Pretty Outdoor Spaces...

This is the sign that I made many years ago and it stays at the back door to welcome visitors.

We've gotten the screened-in porch ready for summer guests.  I want to hang long curtains behind the sofa for some extra privacy later.

I got the chairs painted and put the new cushions on.  It's ready for the grandchildren for Easter Sunday lunch.

Thursday night I finished making the cushions for the furniture on the front porch.  I've had this fabric for a while and just got around to using it.  I may make some more cushions for the swing.

The rocker is really comfy now.

I love the look of the entryway.

The table is made from milk cases from my parents' dairy farm.

Geraniums seem to be the perfect flower to welcome guests at the front door.

Gretchen

Last Minute Details...

I found this sign on Monday at the little hardware where Mr. Bird Nest likes to shop.  If you aren't from the South, you might not understand this.  I have to find the perfect place for it in the house.  Maybe in the guest room or the screened porch?

The eggs are ready to hide for our annual Easter Egg Hunt.  We'll hide the eggs Saturday evening in the backyard for the hunt after Easter lunch on Sunday.  I only fill about 15 eggs with candy and the rest have quarters, dimes and nickels in them.  Our four grandchildren don't need the candy and they love getting cash.

This is the beginning of my table decoration for Easter Sunday lunch.  I've still got to put the extra leaves in the table and add the pad and tablecloth.  I also have gifts for the kids that I'm keeping secret.

We're off early Thursday morning to take Nicholas (10) and Chloe (6) to Stone Mountain, Georgia for a couple of days.  I may spend my time relaxing at the Marriott pool while Papa takes the kids sightseeing.  I'm exhausted. 

Gretchen   

A Spruce up for the front door and more...

This is the front porch of our house.  My husband rebuilt it about 5 years ago and then he repainted it all when I had my knee replacement surgery three years ago.

Since Mr. Bird Nest has been on vacation this week, we went to get some pool supplies this morning and I got some perennials for the front of the house.

I have fabric to make new cushions for the porch swing and the rocking chair but that will have to wait until after Easter.

The Geraniums and Creeping Jenny just make the pots (that I painted black last weekend) look crisp and clean.

I also bought and planted Impatiens
around the light post.  As you can see my Iris are almost in full bloom.

Just a hint of what I'm also working on.  They have to be done by Easter.

Gretchen

A Little Bit of Planting and Painting...

Barbara of http://www.thetreasuredhome.com/ suggested that she didn't think rhododendron would grow with full sun in this bed.  I respect any advice given to me by fellow bloggers.

Instead of the rhododendron, I moved these two hydrangeas to this spot instead.  They will grow here in full sun.

Yes, I know I need a load of mulch in this bed but I don't think I'll get that accomplished until  I've finished planting.

We have guests coming in May and June and I want everything in the yard to be perfect by then and I still have painting to do inside. 

This is the area I moved the rhododendron to.  This secluded corner only gets minimal sun.  In addition, this area will be shaded by the butterfly bush.  You can't see them (they are hiding until Easter), but my concrete bunnies are in this corner.  They may come out of hiding before next weekend.

My granddaughter Chloe came over to spend the afternoon and evening with us yesterday.  Her mother was working at the hospital in Pediatrics and her Dad and brother were on their way to the beach for a few days of fishing and seafood eating.  She helped me paint these posts white from the dreary gray and we had a great time doing it.

This is Chloe after an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday with her best buddies and neighbors, Jake and Diesel.  She is just the friendliest kid I've ever seen.

After all our work Chloe and I spent the late afternoon and evening playing Old Maids and Crazy Eights.  Chloe is one girl who will never be an Old Maid.

Gretchen