Tag: spring


May
2018

Whimsy Flower Boxes

categories: Crafts, DIY, Flea Market Finds/Thrifting, Home Projects, Spring

Just loving the weather we are having!

I remember, in the cold of winter, looking out my kitchen window, longing for the warmth, the green, the colors, the sounds, of this glorious time of the year.

It’s here, I am so pleased and thankful!

Love to add whimsy things to my porch and yard, simple fun things.

Found this plain wood box at the thrift store some time back, stashed it away, I knew I would find a way to use it eventually.

I also found this old flower box in my garage, from years ago, when I displayed at craft fairs.

It was a popular item I made and sold some 20 years ago!

Both boxes just needed a bit of sanding, some paint, and little time to turn into two whimsy flower boxes.

Take a look at my old boxes now!

Love them!

The addition of a knob from Hobby Lobby gave the plain box, now painted white, that little extra it needed to be special.

The picket fence box didn’t need much, I still loved the primitive look from so many years ago.  Just repaired the mini birdhouse on the fence, sanded and cleaned.

Adding flowers was the final touch.

Oh my gosh, to me, they are so beautiful!

Do fun, whimsy things today!

Giggle and love today!

See ya!


Mar
2018

It’s Finally Here – Springtime!

categories: Easter, My Simple Home, Spring

According to the calendar, today is the first day of spring.

Unfortunately, the teasing continues.

Two days of warm temperatures, and then, as is today, cold, rainy, and snow.

This was a photo taken from my front door just a few days ago!

Hibernating is about over!

I guess it is about time to give up my flannel sheets.

Our woodpile is low.

Fires in our wood burning fireplace are coming to an end.

We will miss our fires, they were the center of our home during the cold winter months, drawing us to the glow and warmth.

The change is near with Easter in only two weeks.

My magnolia tree is budding, the daffodils are up, and there are so many robins in our yard, giving my sweet kitty someone to chatter with!

Yesterday, I gathered my spring and Easter items, and I also changed my front door wreath.

It will be nice to be able to sit outside once again.

Longer and warmer days ahead.

Projects will be changing from inside ones, to outside.

Today I will clean a bit, and find just the right places for all of my bunnies and chicks!

Hoping you find some sunshine in your life today.

Happy Spring!


Apr
2016

My Refreshing Time of the Year

categories: My Simple Home, Random Thoughts, Spring

At last, it is Spring!

Although the past week brought nights of freeze warnings and some snow, the calendar tells us it is Spring.

Crabapple TreeMy flowering crabapple tree is in bloom and temperatures are finally going to be warm in my area for the next week.

After my family’s emotionally hard winter we are all ready for a refresh!

No matter how long the winter,

spring is sure to follow.

—Proverb

When growing up my Momma always did her “spring cleaning”, going so far as to wash down walls!  We had so little, but she wanted to keep what we had, neat and clean.

Just like Momma, but not as extreme as washing walls, I try to give my home a spring refresh.  I give everything a good dusting, eliminate clutter that has piled up over the winter months, and cleaning a few windows, letting in the spring sunshine.

I want my home to be clean, simple, and uncluttered. Seriously, having clutter in a home is horrible. Never being able to find anything is so stressful, it weighs so heavy on your overall life.  If eliminating clutter is the only thing you have time for this spring, do it!

My spring decorating is no frills, just simple.

Found some white dishes in a thrift store and added to each side of my dining room hutch.

White Plates in the DiningSpent $3 on some dogwood sprigs at Hobby Lobby for the table, and added some sweet yellow birds here and there.

Dogwod in the DiningYellow BirdsSpring is also a good time to refresh other areas of our lives, our emotions, our hearts.

I have spent some quiet time focusing on my life, my faith, forgiveness, letting go, the important things, love, tell them!

Refresh!  Take care of those areas in your life that are weighing you down.

Go outside today, breathe the sweet spring air, feel the warm spring sunshine, and refresh!

Lovely thoughts to all of you!

 

 


May
2015

Welcome May!

categories: Random Thoughts, Spring

Welcome MayMay is one of my favorite months.  The weather is nearly perfect!

So many simple joyful things to do,

  • May 5th was “Cinco de Mayo”, I had lunch with a friend at a small Mexican restaurant in my neighborhood.  We ate outside. So much fun!  I made corn salsa to go along with the chicken quesadillas I made for my family for dinner.  Yummy!
  • “Mother’s Day” this year is May, 10th. We cannot forget our mothers, or those mothers in our lives who have difficult jobs raising children alone.  Celebrate all those mothers who have given you love and understanding. Moms love homemade gifts, help your kids make special gifts for grandma!
  • Go to garage sales, the weather is perfect and you might find a special item to recycle.
  • Visit your local nursery, the flowers are amazing.  An awesome place for photos.
  • Go to the park often, pack a lunch, or just take a book and enjoy!
  • Plan a trip to the zoo.  It is really a better trip when the weather is not so hot.  I still remember trips to the zoo when I was a child.  It was on one of these trips that I experienced my first “Oreo” cookie.  We would pack lunch and my aunt brought a bag.
  • Open your windows!  Let May inside!
  • Rearrange your furniture so your desk or favorite chair is by a window, one you can open!
  • Make a cup of coffee and go outside early in the morning, when everything is quiet.
  • Take a morning walk, not the fast paced exercise kind, but a slow enjoyable one.
  • Get out your sandals, or maybe go buy a new pair.
  • Dust off your grill, make potato salad, hot dogs, and burgers.
  • Plan for a “Memorial Day” gathering.
  • Clean off your outside furniture, get your porch or your peaceful spot outside ready for this wonderful weather month.
  • Treat yourself to a yummy shake or malt.  If you have a “Steak and Shake” near your home, shakes are 1/2 price from 2 to 5, they call it “Happy Hour”.

Just get outside when you can, play, be happy, laugh, be grateful!

I love this photo of my niece playing with her dog “Denali”, blowing bubbles for him to catch.

None of us are too old to “play”.

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Enjoy the “happies” in life!

Enjoy the month of May!

XO

 

 

 

 


May
2015

My Little Part of the Earth!

categories: Random Thoughts, Spring

One day last week was recognized everywhere as “Earth Day”.

Of course, most of the talk was related to global warming, but we all need to do our part, whatever that may be, to keep this earth clean and safe.

I walked around “my little part of the earth” with joy and peace on this glorious day God has given me.

What a beautiful day!

Blue skies, flowering trees, warm temperatures!

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Have you ever just looked up, smelled the air, felt the sun, and whispered, oh wow?

“Kitty” was right with me this day.  She is so cute about following me around my yard, almost as if she thinks she is my protector, so sweet.

IMG_0391[1]Much clean up needed to get ready for the warm weather just ahead.

Weeding, raking old leaves that have accumulated under shrubs, planting, and cleaning up my little flower bed.  All I do gladly to keep “my little part of the earth” clean and beautiful.

IMG_0418[1]Oh my gosh, dandelions!

IMG_0420[1]In my old life of trying to keep up with everyone, before I realized the really important things in life, I thought folks who had dandelions were lazy, terrible people. I am so ashamed of how I would judge people on what they had, or did not have, or what they did, or did not do!

Having a home and a yard calls for time, work, and money.  Money some folks just do not have.  Now that I am not working, we struggle with home improvements due to lack of money. A gallon of paint can cost over $40, fertilizer and weed killer for a yard can be over $40, and even buying flowers for a few pots can be very expensive.  A lot of rearranging is done to our budget this time of the year.

It would be nice if some paint manufacturers started a program of giving back, donating paint, or offering discounts to poor folks, or senior citizens on fixed incomes.  Maybe they do!

It is so uplifting to see groups volunteer to paint, and fix up homes of the elderly.  Most want to stay in their homes, but are not able to do the work or afford the supplies needed.

We all see the quick signs of deterioration when repairs and maintenance is not kept up.  It must be heart breaking for the elderly to see this happen to their homes.

I know you all are doing what you can do to keep this creation of God the way it should be, it brings us all so much pleasure.

Thank Him for this gift when you say your prayers this night.

Blessings to all of you with love!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Apr
2015

Pinch me! Is it really spring?

categories: Spring

Although the mornings are chilly I see signs of spring.

Days are getting longer, there are buds on the trees, the birds are getting loud, and the grass is getting green.

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I am so thankful for these signs and that feeling of a new beginning spring brings.

IMG_0342[1]I searched my garage for my forsythia wreath and cleaned off the winter dirt and dust that had accumulated on my front door.  Much better!

Today was 68 so for the first time this season I opened a window or two!  The air was so fresh and the sun shining in was so warm.

IMG_0337[1]“Kitten” loved the sun and spent most of her day just sitting on the bedroom window seat enjoying the beginnings of spring.

Spring is a time to freshen things up!  I remember my mom always doing what she called “spring cleaning”.  She would scrub and clean everything even the walls.  My mom loved a clean home.  We did not have money for much growing up, and mom could not afford new furniture and such, but she always took care of what we had.

I still remember how wonderful it felt to come home from school to a clean house and to my mom who was always there waiting for us.

Throw open the windows, air everything out, it’s spring!

Hope you all enjoy this “new beginning” season.

Blessings.

 


Apr
2014

Time For a New Spring Wreath!

categories: Uncategorized

Although it is raining this morning, we have had a week of beautiful spring weather here in Ohio.

I started digging out all my outdoor items, cushions for my porch chairs, pots, a wind chime given to me from a dear friend at Christmas, and also my spring wreath for the front door.  Unfortunately, my last year’s wreath was in pretty bad shape, a little crushed from being stored all winter, and missing flowers.

Now that I am no longer working, money is tight! I need to live within my budget, so just running out and buying a beautiful new wreath was not an option.  Even using a coupon, or finding a sale, spending $25 is the going price.   So I looked at my “stash” of old grapevine wreaths in the garage and decided I could come up with something I could afford.

This is it!  I really love it, simple, lovely, and sweet.

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I took a plain grapevine wreath, and somewhat pulled it apart, so it was loose with lots of “twiggy” pieces sticking out.

Went to Micheal’s Crafts and bought a bunch of dogwood flowers on sale for 50% off, which came to $4.00.  I cut the stems off from the main piece, so I had individual stem pieces to work with, and then secured them around the grapevine.  That was it!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAYou can place the flowers all around the wreath as I did in the top photo, or only on half of the wreath as shown above.  You could add a ribbon but I like the simple “twiggy” look.

I love wreaths, especially on the front door, it is a way of saying “welcome”.  Hope this gives you an inexpensive way to add “welcome” to your front door.

Happy Spring!