A day at the petting farm :)

Hi there :)

I hope this finds you doing well.  Did you have a nice weekend?  The weather here was nice and sunny.  I just have one question though, where is spring??  I love summer but I would really like to at least have a little spring, lol.  It was in the 90's here yesterday.  Way way way too hot!!!  I'm still not over my virus so the heat just made it worse.  It is supposed to be in the 60's this weekend, I hope they are right!!  I love Memorial weekend :)

 

 

Sunday, we went to a petting zoo.  It was fun and super cute :)  It was just Dave, Colton, Emily, Savannah and I, so we definitely will have to go back.  My youngest sons, Edison and Gibson would love it.  They were at their dads over the weekend so couldn't come. 

Anyway...

 

Of course my favorite part was the bunnies, lol.  They had the great big ones which are my favorites.  I wanted to take one and run, lol.  Savannah loves them too.  She was so excited to see all of the animals.  She definitely takes after me!

 

 

Aren't they cute?  So big and squishy :)  The little boy pictured was adorable!  He loved the black and white one :)

 

 

I just couldn't resist them.  This guy was really soft :)

 

 

Little piggy Savannah :)  She is just too funny and cute.  I cant believe how big she is getting and she is so smart.  Some of the things she says are just unbelievable!

 



 

I fell in love with this sweet pot bellied pig!  He was so cute.  He talked a lot and made crying noises :(  When I got out of the pen, he followed me over to where I was standing outside the fence and laid against it talking to me, lol.  My boys are always saying, why do animal love you so much??  I guess they must feel that I love them.

 

 

These bunnies were so snuggly.  They loved each other, it was so cute to watch!  I didn't want to bore you with animals pictures.  But they had all of the typical farm animals.  They also had mini horses which were so cute!  Savannah really loved them.  They were the perfect size for her, lol.  They also had the prettiest cow.  Her eyes were so big and those eyelashes, I'm jealous, lol.

 

 

After the farm, we visited this beautiful garden.  It was part of the farm property.

 

 

I love this picture of Dave and Colton :)

 

 

Emily, Savannah and I.

 

 

My sweet David and I :)

 

I have some more posts coming this week if all goes right, lol.  You never know in this house!  Thank you so much for visiting me today.  I hope you have a safe, beautiful week.  XO, Amy 





Flower Photographs

Hi there!   I hope your week has been going well.  I have been such a horrible blogger, lol.  I have taken tons of pictures and haven't edited them.  I have posts that I have wanted to do but keep putting them off.  I have been so far behind on housework and been so busy with the kids that I barely have time to breathe, lol.  The virus I had has now morphed into a horrible cold which hasn't helped.  Just so tired all the time!  Still babysitting my friends sweet little girl every weekday which has also kept me busy.  But she is such a good little girl. 

 

Anyway......

 

I absolutely love flowers as many of us do.  This time of year, I am just overwhelmed by all of the beauty God has provided us with.  It is just amazing!!

 

 

 

Flowers are probably my most favorite thing to photograph too.  I take hundreds of pictures of flowers all of the time, lol.  My laptop is overflowing with them.  I especially love taking close up pictures of them.  



 

 This gorgeous pink hydrangea plant was one of the gifts I received for Mother's Day from my sweet David.  It is going to look so pretty in my bed next to my blue one!

 

 

Yummm...lilac season!!!  I have been picking armfuls of these every other day and putting then throughout the house.

 



 

 I love them in these little white bud vases on the kitchen window sill :)

 

 

Getting to the point of this post, lol.  I am by no means a photographer.  I just love taking pics!  I would really like to take a photography class though.  It is definitely on my to do list!!  I have been doing my floral arrangements.  But I think photographing them is another passion I would like to pursue.  Have you ever looked at all the gorgeous photographs for sale on Etsy?  Well, I try not to, lol. 

 

 

But then, I stumbled upon these photos.  My heart skipped a beat.  All of these flower photographs that are just over the top beautiful.  I love the look of the white flowers with the aqua mason jars. 

 

 

I thought they would look so pretty in my sitting room.  Especially in the warm months! 

 

 

I had a sign on this wall that I have been wanting to replace with something new.  It was green and I didn't like it with the wall color so I moved it to my bedroom sitting room.  I want all the things on the walls in this room to be framed in white.  I have tired of the tole painted trays that are on my window shelf also.  So I want to frame the mason jar flower photos in chippy white frames and put them up there.

 

 

 Peonies are probably my most favorite flowers.  They are so beautiful and soft.  And they smell sooo good!  So when I saw this close up photograph on her site, I had to have it.  It is actually the first I bought and am so impressed with them all!

 

 

 

This one, I have already framed.  The frame is from Recycled Relics.  It is where I get all of my frames.  The wood all comes from old homes, I just love them!

 

 

 

I cant tell you what a change this little photo has made to the room!  So much brighter and more cohesive with the rest of the room.

 

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I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  We are supposed to have more beautiful weather, so I will be spending more time in my flower beds.  We are also taking Savannah to a petting zoo.  That  will be fun, I cant wait to see her when she sees all the animals!!

 

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Be safe and I hope to be back next week with some new posts!  Thank you for visiting me, XO, Amy



Monday

Hi there!  Hope you had a lovely weekend!  Did you have a nice Mother's Day?

Mine was nice.  My kids and
 husband  are so sweet :)  I didn't have to cook or anything, just as it should  be on Mother's Day.  We actually celebrated on Saturday.  I picked dinner, a movie and mostly just relaxed with my kids.    Nothing better than that!

My youngest son went out and picked these for me off the lilac bush.
I just love lilacs.  Don't you?  They remind me of my grandma.  My kitchen smells so good.  Love my thoughtful boys!  I of course got lots of nice presents from my boys and Dave.  But the best part was being with my kids!!

I didn't get to see my mom for Mother's Day :(  But I had a nice talk with her on the phone.
I hope I get to see her soon!  My grandma just got back to Michigan from Florida and I hope I get to see her soon too :)

Isn't this tree gorgeous?  I am so happy things are blooming finally!!  On the long trip across the state over the weekend, everything was just beautiful.  Lots of country driving so that made it even better!!

Have a wonderful week and thank you so much for visiting me today!! XO, Amy

Write a handwritten letter....

Hi there!  Hope you are having a wonderful week full of sunshine.  It has been just stunning here.  All the leaves are on the trees and it is so lush and green outside.  I walk out on my porch and all I smell is lilacs!!  What could be better?  Dave got all of my perennials planted and the soil amended.  Actually, he dug the holes and I put them where I wanted them.  But he did the hard part!  They already look so pretty and bright.  I planted three different colors of asiatic lilies for a tropical little area since Dave and I are obsessed with Hawaii, lol.  I also planted a big Salvia plant, two colors of Columbine, white forget me nots, a hybrid Peony bush and a blue hydrangea bush.  I planted three colors of Phlox also, periwinkle, pink and white.  Phlox are one of my favorites.  I think they are just so cute :)  Now I need to get a few more rose bushes and some pretty colored annuals to mix into the perennial bed.  Excited for that.  Dave and I are going to go to Lowe's and get some bricks

  this weekend to redo the bed border.  I also found an arbor I would like to get for the entrance to the path to our front door.  Lots of plans!

I am so glad to be feeling better after being SO sick!!  We have had a bad virus going through our home and I have been out of commission most of the week.  I am so lucky to have such wonderful sons and husband who take care of me!!  My boys would literally tell me to go to bed as soon as they got home from school!  They would watch Savannah :)  They even did their own laundry!  And my husband would go get me Slurpee's and make sure the kids had a good dinner.  I had the worst sore throat and was delirious from going in and out of such a high fever.  I feel so bad that my kids went through this too!!  They were so miserable :(

I think one of the most romantic traditions in history, is letter writing.  I love how personal it is.  The fact that someone took a pen and a piece of paper and personally wrote down special words for someone.  Something so simple but means so much.  I love it when I fins a stack of letters at an antique store.  I love to read them as they are usually letters sent from a husband to wife while he is away at war.  Those letters would be the most important thing to them. I think it is sad how this is going away due to text and emails.  I always love getting a handwritten note or card in the mail.

Years ago, someone would travel such a long long way just to deliver a letter.  Not by mail or car.  Perhaps by foot or horse and carriage.  I love to think about those times when people used inkwells and handmade paper to write.  Letters to loved ones far away or a love note.  Always something important with meaning, never junk mail like we get today, lol.

I recently came across this beautiful stationery set from Jeanne d' Arc.  The paper is handmade and so soft.  Such an old fashioned feel.  I am trying to make my desk into a little work station when I need it.  This set looks so pretty sitting on here with my pretty rose pen from Sweet Magnolia Farm.  I cant wait to sit here and write letters to my mom who lives two and a half hours away and my grandma in the winters while she is in Florida.  I love the spring image of the little girl :)  I just love everything Jeanne d' Arc does though, lol.  Speaking of Jeanne d' Arc, I will be doing another post on them for my next post :)

Summer Hair

Hello!  Just a quick post.  I had some emails and messages wanting to see my hair.  I had a lot of blond put in it and trimmed and re layered.  I absolutely love it!  So summery :)

Hope you are having a great weekend.  We have had some kind of virus going through our house :(  It has hit most of us and yesterday it hit me.  Yesterday, Dave and I went to lunch and then to Lowes to get flowers.  I bought quite a few perrenials.  Then we went to get groceries and halfway through, it hit me.  I felt like I was ran over by a train or like someone beat me up :(  I was so upset because I wanted to plant them today.  Luckily, Dave was sweet enough to do all the hard work and I told him where I wanted them.  Our friend also dug up a rose bush today that he didn't want and gave it to us.  Excited to have it as now I have two on that side of the house.  I plan to go back to Lowes Friday for some more things as well as some hanging plants.  It is fun to start over and plant all new things!  So happy and thankful for all of this gorgeous weather we have been having.  It has made it perfect for planting and working in the yard.  What have you been doing this weekend?  Whatever it may be, I hope you are having a wonderful time with lots of sunshine.  Dave is grilling burgers tonight but I am too sick to eat them :(  I have been waiting a year and cant even enjoy the first grill :(  Oh well, their will be plenty more!

Thank you so much for visiting me today XO, Amy

Happy May Day and 100 years of Ball!!

Hello!  Hope your week has been going well!  Did you have a great weekend?  Mine was fabulous, lol.  The weather was gorgeous and warm enough for shorts!  All seven kids were here and they were outside from morning until dark.  The weather actually made me feel like spring and summer are truly on the way!  So to celebrate, Saturday, I had my hair done.  Lots of blond and a nice trim, love it :)  Then, my friend and I went to the mall and bought new summer clothes and had dinner.  I love girly time :)  I will show you some cute new pieces for summer in an upcoming post :)

Happy May Day to you!  Can you believe April is already over??  It just flew by for me!  I hope it slows down a bit.  This is my most favorite time of year and I want time to enjoy it!  I bought the cute little vase and holder above a few weeks ago.  I put a little lavender in it and hung it from my old shutter.  I thought it was cute for May Day :)

Have you gotten your 100 anniversary Ball canning jars yet?  I just got mine Monday and I LOVE them!!!  The color is sooo pretty!!  And look at the cute vintage style box they come in :)

The bright turquoise is so pretty and happy.  The jar holding the flowers is a vintage jar, so you can see the difference in color :)  The new ones have the years, 1913-2013 on them.  Such cute collectors items.

And these jars can be used for so many things.  I have them all over my house for different purposes.  But my favorite way to use them is as vases.

I just couldn't resist this pretty Ball anniversary towel from Sweet Magnolia Farm :)  Love the different jars on it.

The fabric is so pretty and spring-y.  I love the soft blue :)

I also bought this cute set from Tattered Goods.  I like how it shows the Ball jars used as vases :)

They are sooo pretty sitting on the window sill in the kitchen with the light streaming through them :)

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Thank you so much for stopping by today :)  I have some posts coming up.  Just have to take pics and edit :)  I hope you have a safe and wonderful week!

XO, Amy

Monday Ramblings...

Hi there dear friends,

Hope your week is off to a great start!!  The stickers above were purchased from my friend Jenn last month.  I thought they were fitting with how I am feeling about all of you today!  I feel like I haven't done a happy normal post in a long time, lol.  Has spring sprung for you yet?  Today it is absolutely stunning out!!  It is so warm and sunny.  Not a cloud in the sky.  The little birdie that comes back here every spring is building her nest in the eves.  I have been seeing her bringing twigs to it all day :)  It is so amazing how they build nests.  They work so hard on them.  Just like us bloggers do with our homes to make them beautiful!  Speaking of which, I have been tweaking a few things around here.  I know, I know, I said I was happy with the way things looked.  I guess I lied, lol.  You didn't believe me anyway, did you?  I didn't think so!  It seems we are truly never done making our homes beautiful.  I have been adding a little bit here and there in the kitchen and removing things as well.  I love the new direction I am taking.  I hope to post on it soon, when I get time to take pictures and edit them.  I am going to try and snap a few today, in between running after these little girls.  They sure do keep me busy!  Right now, they are playing with Savannah's little kitchen.  Thank goodness, I was able to fit this little post in.  Running after these two is good exercise, lol.  I wish I had a double stroller to take them for a walk.  I had one with my boys but that was years ago.  Might have to get another!

Did you have a nice weekend?  It was chilly on Saturday but nice yesterday.  Friday night, Dave and I had a double date night with our friends.  That was a lot of fun.  We went to a cool place for dinner, then Lauren and I wanted to go to the mall, lol.  Yesterday, Dave and I went on our weekly lunch date to Culvers and then shopping for a few things we needed.  It was nice.  Saturday, Dave took the boys to lunch for a guys day :)  Sooo sweet!!  That is about it in my neck of the woods!  Tomorrow night, we have a thing at Emily's school to go to.  She is dressing up as Sam Walton and doing a speech on him.  The kids had to pick someone interesting and then write a speech about them.  Of course she picked Sam Walton for the last name, lol.  But I am anxious to see it.  It will be a full house over the weekend.  I am hoping to post again before that, if the weather cooperates and lets me take pictures!  Oh, we also  watched Zero Dark Thirty last weekend.  Have you seen it yet??  It was really good!!  Definitely worth the hype if you haven't seen it yet.  It has been awhile since I watched a good, new movie.  Okay, enough of me rambling now.  Have a wonderful week and thank you for visiting me today!

XO, Amy