Garden Dreams

January is slipping on by, it's probably the one month that I feel least productive. The lull after Christmas, the cold grey days and early nights, I sometimes think I could sleep through the whole month. But I haven't. For one thing, we have had sunshine for three whole days in a row, oh happy day! And for another I have given myself the task of filling up the etsy shop since there is so little else to do.

So I made some of these scrappy valentine banners...

 

 And one of these...

 And some of these, (in different seed packet prints)

Because now is when we all long the most for the green of the garden, the sound of the bees, and the scent of fresh earth being planted.  I don't know about you, but this time of year we always go hog wild with our garden plans resulting in overbuying seeds. I have a serious stockpile of old seeds downstairs that I will be cleaning out and trying to sprout for the chickens. They appreciate some green goodies this time of year so much! They might as well enjoy them, some are so old I don't even know if they will sprout, we will see.  Are you planning your garden right now?
By the way, I've joined the throng at instagram.  If you want to see what I'm up you can join me there:>)

Snow Day

I am happy to announce that we are 3/4 of the way through January, a fact that puts a smile on my face. If you have been around long, you KNOW I am not a winter person. For those of you who are, you can have mine, but it is my experience that a lot of people who "love winter" don't live as far north as Michigan.  I don't know anyone here who loves it this time of year. Many have fled to Florida by now, something I have no desire to do simply because all I have to do is outwait winter and it will leave. Today it has snowed all day. Even I can admit it is pretty right now, but later when it turns to grey slush? Notsomuch.

So today was baking day. Nothing chases away the gloom and chill better than firing up the stove and making something yummy. In this case, apple pies for the Pastors.  Pastor appreciation month was October but why be tied down to showing gratitude and love just because someone chose a random month? Don't you think they would like a little appreciation year round?

So, three pies this morning for the Pastors and a little one for Earl and I. I ran out of apples and filled in with some blueberries that were on the edge of going bad for our little pie.  Oh it was good, real good.  The apple pie in the window is keeping company with those .98 primroses until it cools and gets boxed up, then off to the church tonight.  It has been a slow month of stocking the etsy shop, cleaning the house and trying not to fall asleep during the day, (while I try to fall asleep at night with very little success). I'm fighting the urge for a nap right now.  I've added a countdown to Spring widget to my sidebar for those of you who are aching for Spring like I am.  How do you fight the gloom and cold  on a snowy winter day?

P.S. I have been told by some of my blog friends that I am showing up as a no reply commenter and in one case as a blog in Russia!  There just seems to be no end to the glitches that have come our way in the past few months. I think I have the problems resolved, but if my account is showing up oddly please let me know. I'm not even sure how to resolve the no comment blogger problem because I always visit while signed in, so it shouldn't be happening.  Anyone know how to fix this?

Heavenly Sunshine

 

Heavenly Sunshine,

heavenly sunshine,

flooding my soul with

glory divine,

heavenly sunshine,

heavenly sunshine,

Hallelujia , Jesus is mine....

 

Does anyone remember singing that as a child in Sunday School?

It's been running through my head as I go about my housework this morning with the sunshine streaming in through the windows. It may be a balmy 11 degrees outside, but I don't need to go anywhere today and it isn't so much the cold I hate, (although I DO hate the cold!) it's the days of endless grey that January in Michigan brings. I have come to the realization that I am solar powered and what seems like never ending dark in the winter puts me in a tailspin that only bright sunshine can pull me out of.

Well, sunshine and a few flowers.

Try to ignore the dirty window and focus on the orchid I found at Home Depot for $5.  They had racks of them in all different colors, along with their dependable January offering of primroses for 98 cents a piece. I bought 4 of those for the dining room table. Seriously, if you were getting married in January can you imagine these gorgeous orchids lining your reception tables, maybe with the stems wrapped in ribbon and oodles of candles? For five bucks each!? Don't think the nursery or florist is the only place for your flower fix, Home Depot rocks my flower world.

 

So here's my day, clean up the house, work on etsy orders and then collapse and try to stay awake after 6 p.m.  What does your day look like?

 



If Winter Comes, Can Spring Be Far Behind?

Even though it is bitter cold outside today in Michigan, (9 degrees right now!) We finally had some sunshine today. A little sunshine makes the cold so much easier to bear. You know what else makes it easier? Pink sweetheart roses in the clearance bin at Kroger. $4.50 worth of Springtime dreaming. Worth every cent.

 

 Our niece is home from New York City for a few days and asked if she could visit tonight. Can she? I just about jumped up and down with joy :>) So we asked the rest of the family over too, since they are being kind enough to share her with us, and I set the table for a dinner party tonight. A winter woodland theme, silvery candle sticks with my "birch" candles, a crochet tablecloth and ticking stripe runner and the brown transferware.

Earl made Shepherds Pie, and Crème Brule and I'll round out the meal with a salad full of  lettuce, strawberries, feta and toasted pecans. It's nice to have something fun to look forward to now that Christmas is past.  How about you? Do you have something fun to look forward to this month? Are you getting any sunshine? If not, some clearance flowers make it feel like Spring. I highly recommend getting some :>)

The Year in Review

I always enjoy making the year end collage, choosing a photo from each month is such a fun way to put the year in review and sum up what I was up to.  2014 was heavy on wedding prep ♥

It may be a little late, (I am fighting a cold, that also seems to be a New Year tradition in this house!) but here it is, 2014 summed up in photo's.  It was a colorful year, full of good things and I look forward to starting 2015 with a fresh slate.

We have some big plans for this year. I'll share them as they develop. Now I'm off to pack up the decorations and freshen things up. The Snow is falling for very nearly the first time this winter and a cup of coffee and some errands will round out the day. What are you planning for the month of January?