Getting Things Done

I finally got my urn planted and am pretty happy with the end results. This is a totally different planting choice than the one I've done the last 5 or 6 years.  Time for a change!  I don't know what you call the tall spikey plant, but it was the only plant of height that I could find, that went with the color scheme.  The pink is Pink Polka Dot plant (I don't know if that's what everyone else calls it) and the silver draper is Dichondra.  I like the way the urn looks in it's infant stage. Hopefully it will fill in nicely and nothing will crowd out others.

  

Iris and Columbine are blooming well now.  The columbine are from seeds my sister brought from Nova Scotia almost 15 years ago.  They pop up everywhere and I dig the little plants and place them.  I think they're so pretty.  I wish I had more colors. I'll have to ask her to look for some that aren't purple. She spends the summer every year in Novie. I feel like I'm way behind in the garden this year.  I haven't even bought all my annuals yet.  I only have a few pots planted.  Our weather has been crazy, though.  Yesterday was very cold and rainy.  I've NEVER seen it as windy as it's been this year.  The soil is so wet. I'll need a few days of warmer weather before I can work the soil.  Still, it's only April.  Some of you are still getting snow!  Yikes!

I hope you're having a great Saturday, thanks so much for stopping by!

Spring in Georgia

Hello! How are you?  I hope you are enjoying some spring weather. In Georgia we are having a little bit of everything...warm, cool, dry, wet, clouds and sun.  Pretty nice.  If you don't like the weather, it will shortly change.  Today when I got home from work and took a stroll around the garden I found a lot of loveliness. The Viburnum is looking very pretty this year. I love it's snowy white blooms.

The iris, columbine and clematis are starting to bloom and look very pretty this year.

I'm looking forward to going to the plant store soon. I went this past Saturday just to look and found several plants that I would not be able to find elsewhere. I'm really getting a late start this year. The cold weather seemed to hang on and I didn't get myself in gear, so now I'm playing catch up!

I hope you are having a wonderful Tuesday, thanks for stopping by.

Friday Garden

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you've had a good week .We've had some lovely weather, but the pollen has been killer - it was 8000+ yesterday and 7000+ today.  We had some rain last night, but it didn't do much to reduce the count. 

 My tulips have been very pretty. Here is a picture of the whole garden, about a week ago.

 I was very disappointed that the grass we planted last year didn't survive the winter. I hate seeing all that dirt. We also need to paint our little shed.  We have a long list of things to do!

 

The picture below shows how the garden looks today.  The tulips are almost all past. I planted a few marigolds and impatience.  I'm worried about the impatience because all of mine got a disease last year and died.  But I'm going to try them again.  I'll put some in pots so I can still have them if the in-ground ones don't survive.

I hope I can get out there tomorrow and do a little more planting.  I'm begging for some grass, too:)   I have plans in my head for the little shed, but I don't know if I can get it to "real life".  I'm always impressed with people who can make happen just what they want!  BTW, please don't look at that empty urn!!! I don't know why I do this every year.  It sits there empty.  Crazy.  I'm going tomorrow to get some plants. I had a plan, but I can't find the plants, now I'll have to think of something else.

I hope you're having a happy Friday, thanks so much for stopping by!

Brrrr

What's this??!!!  It's freakishly cold! I was so sure that Spring was here, warmth-wise, but I see it's still a ways off.  Today it has been cold and damp.  The kind of cold that gets in your bones.  I'm sitting with my rice sock on my chest.  It's so comforting!:)  My tulips are still very pretty, it's just too cold to go out and enjoy them! Thank goodness for my big window in front of my Lazy-boy!  While I'm more than ready to be done with the cold, I have used my time well.  I was able to make up the one month I was behind on my Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow. I have to tell you, this is the most fun cross stitch pattern I have ever done.  And each finished block is so satisfying! It's a little pricey...between the cost of the chart, the fabric and all the threads, but it is well worth it!

Here are three finished blocks and the fourth one with a little stitching done on it.

Block one.

  I'm sorry that I don't know how to take better pictures. It's really a beautiful block.  Now that I've taken pictures of the three finished blocks I, of course, have found a few things not completed.  There is a crown that still needs a few rows on this block, also, the top left is missing it's border! 

 Block two.  

I LOVE this block.  I love the peacock in the top right corner. I didn't order the special silk thread to do the snow.  It was really pricey. I just used DMC, off white.  

Block Three

I love this block too.  It's a lot prettier in person.  I see a spot that isn't finished - nine stitches! 

It's such fun to be doing all these little Christmas blocks all year.  There is also an Autumn at Hawk Run Hollow.  We'll see how I feel about doing another year-long project after I finish this!  If you're interested, this is done on 40ct Exemplar Linen, one over two using DMC threads.

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

Fun Time!

It's just so darn exciting - seeing the garden come to life.  I can't stay inside long.  I go out and walk, do a bit, then come back inside.  Ten minutes later I'm out again.  I find I am struggling more and more in the garden.  My knees will no longer allow me to stoop, so I have to bend, which then aggravates my back!  But I am determined! I sit on my bottom and scoot along.  Sure hope no one is spying when it's time to get up - what a comical sight it must be!

I'm loving the tulips and am already making plans for next year!  I've just noticed a pretty iris blooming where there are no tulips! Must correct that next year!  After the tulips are done I usually pull them and plant impatience in their place.  Last year my impatience got a disease. I'm wondering if the soil is ruined.  I will just have to plant some and see.  But I will put some in pots just in case.  Right now there are only begonias at the nurseries.  I love them also, they do beautifully in my pots.  Such a pretty color to dot around the garden.  Such fun planning all this!  I will definitely be making a trip to the garden store, my first day of Spring Break.

I am participating in Mosaic Monday and Outdoor Wednesday this week.  I hope you are having a lovely Monday! Thanks for stopping by!

Garden Time

Hello! What a strange Spring we are having. We are at least 2, maybe 3 weeks behind last year.  The leaves are just emerging on the big trees around my house.  Last year they were fully flushed out.  I guess the tulips I bought were early blooming, as they are all up and beautiful, but the garden is still sleepy. Things have not put on a lot of growth due to our cold weather.  I'm a bit disappointed, I had such high hopes, and the deer have left them alone!  Still, they are pretty and I'm good at having tunnel vision:)

 I have these Virginia Bluebells all over the place.  I have had on my plan list for several years to move them all to one location, it would be so pretty to have a large area go totally blue!  Maybe this year I'll accomplish it!

 Maybe I could put this pretty iris with them!  An all blue/purple garden in early spring!

The other day there were tornadoes all around.  You might not be able to tell in this picture, but the sky was green.  Really scary.  We were ready to go into the bathroom and were so glad that we didn't need to.  

I got a little work done in the garden today. I'm so out of shape! I'm trying to play tennis a few times a week, hopefully that will help.  I'm on Spring Break, so I do a little then rest then do a little more.  Slowly I get things done.  I raked out the little pond area and tried to get rid of some undergrowth.  I'm excited about planting it.  My hostas only have little 1 inch points right now, but there is a nice Painted Fern up.  I need to do a little soil work before I plant. We are expecting rain for the next 2-3 days.  I'll be stuck inside so it looks like some good stitching weather!

I hope you have had a good Saturday! Thanks for stopping by!

Spring is About

 I love my little table outside my door.  From the comfort of my chair I can bird watch and enjoy spring blooms.  Sometimes it's a potting table, but I do wish I had a real one.  The height is not ideal and can aggravate my back. Well, what's a gardener to do?  You just have to work with it. 

Above is my "goal" area this spring/summer.  It's a tiny little water feature with absolutely no planting around it.  I made it with a cast -off galvanized tub that we used to wash our dog in years ago.  It's been in the ground for at least 10 years.  It used to have a little pump which I hope to replace this year.  It has a lovely little yellow waterlily that shades the water surface.  I think it will be a fun area to work in, but I have no plant list yet.  Some pretty hostas and ferns would be nice, and I have plenty of them. I wouldn't have to buy any. There is a lot of overgrowth around it, trees that we cut down but continue to send up shoots and honeysuckle vine galore.  That's a real problem.  I might have to get my nice strong son and SIL to dig it out.  

My three day weekend is coming to an end.  I will now be focused on Spring Break, which takes place in two weeks, yippee! Can't wait!  

I'm participating in Mosaic Monday and Outdoor Wednesday this week. I hope you have a great Sunday. Thanks for stopping by!

This makes me so happy! This is a picture of my desk at work.  One of my co-workers gave me the flower bouquet. I had confided to her that I had been feeling a little blue lately.  She is so thoughtful!.  She also gifted me with the little turtle. Isn't it adorable?  She brought it back from Grand Cayman last summer.  I just love it.  It sits on my desk and smiles at me all day long.  How can you feel blue when you work with such lovely people?

I have Friday off this week.  I'm looking forward to a nice 3 day weekend. A little garden time, a little stitching time, fun! Spring- like weather is expected, too! I've got a lot of weeds to pull, better eat my Wheaties! Hope you're having a great Thursday! Thanks for stopping by.

BREAKFAST

Pretty skies, cold and windy.  Snow flurries.  Wild and crazy around here! I'm sitting in my chair, looking out the back door at the trees swaying wildly. I have my rice sock wrapped around my neck. It's so nice and cozy warm.  Have you ever had a rice sock?  One of my co-workers made me one. You heat it in the microwave for two minutes.  Ahhh, bliss! Everyone should have a rice sock! You can mold it around your neck or knee or wrist.  Where ever you ache.  I kept finding mine around my DH's neck, so I made him one for Christmas.  We both take them to bed.  Funny! 

Getting geared up for some Spring cleaning in the garden.  I'm thinking this weekend might be good.  Our flowering trees are budding out.  Regardless of the cold, nature knows it's time!

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

FOR KEVIN

Hello friends.  Today I am doing a special post for my friend Kevin.  Kevin is a young man who comes to my school with his mom. He later catches a bus to his own school.  Kevin loves snow.  It is a connection between us that has made us fast friends.  That and our count-down to our next school vacation:) Kevin is so fun, he really makes my day when he comes in each morning with his warm smile and engaging personality!  So Kevin...I took these pictures just for you! Just because I know you love snow!!

KEVIN, I WISH I HAD THOUGHT TO WRITE OUR NAMES IN THE SNOW!  TOO LATE NOW, BUT I'LL REMEMBER NEXT TIME!

 I WONDER IF IT'S ACTUALLY SLEET. IT'S LITTLE PELLETS INSTEAD OF FLAKES.

 YOU CAN SEE WHERE THE SQUIRRELS WERE SITTING!

 MY HEART IS ALL FOR KEVIN:)

  I LOVE THIS SNOW DUSTED FALLEN TREE!

So there you go! A special post just for you! I loved seeing your smiling face this morning as we talked about our snowy weekend! 

Love ya!  Leslie

HELLO MARCH!

It's like it's happening right before my eyes! Spring is announcing itself. It's in the daffodils that are blooming everywhere (except my own yard! Not a one of the new ones I planted in the fall).It's in the fat buds that are dotting the trees. It's in the early morning light, more with each day that passes. I think it's even in the spring in my step that seems peppier. And, of course, in the building excitement that I feel in my every fiber! But, alas,  today it's cold and windy and I even saw a few snow flurries.  So winter is reluctant to say goodbye. It's planted its feet and is refusing to budge.  But I know it's days are numbered so I'll roll with it. I'll enjoy the last of the steel gray skies and frosty breaths. I've collected a bunch of kindling, ready for a nice fire tonight as I make the chicken pie for dinner after church tomorrow.  I've got my cross stitch to enjoy, too. It seems winter still has some delights left of its own. 

Thanks so much for stopping by, I hope you are enjoying your Saturday!