Sharing my hydrangeas

I truly think the right name was picked for these hydrangeas!
I wonder how they come up with the names? They never ask me, I know that! lol

INVINCIBELLE SPIRIT...perfect fitting name for these gorgeous flowers!

From the day I planted them they have grown leaps and bounds every year.

I purchased them on clearance a few years ago for $5 a bush instead of $24.
I wish now that I had purchased every single one they had.

{Click on this link to read a great article of how these flowers came to be}
It is very interesting!

They grow tall and lush for me in my black Michigan soil.

The sun was really bright on the above photo thus it looks washed out.
They really are as bright as the previous photos.

Do you see a running theme in my flowers?
Lots of PINK...I love pink flowers.

I hope you are having a great week. The temps here are gorgeous for the next couple
days. Not too hot and not too cold. Just perfect.

I love summer when it isn't scorching hot!! I am not one for liking hot weather
at all. I guess it is a good thing that I don't live down south.

How are your flowers doing? I would love to know.

Praying for Charleston...

Summer in Michigan!

Please come up on my front porch and sit awhile if you so desire.

I love decorating outside just as much as I do inside so it spills out onto my front porch every year.

This year I wanted to add a bit of blue/teal to my decor without it being totally blue and I think I pulled
 it off.  What do you think?

I love vintage plant stands and have had several over the years. This is one that I hung onto
and I use it ever year. The flowers in my urns are just coming back after a nasty run in
with a raccoon! 

I always add impatiens to my porch in either pink or white. They are very easy to grow and this
gal LOVES easy. 

Front porch view from my yard. I am wanting to do something to the floor. We have lived here for over
 33 years and it has stayed pretty much the same. I either want to put a wood floor over the cement or get a
 nice big sea grass rug. I also want hubby to enlarge the porch posts and put some decorative angled trim
around the top and maybe the bottom. Hopefully we can get that done this summer.

One of our kitties are always photo bombing! lol

This is reality living in the country. I got up one morning to this mess! I never did get the large
terra cotta planter replanted. The plant was broken off with no roots left. ugh!

Doesn't this look like a fun clean up?  At least all these still had the roots attached so I could replant them.

As I said earlier, the flowers in the urns are finally coming along nicely. I hope we don't have any more
run ins with raccoon's. Hubby caught one so hopefully that is the only one around. ha!

The plants growing in front of the cement are tall white phlox, but they don't bloom until late June or July.
I love their fragrance. Also, the plant growing on the arbor is a Sweet Autumn Clematis. LOVE IT!
It has gorgeous white flowers in the fall.

This is also another flower I purchase every year and they are getting harder to find. I don't
understand it and neither do the growers because an IVY GERANIUM is the easiest flower
to grow! Makes no sense. 

 For the past several years I have had a tall white wicker table
in this space, but I wanted to mix it up this year. First I had this bookcase sitting the "tall" way and I
just didn't like it. I turned it on it's side and loved it. I want to put numbers above the openings, but
haven't gotten that done yet. I can change out the decor in the cubby holes anytime I want.

I hope you enjoyed your tour of our humble abode. I love living in the country...in Michigan...
in the Summer...without the raccoons!! :)

A Masquerade Birthday Party

My daughter planned a 16th birthday masquerade party for my granddaughter this past Saturday
and we had so much fun! I went up on Thursday to help out with the preparations and stayed
until Sunday. She put a lot of time and effort into this and it was an all around hit!

Allysha has always been so photogenic and I took the opportunity to snap several pics of her. My
 daughter ordered our masks off of Amazon and purchased matching ones for Allysha, herself and
yours truly.

Mother and daughter ..."hey Mandi...I'm over here!!"  hehe

We threw Grandma Sandi in the mix for this photo. First off,  I had matching clothes to wear. I really did!!
A dark pink top with a short sleeved black sweater and black and rhinestone necklace, but in typical fashion
for ME,  I slopped balsamic vinegar on the pink top as we were preparing for the party, so I went into panic
 mode and changed my clothes. Totally forgot to put the necklace on and it just bums me that I had to
 do a quick change to this outfit...story of my life. Can't take me anywhere!  *SMILE*

Me and my girl Allysha...a beauty at 16, but then she has always been!

As most of you probably know, black does not photograph well ...at least not for me, but it could be
because I don't know what I am doing. ha!! I had to include the next few pictures anyway so you could
get a feel for the decor.

Masks and feathers...purple and black.

Even sparkly purple crows.

My daughter set up a photo booth inside the house and it was a hit!! We took all kinds
of photos with all kinds of masks and people really had fun with it.

While wearing my mask, I had to stumble around to see where I was going. Seriously!

I took it off about halfway through the party and put my glasses back on and it was
a whole new world! HAHA!

This was the mantle in her house filled with candles and a touch of feathers.
She had TWO parties that day. The first one was for family and friends from 12:30 -3:30
and the second one was just for Allysha and her friends. It started at 7 pm and went until
midnight. I was down for the count about 10 pm...so tired, but they survived without
me. lol.

All in all a wonderful day for a beautiful granddaughter. I am just wondering where all those
years went!! HOW did she get this old already? I pray every day that God will direct her
path and be her guide through life. She is a very smart girl...sometimes too smart. HA! She has
 had some issues to deal with in her life also, but God is working and He is GOOD!!

Blessings~

It's Peony Time!

Are peony's blooming yet where you live? They sure are here in Michigan and
I took the opportunity to do a couple photos shoots. I think my camera is on the way
"out", but I am trying to nurse it along and hopefully it will last for awhile yet.

I had to include some AQUA because I think pink and aqua are just meant to be
together!

I think these photos with the books are off color. The flowers look more lavender to me than the true pink,
but they are pretty anyway...that temperamental camera again. OR it could be the photo taker??? 

Every time I notice that a few more flowers are out in full bloom, I run and pick them and stick them all
over the house. I just LOVE peony's! Can you tell?

I am including a couple photos of my old fashioned roses also. The smell from these is just
heavenly! They have been on our property for decades and I have dug up several starts,
plopped them in the ground and they grow wonderful for me. These photos are from starts
that were planted.

Hubby picked these light pink ones for me along the roadside a few days ago.

I had a plant exactly this color , but it didn't survive so I need to find another one.
I think it was called Sarah Bernhardt and my bff gave me a start...hmm...maybe
she has another one. You never know. :)

I love mixing all the shades of pink from very light pink to dark. I would also
like to get some white peony's to plant...someday.

I hope you have a wonderful upcoming weekend. My oldest granddaughter turned 16 yesterday and I
will be going to a masquerade party for her. That should be FUN! The older I get the more I
enjoy doing fun things and I am really looking forward to it. I may not look young, but I can
still party. ha!