Beautiful Blooms

I love growing indoor bulbs like amaryllis because I don't have to be concerned with late freezes like out in the garden.   When everything is gray and dead outside they bring a glimpse of the spring to come.  

I purchased my bulbs for $5 and planted them around the first of December.   They are so easy to grow and when they  begin to bloom from what was an ugly oversized bulb, I wished I had bought more to enjoy.         

(Myriad Botanical Garden Conservatory)

More snow is headed our way here in the heartland!

We've had a few days of record breaking 

high temperatures in the 70's which was amazing, however my daffodils and tulips have grown more than usual and now I worry their blooms will be damaged for spring.  There is nothing prettier than a bouquet of daffodils on the breakfast table!

I am really enjoying the gigantic crimson blooms of my amaryllis and hoping mother nature gives us a bounty of blossoms in our gardens this spring.   

Counting the days until spring! 

Country French Styled Hutch

I spent a few hours this afternoon arranging some of my favorite accessories in my little hutch. 

I packed up all the Christmas dishes and decorations yesterday and gave my hutch a good polish.   I had already gathered my country french goodies together after shopping the house.  I didn't have to buy anything new but wanted a totally new look in my hutch.  I had gathered more pieces than I needed so I played mix and match until
I finally settled on an arrangement. 

I collect things that have a special meaning, or were given to me by a friend or family member.  Sometimes they 
were purchased on a special trip,  at a fun shop,
 antique or thrift store.  I love this teapot with the wire handle, it  was an antique mall find for less than $10. 

The milk glass hen belonged to my grandmother and the tiny blue and white teapot was a gift from my Mom.  I believe you should decorate with what you love and don't follow every trend or you will be forever trying to redecorate in a new style that may not be your own.    I think everyone has a personal style and our homes should have things in it that make us feel comfortable and happy.  

  

  Yellow is my happy color and I try to sprinkle it in every room.  Daffodils and lemons make it easy to add a pop of color to any space.   I found these tiny silk tete- a- tete daffodils last spring and I love putting them in rustic terra cotta pots or teacups.

I purchased the preserved boxwood wreath before Christmas and took the red bow off so I could use it year round.   I love collecting topiaries and my hutch is full of different shapes and sizes.  

The pottery piece in the center of the top shelf was a gift from a friend, I had admired it while shopping and passed it by and she surprised me with it later.  

I found the pretty little baskets half price at Hobby Lobby and loved the woven red gingham ribbons.     
The honeypot is vintage and one of my very favorites.   

The cute little pigs are actually place card holders.  I purchased them in Napa last spring.  They look so cute on a country french table with the coordinating napkin rings.

The blue and white bunny was a gift from my sweet hubbie and the white teapot was a Christmas present to myself!  
I had been looking for this style for several years and 
finally found one in our new 
Home Goods store.  

The blue and white rooster was another half price
 Hobby Lobby find.

My hutch is done for now and I'll probably tweak it again and again until I decide I need a change.  I'm just glad to get Christmas put away and now I'm enjoying a few of my favorite things.

So from this....

and this...

to this...




Happy Decorating!

I'm linking with 
Susan's Metamorphosis Monday 


P.S. sorry about the font size changing...I haven't been able to fix it!

Shopping the House

It's always fun decorating for Christmas and I especially love decorating my little hutch, but packing up my Christmas dishes and accessories always leaves
 me in a decorating funk.       

I love change and keeping my hutch decorated for the seasons so I've been shopping my house to come up with a new theme instead of the red and white redo I did last year for Valentine's Day.

I needed some inspiration and since I love the country french style and decided I would shop my house to see what I could find.

All my favorite little accessories for spring had been packed away so I dug through my storage drawers and boxes and then "shopped" through the house.   

I placed (piled) everything on the dining room table 
if I thought it might go well in the hutch.       

Now I have a fun little collection to choose from.

So goodbye bottle brush trees and
 Christmas mice till next year! 

Hello, bunnies, pigs and chickens!

I'll post pictures of the hutch when it's all done! 

Home Sweet Home

We just returned from our annual trip to Florida to visit my Mom and family.   Our holidays were warm and wonderful and we were pleased to miss the ice and snow here in Oklahoma. 

Seaside, Florida is just a few miles from where we stay
 each year and we make it a point to 
visit this adorable coastal village. 

I remember when the first little cottages were built and they weren't million dollar properties back then.  Things have certainly changed and the village has grown but it still retains it's coastal charm.  

Wonderful restaurants and gourmet food trucks line both sides of the street.  Bud and Alley's place and the Shrimp Shack rank high on our list of places to dine!

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner of fresh grouper and clams on the rooftop overlooking the gulf on New Year's Eve.

We also had a fresh lobster roll sandwich at the 
Shrimp Shack earlier in the week. 

My son enjoyed sampling the food trucks which are actually stationary vintage Airstream trailers.   

Just look at the post office!

I couldn't resist sharing the decorations even in January.   

Don't think I've ever seen a prettier post office. 

Happy New Year!