A Weekend in the Garden

Hello everyone! I was able to spend quite a bit of time getting my gardens ready for spring this weekend. I thought I would share some pictures with you...


The first bloom of columbine.




A fern pushing its way up.


There are a few tiny lily pads in my watergarden, but they haven't turned green yet.


The beginnings of a wisteria bloom.


I can't help but share another picture of my bleeding hearts. :0)


Since the weather is warming up, the pansies won't last much longer. I picked the best ones to press.


I also pressed fern, columbine and ivy leaves.


The easiest way is to put them between napkins or paper towel and place in the pages of a phone book for a few weeks.

Thank you for looking at my spring flowers! I hope you all have a wonderful Monday. It's the last day of March, is it coming in like a lion or lamb at your house?

"Show and Tell Friday!"

Welcome to “Show and Tell Friday!” Do you have something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, or a treasured collection. Look around your home for something to share; dig through those boxes in your closet if you have to! Share photos and the story that goes with your special item.

Hello everyone! A few weeks ago when Grace and I were on our way to get some groceries, we saw a yard sale sign. Of course, we did the right thing and stopped. :0)


We found eight of these Magnolia teacup luncheon sets!


I love the little bud inside the cups.


They are in perfect condition and we got all eight for $10.00.


I also found this huge tablecloth, just lying on the driveway. I will have to put in my extra table leaf for it to fit properly. It is covered with embroidery, cutwork and crocheted lace, all hand done!


Here is a close-up of the back. As you can see the stitches are very neat.


Beautiful roses and cutwork.


Even the sides have embroidered roses.




The lady who was selling it said a relative made it sometime in the 50's, but she wasn't too eager to share any more information. She actually seemed embarrassed to be getting rid of it, but I happily gave her $5.00 and will be sure to treasure it!

Thank you for looking at my show and tell!



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A Garden Visitor

*If you aren't a fan of snakes, you may want to skip this post. :0)


Yesterday, I did some cleaning up in my vegetable garden box, and noticed that one of the boards needed nailed back together.


While moving some of the dirt around, I found this really neat snake skin. Benjamin thought it should to be on something soft, so he brought out his big teddy bear.


So, who does the skin belong to? Click on the picture and see if you can tell me!


I'm not much of a snake person, but Benjamin kept him safe while I put the boards back together. Then we put him back in his home. We actually saw another snake too, but she disappeared under the dirt. I did a little research and I think they are either Texas Brown Snakes or Earth Snakes.


My garden has a lavender plant, a red and yellow pepper plant, a tomato plant and two basil plants. So, are these two snakes good for my garden?

Ham and White Bean Soup

Raise your hand if you made a ham this Easter! I've been making this soup for many years and not only is it yummy, it very quick to throw together, which is nice after all that Easter kitchen work.


It's even better the next day!

Come on over to Seasonal Delights for the recipe and have a wonderful day!

Oh, Happy Day!

My favorite flower is the Bleeding Heart. I've tired growing them for the past 5 years, but other than pictures, I have never seen an actual bloom. I bought a few more bulbs last week and went out to plant them today.


Many of you know how much I love the book, The Secret Garden. I have my own secret garden that I've been working on for the past three years. It's in a little corner between by house and backyard fence, but there's not too much to see right now. Phillip trimmed up my overgrown climbing rose this weekend and this morning was the first time I've been in the garden since last fall.


Imagine my shock and surprise when I looked down and spotted a little pink.


My dream of seeing a Bleeding Heart has finally come true!


They are more beautiful and delicate than I imagined.


Benjamin said "I wish we could stay out here all day." I feel the same way! It doesn't take much to make me happy. :0)

~An Easter Blessing~

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said." Matthew 28:5-6

May Easter bring you a happy heart,
and may your spirit rejoice in the risen Lord.

Decorating Easter Eggs

We've been going a little egg crazy around here! Crafting, eating, watching...

I first saw these decoupaged eggs on Dawn's 4:53 am blog. All you need are those cheap plastic eggs, paper (we used sheet music and various scrapbook paper), mod podge, glitter and ribbon.


I used white, pink, purple and blue glitter with matching ribbon.


I think I like the white ones the best. Amy from Inspireco has a great tutorial if you would like to make some too.


The girls had a friend over yesterday and ended up making about 20 of them. The glitter was a big hit!




I also made a couple of moss covered eggs that I heard about from Katie at Harrington House.


I just hot glued moss onto a styrofoam eggs and added a bow.


We ate some egg shaped biscuits with our dinner last night.


The leftovers are great for breakfast the next day and I added a few surprise sprinkles for the girls and Benjamin.




We are watching the mama Mourning dove on her nest. They were having trouble building the nest on the top of our electric meter last year, so I attached an empty kleenex box up there, which them seem to like.


And finally, a card making project. These decorated paper eggs are actually little pockets for holding a note card or letter.


The card slips right inside...


And is hidden away. I'm putting one in each of the Easter baskets this year. Scroll down or go HERE for the instructions.

~Happy first day of Spring!~

Easter Egg Pocket Cards

These colorful Easter eggs are actually pockets to hold a small letter or note.


The note card slips right inside...


And is hidden away. Here's how to make them:


Materials:
~12x12 patterned scrapbook paper (One sheet per egg)
~Coordinating stickers
~Coordinating ribbon


Tools:
~Scissors
~Decorative scissors (optional)
~Glue
~Hot glue (optional)
~Pencil
~Colored pens


Optional decorations:
~Glitter
~Small beads


1. Trace template on back of scrapbook paper.

Template can be found here: Template (16KB)


2. Cut out two egg shapes.


3. Apply glue around the edges of the back of one egg, stopping two-thirds of the way up.


4. Place the other egg shape on top and let dry.


Now you are ready to decorate your egg pocket however you like. Here are a few ideas...


~Ribbon and tiny beads.


~Coordinating paper on the top and bottom.


For this technique, you cut out another egg shape, then cut three strips with decorative scissors. Discard the middle section.


Glue the top and bottom pieces onto egg.


~Stickers and ribbon.


Once the glue is dry, it is ready for the note card.


Take your leftover strip of scrapbook paper and cut into a square. Write your note or letter on the back side of it.


Fold it up and place inside pocket.



Let me know if you make some!