Gardening and an update

As I upload these photos today I am wishing the weather was as nice as yesterday.  A beautiful day in the high 70's, Galen and Otis and I spent the day in the garden.  

As we turned the warm soil in the beds, Otis took a nap in the sunshine, in the strawberry patch, of course.  Silly dog.  

We planted onions, potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower.  And I always plant marigolds around the beds.  I put in some chives, too.  

The peach tree is in bloom.  I took this photo this morning, a gray morning, but I think the pink flowers are lovely and so cheery!     

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And an update:

For those of you who have been following my journey these past few years with breast cancer, I want you to know I am doing well.  My appointment on Thursday left me feeling very happy.  A good report ~ no cancer.  I am feeling strong, energetic and glad to have my life back.  Finally, normalcy!  I feel great.

Just wanted to let you know and to thank you for being with me and giving me encouragement when I needed it the most.  xoxo

Rose topiaries

Sitting here on this cold January morning sipping my second cup of hot steamy coffee, my thoughts take me to the garden.  January is the perfect time to plan your summer garden.  This year I want to plant two rose topiaries in pots by the steps as you enter the front door.  

Light pink with a sweet fragrance.  

     My sketch             

A rose hedge would be lovely too, or rosemary topiaries, maybe on the back patio.  What could be better for a cottage garden.  

I am sure you have ideas rolling around in your head, planning new things for your home or garden for the coming year.  

A new year, a fresh start...new opportunities, new choices, new ideas.  I feel a sense of optimism and hope as I plan for this new year.

Enjoy your day!  

Pink Cottage Rose

For a few weeks now I have been having painter's block, you know, where you just can't bring yourself to pick up a paint brush and put some paint on canvas. As I was having my coffee the other morning and reading through some magazines, all of a sudden I felt the need to paint....with pink paint. I just wanted to slather pink paint all over a canvas.

And so I did, and it felt good, I was creating again. I had no idea what I wanted to paint other than the usual....flowers or roosters, and since there aren't any pink roosters I decided on pink flowers.....pink roses. Pink cottage roses!

And......ta dah! This is the finished painting. I'm calling it Pink Cottage Rose.

It would be perfect hanging on one of the walls here at Mourning Dove Cottage, but I'm thinking I might sell it at Whimsy Two.

A southern beauty...

the George Tabor azalea

Isn't it gorgeous?

and it looks fabulous in front of my new purple door.

Beyond my garden gate...

...the Loropetalum blooms. Cascading branches of rosy pink fringe flowers,

also called "Chinese witch hazel" or "fringe flower", this shrub or small tree will bloom in the spring and sporadically all through the summer.

It's one of my favorite plants in the garden.

A pink house.....

decorated with crystal.

Very elegant, don't you think?

(Made by hubby and painted and decorated by me!)

Sneak preview...

I started a new painting on the weekend. I found a photograph in one of my magazines and I loved the colors, which caught my eye first, and the tablescape, I thought, was beautiful. I must paint this, I said to myself.

So I am painting this delightful tablescape with the light blue vase and pink flowers along with dainty tea cups ~ my own version, of course.

Enjoy your day, everyone!

Pretty in pink

My last post was on the fresh, crisp, refreshing color of white...(and green), but, since it's still the middle of winter, sometimes too much white can make you shiver when the cold of the evenings set in.



Pink, I think, is the perfect color to bring warmth and elegance to a room. Of course, choosing the right shade of pink is very important. It should have a slight chaulkiness like the inside of a conch shell.





If you pick the right shade of pink it can warm the chilliest of rooms.





No overdoing it, just a few accessories placed here and there. This pretty pink plate is part of a set that was given to me as an engagement gift from my mother-in-law.





I've added this grapevine of pink shiny baubles entwined in my dining room chandelier....just a little bit of pink whimsy.

You'll discover that pink is a very convenient color that can be used throughout the year, too. It warms and cheers in the winter and does well with sunshine, fresh breezes and blooming roses in the summer.

Your room can be pretty in pink!

It's a warm, cheery and happy color.

Pretty Pink!

Victorian and vintage came to mind as I was painting this wooden vanity tray.

This is a handmade wooden tray that DH made. It's smaller than the serving trays that he's been making and when he brought it in from the shop I thought it would be perfect for a vanity tray. Pink was the first color that came to mind.





It's square, 8-1/2 x 8-1/2, and has metal brushed gold leaf handles on two sides.

Oh so pretty in pink, and very victorian, shabby chic, and vintage all rolled into one!


You can find it in my etsy shop.

Goodwill

I stopped by our Goodwill store the other day while I was out and about, and look what I found.

A set of really pretty pink napkin rings for only $2.98. Six of them.



Aren't they pretty? I love pink, and that's what caught my eye.

I think they will be nice for everyday use, maybe picnics, or even with my good china.

Pretty in pink

Look what I found today at Goodwill. Pink garden shoes. They were brand new with tags for only $3.00. Aren't they cute! (They're not the real crocs, but they're fun!)

As you can see, I'm wearing them with socks right now because it's cold. They'll be very useful in the garden this summer.

I just had to show you!

My favorite pink chair

Yes, this is my favorite chair. It's old and rusty but I love it. I found it in the someone's trash a few years ago and I knew right then I just had to have it. It used to be white and I painted it pink because I've always wanted a pink chair.

Look at the old iron arms on the chair and the pretty curlycues.

It's comfy too, and I love to sit on it whenever I take a coffee break outside. It even has a bit of a bounce to it.

My old pink chair. Even though I know it won't last forever, it's a delight to have ~ a trash to treasure for sure!

Prettying up on the outside

Hubby and I worked outside all weekend. We mowed, trimmed, edged, puned, and planted.

I bought geraniums and planted them in different pots around the house. This year I went with pink!

Our front door.

A peek through the trees. The azaleas are almost over and the grass will soon be green. We have centipede grass which is dormant over the winter and greens in the spring.

This is the pile of trimmings hubby gathered together for the compost pickup.

Now that the outside is finished, except for washing windows, I've got tons of work to do on the inside.