the thaw

The thaw is on!  Spring is finally at our door which means that my mind is full of ideas and plans for our garden.  Piles of books and my trusty notebook have overtaken my nightstand as I stay up way too late working on this seasons doings.

Some of my most recent color order......"Cherry Queen" zinnias, "Bluesette" dahlias, "Salmon Queen" zinnias, "Cafe au Lait" dahlias  

flower photos via ~Eden Brothers.com~

Our backyard currently looks like it has a large river running through it with several small wading pools of water.  There is an overwhelming amount of work to do back there which only makes my eye twitch slightly!  So while doing some basic assessing this week of what has to get done, the beans were busy making nests from the many twigs (and logs!) that have fallen throughout the winter.  I worked on plotting out a new area for more crops this season.

what's going in so far this year.....

~tomatoes

~cucumbers

~carrots

~peas

~greens

~peppers 

~basil

~raspberries

~strawberries

And some this and thats.

a pretty potting shed...

~source unknown~

Vintage sports calendars that this guy and I found at a resale shop...

He picked out his 2 favorites for 4 bucks which we will be using to decorate his room.

A new blouse for me....

A pot of happy flowers for my daughter.  The most fantastic woman works at our local Trader Joe's.   Every time she sees my daughter she let's her check out all of the groceries from our cart while taking the time to teach her about being a cashier.   She makes her feel so special and on this particular day she let her pick out flowers because my bean had fallen earlier that day and had a bad scrape on her face.

There really are so many awesome people in this world!  

Happy Friday Friends! 

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!

no spring yet

The snow is back in the forecast for the weekend here and the rumor is our temps will remain cold all through March.  So we are taking it slow here.  I don't feel the urgency towards the garden as I have in years past.  Just enjoying the crackling fires at night with the beans.  Maybe it's my way to try to slow down time in hopes that these little people won't grow so fast!

I am tucking away seed packets here and there as I go.

Sewing classes have begun thanks to the nudge by my pal Elaina from A Little Bit Country to get going with my learning to sew.

The back garden...

It's so cold that Mr. squirrel has found his way into our birdhouse for the remainder of the winter!
The beans yelled to him when he first made his way in. They told him to leave because this house is only for birds!  But now they enjoy watching him while eating breakfast...a bit of a funny sight to see him get in and out of that small hole! 

Painting stones for a stone swap with the talented Emma from Bubsiekins.  Her lovely stone and sack to me... 

And my stones to her...

The winter road has taught me to appreciate and soak it in where I can. 

Because you just don't know what's around the bend.  

Wishing everyone a great week....  

Happy Making, Baking, and Growing!

defining spaces

Interior spaces are important to me.  Not only because here in the midwest we are inside for half of the year {due to ridiculously cold temperatures!} but because it's where life happens.  Textures, colors, and collections can all transport the mind to a place that feels good.  Nostalgia if you will!

nos·tal·gia

näˈstaljə,nə-/

noun

1. 1.

   a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.

   
   

When you live in a small home I find that being creative with how you make your space function is key.  Now couple that with a layout that is primarily open, and we are left with spaces that all sort of run together.  With most of our happenings taking place around the dinner table, we knew that we wanted to make this space more defined.  We don't have a dining room, so when we entertain, this is it.

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We decided to put in cabinets by the table that will go around our window which looks out onto our garden room.  Good for storage and serving food.

 Here is what I came up with....

Hardware for the cabinets...

overstock.com

Inspiration for the space...

I have always been moved by interiors that give a nod to the past in some way.  Whether through finishes or woodwork I find these spaces warm and inviting.

 via~HighStreetMarket

 Via~DesignSponge

Via~BirchandBird

{I hope to share some updates later this spring}

Coming from a family of six kids, the dinner table was the most important place of our home growing up.  In the end, it will define the space and create an ambience for many meals to come.

 My little brother sings it best in his song "Home"

New recipe to try this week from my Aunt Tina's cookbook---Vegetable Alfredo Sauce

I hope that wherever you are this weekend, you have a good time around the table!!

love...the Italian way...and a winner....

On the topic of love, we celebrated Valentine's Day and I am glad that we do.  They enjoyed making cards for one another and receiving little gifts here and there all in the spirit of love.  I used things from the house to add color and fun to the dinner table, and they got the biggest kick out of it!

The Italian way is something that beats strongly through my family.  Coming from the "old neighborhood"  Pop has stories that make you crave for the community that once existed from those times.  As you begin to lose members of your family you are reminded of what used to be.   You miss your loved ones and the traditions, that as a small child, you didn't think a thing of because they were there and they were palpable.

one of their favorite games played on the streets...leap frog

source

Taylor Street Archives

I can still remember my grandmother's house and how I would sneak a piece of hard candy from her rose colored candy dish while gravy (the red kind) was cooking on the stove.  The parties and voices were large as everyone had something very important to say with both their mouths and hands!  Though time pushes forward, we find ways to continue some of those traditions in the present.  We do it in the name of family.

Italian sausage is made every year before Christmas.

Something I treasure dearly is this cookbook made by my great-aunt.  Its pages are filled with old Italian recipes from many members of my family   After thumbing through it I came to the personal note she left me on the inside cover over 14 years ago, and an idea came to me. 

 I decided that I would make it my own personal mission to cook one recipe a week from this book.  As a way for me to connect to the past while keeping something alive for my family and hopefully passing a little bit of "Italian" down to the beans.  Love, family, and good times!  What more do you need!?!

So in the name of good cheer,  I am excited to announce the winner of  my little giveaway from the GYB party!  

Tammy from Casa Mariposa!  Thank you to everyone for journeying along and to Vicki for hosting such a magnificent event! 

  From our family to yours....Salute!!

Adirondak Stone Works...a good one!

I am a rock collector.  I love them in the garden and I have a collection in my home from every place we have been over the years.
  

To see them in the garden with plants cascading around them just makes for a beautiful scene.

So when Jeremy from Adirondack Stone Works contacted me about doing a review for his company I was very interested.  It has been a goal of mine to shop more mindfully and after visiting his website and seeing his work, I knew this was a review I needed to do!

We are a small family run business located at our homestead in rural upstate New York. We are just a few miles from the Adirondack Park and in the picturesque rolling foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. Having worked with stone his whole life, Jeremy started engraving stones back in 2002, and has been refining the process over the years.
We feel truly blessed that we are able to work from home and be there for our 3 wonderful children. -Tavia and Jeremy

~via~Adirondack Stone Works

From address stones to inspiration stones....he has something for everyone and every garden!! 

 He offers free shipping in the US and his stones arrive in a week.

Our stone was delivered today and when I opened the package I felt pure joy!  The quality of his work blew me away.  The stone is natural bluestone and is literally 2 inches thick and weighs at least 20 pounds.  And his work is flawless!  

EngravedStone.net by Adirondack Stone Works

I feel proud to be sharing Jeremy's work with all of you because I believe in supporting small businesses who create an outstanding product.   I'm looking forward to getting out in the garden and finding the perfect spot for our new stone and I know someone else who is too!   

A new piece for these 2!  Thanks Jeremy!  We will treasure it!

A wonderful week to everyone!

guest post at Number Fifty-Three

My friend Angela at Number Fifty-Three has an amazing blog full of design ideas, projects and all things vintage.  

 ~Via~Number Fifty-Three

~Via~Number Fifty-Three

I have always admired her simplistic sense of style that is bold in a very unique and modern way.  When she asked me to share a project on her blog I was thrilled to say the least!  So today I am over at Number Fifty-Three sharing my fairy and gnome garden house to inspire a little spring around these parts!  If you hop on over to her blog I have no doubt that you will be inspired by Angela's work!  

Happy making, baking, and growing!!