Spring Flowers

“Is the spring coming?" he said.
"What is it like?"..."It is the sun shining on the rain and
the rain falling on the sunshine...” 

-Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden




I can't believe that it has been a month since I posted.

Time flies when we are having fun right??

I have been a busy little beaver as I am sure you have as well.

I have been planting flowers, celebrating Mothers Day and then this past Saturday
 I had a garage sale that coincides with the ones at the lake a quarter of a mile south of us.
 A few years ago I figured out that I don't have to pay for any advertising at all that way
 and it brings TONS of people out. It was a good day.

My lilacs are on their way out and I hardly got any photos of them. I decided to pick a few
today even though they look a little dreary. It is COLD here today in Michigan! We
went from 84 degrees and muggy yesterday to a high of about 51 today. BRRR!
This weather just can't decide on what season it is! I hope it makes up its mind soon!

Aren't these blossoms just gorgeous? We visited my daughter and her family over Mothers Day weekend
and these blooms were on her tree. GORGEOUS!

This is one of my lilac trees a week or two ago. This is a lighter colored one than the
one in the first couple of photos. The fragrance on this one is outstanding!

I still find it hard to believe that I dug up a few starts of this tree at my sons home when they lived
up here.  When I got home I just put the shovel in the ground and plopped in the lilac start and this
is what she has turned into! AMAZING!!

{we have GREAT black soil on our property}

I have heard of people that coddled these starts adding the right amounts of soil and other amendments
to start these and had no luck. Actually, I have two of them growing now so I am a pretty happy
camper. 

One day a few weeks ago I took a drive and ended up taking a few photos of this tree at the local
college.
They are just loaded with blossoms every year and I just can't resist.

I hope you are having a wonderful Spring so far and that the weather is warm wherever
you live. Do you have pretty flowers and trees? I would love to hear about them!!
Blessings~

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!

Hubby was out working on his RC truck this afternoon and I coaxed him into taking a drive up north a bit
to the Hillsdale College Slayton Arboretum. I have shared pictures of this place with you in the past , but
never this early! Before it was in the month of May to get the same trees budding. yikes. I am dreading
what this early Spring may do to the flowers and flowering trees.

Is this a gorgeous place or what?? I just can't get enough of it and I try to visit it at least once
 a year in the Spring to see everything in flower.  Looks like I almost missed it seeing all the
 petals on the ground, but they are still so beautiful!

I also love the stone building that sits very close to this gorgeous magnolia tree.

Someone there today asked if I was a professional photographer...LOL!! I said no just amateur.
She said she was as well. Hubby was carrying my camera bag so maybe she thought that was
like a caddy carrying a golfers bag?? hee hee Too funny.

I took over 250 pictures! While that sounds like a lot you can snap that many pictures so fast
it isn't even funny!! I will share more with you later, but just had to put a few on today for
you to enjoy. This photo above was not in the arboretum like the rest are, but on the
college campus.

Beautiful close up flowers. I want one of these trees so bad. I would even love my yard to be
filled with them. :)

I hope you enjoyed your little tour of the arboretum today. I sure enjoyed walking it
and taking pictures again this year. Happy Spring!!

{freeze warning here for tomorrow night...I will probably run around and cover my
small lilac bushes that are loaded with buds!}

Hillsdale College Rummage Sale

I took my *mum* along with me to the Hillsdale College Rummage Sale yesterday and we had a splendid time and found several goodies that I thought I would share with you. I posted about this sale last year and would have totally missed it this year had my mother not asked about it. It started at 9 am and we got there about 8:20 am and stood in line until they opened the doors PROMPTLY at 9 am. The line snaked way back around the buildings as it does every year. It is fun just to go and see all the people if nothing else. lol. At 1 pm everything is at least 1/2 off if not more so we go right away and take a load or two to the car, then off for lunch and then we come back for the 1/2 off prices. Fun times!!  {I picked up these keys when they were 1/2 off for 2.00}

I purchased all the s and p when they were 1/2 off . 1.00 for a single one and 2.00 for the pair. The bird was 25 cents, the lavender sachet 30 cents( it is new and smells so yummy), planter 60 cents, pitcher 1.00 and the gorgeous runner they are laying on was 25 cents and not one thing wrong with it.

Found these napkin rings when we were there for the 1/2 off too. 50 cents for all four..

I just think this 25 cent runner is gorgeous.

A beautiful white , ruffled bedskirt for $3.00.

Not the greatest photo, but a pretty scarf that I paid a whopping 50 cents for.

I love the plaques by this maker and have some of the larger ones. I found this one for 50 cents. I also picked up two of the perfect square vintage linens this plaque is laying on for 1.00.

A bag of snowflake ornies for 50 cents. I figured I could do something crafty with them...maybe?? :)

I am sure you have seen this saying before. Brand new linen . Picked it up for a sale I am going to have...someday!

A ruffled skirt for 25 cents that I just couldn't pass up...again thinking something crafty.

an old music book for 10 cents



I have all the previous books in this series so was thrilled to find this one and just like new.  I know I purchased other items, but these were what I could put my hands on at the moment. I also purchased five panels of curtains from Pottery Barn for $4.00 and love them.  Somehow the doiles and lace coasters that I picked up didn't get in the post either. All in all it was a fun day out for *mum* and me.



Strolling Through The Park One Day...

...in the merry merry month of May ~

I was smitten by Alice's post at Painted White this week called *In A Poet's Garden*(click here to see it) and I decided I just had to get to this Arboretum while the trees were still in blossom. We had not been here in years. It is a place I love to go that is only a 25 minute drive, but you know *LIFE* happens and things like this just seem to get placed on the back burner. We don't intentionally *NOT* go ...somehow it just isn't made a priority. Well...yesterday...

*IT WAS MADE A PRIORITY*

This lovely stone building and gorgeous tree met us as we strolled through the entrance~

Beautiful pink and white blossoms were lying about everywhere~ Several benches dotted the landscape for one to take a rest and enjoy Gods handiwork~ I was very surprised to see several deer laying just off the paths that we walked since this place is right in the middle of town. This deer was laying down and stood up just as I took the picture~ Love this saying ~

Our youngest son and his darling little girl accompanied my husband and I. She loves the outdoors...she had to walk up every step by herself...grunting those little baby noises all the way...so sweet~

Beautiful stone gazebo at the top of one of the the staircases~

I peered down over the ledge and saw this piece of paper...wondered what it was ...perhaps a love letter...oh probably not, but being the romantic I am I like to think so...(in reality it was probably a college paper since this is the college arboretum...LOL)~

Precious baby steps up yet another beautiful stone staircase~

One of several lovely buildings on our walk ~

I want to go back again when the clematis on this building are blooming and when the lilac bushes are in blossom as well. It will be just as gorgeous as today's walk if not even more so. I took 136 pictures today and I had to really pare them down . These are some of my favorites. Please take time to enjoy the little things in life. Take that walk you have been putting off ...stop and smell the flowers...enjoy LIFE~

Blessings~