Spring is Such a Beautiful Time of Year!

 Hi Everyone!  I hope this post finds you all well!  Spring has to be one of my favorite times of year.  It means renewal, flowers start blooming, plants waken up, birds start making nests and laying eggs and everything is so green!  Is Spring one of your favorite seasons?

This weekend and yesterday was so warm, sunny and blue skies.  I took an opportunity to sit on my patio and knit for awhile.  I brought Riley out with me.  I have to take his lease, which has a loop at the end, and put it under the leg of the loveseat out there so he doesn't escape.  He likes to me out there with me.

Riley and I on the patio.  I'm knitting a throw called Travertine.

Riley and I went to the park yesterday for a much needed walk.  We did 2-3 miles, I lost track after awhile.  It was 85 degrees and the humidity was in the air.  We really broke a sweat and was Riley ever tired.  That was the plan!  He slept all afternoon.  While we were walking through the woods trail, I smelled a lovely scent and figured something had to be blooming due to the heat and warmth of the last few days.  I was right!  A beautiful sweet meadow rose was blooming.  They are so dainty, but their fragrance is very powerful.  So pretty.

Meadow Rose

My orchid in the house in my little conservatory has set a bud quite awhile ago.  It is getting ready to bloom.  I'm so glad because I thought with the move not one would set buds but it did.  Nothing on the other ones, but maybe soon.

Little orchid bud getting ready to open.

I went to Harris Teeter the other day to do my grocery shopping.  Well you all know I usually get flowers for the house while I'm there.  They had so many beautiful choices, but I chose these delicate roses and some baby's breath-just gorgeous!

Roses in my green Depression glass vase from my collection.

Roses in the vase that was my Grandma's.  I always think of her when I see the vase on my nightstand.  Miss her.

These roses are just so beautiful and the colors are wonderful together.

I hope that you all have a great day and that Spring has sprung in your neck of the woods like it has in mine!

Sherri

Is it Winter or Spring?

 Hi Everyone!  I hope this post finds you all well!  I really don't think Mother Nature can figure out whether she wants Spring or Winter this week.  We had 80 degree weather last weekend and the beginning of the week but then Wednesday night it turned into 40 and 30 degree weather again.  Oh well, that is April sometimes.  I'm just thankful we had a little rain but nothing that would make some parts of my yard and garden a mud bath!

Well I went and got my rototiller out this week.  I extended the very front garden and turned it around the corner and went down along side the house.  The ground here is so hard and there is alot of rock here.  I actually got one large rock stuck in the tines of the rototiller!  Oh boy, that took me an hour to get it out.  The rototiller I have is electric and it has a unique set up to keep it running.  I know why it is that way for safety but it makes it awfully hard for this lady to operate for any length of time especially if the ground is so hard and rocky.  You have to push a button on the inside of the handle and pull up on a lever (all at the same time) to keep it going.  I now the button on the inside of the handle is what they call a "kill" switch but it makes it darn hard to keep holding those 2 buttons/lever down.  My wrist hurt for 2 days.  Well I got smart and called my lawn guy to come and till up a bed along the back of the house and one 1/2 way down the other side of the house.  I'm just getting too old for this stuff.  It also made my arm and shoulder hurt.  This 64 year old is done tilling!  I can't wait to plant the beds with flowers, herbs and veggies!  I did go to Lowe's the other day to get a rake.  Of course, I had to go through the garden center part and of course, I had to bring some plant babies home with me and some seeds! LOL!!  If anyone knows me, one of my biggest weaknesses is garden centers.   I will bring you all along on my planting adventure.  Hopefully by summer I will have some real beauties to cut and bring in the house!  Mason came over last night and brought 2 of my roses that lived through the winter and my tree peony that I brought with me from NJ 20 years ago and have moved it with me everywhere I have lived since moving to NC.  I have had it for about 35 years.  I was very thankful that he brought them to me.  

The light part of the area is where I tilled and extended the front garden.

This is down the one side of the house that I tilled.  I had to be very careful because the sewer connection is on this side.  I gave it a big area of no tilling, don't want to disturb that!

I saw this quote the other day and I just love it.  It is how I live my life!

Beautiful Quote

Riley has been somewhat of a teenager lately.  It is just a phase but sometimes he can be a handful, but manageable.  He is still really sweet and I was expecting this stage to come into play sometime soon.  We will get thru it as I have with all my other pups.  He is growing in leaps and bounds.  Love that pup!

Handsome boy!

I received some really beautiful tulips on Easter from a friend.  I just love their color-just beautiful!

The sky at night and in the mornings have been so beautiful!  Some of them have seemed really wintery, like last night.  

Sunrise two days ago.  I love the little crescent moon just hanging there!

Last night this was the sky at around 9:00.  Very wintery looking I thought.

Well I'm off to relax and do some knitting.  I'm working on a throw called the Travertine Throw.  I also have another knitting project to get started, so I might work on that.  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Hugs,

Sherri

April 1st Already!!

 Happy April 1st everyone!  It's April Fool's Day today, has anyone been fooled so far?  I really just can't believe it is 4.1.24 already!

I hope everyone enjoyed their Easter Sunday if they celebrate.  I had a really nice time yesterday.  I went to Easter Sunday service at my church at 11.  Then I had lunch with my friend, Ann at Longhorn Steak House.  Alot of my other friends at church was supposed to come too, but their families surprised them and came to take them out.  Ann is a very interesting person and has traveled extensively.  She had so many wonderful tales to tell.  One of my friends at church has chickens and she gave me a dozen eggs.  I can't wait to try them out, I love fresh eggs!

Last week I finally hung the huge Boston ferns on my front porch, put in 2 azaleas to replace the ugly builder's shrubs and I put my bird feeder together and hung that up.  I think the house and outside is looking more and more like my house rather than just a house.  That makes me happy!  

Looking so much better now.

Saturday, a woman in my widow group at church has decorated the altar and outside of the church for 20 years.  She asked myself and another woman to help her this year.  We had such a wonderful time and I really got to know these ladies alot better.

This little daffodil was out in front of the church.  I thought it was so beautiful!

This was the flower cross Janice and I created.  

This is the front of my church.  It is built with granite.  The town that the church is in is Granite Quarry.  I found out Granite Quarry used to be the only place in the world that had pink granite.  I think Colorado has found some out there.

This is the altar with the wonderful Easter Lilies, the bible and a cross that says He is Risen.

This is the back of the church.  The stained glass windows in the church are just beautiful!

After having lunch with my friend, Ann after church, I changed my clothes and went outside with Riley on my little patio and knitted for a few hours in the fresh air and sunshine.  It was wonderful!  I'm working on a commissioned piece for a customer.  What a warm and wonderful day!

In the beginning of last week I bought some white lilies, some small bright pink roses and baby's breath.  I made 3 bouquets like I usually do.  Easter morning this beautiful lily bud opened.  The smell heavenly and I have enjoyed them so much this past week.

Lily that opened on Easter Sunday.  Just beautiful!

Well that is about all I have for all of you today!  I am going to go outside this afternoon and start rototilling my new flower bed up.  I'm extending the front garden to be in line with the front walk that goes out to my driveway and then I will be tilling up along side the house.  I have had plants and roses arrive this past week and they need to be planted real soon.  I hope it all works out like I have planned in my head!

Everyone have a wonderful day!

Sherri