GROWING

If you remember back last year, we put in some landscaping in our front yard, and I got started adding some beauty (in plant form).  This year, I am building on that foundation.  My first success this year were my tulips in early spring.  They were really beautiful, blooming in orangey-pink and white.  However...I have no picture to prove it.
Otherwise, we have pretty much filled up the rest of our garden.  I got two lobelia plants at the farmers market.  In reality, they are more of a bright blue color (they were called techno and they really do look a little neon).  Even though they are just annuals, they are probably my favorite flower right now.

My mother has taken a new hobby of buying me plants, and I don't mind!  She bought me two daisy plants and some other purple thing for my first Mothers Day, and then a few others in the days following.  This one below has really pretty gold flowers, but forgive me for not knowing what it is (even though the tag is right there I'm just too lazy to go check). But I still like it!

For perspective, I did manage to take a few wider angle shots.  Here are both the left side and the right side of the garden bed.  People and sprinklers kept me from getting the full picture, but I'm betting you can put two and two together.

And just for good measure, here's a shot of Mommy's little helper.  His most helpful skill is testing out all of the dirt to make sure it is still dirty.  Usually he will find that it is.

ANIMAL SANCTUARY

Little by little, I have been adding little touches to Mason's nursery.  First of all, it wasn't finished when he arrived.  Second of all, I enjoy the process of living with things and tweaking them as I go.  And third, I am way too cheap to fork over the cash to do an entire room at once.  I admire those of you who can (and do!) and in some ways am jealous of all your beautiful spaces, but let's face it.  That's just not me.  But anyway, I wanted to share a couple of changes that have happened in the past 9 months.
First, I added a new picture to the gallery wall.  Can I call it that with only three frames up there?  Well, someday it might grow to that stature.  I had always intended to add the umbrella print in Mason's room, but it just took me a little bit to finally get it printed and on the wall.  I bought the frame around Christmas time, so one day a few weeks ago I thought what is stopping me from filling that frame?  So anyway, the art cluster now looks like this.

We also repositioned the crib to be centered on this wall.  Right now, it is working.  And the rest of the room is messy, which is why the shot is so close.
Another change is that I have a small collection of animals forming in the nursery.  Here is a little addition that came courtesy of some birthday gifts.  Yes, I requested birthday gifts with the purpose of putting them in my son's room.  The print came from my dear husband (I had been begging for it FOREVER) and the hooks came from my parents.

This is on the wall you face as you walk into the room.  There is basically a little cove, so it was hard to photograph.  I am in love with this!  Every time Mason and I walk in or out I make him wave hi or bye to the raccoon.  And I love that I now have a place to store the diaper bag in his room.  Extra storage is always welcomed in this house.
Speaking of raccoons, another little guy came to live with us in the form of a toy bin.

Although he isn't full yet, this guy is a great toy wrangler for Mason's room.  And I just know that as the toy collection grows (hello first birthday coming up in twelve weeks but who's counting...) we will appreciate him even more.
The last little change to the nursery was a gift from Mason's Grammy and Grandpa for his dedication.  Things like this mean a lot to me, and I'm so thankful that his grandparents share the same wishes for him that Byron and I do.

I hung this right over the light switch.  From a little farther away, it looks like this.

So those are just a few of the little changes that happened in Mason's nursery. One of these days I'll have to clean it up and take a few wider shots!  In the mean time, sit back and enjoy the details.