A Look Back

I thought I would show some of the good things about my garden this year. Parts of it were beautiful and I will build on those parts this year.  I'm just going to take it a month at a time. It's going to be photo heavy, so I hope you'll stick with me to the end.

March came in with the Tulips blooming.

April was pretty with Clematis and Columbine and a big Snowball Viburnum and some Iris

May

June had Daisies and Balloon Flower and some Lillies. It would of had a lot of Daylilies, but I didn't spray and the deer dined on them, so sad...

July

August was pretty boring, except for the Dichondra in this urn. I thought it was so pretty! It had a Pink Polka Dot plant but because of the shade it turned almost completely green so I changed it out for some Begonias. Not really happy with them either so next year I will need to find another mid size plant. Otherwise, this was one of my favorite things in the garden this year. 

This year I added two reblooming Azaleas, a purple Loropetalum, two yellow lillies, a Coreopsis to replace the one I lost,  and a pink Monardo.  I am working on getting more perennials and feel I did a good job last year - at least as far as I could money-wise. I'm excited to get to the plans I've made, moving this and that. 

The garden is always evolving. I have never been satisfied, but on the years that I thought I was getting a handle on it, something would happen and it just wouldn't be the same the next year. Things don't bloom at the same time, some things die, the deer trick me, heavy rains knock stuff down.  Sometimes I wonder why I do all this, but then I have a good year and get really psyched! If you're a gardener then you know what I mean! 

So, to all my gardening friends - here's to a great gardening year in 2014! 

Good-Bye Christmas

A few last glimpses of Christmas. It was certainly a whirlwind this year! I almost feel out of breath. But now the quieter, calmer days of January are  before us.  I love January. It's gray, and cold, and starts out with the most fun thing...the Rose Bowl Parade.  

I gave my husband a Kindle Paperwhite for Christmas, but I also gave him two paper books so now I"m using the Kindle until he finishes his books. I uploaded a Nero Wolfe Mystery.  I love, love, love the Nero Wolfe series.  They are fun and funny and I love the era, New York in the late 30's early 40's. If you like mysteries and that era, I highly recommend them. Archie is too cool. 

I hope you're having a great Sunday, thanks so much for stopping by.

Christmastime

Christmastime has come so fast this year! I'm slowly but surely getting things done. As I flit around blogland I see most of you are way ahead of me. I've never been one to get it all done in a week, so I guess I'm about right where I usually am.  

We have had some awesome weather since October. We've had snow, tons of rain, freezing temperatures, warm temperatures, wind, big wind, bigger wind. This has been the windiest year I have ever experienced. It's been the strangest weather year too. This summer we had so much rain and cloudy days that our swimming pools never warmed up. In Georgia. Latitude 33, Longitude -84.  Crazy!

I am very, very close to being done with my beautiful Christmas In Hawk Run Hollow cross stitch project. It has taken me a full year, and I have loved every minute of it, but I am so ready to be done! Every thing suffered because of this project. My garden was hardly touched this year, my house is scary, other projects have been sadly sitting in a drawer. It will probably take me another year to save up enough to have it framed, but hopefully by next Christmas it will be gracing one of my walls. I can't wait!

I hope your plans are coming along nicely. Thanks so much for stopping by!

And the Leaves Fall Down

 Can't wait to use those beautiful red berries at Christmas.

 I love all these pictures of my sleeping garden.. I love the leaf strewn paths and the dried remnants of once colorful plants. Of course, my mind is busy adding and subtracting plants, moving them here and there. Tops on my list for next year is plenty of deer spray! This year I kept putting off getting it and then it was too late. The deer came for dinner and feasted on every daylily bud, bleh!  

A little belated picture of our Halloween pumpkin.  Little ghosts! My daughter's friend carved it. I thought it was so cute!

I hope you're having a great Saturday. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Winter Past Times

Look what I've got coming! 

My son is giving it to me for my birthday. It should be arriving any day. I've only got two months left on my year long Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow and wanted to find something to work on over the winter.  If you go here, you can see the Pinterest page of the quilts people are making from the book. I can't wait to get the book and see which blocks I want to make.  There are 111 to choose from! 

I hope you're having a great Tuesday, thanks for stopping by!

Birthday Week

 Home loving, fall crafting and birthday celebrating week. Wonderful days and nights full of so much love and affection.  I made an arrangement, strung some dried leaves for a wreath and became a year older.  It doesn't get much better than this! My husband and children don't give cards for my birthday or for Mother's Day, they write me love notes. I think I look forward to this more than anything. My sweet husband custom ordered the birthday cake...lots of flowers. Yep, I'm an icing girl. No homemade cake for me!

Today it's cloudy and a little rainy, and you know I love that too! What a great way to end a perfect week!  I hope you're having a great Saturday, thanks so much for stopping by!

Friday Fun

It's been a gorgeous week here. The air has a crispness to it in the morning and a lovely warmth in the afternoon. Today there isn't a cloud in the sky and I am so happy to be off work and enjoying this lovely day! I have some plant moving to do in the garden, but feel I need to wait a bit longer, as it's still too warm in the afternoon.  There are still a few things in the garden, the most striking being the dichondra in the urn. It is so pretty and full, does anyone have any tips on overwintering it indoors?  I had one I was able to keep alive last year, but I ended up having to cut it way back. Should I give it some fertilizer? I kept it at my Dad's. He has a sun room, though it doesn't get much sun, but it is bright. Also, should it be kept damp, or should it dry out between waterings?

I hope you're having a great Friday! Thanks for stopping by!

October Days

It's been so nice lately. Work has been good,  and home time has been wonderful. That's what I like about the fall and winter seasons, you seem to have more home time. Our temperatures are still so mild, but it's just nice to be home with the acorns plopping all over the yard and the squirrels busy collecting them for their winter fare.  I bought some pansies today to have a little fall and winter color. I still have some vinca blooming madly in the garden! They are actually blooming better now than they ever did during the summer. 

I am stitching on the 10th block of Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow. Of the 12 blocks, there is only one block which I have not enjoyed working on.  I am still not finished with it. I work on it now and then, knowing eventually I'll get it done. All the other blocks have been a delight to see them come together. The current one is very easy and should be finished with time for me to work on the other, or to get a head start on the next block, which will be a bear to stitch. It's a solidly stitched block, with a lot of black.

I hope you're enjoying your weekend. I am so excited about having two 4 day weeks ahead. I'm off Friday this coming week, and Monday next week. Yah!

Thanks for stopping by! 

Wednesday Talk

Every day things seem a little more fall-ish.  A few more leaves on the ground, a tinge in a few of the trees. It's so exciting! I love how the moss starts fattening up as the temperatures drop and we get a little more rain. My whole front yard is almost all moss.  So pretty!

I'm getting in the mood to make another small quilt project. I'm thinking of a wall hanging. I would like to hang one over the sofa, but I just can't seem to find what I want. Half the fun is the hunt, so I'm not discouraged!  I loved the fall table runner I made in the summer and wonder about making another one, but a bit bigger and in a different color scheme.  I really need a picture though. I'm not very good at visualizing what I want.  I'll keep looking, Thank goodness for Pinterest!

I hope you've had a great Wednesday, thanks so much for stopping by.