Wordless Wednesday

A surprise hidden in our fern

We had a couple of frosty nights last week so I brought our new hanging baskets into the garage overnight.  I didn't notice at first, but the next morning my daughter pointed out that a large nest had been built in the fern that hangs closest to our redbud tree.  I carefully hung the basket back up where it was and it survived the second frosty night just fine under the protection of the tree.  

Our New Fairy Garden

One of the things I love about the yard at our new house 

is the shady spot along the south side of the house. 

Colorful Plant Markers/Garden Bling

Aren't these fun?  

This little bouquet of brightly painted plant markers/garden bling

 were the presents we gave this year for Mother's Day.  

Anyone recognize what they are made from?  

Yup, old canning jar lids!  

I always have canning jar lids that are dinged or scratched 

and can't be used again for canning, but I hate to throw them out.  

I used hot glue to add rings to a few to make them more "flower-like".  

Life is a Rose

My great-grandparents had an affinity for roses.  My great-grandma also had a love of quotes, poetry, and writing in many forms.  When she was limited in her physical abilities in her later years, she spent many hours studying her bible, reading Reader's Digest and writing notebook after notebook full of poems jokes and little stories she found that held her fancy.  When I was younger we spent long summer days reading those poems and stories together and discussing the meaning of them - both the obvious and the more subtle.  

Coffee Stand Makeover

This little coffee stand came to me through my mom.  It has been a number of different colors over the years - always serving to hold coffee pots of microwaves and the little drawer full of little whats-its.  

Where Pretty Comes From

I saw this posted by my niece the other day 

and it made me want to have yet another talk with my daughter 

about all of the things that make her special.

Pretty is definitely there - but its not the only thing, 

the biggest thing, or the most important thing.

Snow Day Activities

All these snow days (even Mom and Dad have had them this winter!) have caused a severe case of the house-bound-crazies with all of us - but they have also provided some fun opportunities for experiments and projects and I thought I'd share some of them with you in case you need more things to keep the kids busy.

Easy Ways to Warm Up at Home

Have I said how brutal the cold has been this winter?  Another big temperature drop has come our way here in Michigan and it has me thankful for the little things we have done around the house to make it a little more cozy.  Of course, there is the list of things you should do before winter to ensure your home is prepared - caulking and insulation and such.  But if you are having some drafty areas, noticing hot/cold spots or just want to reduce your heating costs in general, there are some things you can do quickly, easily and without a large expense.

Fleece Blanket Curtains

This was a thrilling find, I will admit.  We had bought the kids some little fleece lap blankets at Walmart for $2.88 each at Christmas and they had a large selection of patterns and solids.  After the ice storm and during the first big snow storm, I started looking at things I could do to contain heat and block out drafts as we learned more about this house.  My dining room windows face the west and while lovely to let a breeze in during the summer, they also let quite a breeze in when the winds were blowing hard too so I needed something more seasonally appropriate than the sheers I had been using.  I returned to Walmart thinking that even if I had to sew them together, those blankets were cheaper than most fleece I could buy by the yard and I had seen some colors I thought might work.  I found this adorable blues/greens/grays snowflake pattern and realized that their 50"x60" measurements meant I only needed two to form perfect curtains for my 84"x60" windows (that measurement included the frames and measuring from the curtain rod).  With their cute blanket-stitched edge, no sewing was necessary.  

Pallet Garden Placement

Good day to you, dear readers!  What a long and trying winter this has been, hasn't it?  While I normally don't mind the cold and snow much because of the fun it brings with it, this winter has certainly been a lot of work with not so much time left in the day to play.  In fact, it has been so busy that I have been neglectful of you all.  My mother prodded me by gently asking if I still had a blog, lol.  Time flies....

I'm guessing quite a few of you are like me and have started to daydream of green shoots, twittering birds, and any other sign of spring.  The seed catalogs have begun to arrive and the feed store racks are full of garden planning magazines.  I've noticed an increase in gardening posts (and generally anything with the sun in it!) on Pinterest so I thought perhaps this would be a good time to discuss a few of the things I've learned about pallet gardening through my own experimenting.