My mind was filled with frustrations on Saturday and I knew I needed a good run to clear it. I'm not a fan of running. at all. But I push myself to do it anyway. If not for the obvious reasons of health and conditioning, I do it because of the effect the endorphins have on the brain, taking me out of my frustrated mental state. It's also a time where I usually have a good idea about work, which includes life at home.

I prefer the quiet country trail not far from my house where I can take in the beautiful scenery. In a few weeks the leaves, some that are as big as my face!, will turn color and put on a show that I look so forward to every year. I can't wait to hear the crunch under my feet as they carpet the trail. After my run, I circled back up a bit and picked wildflowers to make a little bouquet. They were just too good to pass up.

The best trail

Simple wildflowers in a blue vintage Ball jar

Delicate Paperwhites

Waking up to a new bloom of Paperwhites on a Monday makes me happy.

These are usually forced before Christmas but I like to wait until after the holidays. For one, they're 50-75% off and two, I like having a flower to look forward to on what can sometimes be long, cold days of winter. Their scent can be strong so it could be a love it or hate it thing. It was an acquired aroma for me but I could never dislike something that's so easy to grow and works magic on the soul.

Happy Monday.

Last minute flowers

The good thing about being a last-minute Christmas shopper is that most everything is on sale. Last night Jon and I went shopping and most of the items were a quick & easy find as well. There was only 1 thing that we couldn't find but made a suitable substitute. And because of the sales, we came in under budget. Me likey.
We even scored a deal on our tree because we were late getting that up to. There's a silver lining everywhere.

Poinsettia's were all discounted as well so I brought one home and plopped it into a McCoy thrift store pot. I felt bad that they were looking on the droopy side. Although I love red, which is one of my favorite colors, I decided to go with the creamy white/yellow. I figured if I can keep it alive all year, that color would work through all the seasons. Has anyone ever kept their Poinsettia all year?

Maybe if I get this pot, or create one like it, it might have more of a reason to live. Cute isn't it?

Blooming success

It's safe to say that I don't have the greenest thumb in the world. Last year I considered myself lucky to have gotten a few roses out of the yard before the aphids went to town on them.

Just before I left for girl's camp, I had one lonely rose on the rosebush so I cut it, brought it in and gave it a little place of honor in the round glass beaker I bought at a yard sale. The rest of the shrub was not looking so well. Parts of it had died and I figured it was time to pull it up and start over.

When I returned from camp, I went to check out how overgrown the garden was (a lot) but then I noticed the rose bush finally had a growth spurt and there were even a few other floral surprises.

So today I get to enjoy flowers around the house for free.
It's going to be a good Monday.

Vintage beaker as a vase- $2.00, yard sale
milk glass compote to hold a bloom - .25 cents, thrift shop

Flower delivery

Happy May Day!

We're working on May baskets here to take to some ladies. They are not exactly baskets. We just make a cone out of paper, decorate and staple it together, tie a ribbon to hang it from the door and put a glad bag inside to protect the paper.

Then we add some flowers and voila - May basket...cone.

Did you ever do these when you were little?

It was one of my favorite things to do for my mom.

I'm sure it was hers too since she showed me how to do it and made it our tradition. We had huge lilac trees in our yard and so I'd fill a cone full for her. I also added in dandelions since there were many of those too but she always set them out the way I brought them to her, weeds and all.

I think with all of the baskets I see at thrift shops for just pennies, I could do baskets next year.

Note to self on that.

Now we're off to deliver.
Have a good day!

Cue Spring

This morning I received a call from my neighbor who had moved out of the beautiful farmhouse across the street. They moved to an even lovelier and larger farmhouse a few miles away. She was calling me back because I wanted her permission to hack away at the Forsythia flowers on her property. Her response was, "Hack away Laura! And while you're at it, take the Magnolia when it blooms." Music to my ears.

After chatting with her for a bit, I grabbed a knife, threw on Jon's coat and headed out the door. The brisk air this morning made me wince. I had a look of determination on my face as I marched down the street. Then the thought crossed my mind that I may look like a serial killer - serious face, dwarfed by a big coat and a shiny knife in hand. So I thought I should put a happy step in my walk so I wouldn't scare anyone. Although the thought of a smiling person wielding a knife is a little scary as well. Anyway...

The branches were wild and unruly so I just took them at random. I had my tall Homegoods vase in mind so all I needed were the stems to be long and thick enough to fill the large space on the wall.

I didn't pay much attention to form except that I wanted single branches to stay in line with the side shape of the vase. The rest of them in the middle could just go crazy and do their thing. And then as the sun started peeking through the window and the Forsythia livened up their little corner in the entry, they did do their thing...cue Spring!

Rose postal

Recently I saw P. Allen Smith massacre some rose bushes.

I always dead headed and pruned them but never cut them back so drastically.

There were never many blooms. All I had were holes in leaves.

Even after setting Japanese Beetle traps, they still didn't produce.

I even gave them food. The rose bushes, or lack thereof, were planted by the previous home owners. I figured they should look a little better after 4 years but they didn't.

So I hacked them up. ALOT.

They looked like two sticks in the ground.The worst it could do was end their already miserable state, or best thing - which ever way you look at it.

We don't have a beetle problem this year so I was hoping for a rebound.

I waited and waited and then I saw P. Allen's segment

and felt better about going postal on them.

One lonely bloom was on the bush a week ago so I brought it in and gave it a spot on the windowsill. Today there were a few more so I set them where I'll see them while cooking dinner.

And after seeing so many buds in waiting, it looks like tomorrow there may be enough for a full blown centerpiece.

Sure sign

To me, a sure sign of Spring is when the kids start bringing me flowers from the yard.

I put a few little jars on the windowsill as soon as I saw Daffodils reaching out for the sun. It's kind of like, "If you build it, they will come." I was ready with the vase and sure enough, they came with flowers.

Sometimes they pick them too short for vases and sometimes I only have the bloom to work with. When that happens, I have pretty cups at the ready and float the flowers in them. But this day, the stems were just the right length to stand happily on the windowsill.

And I happily stand back to look at them, being reminded once again of the simple nature of children.

I love it.