The Good, The Bad and the Pretty

     
     I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day. I had a very nice day and our weather was perfect. I'll start this with "the pretty". Some people don't believe that husbands should buy wives Mother's Day gifts, and every year I tell my husband not to...but, he ignores me. This year, one of my gifts from him made me so happy!
    
     There was a time that getting something for the house would not have been my idea of a gift...but do you see that photo above of my new doormat...I couldn't be happier. When I made the wreaths for the front of the house for this year, I had in mind what kind of doormat I wanted to put outside with them. I couldn't find one anywhere. We have looked in countless stores, on our trip, online and I finally bought a mat that I really didn't like just to get something out there. I guess my husband was listening because if I had designed my own, it would have looked just like the one he found! Woo Hoo!

     You may remember that I decided to use oranges and yellows on the front porch this year. That was an entirely new look for me.

     I decided to add in one deep purple plant in each pot just for a little contrast. Of course it is the purple that is taking off like crazy.

     The soft orange in my hanging basket is so pretty.

I really hope I can keep it alive all summer!

The sweetheart rose bush was a Mother's Day gift from my dad.

     The lantern is a recent purchase from Z Gallerie. It was on the sale table for $15 because the glass was broken out of it. It was also white wood. A can of spray paint and you would never know it isn't metal. I didn't want to spend much on the front porch this year because the front step that you can't see in the pictures was just replaced for $500. It isn't decorative, but the old step separated from the porch (it evidently wasn't installed properly when the house was built) and it was gradually sinking. Nothing like spending a lot of money on a slab of concrete! 

    The "good" is that it is almost time for an exciting event for our family. My beautiful niece is getting married in just over 3 weeks. It is the first wedding we've had on my side of the family and it is going to be wonderful. She is getting married at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, outside on a Saturday evening. My main focus has been figuring out how to wear a cocktail dress without high heels. I won't last in heels more than 30 minutes. So, I've been collecting jeweled sandals and sparkly flats to take with me. My dad is driving home, my daughter is flying in and hopefully, everything will just fall into place. 

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    The bad...our older beagle is in her last days. In fact, we just can't figure out how she is still here. We are in the third week of what we thought would take just a few days. She woke up a little over 2 weeks ago and her front legs were barely working. One paw is turned under and she walks as if she is drunk. She is only eating a few bites and taking a sip or two of water daily. She is so thin. She isn't in any pain and at this point we have opted to try to keep her comfortable at home and let her pass away on her own in the place she is happy. We evaluate that decision every day. If she shows any sign of pain, we will have her put down, but she is so afraid of the vet and she seems to still enjoy being held and sitting in the grass with that beagle nose taking in all the spring smells. She will be 16 in June and has had a long, happy life. Even the wild, baby beagle seems to sense what is happening as she is no longer jumping on her "big sister". She is however, jumping on everything else in the house and chewing on things and biting at us when we try to keep her controlled. So, she will be starting obedience classes in July!

Hope you all have a great day!