Top Decoration

It feels like Spring may never come!
And it sure is cold out there, but as you can see...it is on its way!
I took these pictures in the backyard yesterday...

Clematis

Daylillies

Azalea

Forsythia

A weeping tree...not sure of the name...

And something is sprouting up under the tree!



On the inside, my 5 year old's apple seeds are coming up! Every time he eats an apple he saves the seeds and we plant them. He loves watching them sprout!

To trick ourselves into thinking spring is closer than it may be, we bought a couple of house plants last week. Our seven year old has been asking for a plant of his own to take care of for quite some time. He picked out this succulent at Home Depot. It's pretty small and only cost $2.49, but it will be that much more gratifying for him to watch it grow and take over the pot!

I bought this one for my desk. Another one that only cost $2.49.
Can't beat that!

My best friend has a fern in her dining room that I have admired for years...which is kind of odd because I have never been a fern lover. But it's gorgeous and adds an element of the outdoors to the room. It is called a Boston Fern. Just my luck, I found one the other day at Fred Meyer (our local one-stop-shopping store). I felt even luckier when I saw that it was only $6.oo! It's huge!
Here it is:

And from what she tells me, ferns are easy to grow, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I've been pretty lucky with houseplants the past few years, so I'm hoping to continue the trend!

Have you added any new houseplants to your home?

Are you seeing Spring buds around your yard?


Here's hoping Spring will be here before we know it!

I was looking through some blogs last night and seemed to stumble upon a theme: front doors. Your front door can and should be a personal expression of you and your home! Through the use of color and decor you can set the tone for friends, family or anyone that you welcome into your home!

But before you can welcome them into your home you first have to make sure they can find your home! This is where the ever important house numbers come in! Where you place them is up to you...

photo courtesy of BHG.com

When we first moved into this house the numbers were attached to a lamp post in our front yard that sits near the street. It was fine during the day, but at night you couldn't see it! I can't tell you how many of our friends drove right past our house on their first visit! It was clear the numbers had to be moved. So we put them above our garage doors. Much better! And it has served us well!

But little did I know that last fall my mother-in-law would discover a super easy and attractive idea in one of her many decorating magazine's! As soon as she saw it (and I'm almost certain that it was in a 2008 issue of Better Homes and Gardens) she was on the phone asking if I could paint numbers on her front door. She made the quick jaunt over (we live three houses apart!) to show me the picture and I was immediately on board!

I picked up my white paint pen and got to work.
This is the result:

My front door...

and her front door...

I love how they turned out! I think it is charming and a bit unexpected and never again will we have the issue of someone not knowing where our house numbers are!

The best part is that this idea can be adapted to suit any home! Your numbers could be large or small, traditional or funky, white, black or any color of the rainbow! And you certainly don't have to paint them yourself. House numbers are readily available at home improvement stores and your options are limitless online!

Just have fun with it! After all, it is your front door!