Playing with Flowers

With less than a week until school starts I have been feeling a little sad. It seems as if Summer just started and I was looking forward to being home with my boys. So I thought it might help if I focused on something I love. Flowers! Every Spring I take pleasure in picking out flowers to add some curb appeal to our home. Are yard is not very big so my planting consists of window boxes, urns and a few hydrangea bushes in our yard. I can't say I have ever planted the same arrangement of flower's twice. I think I am still looking for that perfect combination.  Here is a comparison of what our annual flower's looked like.

I loved the color that this plant had to offer and it did get much fuller throughout the summer. But, it just didn't have the pizazz I was looking for.

This year I went for a plant that had some height and I really liked how it looked.

I will definitely stick with this flower next season.

These are the plants I used.

 I typically do a combination of red, white and blue in our window boxes.

 I liked how I did not have to dead head these petunias and they looked great all summer.

This year we did red wave petunias, white geraniums, one spike in the middle and vinca vine.

 This hydrangea was an anniversary gift a few years ago and we have several in our yard (they are my favorite flower).

We had a lot of blooms last year.

This year....only one bloom!

I don't know if it was the dry Spring/Summer or pruning them at the wrong time. If any of you have experience with these I would love to hear from you.

Not only do I enjoy picking our flowers but I also like receiving them! My hubby brought home this rose for our Anniversary and it still smells heavenly.

Jen

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What I Love Today!

It is a chilly 40 degree day here in New York. I have been a little under the weather this week, however, we are enjoying a relaxing morning as the boys have the day off from school. Here is what I love about today......

The pop of color our Christmas Cactus brings to our home.

The joy this little guy brings to us everyday.

Even if he isn't really "helping" with the laundry.

Luke looking for fossils on our beach.

and finding them.....

The pictures my children draw.

This towel my mom made me last year.

She is such a talented quilter!

The photo I took of the moon 2 nights ago.

To all the veteran's out there, including my dad, thank you for serving our country!!!

Happy Veteran's Day!

Jen

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Just a few things!

 Living in a small space really makes me think about what I can and cannot live without. When I see what I like I just know it and feel it. Today I thought I would share with you a few things that I have grown to love about our cottage on the lake.

The way we get a lot of morning sun!

How the sun reflects from the lake onto our ceiling in the living room.

Fresh Hydrangea's!

We received a hydrangea bush as an Anniversary gift last year and I love it. I was a little worried about how it would do in it's current location because we get so much morning sun but it is doing great . Now I just need a few more and I will have the look that I envision for our yard!

Window boxes!

When my husband I were dating we took a trip to Europe and ever since I have been hooked on window boxes. We have four that line our deck and several on the way down to the house. The hummingbirds really seem to like the red flower's in the middle.

When I come down the stairs after being away it just feels good to be home!

Of course, I never tire of the view!

Happy Weekend!

Jen

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Shhh! My Table has a Secret!

I love living in our small cottage because it constantly challenges me to be creative. After moving into our current home I got serious about finding a new table for our space. I had remembered seeing this farmhouse table years earlier and  lucky for me there were two left in their warehouse! Yes, I gave a squeal of delight when I was in the store and I may have even jumped up and down a bit. Not only did they have the table but  it was now a quarter of the original asking price!  Good things come to those who wait, however, this is not always my strong suit.

Now for the secret......

Storage! I keep items that I don't use very often in here.

And.... I can almost double our seating capacity by opening our table up. When you have a small space multipurpose furniture becomes a necessity.

Enjoy your day!

Jen

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