Gardening.....East coast style

The month of May is upon us and boy, is it a doozy. School is busy, kids are busy, schedules are full and no letup in sight.

We have had a few things that have needed replacing around here recently.....no letup there, either. You know, the kind of money that is not fun to spend. That would include two sets of tires in a month and now a lawnmower that needs a part replaced. Greeeaat!

We did manage a little family trip last month to visit some friends that live in Maryland. We had a great time! We hit up Baltimore, D.C. and Annapolis. Very cool.

Here are some gardening shots I got throughout our trip.

Pansies....lots of pansies are never a bad thing.

This might be the coolest container I've ever seen. This was outside a bar where we got a drink.

Very pretty with the tulips.

Nice big swath of yellow flowers outside of some gov't building in D.C.

Not a lot of color to this one, but neat textures.

Lots of spring bloom here underneath flowering trees.

Pansies interplanted with perennials in this one.

Beautiful hellebores outside of Air and Space museum. I was surprised these were still in bloom!

Lily-of-the-valley with daffodils and dark burgundy hellebores.

This was a really pretty flowering tree of some kind....I have no idea what it was. Marylanders, help!

Virginia bluebells.

And....one not gardening pic....a cool window in downtown Baltimore.

More pics of sightseeing to follow!

White shoes = dirt!

I am writing to you from the state of West Virginia, as our little family is taking a trip over to the East Coast for a long weekend. Super excited about all of the things we are going to do!

Now that spring has sprung and all that, some of my spring/summer clothes and shoes are getting a little action! It's about time. It is always amazing to me that as soon as it gets into the upper 60s and 70s in Cincinnati, people start dressing like it's July!!! It's nice outside, but it's not HOT. ; )

I wore of my fave warm weather shoes to school last week....my white espadrilles. They are fun and summery. My students seem to like them, too!

However, I saw them with clear eyes as I was putting them on  and they are diiiiirrrty. Ick. Nothing like slightly off-white espies to put a damper on your new spring lovin' attitude.

So, I washed the straps in the washing machine. I then mixed a small solution of OxyClean and warm water.

I stuck small white washcloths underneath the white cloth part.

I used a little fingernail brush to scrub away!!! The soles of the shoes got a little wet, but they dried out nicely and although they are not pristine white, they are a little better.

I think they can make it at least another season! I love white for spring and summer, but hate how quickly it gets dirty. : ) I have a similar problem with my beloved white denim jacket.....

I'll share a photo of them with an outfit here soon.

Now....off to the car for a few more hours!

Project: budget patio

Whew....another week in the books. Although I'm really happy to see the beautiful blooms on trees and bulbs coming up, I wish the weather would straighten out a bit. The last few weeks have been NICE during the week and cold/chilly during the weekend. Ugh.

Another project is on the horizon. We have had it with our patio. It could be the most pathetic outdoor area ever.

There it is, sad little patio.

There are a lot of issues. First, the patio area is not very big.  Second, we have no shade. The back of our house faces west and so the summer sun is a killer. We have to do something about that! Third, no ambience whatsoever. It's a bit embarrassing to have people over to our sad little patio.

The last problem? No budget! Or.....as little a budget as possible. : )

Stay tuned!

Get out your pom-poms

Or.....as my daughter calls them, "bom-boms."

So, my sewing machine has gotten a bit of action lately. Unfortunately, I've been really lax in taking pics of projects. Even after I've finished them. Oops. I recently made a friend who is soon due with #4 a few bibs. I also made a little sun bucket hat for my niece for her 1st birthday.

The problem I have is that I am usually finishing gifts at the last minute.....and I'm so glad to be done, I neglect to take pictures. Will do better, will do better....

Anyhow, I did make myself a spring-y scarf a few months back. I had found this cool geometric cotton print in a mint/seafoam color last summer. I can't recall if it was in the red tag section or if I just had a really good coupon.

My inspiration was a pic of Blake Lively from a year or so ago wearing a scarf with pom-pom trim. I set out to make my superior (and cheap) version.

I made a long rectangle on the fold and sewed it up, leaving a four-inch hole so I could turn it right-side out. After turning it, I decided to turn it back inside-out and curve the corners. I used the edge of a cup to trace it and cut.

After sewing the new corners, turning it out and sewing up the gap, I added some pom-pom trim. This trim was in a bag of trims my mom gave me after cleaning out her sewing room.

And....voila. Please excuse my sweats.....

The pom-poms are a big size. Go big or go home. I love wearing it with pink....and will wear with white and turquoise. Boom.

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Show and Share Day at Just a Girl

Simply Creations Link Party at Simple Home Life

Sunday Showcase Party at Under the Table and Dreaming

Project Parade at The DIY Showoff

Creative Bloggers' Party and Hop at Homemaker on a Dime

Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill

Tuesday Talent Show at Chef n Training
Flaunt Your Flowers  at Tootsie Time
What I Wore/What's Up Wednesday at Rae Gun Ramblings
Share Your Creativity at It's Overflowing

Tax Day....you know you love it!

Well, well, well....tax day is upon us and we can all relieve ourselves of THAT hanging over our heads for a while now.

I do enjoy checking out the businesses that are running tax day specials. 

My favorite had been Chipotle's deal.....you buy a burrito and get a coupon for a free burrito another day. I guess it was so popular, they no longer do it. ; )

So, if you're looking to easy the bite of Uncle Sam and his day of reckoning, check out this link.....http://hip2save.com/2012/04/16/tax-day-restaurant-deals-and-freebies/.....or Google it yourself.

Enjoy saving some extra bones.....you deserve it after paying the man!

Snow, anyone?

So.....how we all doin'?

Me: Back to school after spring break. Enjoying some warmer weather. Applied for and accepted to online grad school program.

You: Wondering when I might post again? (You know who you are...) 

Yeah, it's been a while. I think any of you with young kids would appreciate the fact that there have been many nights as of late that once the kids are in bed, I just have zero energy for anything, i.e. writing up blog posts!

That's not say I haven't been working on anything or had anything going on in my brain that is worthy to share. : ) So, I'll work on sharing some of those. I have been thinking lately of a new little "feature" you might enjoy.

We are pretty much knee-deep in spring these days. Which I am LOVING. So ready for it. And we certainly had our share of white stuff this last winter. On one of our last snows, we made some snow dessert.

The kids had a great time running out in PJs and boots to gather some snow and then we made some snow pudding. I chose a pretty easy recipe....just snow, milk, powdered sugar and vanilla. There are some more complicated recipes if you are into it!

The kids loved it. We added chocolate syrup to it, too. Here's a link I used: http://chefmom.sheknows.com/articles/822391/snow-desserts....but you can Google your own if you like!

Tuck that away until next winter....fun for the kids! ; )

Major yard work for my mom on tap for tomorrow. Pictures may follow. 

xox

A few jewelry updates

Hey, there....

Only four days away from Opening Day around here! I am more than ready for the boys of summer, let me tell you. I am looking forward to some cold ones, outside in the warm weather, listening to the Reds on the radio. Or taking in a game down at the ballpark.

Opening Day in Cincinnati is kind of like a holiday...so excited!

I recently redid some necklaces. I've been on a bent lately redoing things I already have. I try to put aside things I don't need anymore for donating.....you know, to cut down on clutter and all. However, lately, I've been holding on to things that can just be fixed up a bit!

My mom and dad are moving. Next week, actually! So, they have been cleaning out tons of stuff. My mom gave me a big container of old costume jewelry. I found a few things that can be redone!

I found a little silver key (have no idea to what) and a ball chain. I also had a nut that I found at the hardware store. It is called a coupling nut and although I know my way around the hardware store, I am not 100% sure what you would use this for.

You might be surprised at what you find if you look around the HW store a bit!

I added it to a silver chain of a necklace I don't wear anymore....

I like the size of the bolt and the industrial look.

I added the key to the ball chain....

And tried them together. I will be loving these together for spring and summer.

Voila. Now go to the hardware store.