Spring Potpourri

"Spring is the time of plans and projects."- Tolstoy 

Never were truer words spoken. With this early spring I have been spending hours working in my backyard and loving every minute of it. It seems that I am happiest when I am planning and planting. Here are some before and after photos of the "yard chronicles."

Before 
The area in front of the garage was mainly weeds 

After
New grass and added the planter box with bougainvillea. I painted the fence the same color as the house trim.

         
                                 

Work begins on making a path to the garden shed and creating beds along the fence line. I decided to use gray stone since the Nantucket style shed will age to a natural gray.

              

                  Before                                      

                                          

                              

                                             After 

                                   

                                                A Quiet Corner

                                 Spring color

I've started composting which should be great for all of my flowering plants. Now the rest of the yard is waiting for a make over,and I need to hurry before the summer heat is here.

Happy Easter to you all and happy digging.

I Love Tuesdays

I always look forward to Tuesdays.  It's the day I get together with my son for lunch, and we have some time to share what's going on with each other. Sometimes we head for our favorite standbys, but today we tried a new place, the Second Street Bar + Kitchen. It is on the street level inside the Austonian at the corner of Congress and, you guessed it, 2nd Street.  It turned out to be a nice surprise. It's not inexpensive, but I really enjoyed the food.  We tried the black truffle pommes frites and chicken fried olives for appetizers and were not disappointed. 

                                 The restaurant has a nice feel to it with a modern vibe.  If you are eating solo,
                                 the bar is a nice option.

                                  These mouthwatering sliders were a good choice, but one was enough for me.

                                                 A beautiful shrimp salad with blue cheese and bacon.

                                        The upstairs patio gives you a bird's eye view of the Second Street shops
                                        and lunch crowd. Come to think of it, this would be a fun place for
                                        happy hour.

  

Getting Creative, Getting Organized

We all need a little creative nudge from time to time, and the internet is full of blogs that provide such inspiration.  I love the design blogs, but don't have the time to follow all of them. Recently I have started following Pinterest, a website devoted to people sharing their interests with photos and videos. It focuses on food, art, design, gardening and photography-all of the things I love, in one place! It's a great way to collect and organize ideas that inspire you. You can create your own personal board and "pin" whatever strikes your fancy. It's absolutely amazing what clever ideas people share on this site.

Here are some recent "pins" I am saving for future

reference.

This Greek monastery near Hora puts Greece on my bucket list

This room is striking with its bold graphic touches

Using chalkboard paint on this dresser is a way to add a fun, casual look to a room

Gathering all of those photos and making a family yearbook

         
                       
Just enough to pique your interest, I hope. Indulge your creative side to your heart's content with Pinterest.

Holiday Musings

I can't believe that this is my last blog of the year. Surprisingly, it has been nearly two years since my first post (which is about one year longer than I expected to last). Waking up the morning after Christmas, it feels a bit strange not to be doing some sort of holiday preparation. No more shopping, wrapping, decorating, cooking or worrying about what I might have overlooked. It's over, and it was wonderful.

Maybe I should take just a few lazy moments and linger in bed with the latest John Grisham book waiting on my bedside table. After all, the idea of venturing outside on such a cold morning isn't so appealing. Nice thought, and I managed to read for about fifteen minutes before a "to do" list began forming in my mind.

At the top of my list is thanking my family and friends who made this particular Christmas so joyful. I am blessed to have you all in my life. You enrich me in so  many ways. Speaking of friends, I have some pictures of the birthday party given by my friend Sharon, celebrating our friend Penny's 60th birthday. The term "domestic goddess" definitely applies to Sharon, who is such a creative spirit and throws the most memorable parties.

  

The great room mantle decorated with antlers and old photos and a birthday banner to mark the occasion. The secret is out.

                      A knockout table setting with fresh greenery and vintage plates

                     

 

                                     Sharon presenting her incredible coconut cake to the
                                                           birthday girl        

                                           Love the birdcage chandelier Sharon made

                                                    Genius is in the details

                                                  Happy New Year everyone