The Tradition Continues!

It seems like only yesterday (wink, wink) but it was actually 50 years ago that my husband graduated from the University of Florida and started the long line of Florida graduates to follow! We are a Gator family-and often bleed orange and blue. And so, it was with tremendous pride that we accepted the newest member of our family into the group. Our oldest grand daughter graduated this weekend-with high honors!

But, being true to her self, she chose not to walk. She is not one for ceremony and recognition-although I know she was proud of herself. She finished her BS in three years and is moving straight on to her masters and then everything else that will follow! I guess she figured she would spare us this ceremony as there are many more to come in her future until she has achieved her ultimate goal!

In any case, she did agree to some photo ops and then let us have a fun celebration at the new Depot Park in Gainesville.

This party was just what Hannah wanted-no frills or fluffs...just a day of family gathering and fun! And that is just what we had! It was hot for April but a nice breeze and some cloud cover kept it very enjoyable and then the water park was a lovely relief when the sun came out!

The humiliation this child puts up with when her Nana asks!

A great time was had by all and, as I have said so many times before, Hannah is the one who made us grand parents-and, it is a ride we have cherished for 21 years. All seven of our grand children are amazing. Their talents and honors abound. But, at the end of the day, it is the family love that keeps us going. And, our spring time celebrations are just beginning-so much more to come. Stay tuned.

Busy Few Days Ahead...

...so I thought while I have a minute, I would get in another room of spring decor.

The baker's rack was the easiest swap out ever as almost everything from Easter is still there-just pulled a few bunnies and substituted birds!

I just realized that the kitchen really isn't all that springy as a lot of the Mediterranean things are back out again also. I'm OK with that as there aren't many other opportunities to use them during holidays and seasons. Like I said-spring decorating is not my forte. A few years ago I had stacks of white cups and bowls full of nests and eggs but when I got rid of the large hutch in the dining room, I lost lots of display space and just never went back to it...maybe that's why the swap out is so easy these days. Stay tuned.

Ahhhhh!

We FINALLY had the smallest of rain showers and I FINALLY got a chance to get some of my Miracle Gro-ing done, so things in the yard aren't looking quite as stressed as they have been. I thought I would take a spare moment and get another spring room posted although I must admit that spring is not my forte!

It's funny how some decorative things come and go and some seem to linger forever. That cement dove and the vine basket are two examples. I bought the dove in the cutest garden shop in Maitland many, many years ago and the basket was one of my first purchases from the online boutique two of our daughters had. Somehow, at least for me, they have stood the test of time and I find myself reaching for them often!

I think I have mentioned that spring is always a busy time for our family and then when you throw in graduations and a prom it becomes even more so. This was Morgan's senior prom and since she is not dating anyone special, she decided that she would not accept any date requests and go with all of her friends. They will all soon be heading off to many different colleges in many different places and she wanted one more opportunity to enjoy their time together. I know I say this about every one of them, but where have the years gone??! 

And speaking of "years", Morgan's sister, Hannah, is graduating from UF this coming Saturday. She got her BA in 3 years and is heading straight into her Master's program with a graduate assistant ship...these kids amaze me!!

We are looking forward to celebrating Hannah this weekend and excited to have the whole family in town. I am sure I will have much to share-stay tuned.

Spring Has Sprung!

We have had the most beautiful weather lately and I have been trying to spend as much time outside as possible because I know that living in Florida, this too shall pass and I will be happy to be inside with the A/C soon enough!

That is one of the reasons that I am so happy that the Easter to spring transition is pretty much the easiest one of the year. It really didn't take me long at all to pull out the bunnies, eggs and pastels and replace them with birds, nests and more greens-with a few other spring colors thrown in where I had no choice. I actually just popped these pansies into the door basket because the pansy flag is still up and I thought it helped tie the two together. As I'm looking at this picture I see where I might need to get out there and mix the flowers up a bit more-it kind of looks like just what I did-stick the pansies in and called it a day-lol.

Here is one example of spring color. I like this wreath even though I'm just not much for pink any time of the year except for Easter. Since there is some purple in there as well and purple in the basket in the scale, I'm OK with it.

I always love a chance to use the old pieces of porch that I bought many years ago in a garden shop in Mt. Dora. Those were each a purchase that had my husband quoting his favorite line..."how much did they pay you to take those old things off of their hands?".

Garden plaques aren't just for outdoors-especially this time of year. I have several in the house right now and I love the garden vibe they achieve.

These candle sticks and the rustic pot the nest is in make my heart happy. There is just something about the old, weathered look that I just love! The more rusted or chipped, the better!

So that is the spring living room. As I was taking these pictures, I found myself wondering what I usually post during May. It seems like last year we had a little thing like a master bath renovation going on so there was lots to talk about. Won't have anything like that happening this year so I had better get my thinking cap on and come up with some project ideas. I have been wanting to frame out some of our windows so I think I just might see who I can rope into helping on that. And, of course, there is always the next holiday coming down the pike. In my case, that will be 4th of July-which usually goes up in early June so it can be there awhile. And, look at my first, new, little treasure. I spied it at HL the other day and that 40% off coupon was just burning a hole in my pocket. And, of course, it didn't hurt that it was such a cute vintage image. I'm just getting some ideas perking so stay tuned.