wonderful, low-key easter celebration

 What a wonderful weekend...Tim came home, Brian was actually off work (a rarity -

his job is not a Monday-Friday one), and the temperature was in the 70's!

My first flowers of spring made their debut.

Tim took Zippo outside to munch on some grass. Zippo loves to go outside,

but we don't purposely let him out to roam the neighborhood. So this was

a compromise. Zippo got his fresh air and sunshine, but he didn't get to wander.

 

Easter dinner was just the three of us, and my mom and cousin.

I don't have a separate dining room, so the five of us squeezed around the

little kitchen table, which worked out fine. I set up all the food ~ ham, salad,

marinated asparagus, corn casserole, potato salad, fruit salad, homemade

cookies, and two pies buffet style on my countertops. I also put out a pitcher

of lemon water, a pitcher of iced green tea, and a couple of bottles of wine ~

along with the appropriate glasses, so people could just serve themselves.

This photo cracks me up...I noticed Tim was the only one with food on his plate.

He was so hungry, he dove in before I officially called that "dinner was served"!

After dinner, we all sat out on the patio in the sunshine, relaxing and talking

and just enjoying each other's company.

Oops, how could I forget our furry guest, Miss LuLu? This is my mom's

adorable, sweet little dog. She and my cats get along just fine. They probably

think she's one of them since she's so tiny.

 

For those of you who celebrate Easter, I hope you enjoyed the holiday

with loved ones.  Happy Monday, everyone!

weekend visits with family and monday business

 Hello, friends ~ how was your weekend? It sure was good to see Tim this past

Friday. We helped him with his taxes, took him grocery shopping and for a haircut,

then went out to dinner at a 50's-style burger place. I also brought him a bunch

of frozen meals. When I cook dinner at home, I package up the leftovers in freezer

bags or containers and then take the whole lot to Tim's place when we visit. He's

not a cook, so he appreciates some good home cooking. I enjoyed seeing some of

the projects Tim's been working on in school, including pinhole photography and 

print-making. He's a really talented artist and photographer ~ can't wait to see where

it all takes him someday.

 On Saturday, I spent the day with my mom. I helped her with some decorating

ideas, then we went to a thrift shop (didn't find anything) and went out to lunch.

Mom has a lovely house and it's decorated so pretty, but she likes when I help

her with organizing and rearranging - my strong suits. Here's one of her

bookcases in the family room. Books and decor scattered willy-nilly and piles

 of paperwork that don't belong in a bookcase.

Here's the after when I was done cleaning out and rearranging...

And I have to show you the dressers that Mom just re-did. They're amazing.

My parents had these dressers forever. I don't remember them ever having any

other furniture in their bedroom. I only have one "before" photo - of the tall dresser.

You can see how beat up it was.

And here's the "after". Isn't it beautiful? Mom has photos of my dad, some of

his favorite books, and his valet box (oops, her dainty teapcup is photobombing)

as a memory grouping on top of this dresser.

Here's the longer dresser. I just can't believe the transformation. They look

like totally different pieces of furniture. 

 

Showing you some things in Mom's house wouldn't be complete without a

photo of her darling dog, LuLu. Doesn't she look like a stuffed animal?

I swear that pup is smiling.

I know we're all sick of seeing it, hearing about it, and shoveling it, but that

nasty white stuff just started again. We're in for 4-8" and it's going to be

heavy and wet. I always worry about Brian driving home from work in this

weather, especially since he has a long commute. I'm staying home and

getting things done around the house, including making a quinoa salad and

a pot of soup. Happy Monday, everyone.

lulu, lavender, and lilies

 It sure doesn't seem like July with the cool weather we've been having

this week. I even made chicken soup yesterday for dinner because it was such

a cool evening! I usually reserve hot soups for fall and winter.

My mom went out of town, so I've been dog-sitting her little Pomeranian,

LuLu. Isn't she cute? Problem is, LuLu isn't doing well and my mom is on

her way to my house right now, cutting her vacation time short. From what we

can determine, doggie has a fungal skin infection. She smells so bad that we

can't even stand to be in the same room with her. She is not "dirty". She had

a bath and was groomed right before she came to my house last Friday. She's

also been having accidents in my house, which she never does. I made an

appointment with my vet for this afternoon, so we'll be taking her in.

 On to better-smelling things...

My herb garden in the back of the house is so lush right now! There's lavender,

rosemary, parsley, and then tons of lemon balm and oregano. I bought these hammered

brass herb markers on clearance (only $1.48!) at Target.

 Since my lavender is in bloom, I thought I'd cut some sprigs and bring

them into my house.

I put a few sprigs each in clear glass bottles on top of the ladder bookcase
 in the living room. Simple, but pretty.

My tiger lilies are also in full bloom right now. And you might notice that I 

finally have a basket for my bicycle! It was a gift from my wonderful blogger friend,

Penny. I had a pot of daisies in the basket, but they got water-logged with all

the rain, so I had to clean the basket out. I am going to put a new pot of flowers

in the basket when the weather clears up.

I love when the tiger lilies in front of my house - this area is a ditch - are in full bloom.

 I just wish they'd last longer than they do. They're only in bloom maybe a couple

of weeks.

 

Happy Wednesday, my friends. I hope your day is filled with flowers and other

things that smell good. No stinky dogs! ;-)