Roses

This is the rose bush that did not bloom for two years after we got here.  I am so excited to see all the buds forming and the few that have opened up.  I have, in my usual manner, provided ample neglect.  We have trimmed it back each year as it was threatening to overtake the porch but aside from the annual trim, everything else has been the lovely weather we have here.

The day lilies next to the rose bush are almost ready to bloom as well.  It was exciting to see just what the previous tenant had planted and it is even more exciting to see that our neglect has not harmed any of the plants.

They have bloomed!!

I have been thrilled to watch our flowers slowly begin to bloom.  It has been an interesting summer here.  It is almost August and I have only seen 3 salmonberry blossoms.  By late July the past couple of years, there has been a bumper crop of berries.  This year, the blueberries still have yet to bloom. Of course, I may not be looking in just the right spot.  But these beauties are right out our front door. I love the variations in color with the columbine and the peony is an amazingly huge flower. 

The best thing outside our front door is quite possibly the rose bushes that are beginning to bud.  There was one rosebush already here when we moved in.  In the past three years, we have not seen a single bud.  This year, they girls lost count around 52.  We also added two miniature rosebushes.  Last year, while they gave us some beautiful roses, someone from the neighborhood either cut them back to the ground or trampled them until the stems broke off near the ground.  Either way, I was unsure if the rosebushes would be back this year.  They are beginning to blossom too! I am excited to be able to share garden fresh roses with friends this year, especially as it seems we will have one or two to spare.

Not quite "raindrops on roses..."

I love this huge flower. It may be my new favorite!

Caught a fly on this one.

As you can see, this stem has 3 flowers. I don't think it will support all of them...

3 days

Of Butterflies and Beautiful Flowers

N had this butterfly land on her finger when we visited the Airlie Gardens with my youngest sister, Sarah. The girls enjoyed the visit to the gardens almost as much as they enjoyed being able to hang out with Aunt Sarah!

One of the African Daisies that N grew in a container in our driveway.

And the Zinnias that she had in the same container after we thinned them out. They grew to be about 3 feet tall. If you look closely, you will see the daisies in the lower corner of the container.

A close-up of one of N's zinnias.

And finally a magnolia at the Airlie Gardens.

Train Museum & Airlie Gardens

Note to Mom: If you are able to come visit North Carolina in the spring time, do your best to visit Airlie Gardens in Wilmington. It is absolutely beautiful and there are tulips EVERYWHERE!!

The day started out like any other. We got the girls up and off to school.

Once everyone else was ready, around 10 am, we headed down to the hotel where Laura & Scott are staying. On the way there, Michael looked at me and told me that he thought we should take the girls out of school and bring them with us. I had thought about it earlier, but I decided that N really needed to be there. We ended up at the hotel and Michael decided that since Laura & Scott's van seat 8 people he would send Miss E & me with them and pick up N & A.

So, we headed off in different directions. We arrived at the train museum around noon and the children enjoyed a scavenger hunt with a display in the gift shop area. When they each had found all of the items, they received a prize. I believe most of them picked a train shaped eraser.

Michael and our girls arrived just as we were finishing up with the last pictures outside on the caboose. We decided lunch was a great idea for our next activity. We pulled into a Chick-fil-A that literally had only one parking space the first time we drove around. But, enough people left for us to park.

After lunch, we headed for Airlie Gardens. Airlie Gardens is a beautiful place. Originally it was used by a very wealthy family for entertaining their guests. Later, another family used the property as their primary residence. In 1999, the family sold the property to the county which has restored it and had it placed on the Historic Register. Even the children enjoyed exploring the Gardens. Miss Arty-Pants (Laura's oldest) especially enjoyed sketching the flowers that were blooming.

I apologize to my family for not discovering this beautiful place until now. I would love to have all of you visit in the next few weeks so I can share spring time with you!

And of course, pictures to come as soon as I get them downloaded onto the computer!

Pictures

Night sky.
The hungry caterpillar...

... turned into a beautiful butterfly.

Michael takes good pictures too...

Stormy evening.

Birthday fun!

I forgot to grab the camera until N was ready for her cake. So, these are the only 2 pictures I have from her actual birthday.

We had a very good time. With our little one due to make an appearance soon, we did not want to cancel a large party. So, we invited one of N's friends and her family to join us for cake & ice cream. And of course a few presents.

I love N's smile as she looked at the cake waiting to blow out the candles.

I have to admit that I almost caved and bought a cake instead of making one. But I had made a promise and I followed through. N wanted a sunflower cake so I did my best. The icing turned out a bit soft and I thought it would end up sliding off onto the cake tray. I had enough yellow to go around each of the petals and ran out just as I finished the last one. The brown was certainly a challenge. I used brown, copper, black and red to get the right shade. Even at that, when I put it on the cake at midnight, the brown icing resembled an army green color. But in the daylight, it was just right. I think God caused some changes to occur while I slept.

N's official party will be on Sept 5th, so I will make sure to remember the camera next time.

Happy birthday sweet girl! We love you and are so blessed to have you in our lives!

More sunflowers

This picture with the girls was taken just a few days after the one in my post here.

It has been amazing to see these plants bloom.