Happiness Is...

The hot sun going down, fresh cherries, and crickets singing welcome to the night air.

Starting Seeds

We recently started a bunch of seeds in little pots, and I've been very pleased with their progress. I've been less pleased with the delight our dogs have found in sneaking "dirt snacks." They seem to have especially enjoyed the hot pepper seeds... We have the pots set up on a few plastic trays, plus a galvanized garden tote, and inside a small greenhouse I bought at Ikea several years ago. If you want to join me in growing dirt snacks, I've found everything you'll need (excepting the dirt). Below is a seed starting tray from andrewsreclaimed.

This seed starting planner from aQuickStudy is just the thing to help figure out when to plant those green beans.

Dabble with planting with this garden dibble from woodenapple.

We planted mostly vegetables, but I couldn't resist starting some black eyed susans. Thebearfootshaman has black eyed susan seeds.

I adore these antique terra cotta garden pots from solsticehome.

MakeScentsWithNature has these wooden paper pot makers - I recently bought one from their shop and I love it. It's even easier to use than I thought it would be. Can't wait to make your own pots? RushofWings has newspaper pots already made for you.

You could also start your seeds in a sweet little vintage coffee cup from ARareThread. Don't forget to water your seeds regularly. It's very important. Remind yourself with this Water Me garden marker from monkeysalwayslook.

Once you've transplanted your plants outside, you'll need garden markers to keep track of which plant is which. MakeThyme has these copper garden markers that will do the trick.

Wish us luck that the seedlings continue to grow, and that the dogs don't indulge themselves too frequently. Are you starting seeds indoors this year?

Treasury East

Etsy has introduced its new beta Treasury, Treasury East. I gathered 16 items that would create a perfect evening on the back deck. Unlike the original Treasury and Treasury West, the Treasury East doesn't expire. I could get used to this new feature...

Rain

We had a gullywasher yesterday. And so, inspired by the rain and while poaching, er... browsing the favorites of tugboatprintshop, I gathered these rainy items. (Above, Little Cloud Painting by Ambera, and below, Wavejumper from tugboatprintshop.) Glass fishing float, from GlassFloatJunkie.

Light blue enamel cups from Hindsvik.

WAC WWII raincoat from foxybyproxy.

Deluge original watercolor painting from GollyBard.

Collect Your Tears, still life photo print from illuminession.

Storm Watcher from lewfoster.

Crocuses in Spring Rain print, by veeninga.

After The Rain, by PoetryAndCloth. Enjoy the Spring while it's here, in Virginia we always slip into Summer far too quickly for my liking.

Hippity Happity Day

Happy day! I bought some plants for the yard this weekend. I got some old favorites and a few new ones. I had silvermound (below) planted at the old house, and it grew really well, so I thought I'd give it a try here. (We moved about 2 blocks away, so we're not talking different zones.) Hellebore is new to me, but I've been intrigued and thought I'd give it a try.

I love violas. Way more than pansies. I typically won't plant annuals, but I can't resist a few violas.

Creeping phlox is one of my favorites, especially the periwinkle colored blooms, because they bloom around my birthday.

These were sweet, too, and I can't resist blue flowers (obviously).

Happy day, happy week, happy year.

Hope Blooms

Spring may arrive afterall. Every year I am surprised by the blooming of these sweet little irises. They bloom so much earlier than anything else. We may still get snow this month, but they're insistent. I'm grateful to the previous owners who planted them - I planted a number of irises after we moved in, but these have great timing: there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Everyday Extraordinary

Every day on my way to work, I pass this dilapidated old building. The sagging roof always catches my eye, and every day I think, I should stop and take a picture. For several years, I haven't gotten out to take a picture. I knew that I needed to take one soon, though, because the land was rezoned a few years ago, and they will demolish the existing buildings and build a new neighborhood. Yesterday, it was a strange, wet, balmy January morning, with rain off and on. As I approached the sagging roof, I thought to myself, maybe the clouds will be doing something interesting, and I should stop and take a picture... I then thought that the conditions were about right for a rainbow, and before I could even finish the thought, there was a giant rainbow. I had to pull two U-turns to park my car safely, and walk a good ways down the road to get back to the buildings, and by that time, the rainbow had faded away. I took some pictures anyway. As I was finishing up, another rainbow appeared in a different part of the sky. I'm telling you, the weather was strange yesterday. This one was much smaller, and less bright, and through utility lines, but hey, a rainbow is a rainbow. I'm glad I finally got around to stopping to take some pictures. I would have regretted not having some to remember the sagging roof. Because one morning, I will drive to work and it won't be there. And we need to remember to appreciate the little things in our everyday lives that are actually extraodinary.

Welcoming Warmth

I hope that my goal of having a warm glow coming out of the foyer when you look from outside has been accomplished. It took me a long time to settle on Benjamin Moore's Golden Tan. I wanted the house to communicate warmth and welcome even from the street.

I'm Out of Doors, You Know

I think I've established in recent posts that Fall is my favorite season. I don't fare well in the sun, or in the humidity we have here in the Washington, D.C. region. So when things start to cool off, and everyone else starts to think about nesting inside, I start to think about how I can finally go outside and enjoy the crisp, cool weather. I can wear jeans and a long sleeve tshirt and be comfortable - hooray! Several years ago I noticed these pictures in a real estate listing. We were not in the market for a home, since we had just bought, but I saved the landscaping pictures from this listing because they were so inspiring to me. Our property is not as wooded as these pictures, but this back yard is nearly perfect: wooded, hardscaped, and useable.

Now that I am motivated to go back outside and enjoy the autumn air, I went looking for Etsy items that let me enjoy the season to its fullest.

We need a new picnic table on our deck, as our current table is rotting. This picnic table with backed benches by jeffreypohan would make an excellent replacement.

How fun would Shugi's autumn-colored table cloth be on the table, welcoming guests to celebrate Fall?

Knives, forks, spoons, and napkins can come outside in this vintage metal wire basket by ayme123.

I want adirondack chairs like these from JSCar59 on the other side of the deck, looking out over our vast suburband lands...

Grainsack pillows resting on the adirondack chairs would make a cozy touch. These are made by lesliejanson.

When the weather is still warm, I will sip iced tea as a survey my lands, poured from buygollymissmolly's vintage metal water pitcher.

And as it cools, I will cradle GlazedOver's textured pumpkin mugs in my hands, breathing in the steam from hot apple cider.

This vintage metal wheel furniture cart from silknparachute would make a great footrest/coffee table/drink cooler cart.

I will need some planters for the deck, like this fantastic mosaic pot by annamadeitdesigns.

This deck rail planter would be a perfect addition. Find it at natureinspiredcrafts.

How about a fresh bouquet in a minnow bucket from polkadotHOME as the centerpiece on the picnic table?

I will need to restock the bird feeders, and might as well add another one to keep the birds coming back through the winter months. Gypsypottery makes these rustic ceramic birdfeeders.

We cannot forget lighting for the evenings outdoors. I love these lanterns by MidwestFinds. Babyfood jars make these the sweetest little lanterns I've ever seen, courtesy of ARemarkYouMade.

I would hang Lepelstat's Orion's Lantern from the low branches of the large tree in our backyard.

And since we're under the tree now, how about another picnic table from TheMonkeysFriend?

This Asian garden lantern by LagunaGardenworks would be a shot of understated eclectic flair among plantings in the yard.

Let's put the birds up in better accommodations than we enjoy - HarmonsCountryCrafts offers this magnificent birdhouse/nesting box.

We can't forget to take care of the local bats, either. They eat mosquitos and other bugs that put a damper on outdoor festivities. Check out this bat house by Debmarques.

I would also like to extend some hospitality to our pollinators with this bee nest block by andrewsreclaimed. I would love it if you would share your favorite outdoor autumn activities or decor. Inspire me!