getting my act together.

The lack of posting around here is in no way representative of the amount of activity, but I guess that's how it goes every now and then!

We've been super busy over here, spending the weekends at my parents' house chasing turtles {and newts, and butterflies...}

Then, once we've scared every critter into hiding, we turn around and "ooh and ahh" over the new barn::

And FINALLY, once all procrastination is over, we get down to business and prepare for our big party!... it's only two weeks away, and the excitement's building.

Between weekends I've been busy welcoming summer on the deck::

I have a few fun plant projects going on out there. There's the little herb garden that came together better than I expected!::

I picked up the plant stands from Lowes, and the pots from Ikea. The stands each hold three pots ~ I've filled them with mint, basil, rosemary, oregano, thyme, and sage. And if herbs are exciting enough, the pots are a grey clay, perfect for writing on with chalk!:: I love having the herbs out on the deck for easy access, but I'm thinking about adding a little herb-garden space to our flower gardens because they're pretty high maintenance in the pots. Plus, one basil plant really isn't enough when it comes to meeting my pesto needs. I'm thinking about what can go in the pots if that happens... something hardy and on the lower end of the watering spectrum. Any ideas?


After a quick lesson from my sister on the "thriller, filler, spiller" technique for pots, I laughed and then become a quick convert. The pot below contains nasturtiums and coleus ~ I thought the deep dark coleus would be a nice understated thriller while the nasturtiums would act as a combination filler and spiller. To my surprise, the nasturtiums have taken off and are the stars of the show for the moment! No complaints here.

Over in this corner is my amaryllis. It bloomed beautifully last Christmas, so I thought I'd keep it growing and see if I can get it to re-bloom next year. It'll stay out on the deck all summer and then I'll put it in a cool, dark place in September before waking it up again after Thanksgiving. If it blooms again, I'll be sure to let you know!

until next time*