Spring Update

See what a few days and a little water has done for my plants! I don't think it hurts that my husband is on a personal mission to stoke our fireplace to the point of causing us all heat stroke every night. "Babe, please don't put another log on the fire...I'm sweating!" His retort, "I know, I've got it up to 75 degrees in here!"

Welcome Spring...

I've always had the tendency to "jump the gun" on seasons. I'm usually planning for Halloween in July, singing Christmas carols before Thanksgiving and I consider January 1st the beginning of spring.

I over anticipate the holidays in part because I'm an antique dealer. I'm usually planning my next store display or hunting for those special seasonally related pieces months before the actual event. Or maybe patience is just not a virtue I possess.

Since we've only just begun to get rain in my area, after a long cold/dry spell, I have a feeling that a sunny spring is still a ways off. Since I'm impatient, I thought I'd share how I've "forced" a little spring in my house.

In under 15 minutes and for less than five bucks, I've "forced" springs early arrival. I started with a six pack of purple pansies and a mini daffodil, picked up at my local grocery store.

Since I don't plan on this arrangement lasting for more than a few weeks, I've chosen a pretty silver bowl to plant in. However, if you'd like yours to last I would suggest a small pot, something with better drainage and room to grow.

First I put some small rocks in the bottom of the bowl to help create a little drainage.

Next a small amount of dirt...then I packed those little plants in!

Lightly water, think warm, sunny thoughts and enjoy!

I thought it would be incredibly hard to upload a photo...it's really not.
On that note, I thought my first photo should be of my beautiful girls.

This photo of my daughters( Kate age 6 and Brooke age 8) is actually a little old. My girls are growing like weeds.

It seems like just recently my Hubby and I crossed that invisible line as parents. The line of not having "babies" anymore, now we have kids.

Kids will let you sleep in a little longer, they'll pour their own bowl of cereal. Kids have LOTS of activities, homework and friends. Kids ask the tough questions, "Mom, how do you make a baby?". Kids surprise you everyday with they're emerging personalities.

I'm most proud when my girls help me around the house. It's in these moments when we're getting ready for a family gathering, working on one of my painting projects, or even just cooking dinner, where I get to see what sort of women they will grow up to be. I think this is when I see the best reflection of myself and what I value, family, friends and creative living.

So it ends up being completely appropriate that my first blog photo is of my girls. Creatively speaking, they're the best thing I've ever made!

Country = Cobwebs

I sometimes have to laugh (to myself) when I tell people that I live on a 1,000 acre ranch. As people ooh and ahh over how great my country life must be, I know that in their minds they picture something much different than my reality. Probably, the quintessential farmhouse with a wrap-around porch, miles of perfect white fences and happy farm animals blissfully roaming the green rolling hills.

Don't get me wrong, I really wouldn't trade my country lifestyle for town living...although I do sometimes fantasize about having a paved driveway. The thing "town" people just don't get about living on a ranch is....it's dirty!

Which leads me to my prompt; Country = Cobwebs

Constantly dirty floors, dust that provides the perfect canvas on the television screen for my kids to draw in and wood chips on the carpet from the "romantic" fireplace. All of this I can manage, but the cobwebs, let's just say they're ferocious! I haven't figured out how to upload photo's on this blog yet, so I'll have to just try and paint the mental picture for you.


If I wanted to I could make a full time job out of trolling for webs...but I'm busy/lazy, so I usually just get the most obvious ones. However, if you were to pull back a curtain or check the corner of a infrequently used door....OMG, talk about arachnophobia!!! I've considered using them for additional shelving. I kid you not, I think some of those webs could easily support the weight of my cell phone.

Yes folks, I live in a "REAL" Romantic Country Home.

All that said, I wouldn't trade it....not even for a paved driveway.