart the other day…$5 each.  Got the 2 beautiful pillows on our swing last year from Dollar General…$6 each.  (I love a bargain!)

RED is definitely the color I go with for our deck.  The kitchen color scheme is yellow with red & blue accents, and we have large windows that look right onto the deck and the backyard pond.

 Love my Chicken Planter:) 

And, of course, a little EASTER decorating! 

As the cooler weather goes by the wayside, and the days of spring encourage us more and more outside (once the pollen has gone!), hopefully my yard will show the results of all my hard work.  (Photos from previous years!)

So…what have you been doing to WELCOME SPRING in your neck of the woods?

HAPPY  SPRING !

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!

                                                           

Although it doesn’t feel like it today here in my neck of the woods (the deep South), spring has sprung!  This has been a really crazy March….cold one day, very warm the next.  And the wind…oh my!  I don’t think I’ve ever seen as much wind as we’ve seen this year.  I’ve picked up tons of sticks & pinecones that continually fall in our yard.

But now it’s time for my spring planting😊  Every year I say I’m not going to plant as many flowers as last year, but somehow I don’t hold myself to that!  Our yard is really not very good for growing flowers and many plants, so I tend to go with container gardening.  I haven’t decided what I’m going to plant yet, but my sweet “gardener” husband and I worked like Trojans in our yard this weekend….weeding, trimming, & completely doing away with a huge gardenia bush that had seen its prime. I’m a person who likes lots of “nooks & crannies” in a yard and so we are trying to come up with some new ideas this year.  I’ve been looking on Pinterest and other sites and thought I’d share some of my favorite finds so far. 

One thing I definitely want this year is a GARDEN SIGN for my little memory garden.  I'd love to take a walk in this person's Crooked Fence Garden.

                                                                  

              http://www.fleamarketgardening.org/2016/02/23/50-flea-market-garden-signs-a-gallery/ 

                                                           

I love a “meandering” (don’t you just love that word!) path.  We have a small one in one area but we are working on another little “nook & cranny” and I definitely want a stone path of some sort.

                                                              

         http://blog.styleestate.com/style-estate-blog/2017/4/1/56-enchanting-garden-paths 

I just love incorporating “the unexpected” into a garden or yard.  This chair is so quaint and inviting.  I have my own version that I will be replanting soon...I'll post a picture later.

                                                           

                                   Photograph by Barbara Vengalli

                http://www.fleamarketgardening.org/2012/10/28/how-to-design-and-paint-a-garden-sign/      

Not every garden would have a purple bench!  I love this one, although I’d more than likely go with white.

                                                                 

                                                   link not available

And look at this old wicker chair!  Most people would just have thrown it out, but look what a beauty a few flowers turned it into.

                                                               

                https://www.shelterness.com/5-ideas-to-transform-old-chairs-into-beautiful-mini- gardens/pictures/16623/        

I would love to have some sort of garden gate but just not sure where we would put one in our yard.  This door is an unusual and fun alternative.

                                                             

                        https://www.thegardenglove.com/diy-up-cycled-garden-gates/   

I love the idea of small painted stones for the garden.  These herb markers could be placed among plants in an herb garden, but you could also use words like LOVE, JOY, PEACE, etc.  That might be a great project for my creative granddaughter who loves to paint.

                                                                  

                      http://augustwren.blogspot.com.au/2011/07/herb-markers.html  

Since writing this post I have visited a local nursery and also made some progress with my spring yard work.  I’ll be back in a couple of days or so to show you the results.  What will you plant in your garden this year?

This and That

I sometimes wonder how I ever managed to do all that I did when I was a young wife, mother, and teacher.  How in the world did I run a household, care for my children, have time for my husband, work full time as a teacher, run errands, buy groceries, teach summer Bible School and GAs at our church, and for two years work on obtaining my Master's Degree...among many other responsibilities?????  Just thinking about it makes me want to sit down and take a long rest!

I thought surely when we had our empty nest and I retired there would be time to sit back, relax, watch a little TV, and eat Bon-Bons.  Wow!  Was I wrong?  I am still working, although part-time (which sure doesn't always seem like "part" time), still taking care of a household and all that that entails, taking time for my husband, and now looking after grandkids.  But I'm grateful for I'd be miserable with nothing to do and the Bon-Bons would go straight to my….well, they would make me gain unneeded and unwanted weight!  Yes, I've been busy, busy, busy and so yet again have neglected my blog.  So here are just a few things I've been up to lately….

The CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL…

some of my best friends from high school (we call ourselves THE VALLEY GIRLS) and I recently spent a day in Macon, GA enjoying the beautiful cherry trees as well as many beautiful azaleas and historic homes.  We also visited an absolutely gorgeous and awe-inspiring Catholic church plus had our picture made with a camel!  We are a group with many interests…and we always have so much fun together.

SPRINGTIME & GARDENING…

it's been springtime here for awhile, or so it has seemed.  And, of course, with spring comes gardening and yard work.  Hubby and I spent this weekend working on a project that is still a work in progress.

As you can see, we have a ways to go.  We plan to sod some grass between the stepping stones and we're waiting for the sand to settle in between the octagonal stones under the fountain.  We also have another tree in our plans, so I'll have to post "completed" photos later.  I wish I had my grandmother's GREEN THUMB but the best I can do is stick it in the dirt and pray that it grows!  We love our big yard and enjoy sharing it with those who pass by.

The GRANDKIDS…

keeping these two entertained is not always the easiest job that I have.  Recently one of my student teachers shared the idea of EDIBLE DIRT with me and so, of course, I had to try it with the grands.  The recipe:

          vanilla cookies (crumbled)

          chocolate cookies (crumbled)

          miniature marshmallows, M&Ms, a gummy worm

          1 clear cup

Place the marshmallows in bottom of cup; this is the "parent material".

Add the vanilla cookie crumbs; this is the subsoil.  Then add the chocolate crumbs; this is the topsoil.  Arrange the M&Ms on top to represent the organic matter in the soil.  Finally add the gummy worm; this is the decomposer.

We read a MAGIC SCHOOLBUS book to go with our project...and we also went outside and dug up earthworms and other creepy crawlies. 

 But the part they liked best was…eating the "dirt."

So…I realize that life is full and busy no matter which decade you're in.  And I hope it will continue to be that way as I work my way toward new adventures in the years to come.

Around the Yard

Thanks to the gardening skills of my husband with a little help from me,  we have a yard we are proud of.  Here are just a few things around our place:

Remember this?  This is BEFORE....

This is AFTER!

These HONEYCOMB  BUTTERFLY  BUSHes were planted this year and they've grown like crazy!

This is a part of a small garden we call MANDY'S  GARDEN.

The hostas are doing well here even though they get lots of sun.

I love the little FAIRY reading her book.

My  HERB  pot is doing well.

Recently added this coleus pot.  My grandmother loved these and could grow them from just a leaf cutting.  I did NOT inherit her green thumb!

This cute little guy was bought several years ago after traveling

around the

North GA mountains.  He's a fountain that is so peaceful to listen to.

I love, love, love this little girl.  Isn't she sweet?

One of my many rabbits shares a little yard space with her.

This cute little bunny greets people at our back door.

It's gotten so hot in our neck of the woods that we don't spend as much time outside as we'd like.  But I do love to sit on my porch swing or out on the deck in the early morning or early evening and enjoy our little piece of God's creation.