Welcome to My Spring Garden!

I love spring and I wish I could be more prepared with planting seeds in fall for sweet peas and other favorites but my garden surprises me every year with beautiful blossoms from Bearded Iris to Acanthus.  It is a mediterranean style cottage garden, overflowing with drought tolerant plantings and accents.  Here is how it looked after the off and on again rains this past month after it got weeded (finally!).

I have a few projects this year but I better get to them before the heat of summer!  I hope I have time to plant a couple succulent topiaries and fill a couple pots.  I'd also like to hang a candle chandelier from the tree over the porch and a birdbath in one of the planting beds.  If I don't trim the olive shrubs they will overtake the garden soon!  I hope your garden is just as lovely!  

Flowers on Friday

I love getting flowers on fridays.  It makes my house look beautiful for weekend dinners, brunches and even in my bathroom for getting ready to go out!  They make me smile.  I know some people don't like cut flowers because they wilt and die.  (Pssst, they are already dead!)

I love them because they are a little bit of cheer and there are always more blooming in the garden or at the flower shop for next weekend!  Here is a pretty bouquet that would look nice framed next in a bedroom, don't you think?  Lilacs are in bloom and mine are finally mature enough to have blossoms of my own.

It's a new year!

And I am in a new stage of my life...NO KIDS AT HOME!  Last year was a whirlwind of weddings.  2 of my own girls got married (thought I could blog their weddings as it was happening...get real!) and I helped 2 friends with their weddings.  My widowed sister moved in then out to find some adventure in Sausalito then moved back again to create a lovely garrett apartment and rooftop studio for her painting.  Oh, and I had a beautiful grandson, a brother for Dominic so now I have 2 little boys to love and teach and take photographs of their adventures.  

After all that I spent the last week in December sleeping.  I think I slept 2 days straight in that week of slumber!  Now I look around at the things that I let go in the last year.  Like the pile of junk that the garage threw up in the back when it got too full.  I need new curtains and to repaint the livingroom and stairwell!  Oh, my beautiful garden has completely become overgrown and an underground rodent has killed one of my apple trees!

  

I have so many projects ahead of me.  I also started a photograph a day for a year goal.  Mostly to keep me on track with all my projects including the portrait photography business with my daughter... vintagemodernphotography.com   I am hoping to use my garage as a studio.  I've already started on organizing all my craftiness and business supplies.  I dusted off my sewing machine and figured out how to thread it again!  

Most importantly I am going to make a concerted effort to improve my spirituality based on bible history & knowledge.  I am hoping  to include different bible translations in my regular bible reading.  I am going to keep a journal on what I learn and what I can apply for myself.  But that's a personal thing and I would never impose that on my blog visitors.

Of course I will keep cooking.  I will show off my girls decorating skills as they live as married women...maybe even show some photos of their beautiful weddings.  I also would like to feature interesting things online...like this site that is going to become an online Magazine (and oh, how I love magazines!).  Parisienne Farmgirl is creating a new French Country/Paris inspired magazine.  Ooh La La, I am a happy woman!  Go to her blog now and become a happy woman too!  Like her on Facebook!  (While you're at it, please "like" my photography business Vintage Modern Photography.)  

Til next time...Virginia Smith