What's Blooming

All of a sudden, it seems like half of my yard is about to burst into bloom. Summer must be around the corner. The Coral Bells on the front porch came into bloom...

And that is why Coral Bells aren't known for their flowers. "Insignificant" is about right, don't you think? The leaves are still beautiful, though. In the back yard the Verbascum has started to bloom...

And the Chamomile is coming up to the south. The new flowers have petals growing up, but when the flower is mature, the petals droop.

The Weigela is adding some pink to the front...

And so is the Hawthorne tree. I love how these look like little rosebuds.

Have a great week!

What's Bloomin'

Summer seems to be peeking around the corner, reminding us that the transitory days of spring won't last. This year we have had a long-lasting spring. I don't know if I ever remember having such a long spring - it's been just lovely to have chilly temperatures and sunny days.

But it can't keep going on forever, so here comes summer temps. The flowers love it, though. This week one of my lilacs finally came into bloom:

This was a surprise, since I only planted them last year. Usually lilacs take at least three years to start blooming. Even when you move them around they get all fussy about blooming. So even though only one is in bloom this year, I count it as a blessing. Also, check out the flowers:

Most lilac flowers have four distinct petals, arranged in a cross. These are more rose-like, though, and they still smell like lilacs. Score!

The catnip also bloomed, and the neighborhood cats have been in heaven:

And finally, one of the flowers returned from my adventures with seeds last year. I have no idea what it is, still...but it's back!

Have a great week and enjoy Cinco de Mayo today!

Easter Projects: Wrap-Up (Finally!)

It's been a good two weeks since Easter, and I'm still working on projects we started with my sister here (hooray for sisters - she got the fire lighted under me, which was getting down to cold coals). So I thought I would finally go through my original list with you and show you what we actually got done...and didn't.

• The bookcase. Check! Here's the finished project, displayed fetchingly in Jack's room:

• The sine and cosine wall: Uh, nope. I have been working on it in the past few months, though, so here's an updated shot of it:

• The library/Collin's room: Uh-huh. I have taken off two fairies this week. But no painting yet. Doug is starting to make noises about this becoming a priority, though - since he wants Collin to start sleeping in his room again!

• Curtains: We started these...and they are sitting, cut out, on my sewing room table. At least they're ready to sew...when I get around to it.

• Paint Touch-Ups in the Sea/Sophia's room: I actually did this - check! It didn't seem like a big deal - we got the paint and I painted over the many patches that had accumulated in her room over the past two-and-a-half years. Kids really take the paint off the walls, don't they? Here's a before and after in one of the worst areas of the room:

Before

And after. So much better.

• Tile backsplash: I'm laughing that this even made the list. I guess I was trying for something other than painting or sewing or gardening. Which is why it didn't even get started! Well, okay, we did look at tile while getting paint...does that count?

Then there's one that got done that wasn't on the list: the flower pots. That got started and completed on Easter weekend, so it was truly the only "weekend" project.

But still, not bad, right?