Flower Friday Post 3: Rhododendron

Woo! It’s finally Friday, which means it’s not only time for the weekend, but also another Flower Friday! 😀 Some of you might remember Last Flower Friday, when I mentioned that the rhododendron in my backyard finally had one single bud on it. Well, as you can see from the picture above, that lone bud turned into a poofy pink ball of magnificence. And several more sprouted up to join it, much to my delight!

The leaves on this plant are pretty interesting, being much thicker and coarser than your typical plant leaves. Fun Fact: The rhododendron is the national flower of Nepal. I can totally see why, too, because they’re absolutely gorgeous. I’ll be sad to see these guys go once they’ve finished blooming.

I’ve got some yellow irises blooming out in the front yard right now, too. Those were quite the pleasant surprise to say the least. This past Memorial weekend I spent a lot of time out in the yard getting stuff done. Weeding, raking, trimming, more weeding. It was exhausting in the heat, but it really did make a big difference. Oh, and the pine cones. SO. MANY. DAMN. PINE. CONES. They’re everywhere. I rake them up one day, and the giant pine tree by my back porch promptly projectile vomits them up all over again by the next day so that my porch is covered once more.

If this were accurate I’d be rich AF, just sayin’.

Well, that’s it for this week’s Flower Friday. Are you planting/growing anything special at the moment? Have a great weekend, everyone! ❤

Flower Friday Post #2

Woo! 2 posts in 2 days! It’s been nice posting more again this month, but I have some catching up to do one everyone’s amazing blogs this weekend. Looking forward to seeing what all you people have been up to. 🙂 ❤

They say April showers bring May flowers, but it feels like May has been the month getting all the rain this year. I managed to sneak outside on a couple recent non-drizzly days to get some more spring photos, though, so I was happy about that. I love heading outside to see what is growing and how much the yard can change in such a short period of time. 🙂

I’m not exactly sure what these pink flowers were that came and went rather quickly, but they were gorgeous while they lasted. I’m thinking it might be a crabapple tree, but I’m not sure yet. They popped up all over one of the trees in my backyard and were gone again before I knew it. Now it just looks more like this:

A couple alliums popped up just recently as well in one of the flowerbed areas beside the driveway. I like the little splash of purple from them.

So, one thing that had me a little bummed was the lack of flowers on the rhododendron we have out back beside our weeping cherry tree. I’ve seen others with flowers right now and meanwhile ours is just kinda like, “Nah, bitch, I don’t wanna.” Buuuuut, today I was elated to discover this bad-ass lone beauty!

Aaaaand even though this part isn’t technically so much flower-related, the blackberries are beginning to do their thing. I’m hoping we wind up with a bunch of them sometime soon. That way I can try a bunch of new recipes with fresh blackberries like Cupcakes and Machetes suggested. 🙂

Well, that’s it for this week’s Flower Friday post from me. Be sure to pop on over to Read Rant Rock & Roll to check out their Flower Friday posts (along with all their other awesome posts.) 😀

Hoping everyone has an amazing weekend! It’s a three-day weekend for me with Memorial Day being on Monday, so I’m definitely ready for it.

Home Sweet Home

I just love when the magnolia trees are in bloom. ❤

So, spring is in the air and I’m officially all settled in at the new house, and although some stuff is still in boxes, I’m mostly unpacked. Moving is nothing new to me, but this move in particular felt like a big one since it involved me officially moving in with my boyfriend. It’s a big step, but we’re both really happy together and I’m glad we finally made this exciting leap. 🙂

It’s been fun watching and seeing (and guessing) what’s all growing at the new house as the weather keeps improving. We’ve got a wild cherry tree and weeping cherry tree both in bloom right now, a tall row of blackberry bushes, a bunch of hosta plants, some peonies, I think we may have some hydrangea, a lilac tree (that technically is in the neighbor’s yard, but some of the branches hang over in ours, so I’m counting it lol), a few tulips, lily of the valley, and more. I can’t wait to see what else pops up next.

One thing’s for sure: there is going to be plenty of weeding to do. Meh!

The greenhouse goodies are doing great, too. It’s awesome eating salads with the lettuce you grow at home. I need to do something soon with some of the parsley and basil, and the pea plant is continuing to grow as well (no peas yet, but that’s okay). The strawberry plant has flowers on it, and the cherry bush I got my mom for Mother’s Day is also flowering.

How’s your spring going so far? It feels good to be blogging again and catching up with you guys. ❤ There’s such an awesome community here and I’m so glad to be a part of it. Are any of you growing your own plants right now? 🙂 I’m just a novice at it, but I’m greatly enjoying it.

basil, parsley, peas.

 

 

Happy Earth Day + Garden Haul + Garter Snake Pics

Yay! Not only does it finally feel like spring here in Michigan, but it’s also Earth Day! 🙂 It was the perfect day to get outside, enjoy some fresh air, and start planning for this year’s gardening.

After an absolutely fabulous margarita-drag queen-and-true crime-filled start to the weekend with Cupcakes and Machetes, today was a laid back, lazy day mostly spent outside. I went out with my mom to a fantastic garden center and nursery that was having some really good sales. Here’s some pics from my little plant haul:

Peas, Parsley, and Basil.

and

There are some yummy salads in my future. 😛

aaaaaand

Strawberries in the making!

I didn’t get a pic of the cherry bush I bought my mom as an early Mother’s Day gift, but she was really excited about it. 🙂 The place we went to was wonderful and I wanted to buy all the things. (Especially with all the great deals they had going on.)

I hope everyone is having an amazing Earth Day and that the weather where you’re at allows you to get out and fully enjoy the great outdoors. ❤ Considering it was about a week ago that I had to literally chisel my way into my car because it was completely covered in a thick layer of ice, I was more than ready for some nice weather like this.

Aaaand here’s some cute little garter snake buddies I crossed paths with while out and about today.

Happy Fall (and Hobbit Day)!!

Woo! It’s September 22nd and you know what that means! It’s the first official day of fall (aka: the best season ever)! Aaand, it also just so happens to be Hobbit Day, the birthday of both Frodo and Bilbo Baggins.

It’s the perfect day to curl up with one of Tolkien’s books (or the movies that came after them) and enjoy your favorite fall drinks and treats while you get all cozy. ❤ And it’s Friday, so why not just continue doing so right on through the weekend? 😛

Banana Blueberry Bread + Spring Photos

Magnolia Tree

Hey, guys! ❤ Just sharing some baking and outdoors photos. This weekend was pretty busy but I managed to squeeze in some yard work and baking. The weather’s been so nice that I even did the little reading I could get in outdoors. (I’m loving Six of Crows so far!!)

Banana Blueberry Bread

Fresh From The Oven!

Lilacs Out Back.

Cute Little Winged Buddy.

The Rhubarb is getting HUGE! Hoping to try some new rhubarb recipes this year.

Firewood.