February in the garden . . .

It has been gorgeous most of the month of February

and we have enjoyed spending time outdoors.

I allot a little time each day clearing weeds and planting.

And, I am enjoying just basking in the sun on our garden chaises.

The hanging window in the garden still had a Valentine's message so it got an update.

I love that this quote references the garden, but is really about attitude.

I have no idea what plant produces these gorgeous flowers. 

I am sure that the birds planted it for me and I certainly am not going to complain,

The sun is shining on the last day of February

and I am now off to an ocean front restaurant to meet my college roommate and her husband for lunch.

I'll return to the garden after lunch,

but not to sit and enjoy myself.

The weeds in this poor sad section of the garden will be tackled and if time allows, the side yard will be cleaned up.

We welcome March and we hope it comes in like a lion with a few big rainstorms.

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Join me for

  Talk of the Town hosted by Betsy of My Salvaged Treasures


Wow Us Wednesdays hosted by Kim of Savvy Southern Style

all I can manage ...

Lately, I feel like about all I can manage is to get one decent picture to post on Instagram each day.

One of the challenges on Instagram this week was to show a favorite gift and another was to show something vintage so I combined the two hashtags and created this collage.

The gift I wanted to showcase was the candlesticks

which were a wedding present nearly 45 years ago 

and probably the only gift from our 1971 wedding that I still have.

The candlesticks definitely qualify for the vintage hashtag as do the linens I used for the table setting.

Lovely Rita of Panoply sent me the gorgeous vintage tablecloth and the wonderful striped napkins - at least that's how I use them.

Rita could not have chose a better tablecloth for our house.

Another day, sweet Ana of A Petite Cottage challenged me on Instagram to show teacups and pitchers and I combined it with the hashtag - #brightwhitewednesday.

The little cast iron pig is one of my favorite tchotchkes

and I love him paired with vintage linens from a friend.

Yesterday sweeping the porch was literally the only thing I managed to do.

Today I worked in the garden,

and I managed to capture a "selfie" in the garden mirror.

I actually did a fun project in the garden this morning, but that will be for another post.

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Join me at Thoughts of Home Thursday hosted by Stacey of Poofing the Pillows.

Work a Little ... Play a Little

Kathy of Kluless commented about my projects being done "with one hand tied behind my back".

I am using both hands, but I have figured out just how much I can do before my right hand starts to hurt so my pattern has become - work a little ... play a little ... work a little ...

Saturday morning I headed to the nursery for plants to add a little color to my winter garden.

I managed to put a bouquet of flowers in a basket

another on the dining room table

and put primrose in my grapevine basket before my hand said "no more".

Then, it was play time.

We headed out kayaking

which you can see doesn't involve hands because our kayaks have pedals.

Sunday involved more planting, LOTS of weeding and

a bit of moving the furniture around to get the best sun when I am reading on a chaise.

Sunday's play was to ride our bikes to Ojai and stop for lunch at the Ojai Valley Inn - to save my hand, we drove up the hill a bit before we started the uphill ride.

 This morning I finished planting the flowers,

but I only got one packet of seeds planted.

 This little metal tray of pots worked last year for growing seeds so I am optimistic that I will see some sprouts soon.

Today's play was a leisurely walk along the beach

and then relaxing in the garden.

This pic shows just how thick the weeds are in the garden, but I am trying to fill 3 tubs with weeds each day (left handed).

If I keep up this work a little ... play a little ...  routine, my garden just might look good by the time spring rolls around.

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Join me at Talk of the Town hosted by Betsy of My Salvaged Treasures.

Easy Changes

I am trying to avoid crafts that involve heavy use of my hands so this week's projects were just easy changes around the house.

The red cart in the entry got a new look in blues and yellows

to match the dishes in the cabinet.

The cabinet doors have been closed since November when I put the cabinet in the entry, but I wanted to see a little more color in the entry.

I posted the pic above on Instagram and had more than 50 comments suggesting that I keep the cabinet doors open,

But, this is what the cabinet looks like today.

You might notice from Steve's comment above that he had a definite opinion.

Steve pretty much lets me do what I want when it comes to decorating

 so when my "sweet love" makes a request, the least I can do is honor it!

After removing all traces of Valentine's Day from the entry, it was time to work on the guest room.

The room is a work in progress as I figure out just what supplies I have space for in the house and what needs to stay in the garage.

As you can see, the "desk" is just a narrow table, but it can hold a lot of supplies.

I hung an old window above the desk

with lyrics from the song, What A Wonderful World.

The window was part of the decorations for my son's wedding last summer and the lyrics are from the song we danced to during the mother/son dance.

My grandmother's school slate

and an old metal heart hang on the window for now, but I imagine things will change frequently.

I'm still working on filling this little cabinet

and this box (one of my father's tool boxes) with supplies.

The dresser will hold supplies and that bare space on the dresser is where I made all my Valentine projects - before I hurt my hand.

This box (another item from my son's wedding), made by Betsy of My Salvaged Treasures, holds ribbons.

And my grandmother's sewing box holds a variety of tools.

I am slowly filling this cabinet with things I will need for crafting

By the time my hand is fully healed,

this room should be ready for me to be creative.

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Join me at Thoughts of Home Thursday hosted by Stacey of Poofing the Pillows