Using What I Bought Yesterday...

This is my little Gnome in my orchid pot.  Oops, I just noticed my wheelbarrow is in the same spot it's been in for the past week.  I need to get back to the yard.

Isn't he cute for $1?

Here's my little bug.

He even looks cute on these candle hurricanes.  He was $2.99.

Here it is!  I don't have a fireplace but I use these shelves in the kitchen like a mantle.  Don't you just love my topiaries I got today?  Why have I never gotten these before?  I put them in the little pots I got on sale at Michaels and then put the little moss stones from Dollar Tree around them.  

Here's another view.  I even like my bunny up there with my little teapot.  That's about as much art work as I'm able to do on my chalk board.

This is the little plant I bought, beside my bed.  The grandchildren love to use my phone.  They'll think up any excuse to go in my room and call their parents.

Yes, I know we don't have headboards but I've got an idea for some from a decorating book.  Don't tell Mr. Bird Nest!  He has to build them.  Shhh.

Happy April Fool's Day!

Gretchen



Shopping for Bargains...

I left this morning to run by the recycle center.  Our grandson Nicholas, who is ten, got us into recycling a couple of years ago and it was about time. 

After that, I went to Michael's and got the items above.

I also got these things and almost everything except the stationary items (which were each $1.00) were on sale.

Next, a quick run through The Dollar Tree.  OK, this picture is a little shaky but that comes with my advanced age.

I can't believe I only bought one bag of these moss covered rocks.  What was I thinking?  A few weeks ago I got some at Target that looked exactly the same for way more than a dollar.

Had to buy these!  Nicholas loves them and he's on Spring Break and we're going on a little trip with he and his sister Chloe.  More about that next week.  My other lucky grandchildren, Carson and Lauren, are at Disney World with their parents now.  Who can compete with that?

Last stop Dollar General.  More stuff for our trip next week and this tiny Gnome.  I saw one on a blog this week and just had to have it.  It was only $1.

Well, I'm going outside to wash my very dirty white BMW.  Mr. Bird Nest Cottage is working today to pay for my car and he's thinks it's my job to keep it clean.  I have to agree!

See you tomorrow.

Gretchen 

A Day of Rearranging...

Have you ever had a day where you have a plan and then it suddenly goes haywire? My plan was to continue working in the yard but the day has just gotten away from me. I moved one little table from the den to the master bedroom and that was it. 

Now I'm the "Queen" of furniture rearranging and one little move started another and then another.



I just wasn't happy with the way the living room looked.  We have a very tiny house and after I had my son (the contractor) build me the shelving, it's even smaller.

I needed to arrange things so that it was more comfortable and easier to move around.

My family came to the U.S. hundreds of years ago from England and that is the decorating style that I aspire to.  I'll never have that pared down, clean look that many blogs have.  I love antiques, ironstone and Spode china, lush draperies, chintz, baskets, and animals.  I don't have any animals now but I adore my collections of china and cast iron horses, dogs and more.

I've got to get back to all this fun before Mr. Bird Nest Cottage gets home from work and looks for his dinner.

Happy Friday!

Gretchen

Moving Big Plants...

We planted these Rhododendron by the screened porch at least 3 years ago.  My experience gardening dictates that if it hasn't thrived in three years move it to a new spot and try that.  These plants are really hard to dig up but I refuse to just toss them out.  I want to give them one more chance to thrive.

This is the one plant I've moved to the front of the house and full sun.  You can see that the leaves are yellowed and I'll need to add some nutrients to the soil to help this.  

Each year we try to mulch a different part of our yard and this year it will be the beds at the front of the house.  A truckload of mulch costs about $240.00 and aside from that, once it's dumped on the driveway I have to move it where I want it.  That's a huge task and therefore you can see that we have weeds that grow up before it needs mulched.

Our house sits on a 3/4 acre lot and since our house is only 1100 square feet, that leaves a lot of yard to take care of.  I've tried to move most of my plantings closer to the house so I don't have so much to do but it's hard to break old habits.  I want to have a beautiful yard and (unlike some of my more affluent friends) I don't have anyone to help me.

These are my Iris that are along the walkway to our house.  As you can see they have multiplied over the years to almost shrub size.

The Iris are even getting ready to bloom.

Enjoy digging!  It's that time of year.

Gretchen

 

Hopping Down The Bunny Trail...

I just got home from the dentist and I think you may have to wait another day to see the garden ready to plant.  My jaw is all puffed up and I'm feeling miserable.

Instead, I'm showing you my favorite Mr. & Mrs. Rabbit.

Mr. & Mrs. Rabbit are as cute from the back as they are from the front.  Don't you just love them.

I love yellow tulips and I just had to have these for my table.  I have them in a vase my oldest son gave me many years ago.  It still is the perfect place for cut flowers.

Gretchen

Another Day of Gardening...

I guess this will be a week of posting about gardening.

Well, the garden is finished being dug up.  My back is "hurtin" this morning but it's done.

You can probably see the red clay in the soil (that's what we have in the South) and you must amend it if you want plants to grow here.

If you are looking at the walkway on the left and wondering why all that grass is growing there, I plan to pull up those stones and after all the grass is gone I will fill in that entire area with pea gravel.

As you can see, I chose Black Cow to amend the soil.  It will break it down and make it a lot better for planting.

When we bought the Black Cow yesterday, I added some herbs to the cart.  I got Curled Parsley, Sweet Basil, Onion Chives and Lemon Balm.

I'm going to try to put down the Black Cow today and get my herbs planted.  Our nights have only been going down to the 50's and I feel confident that I can plant anything now and not worry about frost.

Are you planting a garden?

Gretchen

Gardening is for the Birds...

Saturday I worked on my garden and now have it about 2/3 of the way dug up.  What I wouldn't give to have a rototiller.  It's going to be a lot bigger than it was last year and that means more preparation of the soil.

At least the birds have been enjoying all the worms I've dug up.

I've still got to dig up the portion left from where I left off to the walkway to the pool.  Gosh it looks like a huge field to me but I know I will get there.


Recently, I received the seeds I had ordered from Burpee and I should receive my plants any day now.  I know I have to be ready to put them in the ground then.  Today the temperature is to be about 80 degrees, so I am hoping to finish.  Then I need to rake through the soil to remove the big clumps, to be ready to plant.  Whose idea was a garden anyway?  Oh, mine. 

Enjoy your day!

Gretchen