Now You See it...

 Now you see it-now you don't. That is the perfect name for this blog and you will see why as we move along. Let's check out the kitchen today.

I have always loved lavender. I have tried to grow it a number of times with varied results even though I did "all of the things" that supposedly make it flourish. I finally gave up but still purchase anything "lavender scented" that I can find. I bought this towel when we stopped at this lavender farm when in Connecticut and even though we were not there at the peak of the season, I can still smell the fragrance from all of the lavender gifts they sold in their shop and the few blooms still left on the plants.

When you look this way you can kind of see the pops of purple...until you get closer. Lol

I picked up the new tea kettle in Target. I had looked at it a few times and even though I had a perfectly usable kettle already, I was more than ready for a change so, when this cutie went on sale, I grabbed it.

 I reused the rose prints I had for Valentine's Day to the left and the right of the stove.

And, the rose print I picked up in Walmart a bit ago is on the shelf over the sink. 

And, even though I convinced myself that roses come out in the spring-although I really think of them as more of a summer flower-I already knew that the color and "theme" differences in this room were going to bother me and...sure enough, as I was posting these pictures, this happened.

I just had to find some lilac and lavender prints and swap them out. Which leads me to this...

The flowers in the print are definitely roses but the ones in the small pot on the shelf are pansies so, for whatever reason, this isn't bothering me as much...yet. Lol

I had forgotten that I bought this print in Walmart back when I was looking for what I would use for my "Halloween remake". I didn't use this one but set it aside for spring but then almost forgot I had it. I think I like it here.

And I left the dinnerware as it was for Easter. I like the mix of the soft green ruffled edge set mixed with the floral ones. I usually bring out just the floral for spring but I think the green adds a softness that seems to go with everything on the top shelf. I also just laid the fresh lavender bundle across the metal "bird feeder" tray.

I think it was ALL of the lavender and lilac on this end of the kitchen that made me rethink the other side. Somehow those pink roses just kept saying Valentine's Day. Lol

So that's where the kitchen stands for now. Time to go sit down and put my feet up after a pretty busy day but first, I need to share some pictures from the lacrosse game. We took a pretty hefty win which was exciting because it was the last game that will be played on their home field for this year and the last one forever for the seniors-including grandson #2. After four years of football and lacrosse for this one, it is a bit sad to know that this part of his story is ending-along with all of ours-countless nights of freezing, sweltering, getting rained on, tailgating, cheering, etc. has drawn to a close and I am going to miss it all. And soon a whole new chapter of his life will open as he heads to UF. It was kind of crazy on the field as lots of hugs and handshakes were happening but I did manage to get a few shots before the lights started going off in the stadium to let us know it was time to say good night. Lol

My son-in-law is one of his coaches. Hud actually scored a goal tonight which doesn't happen often because of the position he plays but he has had a great year with more goals for him than usual. When it does happen, it is always an incredible play!

Even his sister is proud of him!

He and his head coach have a bond.

And then he surprised me later that evening when he sent me some other pictures from the prom that hadn't been shared yet.

They had a good time and will be doing it all again at his prom in a few weeks!

That's all I've got for today. Stay safe and stay tuned.

Spring Has Sprung

 Not much on the calendar today until I have to get ready to head to my grandson's lacrosse playoff game so I thought we could head into the living room. I have made a few small changes in here this year but still trying to fit in some of my favorite pieces as well.

I love this plaque that I found in the cutest little garden shop in Savannah many, many years ago. We almost always stayed at a hotel down near River Street when we visited and I just happened upon this place on one of our visits as we were walking to Clary's-our favorite breakfast spot. It was a bit off the beaten path but once I found it it became a "must" on each visit thereafter. I'm sorry to say it is no longer there and I miss it. I always found some kind of a unique treasure to bring home with me.

My brother and sister-in-law gave me this "welcome" piece years ago as well. My sister-in-law said it represented me with my three "chicks". It is still the perfect piece for my spring decor.

My spring decor is when I bring out lots of pieces that I actually originally bought to use as garden accents. All of them have been found in special favorite shops in many different cities and always bring back so many special memories each time I bring them out. Both of the two pieces of bracketing below were found in a sweet shop in Mt. Dora-also off the beaten path and also no longer in business. They are both chipped, broken and weathered and that is why I love them so much!

This wreath is the reason I am still incorporating some pink and purple in this room. I bought it at "Julies" in Indian Rocks Beach and her things were made so beautifully. Her faux flowers were the closest to "real" until the "real feel" recently came along. As much as I would love to, I just can't not use this wreath...at least this year.

This picture that I found at HL last year kind of set the pace for this entire vignette. The pitcher closely resembles the one I put in the shelf that daughter #3 gave me a long time ago. And then the white hydrangeas...I have had faux white hydrangeas for many years but they have not been my favorite. I use them when I need to and I actually had an arrangement here that I wasn't thrilled with so I added in the peonies for a bit of a punch. And then, as I was walking through the 4th of July section at Walmart the other day, I happened upon the new "My Texas House" decor and they had "real touch" hydrangeas and they are beautiful. This is the first place locally that I have found them and even though they were almost $7 a stem, I grabbed seven. Now I wish I had grabbed four more because this arrangement would be gorgeous with just a few more added to the mix. Since I use these flowers for several of my decor themes, I am OK with spending that much. They just look so real!

And, since my inspiration picture had a bird sitting on a stack of green books, I grabbed the books I painted for St. Patrick's Day and put my little framed bird on them.

I added the purple flowers to my "coffee" tulips because I just felt like they needed a pop of spring. The purple might be too much but I love those tulips so much that I am living with it until a better idea comes my way. Lol

So that is the living room for this year. While it isn't "perfect", it does makes me feel as if it is reading as a season instead of a holiday and that is what I want since I will be living with this decor for a bit before I can jump into the 4th of July. A lot of the decor blogs that I follow are already decorating for the 4th because this is such a big, birthday year but I'm not ready to jump that far ahead just yet.

I've got a few things to do before I leave so I am off for now. Hope to be back soon. Since I use this blog as a bit of a family journal, I like to include family milestones as well as decor and crafts and this weekend saw two in our family. Grandson #1-who is a junior at the US Coast Guard Academy-had his "ring" dance. Apparently that is where they get presented with their class ring before entering their senior year. He sent this picture and it's looking like he hasn't had to wear this uniform since the beginning of the year and he must have grown because those pants sure look short to all of us. At this point, I guess there was nothing he could do. Lol

And grandson #2, his brother, had one of the two proms he will be going to this year as he and his girlfriend attend different high schools here in Ocala. They make such a beautiful couple and will both be heading to the University of Florida in the fall.

That's it for me today. Stay safe and stay tuned.