Everyday Living

Let’s Take A Peek!

~ Gardening

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:17‬ ‭

With spring’s arrival, I’m thinking all things gardening!  If you have followed our blog for very long, you know that we spend most of our warm evenings in our little haven!  We are prepared, and the garden cleanup is finished…we are ready to put down new mulch and get the ball rolling! Although most of what you see here at Everyday Living in the way of gardens is ours, we have also made a few stops by several public gardens that were stunning!  I have loved then all, but by far my favorites are the private gardens that are not open to the public…the ones that families enjoy and take care of themselves!  We have been fortunate to peek “beyond the gates” in many cities, but one of my favorites is one that I visited last year in my very own city.  It is so beautiful, I believe it deserves a second look!  The home I will take you to today has a European feel and is set in a heavily wooded area.  The long drive leading to the house is covered in a canopy of trees with rhododendron and oak leaf hydrangeas on either side. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and let’s take a peek!
  As we entered the gardens in the back of the house, the hydrangeas were in bloom in front of a screened porch.

 This area would be perfect for morning coffee while listening to the birds chirping.
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Spring “Cleaning”

~ Decorating, Faith, Food & Entertaining, Gardening, Grandmother, Music, Travel

“Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭19:20-21‬ ‭

It’s that time of year…a lot of us have kicked it in to high gear cleaning out closets, wiping down baseboards, and organizing our pantry.  It’s a good time to free up drawer space and donate those gently used items to charity. What is it about spring that makes us want to clean?  It means cleaning windows and moldings, and an overall organizing of our home.

I come across as a very organized person because I wear a lot of different hats, but the truth is that I just fly by the seat of my pants!  And most of you bloggers will understand when I say there’s a time to clean up our devices…and for me, that means filtering through the thousands of pictures on my iPad. Yes, I said thousands!  I am that girl that has ten photos of the same shot and can’t find it in me to send any to the trash!  I began working on this little spring cleaning project on Tuesday and I am happy to report I have cleaned out over 1500 photos (can I get a pat on the back?!).  As I have taken the time to do that, of course, you re-live so many sweet memories that pictures bring back to you.  I thought in keeping it real on the blog, it might be fun to share a few with you that I kept…and the story behind them!

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I take photos of flowers anytime, anyplace…I don’t even remember where this was taken!

Yes, another castle on our travels…swords and armor!
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How Will My Garden Grow?

~ Gardening

“Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16:24‬ ‭

If you have been following our Simple + Southern Sunday posts for the past couple of weeks, you have probably seen early hints of spring that are gracing our Appalachian foothills.  The Japanese Magnolias have blossomed, forsythia is in bloom, and daffodils are everywhere!  We have had a mild winter, and now we are enjoying spring-like temperatures…but I am not complaining!  So, with all things spring on my mind, I can’t help but think ahead to beautiful sunny days spent in our backyard garden area!  And guess what?  It’s time to start planning…annuals, perennials, herbs, and vegetables!  It makes me so excited to think of how my garden will grow this year!  Join me as we dip into the archives and take a walk back through last year’s garden…and stick around for dinner, alfresco style! 

You can see more of our garden here.

Last year was the second season of enjoying our little garden space!
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