Wisteria at La Cressonnière

It's been a month now since these photos were taken, but the wisteria (la glycine) at La Cressonnière was absolutely magnificent.

Jane, my little gardener, was so inspired she set to work on a potted garden.

She found the metal stand and all the pots out in the barn and managed to haul them all out herself (!?!) ...

Jardins de Giverny et Jane

This last weekend we took a daytrip to Giverny, the home of Monet's gardens and where he painted many of his infamous works, including his waterlily paintings.

What was particularly enjoyable was to be there with my mother and Jane. Not only my mama a marvelous gardener in her own right, but it turns out Miss Jane is following in her footsteps.  Every chance she gets, Jane is puttering outside and working her garden plot and vegetable pots.

She's also the first to notice a new bloom or have an arrangement cut for a vase. I think she was really drinking in the experience. She almost yearns for the out-of-doors.

It was a special thing to spend time in these gardens. For the beauty and the significance of walking where one of the great artistic masters once walked.

And it was special, indeed, to be there with my Jane.

Springtime Arrives in Normandy!

Oh, we have never anticipated spring like this before! It was a long, dark, coooold winter but springtime has arrived and the sun-breaks and roadside daffodils are leaving us rhapsodic. 

Fishing season has just begun, as well, and we must acquire that fishing license for Peter. Turn left out the gate, down past the miniature ponies (affectionately named Hoss and Voss), wave bonjour to Madame Lucienne, and at the creek you arrive. Perfect place for a young man to fish ... and a trailing sister to gather more daffodils ...

La Petite Rose

While we were ruthlessly discerning in our packing, I had decided to allow myself the luxury of one small piece of beauty to remind me of home. When gifted this little vase from a dear friend (whose sister has a magical etsy shop), I knew it was perfect. Tiny, beautiful, practical. I love it.

The climbing roses outside our door are nearing the end of their blossoming, but still exquisitely gorgeous. And perfect to adorn my little-bit-of-home. I have a little leap of joy each time I pass by.

What are some simple things you do at home that bring a smile to your face?

A Provençal Rose

Aigaliers, France

Outside in the breakfast courtyard, where even the sandy-blonde gravel is elegant, the roses bloom. Whenever I travel outside my little daily sphere, I am always amazed to find myself surrounded by beauty and sights that are all that I dreamed of. As though, surely, my imagination must have run ahead of itself and concocted such possibilities.

But then there are the roses and the pretty gravel and I pinch myself that it's all true.

What Jane Finds in the Rhododendron Bush

I Need a Smile and a Hand-Pat

A primrose that looks like a geranium in a happy coral-pink that seems to be thriving in an old pot on my hearth? Yes, please! Best three dollars I've spent in a while. It's been a lovely splash of cheer to punctuate my rather jumbled and chaotic days of late.

My mind has been a muddle of things to do. Must get international driver's license, must make baked chicken for dinner, must fold rumpled pile of laundry, must help with school project on Alaska's natural resources, must find decent walking shoes that aren't too granny-looking, must scrub bathroom sink that is disturbingly pink around the drain-stopper ... Blaaak!

I'm a bit of a nut-case lately, in truth. In fact, all I really seem to be accomplishing is fretting and blitzing about appearing to be getting things done.

Please smile at me, pat my hand and tell me I'm not the only one who gets like this...

House-Plant Green

While strolling through the enormity of Home Depot the other day, one of my least favorite stores ever, I spied this happy little indoor plant. Chartreuse-y in color and good for a family game of "Is it real or fake?" It's oddly perfect in it's cuteness.

I have no idea what it is, but it nicely fills the home of it's predecessor, which I killed due to neglect. It happens.

I am so delighted with my bit of house-plant green, I am on a quest for more. Life, it all it's forms, does lend a spirit of joy to a room, don't you think?

Potted Spring At the Front Door

Do you have the spring itch to start planting yet? I kind of do ...

A Good Use for a Common Thing

 Need to set that orchid stem straight? Pull out one of the chopsticks that your father-in-law brought back from Japan and a plain ol' bread-bag tie. Voila!

Potted Plant in Winter Sun

Evening Fuchsia on the Patio and Confessions of a Wanna-Be Gardener

A couple of years ago, Pops banned me from potted or hanging plants. Apparently he has not yet cultivated an appreciation for dried, crunchy plants swinging in the breeze or adorning our patio. Humph. I can hold my own when I shove something in the ground, but freestanding? Not so much.  Seems as though you have to water them regularly, or something demanding like that.

Nevertheless, I have covertly begun to sneak a few pots back into our lives, as they are so welcoming ... if one can keep them alive. I'm doing pretty good so far!

However, when my sweet sister-in-law gifted me with a stunning hanging fuchsia, I was gripped by terror. It was so gorgeous. All I could think was how sad it would be when the happy blooms succumbed to a premature death due to my ineptitude and neglect. Even with regular watering, this poor beauty would surely be doomed. But then, I got a grip. That and my mom told me about these magic pellets from Miracle Grow that you sprinkle on the plant and last for 3 months! Shazaam! I can do this!

In the words of the fab Jennifer Hudson, "It's a new dawn, it's a new day, and I'm feelin' goooooood ..." (cue sassy jazz music).

Grocery Store Flowers in a Thrifted Milk Pitcher

Clever Lucette

At first glance, it's just a sweet little white arrangement. Upon further inspection ... surprise! A camellia hides in wait.

Clever Lucette.

A New Life for the Pickle Pot

 

 For awhile now, I've been in possession of a piece of my grandmother's crockery. It's affectionately known as "The Pickle Pot."

For as long as I can remember, my grandmother would brine cucumbers in this crock to make sweet pickles. If it had a lid, I don't remember. She would always just put a plate on top. And when it was time to can the pickles, I'd get a little jar of my own with a handwritten label: "Anna's Sweet Pickles." As a child, I translated the label as "hands off, Grandma made these just for me!" and I would hoard them in the fridge with a complete lack of concern or consideration for my family.

Now that the pickle pot lives at our house, it has not seen any pickle making. It has half-heartedly been holding magazines, as I really haven't been in a pickle state of mind. But then. The thought occurred to me ... potted plants. Now the pickle pot is at the front door brimming with a little garden and welcoming all who enter.

Grandma liked to garden and welcome too. My heart smiles.

Happy Dandies

There is a spot by our house where we can pick sacks full of dandelions for the bunnies to nibble on. But clustered altogether ... a sunny bouquet fully worthy of admiration.

Blooming on the Piano

Friday's are piano lesson days at our house. Lucette is mostly enthusiastic about practicing, but utterly enthusiastic about her teacher, Mrs. V. Warm, gentle, and nurturing, Mrs. V is a seasoned mother, grandmother, and skilled piano teacher. What a perfect combination for Lucette. And what a delight for me.

It is one of my true thanksgivings; to have other faith-filled adults pour love and encouragement into my children.

Intoxicating Daphne Nestled Right In

What to do when your daughter picks lovely blooms without any stem? Find a cute dish, fill with pebbles and water, and nestle those blooms right in.

Winter Camellia in Melting Snow

Potted Succulents for the Coffee Table

I'm horrible at keeping houseplants alive. I really don't know what my problem is. But they make a room look so much more home-y, don't they. So when I ran across a display full of succulents at the nursery today, I nearly kicked myself for not having thought of them before. Such a nice change from the expected, plus they tend to be rather forgiving.

I've had a bit of a soft-spot for succulents ever since my young entrepreneurship days. When I wanted a bunny for my very own, I dug up "hens" and "chicks" from the backyard, stashed them in my red wagon, and tromped around the neighborhood selling them for a quarter a piece. Cha-ching!

Succulents + red wagon + little girl = Enough money to buy a little rabbit and name her Charlotte.

But I digress.

Anyhow ... I'm rather pleased with my little pot-full resting on the coffee table. I tried to stack up a bunch of books like I see the fancy magazine people do, but I'm not sure if it works on a table without corners. Hmmm. Nevertheless, I do always like a mini-redo.

Do you have any mini-redo tricks?