Good Morning Vietnam!

Vuong Duc Binh and his wife

Their homeland

They call this fruit beautiful girl

flower of New Year

Angel Hair

This post is dedicated to one of my followers Vuong Duc Binh and his wife who live in Vietnam. I have no idea how he stumbled across my simple little blog, but I have enjoyed conversing with him from time to time. Last August he sent me some pictures of flowers and vines growing on his homeland. As I anxiously await the arrival of Spring, (I even have a count down on my chalkboard that I am marking off the days), I can't help think about him and his wife and wonder if flowers are still blooming there. Do they have a cold season, or is it always warm? The pictures that he sent reminded me of a tropical paradise. At times I have wished that I lived somewhere warm where I could garden all year long. But then every Fall I find myself a bit worn out and actually looking forward to putting the gardens to rest. I wonder, do they have to tend to their plants all year long or does mother nature do it for them. Just something to think about while I await the arrival of Spring. Daffodils are a comin!!

p.s. Don't forget to leave a comment on My "Luck of the Irish" post so that you will be included in my March 17th give-away!

Luck of the Irish

I have a friend who has 108 followers. After inquiring as to how she obtained so many, she said "just give something away." How true, we all love winning. As I thought about this and with St. Pattys day on it's way I decided that I was going to give it a whirl. So I will be doing a give away on March 17th. Not sure what it is going to be yet. My passions are gardening, quilting, antiquing, and decorating. There is a good chance that it will have something to do with one of those. If you want a chance to win you need to become a follower and leave a comment. I'm excited to start the hunt for a give away prize! Who knows, it may be a D.I. treasure. What ever it is start leaving those comments so you can have a chance to win. I think this will be fun and if it's a success I am going to do give aways every now and then.

Patience is a Virtue!

Growing up I always remember my mother saying "Patience is a virtue"whenever us girls became impatient. It's a quote that I found myself saying to my own children quite often. Now I am saying it to my grandchildren. This time of year I myself become very anxious for Spring and have to recite this quote in my mind periodically. As I thought about it this week my mind wandered to some of the things that I do to pass the time until Spring arrives. I thought I would share them with you.

1. Browse through garden books and get ideas of projects I might want to do in my yard. Being in a new house, there are many. Again, PATIENCE I know that I can only do a little at a time. Actually, that is half the fun. Contemplating the next project.

2.Order plants or seeds that are a bit unusual or different than what I normally have. I have my favorites that I have to plant every year. This year deer resistant plants are on the top of my list.

3. Occassionally I take a stroll around the yard to see what little plants have started to poke their heads out. Yesterday I noticed a few of my daffodils are coming up, YEAH!

4. Just getting out and raking or pulling a few little weeds seems to give me a lift. Ya, I know crazy! There's just something about getting my hands into that dirt that rejuvenates me. Blame it on my parents.

5. Decorate my home in Spring colors. This year I've done a green, black, yellow and pink thing. Each time I enter into my great room the colors seem to brighten my day. One of my dear friends brought me some pink tulips and I love them!

6. Take a mini trip to somewhere warm. Off to St. George for a few days. I definately think this will do the trick.

With love from me to you

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Now that February has arrived Valentines Day will be here before we know it. The first things that come to mind when you think of this holiday are chocolates and bouquets of flowers. I am not a chocolate lover and I would much rather have flowers growing in my yard or pots (must admit a pretty bouquet now and then isn't too shabby), but I LOVE Valentines Day! Is it because my fourth child was born on Valentines Day? Definately a plus! He's always been a sweetheart. Is it because the dominant color is red, and I love red? That could have something to do with it. Is it because I have a sweetheart of a hubby? That certainly is nice. Is it because we always have a fun Valentines dinner? Always look forward to that. Or, is it because it's another holiday I get to decorate for? Helps to bring cheer during the cold winter months. As I thought about it, I'm sure it's a little of all of the above. So I wanted to share my Valentines decor with you with love and say "HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!" from me. Hope you share it with someone you love!

p.s. I also think that knowing Spring is just around the corner is another reason why I love Valentines Day!