Storm damage

This is the result of all the sirens and loud thunder we had yesterday evening!  I would say we were pretty lucky, and hope that others who incounter this storm are as lucky!

Amy/Aria

Wish we had baby pics of daddy at this age!  Aren't they both adorable!

HMMMMMMM GOOD!

Well, after all the waiting we finally enjoyed some strawberries from our garden on Saturday!  They were quite good, but must say the Illinois strawberries still have one over the Arkansas strawberries!

Green Strawberries!

Well, the first picture was taken a couple of weeks ago.  The second one was taken today. Looks like we will have some fresh strawberries to enjoy if I can get to them before the birds do.  I hung some blank CD's above the strawberries in hopes of scaring the birds away. They really sparkle in the sun and blow around in the breeze, hopefully it will do the trick!

Azaleas

These azaleas have earned their keep. When we moved here a little over three years ago, there were alot of dead branches and these bushes looked a bit neglected.  I have spread some fertilizer and added coffee grounds from Starbucks, and they have responded so beautifully.  I can't believe how they have responded to the little bit of attention I have given them.

Tisket/Tasket

I finally finished the BOM after a year and four months. It was the first time I made a quilt with sashing. I really like the way it sets off the individual blocks. There is a block for each month of the year. This pattern came from the Bunny Hill website and was their BOM in2009.

"Over the River and Through the Woods!"

Well, I am making progress on this quilt.  I finally have the top completely pieced.  The next step is to figure out how I want to quilt it and mark the areas that need marking.  Then the top, the batting and the backing get sandwiched together.  Marking is my least favorite thing to do, but then the reward for all the hard work comes when I actually get to quilt it.  It is a very relaxing process and quite rewarding. 

African violets

I was so excited when I came home from Texas, because while I was away my african violets got together and decided to surprise me.  They look so wonderful all in a row on the window in my bathroom. They must love the location, since they do so well there.  I got a starter plant from my mother in law a couple of years ago. I started all of these plants from the original. It did so well last year, I decided why not a whole windowsill full?

Spring has sprung! Spent the weekend finishing up our outdoor tasks. The biggest one was weeding the beds and getting them mulched. It looks so wonderful now. I came across my strawberry patch, and noticed many flowers covered the plants. There are also some berries starting to form. Hopefully with some wonderful weather we will soon have some strawberries. I guess I need to get out my shortcake recipe, so that I am prepared. I also got out my hummingbird feeder this weekend. I hope they were not too mad at me for not getting it our before my trip to Texas. I guess if they were mad, they forgave me for it didn't take long for a hummingbird to come along and enjoy the sweet nectar. I was glad to be back in time to enjoy the short lived blooming of two clumps of tulips that I have. They are the glitter in my landscaping right now along with the cushion mums that bloom in early srping. I have a clematis blooming at the front door, it is a pale purple variety. I haven't had the same luck getting my white clematis to bloom. It seems to come up every year, but I think it may be in a spot that gets alittle too much sun and heat in the summer. Maybe in the fall I will give it a more suitable home. I moved a nikko blue hydrangea last fall. I cut it completely back the first year we lived here, because it was covered in leaves. It always would tout a few blooms but then the summer heat would hit it and it would look rather pathetic. Hence, I moved it to the north side of the house to keep it out of the summer sun, and it is right next to a outdoor faucet so I can be sure it gets plenty to drink. I doubt it will bloom this year since I cut it completely back in order to move it. Hopefully, in the long run, moving it will pay off. All of the crepe myrtles that I moved last fall to the back bed have survived. The clearance hawthornes have also survived. I added some iris in the mix and moved some robin hood bush roses that were barely surviving where they were planted by the previous owners. They look wonderful this spring but the summer heat will be the test as how well they will do. Today is a rainy day, not complaining since I hope it will get my garden off to a good start. We put in our tomato and pepper plants and planted some beans, zucchini, and cucumber seeds. Now, to sit back and hopefully enjoy the fruits of our labor.