beauty and the thief

There is a thief lurking in our backyard and he isn't afraid to strike when people are around!  Mr. Nutkin (the squirrel) as we like to call him, is notorious for taking toys, plants, you name it.  Yesterday one of the beans left a water cup by the tree and Mr. Nutkin picked it up in his mouth and jumped up over the shed with it.  All the while we were chasing and having our words with him.  But nothing shakes this guy!  The most disappointing thing he has gotten away with were my "Bluesette" dahlias.  I was looking forward to seeing these bloom as they are a smaller variety of dahlia and I thought they would compliment the front of the border in the back.  

Luckily he didn't get away with these.....   

"Cafe au Lait"

Ahhh don't flowers make everything alright?!?!  

Happy Making, Baking, and Growing Friends!!!

happies

some happy for the week....

Being inspired by my friend Amy over at her lovely blog Love Made My Home to start diving into yarn.  There are many joys in her space and working with yarn is one of them.  Her most recent stunning creation is this blanket....

It has pushed me to work harder at crochet as it is my goal to one day make one like this!  

My only wish is that she lived closer so that we could sit and work together!

This book....

The Layered Garden by David Culp.  I won this book in a giveaway at my friend Jason's blog, Garden In A City.  I have not been able to put it down as the inspiration is mesmerizing as is Jason's garden!

I wish I had a picture for this story but I don't....just trust me on this one.  I have mentioned before that we have crazy squirrels in our yard.  Well when looking for the beans' sand shovel my husband just happened to look up and there it was.  50 feet up in our old ash tree.  Just sitting on a branch.  Ha!  We all just stood there (neighbors included) with our mouths open!

This happy window....

Teaching my bean to weave on our homemade cardboard loom...

some of my summer pots...

shade scene...

whimsical planter...

new favorite perennial for foliage..

Golden Japanese Spikenard

favorite annual of the season...

Oxalis Fireglow

veggie eating in the garden

my sweet girl has a talent for bouquets

Hope that your weekend is full of happy little things....be back soon to share a garden treat with you!!!

Floral Fridays...made me smile

Oh the joys of spring!  My list of loves for the season are a mile long.  Garden digging, plants sprouting, and new adventures beginning!  The theme for Floral Fridays this month is all about blooms that "made me smile."  Looking back at blooms for this post brought me pure excitement of what is to come!

  Though the beans do thoroughly enjoy pulling petals off of our flowers to use as confetti, they also like to collect blooms for bouquets.  And their bouquets are the best!  Innocently put together with their own reasons in mind.  I just wish I had photographed more of their creations.  A new year a new goal!  Peonies and hydrangeas are blooms that they like to cut because in their words, they are "BIG"!  

{some blooms arranged by the beans}

So blooms that make me smile are the ones that I find on our table.

Made by little hands, stuck in different cups or jars, water splattered everywhere, dirt and bugs, sticks, leaves, flowers, and JOY.

Floral Fridays is a monthly photography project with different themes each month. This series is about fun and taking time out to smell the flowers. To play along, please email Trishie (trishie@underlockandkeyblog.com) for next month's theme.

I do hope you will join in with your special blooms!  
Happy weekend everyone!