Here Comes Peter Cottontail

 

     A few bunnies have shown up around my house in the past few days. The baby above must have slipped away from her mama as she was sitting in the backyard for a while and we kept the big bad beagle away until she was gone, hopefully back to her nest. I really wanted to pick her up and cuddle her, but I knew her mother might not take her back if I did.  

 

 

     My other bunnies aren't nearly as cute, but at least I did bring a little Easter into the house. When we were in  Florida in March I found a William Sonoma Outlet and bought these cute little bunny plates. I actually did a tablescape, not for the blog, just for me. It had been a long time and I forget how nice it makes the house look to have a pretty table.

 

     The only new items are the bunny plates. I had the egg shaped placemats and matching napkins, the flatware I have used many times and the dinner plates are Fiesta. I used my favorite garage sale wine glasses and that was it.

This is my favorite plate!

 

     The centerpiece is a basket (of course, it is Easter). I used silk flowers that I already had and tried to make them look as real as possible. I added a few eggs and a moss bunny to create a natural, simple look for the table.

 

     I think it is easy to forget that not all tablescapes have to be elaborate or expensive. Keeping it simple is quick and easy and it is a great way to add a seasonal look to your home without a major decorating project.

 

     Blogging has obviously taken a back seat to life these days. We have taken on a major project at our house. We are cleaning out, re-packing, decluttering and getting rid of almost 40 years of stuff. We know that an early retirement is coming in the not too distant future and along with that will be a house sale and a major move. We knew we had months of work ahead of us, so we decided to get started. Our first project has been Christmas things. While all of you have been decorating for Easter, I have been going through about 100 boxes of Christmas decorations. Many of our things were already in tubs, but some were in boxes. We are getting rid of things that we either don't use, don't like, or have had for so many years we are just sick of them. The things we are keeping are being packed into tubs and labeled. My goal was to get things down to a dozen tubs, it didn't happen. We probably did cut the Christmas collection in half. Progress. Next up, our kid's toys that they saved. I am loaded with Ghostbusters, Raisin Men, Ninja Turtles, Fraggle Rock, Tonka, Legos, Dolls and all the things that go with them and who knows what else.

 

     The problem we have is that our kids don't have the room to take their own things and they also don't want us to get rid of them. We also have many, many family pieces that pull at my heart strings. I read an article that was about the challenge of my generation getting rid of things. We have items that belonged to our parents and grandparents (and great-grandparents), we have things that our children want but can't or won't take and of course our own things. One of the quotes was, "that sweater your mother gave you isn't your mother" and I am trying to remember that as I go through things. It is only "sort of" working. I am too sentimental but I truly am trying to only keep things that really mean something to me. This is an all consuming task, but one that needs to be done and should have been done years ago!

 

     Other than that, not much is happening in our world. We both got sick as soon as we got home from Florida. It took 2 rounds of meds to get me back to close to normal and my husband (who wouldn't call the doctor) is still not 100%. We, like many of you, have been trying to get our yard back to normal after the harsh winter. We mowed over the weekend when it was almost 80 degrees and tonight we have snow in the forecast. Crazy!

 

     I will be catching up with some of you over the next few days. If there is a post you really want me to read, leave it in the comments please!

 

 

 

 

    

When Food is Art

  

 

 Today I saw a hint of summer coming...

Take a Walk With Me

 

     I thought I would take you on a walk around my yard today. I want to show you my little desert garden. My husband made me a very shabby box from old wood and he added a little worn looking paint. We mixed a little sand in with some potting soil and topped it with rocks found in the fish section of Walmart. I love succulents this year, so I found some interesting ones at an area nursery and added them to my garden. They said I only needed to water this twice a month...maybe I won't kill it!

 

Some people put fairies in their gardens, but mine seem to need a gnome.

 

Who needed a place to live. See his rusty watering can?

 

 

 

Color has finally shown up at my house!

 

Just a hint of MICKEY!

 

I just love it when everything starts blooming.

 

 

     I even found a "blooming" rug for the deck. It really is just one color, but the house is shading part of it.

 

     Today I am joining:

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays

and Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday.

 

Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival (part 1)

     The nice thing about writing a blog post about the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, is that I really don't have to write much. The pictures do the talking. We actually went to Epcot the day after the Boston bombings. I will admit to feeling guilty going to a theme park when so many people were suffering. It was also very eye-opening that as we entered the park, we immediately saw an officer with a security dog. In our many, many trips to Walt Disney World, we have never seen them sweeping the parks with dogs before. It is one more reminder of how much our country has changed and how it truly feels as if nowhere is safe anymore. How sad for all of us.

     Now that I have you depressed, I think I'll let the pictures make you smile. Some things were new this year, some are old favorites and all of them are simply amazing!

 

More to come.

 

Have a wonderful weekend!