green & laughing

Happy St. Patrick's Day:).

This has been a crazy week. The kind of week where I rush out of the house and have to dry my hair with the car heating vent and still end up 30 minutes late to work, sans breakfast. The kind of week where Ben decides to be fussy at 2am and 'cry it out' lasts for 3 hours. But.... today, St. Patty's Day, was a good day.

Ben gave us his first laugh. A full-out belly laugh. And he did it again. And again. And again. And guess who he was laughing at?

:) His mama! So all of that rushing around and bad hair day bit.... totally worth it:).

Benji with Grandpa! :)

This weekend we'll be starting our vegetable seeds indoors. Which only means one thing- Spring is a-bloomin;). Hope you're seeing signs of it from your home too:).

xoxo

a weekend at home

We have nothing planned this glorious weekend. Nada. Zip. Noth-ing. And so far it's been absolutely fabulous:).

We started our Saturday morning with cheese & chive eggs; chives from the garden. There is nothing sweeter to me than eating fresh, delicious food out on our back deck on a sunny weekend morning with some jazzy tunes playing in the background.

Ms. Lu was given a bath- the first use of the outdoor shower this season. She wasn't as thrilled as I'd hoped, but she's now fluffy & clean, which means that mama is thrilled;). And I always love the way she looks when she's wet- so small and vulnerable:).

I've been doing a lot of gardening on the weekends, and today was no exception. We haven't been able to harvest anything yet, other than the chives, which grow like weeds, but things are looking good:).

Early Girl Tomatoes

Baby Persian Cukes (aka 'green fingers')

Super Sugar Snap Peas

Sweetie Baby Romaine Lettuce

This little dragonfly in the photo above chilled out on my chives to keep me company the whole time I was in the garden. He even let me get a close-up shot. In return, I gave him some chives:).

And this sweet little mama is one of my favorites. She (or one of her relatives?) stops by this nest every year to lay her eggs and send her little ones off into the world. I'm always amazed at the concentration and efforts that mama birds put into tending to their young. It's what they live for. She didn't even flinch when I took the photo.

I wish you all an enjoyable weekend, wherever you are.

xoxo

Springing Back

We're now well into spring and new signs of life are popping up every day. I've missed writing here and reading my favorite blogs this past month. One month away and it feels like I've got a lot of catching up to do:). So that's what I'll be doing now; catching up to see how this spring has been treating you and to see what signs of life are popping up in your areas.

As for us, we've been spending as much time as possible outside, rain and shine. Luna spends every waking moment chasing chipmunks, birds, deer. She never seems to have any luck, but that doesn't stop her from trying. This time of year calls for many a bath for the poor pup, as she comes back from an adventure in the woods with nasty scents and sap all over her. If only she could realize cause (rolling in poo) and effect (bath time:)). Siiiigh...

Hubby came home one day this month and surprised me with some sweet pink roses. I kept them out until the last possible second. The peony and bleeding heart bushes have sprouted their little heads from the side of our house. I check their progress every day:).

The end of March also found me potting my indoor seeds (trying to get an early start this year:)). I've potted heirloom & cherry tomatoes, cosmos, many a variety of zinnia, basil. Soon to be outdoors are the peas, lettuce, cukes, cilantro. Oh, and last week our apple trees and hydrangea came in. It's been quite a good planting month:).

I look forward to reconnecting with each of you:). I hope April is treating you well.

xoxo

B

yearning to dig

Good morning, dear ones,

Now that we've reached March (and the fact that Restoration Hardware just sent me their first-ever edition of their 'gardening' catalog;)), my longing for digging, planning and playing outside has increased ten-fold. In just a few weeks, I'll be able to start my seedlings indoors and shortly after that, I can order my apple trees and start my outdoor plants (and hop into my favorite little gardening wellies that I found several years ago in Provincetown, MA). Hurrah! The first real sign of spring in our yard is a lovely bleeding heart that comes up on the eastern side of our house, a nice pop of color that I'm really looking forward to.

Are you seeing signs of spring from your homes yet?

this is such a fabulous storage/ potting bench

vintage zinc potters

                                            garden twinkle lights

*image source for photos 2-4: restorationhardware.com

xoxo

Our Summer Job: Planting Trees

Hello, hello,
I hope you all had a lovely weekend. We had a very nice time at dinner on Saturday night, thank you all for your well wishes. We slept in on Sunday morning and later I spent some time researching trees. Yes, trees (and shrubs). You see, we moved into a house that came with a spectacularly manicured lawn. Perfectly mowed, perfectly mulched, not a blemish in site. I have to say, it drives me absolutely nuts, for a few reasons; one being that I knew we wouldn’t be able to maintain perfection for that long (and of course, we haven’t) and two being that I tend to really like the slightly overgrown, lived in & loved look. Do you know what I mean? Perfectly imperfect, is how I like to think of it. I long for secret gardens and hiding places, little reading nooks, trees to hang swings, bird feeders, a hammock and lanterns from. So, whilst we live in the forest, surrounded by trees, I spent some time looking for the perfect trees for our perfectly green (now green-ish) lawn. Here’s what I found:



President Grevy Lilacs-Royal Blue Clusters, Mcintosh Standard Apple, Nikko Blue Hydrangea, Cherokee Chief Red Flowering Dogwood, Weeping Willow, Bradford Pear, Pink Delight Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)

** all photos from Miller Nurseries

Happy 101!

I was given the opportunity to think of and share a list of 10 things that make me happy. This was actually a fun exercise because for the past few days, I’ve been focusing on things that make me happy, smelling the roses of sorts:). There are so many things that bring me joy, in one way or another, but I’ve captured just a few of them below (small and large :))…..

1. My Husband/ Marriage: I fell in love with him for many reasons, but one of my most favorite things about Matt is that he makes me laugh. Every single day he does or says something silly and he has me laughing even after he’s left the room. He also thinks I’m funny (even during those times when no one else does). Being married to him is the best thing in my life. I don’t usually even think about it because it’s just so natural. Right before we got married I told him that I love being with him because it’s just like being by myself. Had I actually thought about it before I said it, I might have said it more eloquently, but he knew exactly what I meant. I don’t feel like I’m compromising on anything, I just feel that I’m doing what I want to do, with him by my side.

2. Luna: This dog was made for our family. We got her from a local shelter. When we got there, we were faced with about 30 black lab/mix puppies. At first glance, they all looked the same. When I went over to her crate (which she shared with a little white & black polka-dotted male puppy who bit her ears), she pawed at me, as though she was hand-picking me. She uses her mittened-hands all the time as a way of communicating with us and it is just as endearing as it was that first day.

3. Family & Friends: I’m so very fortunate to have such an amazing family. I’ve always been so close to both my mom & dad, though my relationship with each of them has evolved throughout the years. They’re a huge part of my life and I’ve learned so much from them, along with my two lovely brothers and their families. I have a few very close friends who’ve also known me throughout the various stages of my life and we’ve remained close. My life has been shaped by each of these people and it is in part, because of them, that I am who I am.

4. Photographs: I love taking them, documenting my life and the lives of others and being able to replay captured moments, with just the click of a mouse (thanks to fabulous modern-day technology, although there really is nothing like an old photograph with worn edges, showing years of love).

5. Art: All forms of it; music, writing, drawings, paintings, theater, decorating, fashion, movies, poetry. I find comfort and satisfaction in being lost in a painting, a good book or hearing a song that perfectly matches my mood.

6. Good Food/ Wine: Matt and I have recently deemed ourselves as foodies. Whether we’re cooking in (mmmm…. Filet with gorgonzola cheese sauce?) or going out to dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants (going out to dinner on vacation to experience local cuisine also makes my heart skip a few beats:)), eating is such a pleasure. Pairing food with a good wine…..well, that’s the icing on the cake.

7. Plush Slippers & Throws: Though I’m a New England girl (I can brave winters with the best of ‘em;)), I get cold so easily. Even in the summer, you’ll find me curled up on the couch in the evening, under a lovely soft blanket, slippers not far from feet.

8. Gardens/ Harvesting: Having fresh flowers & produce, bringing nature inside, makes me feel calm, at ease. I love the smell of fresh flowers (they seem to smell even better when they’re freshly cut from my garden:)) and I love the taste of the veggies (again, veggies from my garden seem to taste so amazing to me; maybe it’s because I know the time & love that went into growing them).

9. Traveling/ Exploring/ Learning: My life feels more enriched the more I travel. It’s so enjoyable to experience other cultures, forms & styles of life, to see the beauty of places other than home.

10. Coming Home: But then again, it is so good to come home, whether it be after a vacation, a work trip or just an errand run. There really is no place like home:).

Thanks to Dawn from May All Seasons Be Sweet To Thee and Rachel from Mozart’s Girl for sending me the ‘happy award’, forcing me to relax and focus on the little glories of the world. As a recipient of this award, I’m to pass it on to bloggers that make me happy :). Each of the following blogs provide me with a little slice of happiness with each read, so here they are, in no particular order:

1. Amber @ Sunshine Flavored Kisses
2. Dawn @ May All Seasons Be Sweet to Thee
3. Kat @ Kat’s Cradle
4. Heather @ A Day in the Country
5. Koralee @ Bluebird Notes
6. Rachel @ Mozart’s Girl
7. Morwenna @ Bluebells and Butterflies
8. Tracey @ French Larkspur
9. Katie @ Katie Slater Photography
10. Courtney @ Scattering Lupines**

** I seem to not be able to hyperlink the blogs..... if anyone knows how, please feel free to send me a note so that I can direct you to these adorable blogs! I guess I'm still working out the kinks. Thanks:)