Spring in Michigan

SPRING
has finally arrived in Michigan and I am so happy!

If you have ever lived here you know that one day it can be 75 degrees
and the next day we can have snow. ugh.
I hope and pray that the snow is over with for the year.

Lilacs are starting to bloom along with all the other spring flowers.

I just LOVE this time of year when everything is new.

My tiny grape hyacinth.

I love the tiny and delicate size of these beauties.

My pretty pink phlox!

Look at the center of them. So beautiful and perfect. Each and every one.

Isn't it amazing what our creator does?!!

Every spring I look out my kitchen window to see this flowering pear and I laugh.

The trunk is so small compared to the branches of the tree!

We have been told that these snap in high winds very easy because of this,
but so far we haven't lost ours.
If that day ever comes, I will literally sit down and cry!

Pretty violets. We used to find these in the woods whenever we would take walks years ago.
So perfect and delicate.

Lilacs are my favorite springtime flowers, but they wreak havoc
with my sinuses so I can't bring them inside. I can enjoy them out on my
front porch though.

I have dark purple lilacs and this pretty light lavender color. I dug up and planted a
couple starts of  this one maybe five years ago and they have thrived for me.

All I did was stick a shovel in the ground, push back the dirt and stick in the
tiny shoot! I have decided this is the way I must plant from now on because
we have bought trees that we have taken care to dig the hole the right size,
add all the stuff to make the soil right etc and they do not live for us.
Crazy!! 

The plants along the garden path are starting to wake up.
I will say it again:

I LOVE this time of year!

Our forsythia bush is putting on quite a show this year. It is gorgeous and huge.
We moved it several years ago because it was getting way too big in front of
our back porch. I told hubby it would never live since it was already several years old
and well established, but it proved me wrong! YAY for me being wrong. ha!

I hope you all are doing well and I hope to get back to more blogging this year.
Last year was a horrible one and I pray that this year brings many unexpected blessings
from heaven above. We are coming up on the year anniversary since we lost our
granddaughter Eden Rain and that will be a very hard day. Please keep our family
in your prayers if you think about it. God is helping us, but we sure miss her.

Shopping in Wilmington, North Carolina

So who goes on vacation and doesn't shop?? NOT ME! ha! I found a few things that I brought
along home with me.

I LOVED the shop that was filled with pillows like the one above. I mean this lady had
hundreds of pillows with beaches, towns and coordinates. She told me that she ships them to
 Michigan, Florida etc. and had just shipped out 200! Wow! That is dedication!

I LOVE this pillow. She didn't have it in black so I ordered one and she sent it to my home.
It is made out of canvas with an envelope back so you can insert a pillow form.
She sent the form along home with me so she wouldn't have to mess with mailing that.
I am thinking of ordering another one that has Wilmington, North Carolina and the
coordinates. Isn't it so cool?? 

I fell in love with this french grain tote and did NOT purchase it when I was there. I tend to
think about things for awhile. Well, you might know as soon as I got home I decided that
I should have purchased it. So I ran down the store online {quite a feat in itself} and asked
if they would ship to me. It was my lucky day.

I purchased this lovely coastal bracelet and have worn it almost every day since being home.
I miss North Carolina. Wilmington is such a BEAUTIFUL place.
We also picked up these shells at the beach.

This is on the of the stores that I did not purchase anything in , but I took a few photos.

Taking a photo break...SMILE!

I told hubby that I want to eat here next time. Too many places to eat and shop.
Oh my, what is a girl to do?? ha~

I mean...doesn't this just draw you in? It is right along the riverfront.

Okay...this store was GORGEOUS...beyond GORGEOUS, but I forgot to take in my camera
so the only shot I got was of the outside. ugh! This is the store that I purchased the french
grain tote from.

This place is called
THE SHOP OF SEAGATE.

The next few pictures are from here.

The COASTAL VIBE store is where I purchased my bracelet and I also purchased a
beautiful white scarf. {forgot to take a photo of that to show you}

Just plain yummy-ness!! ha!

IF you click here you will find out all about THE COTTON EXCHANGE.
It still has an old wagon right inside the door that holds a huge bale of cotton.
That was neat to see and the building is beautiful! If you click the link be sure
to then click on  Cotton Exchange History.

It is filled with several shops that are fun to peruse at your leisure.

This is where I left my Canon camera!! Can you believe it? Hubby had already drowned one in the
ocean and I forgot my other $400 camera in here on a bench. ugh!! THANKFULLY a lady who owned one
 of the stores found it quickly and held it for me. I will be honest, I was in TEARS when I got back to my
son's apartment and found out I didn't have it. I thought I would never see it again.
Thank GOD for honest people!!!

Little Ms Ainsley had to have her photo taken here. She is so funny. WHO is she looking at?
haha!

I think this is the place where we booked a boat tour. Hope to share that soon also.

This shopping place was called Chandler's Wharf. I had to take some photos because my nephew's
name is Chandler. Too fun!!

We really did have a wonderful time and can't wait to go back!!
If waiting 26 years for a vacation takes me to places like this , it was well worth the wait.

Where are you going on vacation this year? I would love to hear about it!

Blessings~

More Vacation Fun in North Carolina

Fort Fisher Beach in North Carolina is the last beach we visited before we came home.
 There are so many beaches there that are within 20 minutes or so of where my son and his family live.
What a life to live somewhere like that. I think I could adapt very nicely...until the hurricanes come.

 I have decided that I want to become a beach bum! What do you think? Do I fit the bill? ha!

Something most people don't know about me...I LOVE the water , the beach and the ocean,
but living for years with motion sickness, I have just kept my distance. If you have never had it,
it is not fun, however I was pleasantly surprised this time to not have much of a problem
with that at all.

Although, I am sure if I was on a huge boat with rolling waves I would spend my time hanging
 over the side losing my lunch. As I said...not fun.

These little granddaughters of ours LOVE the water. I haven't met many kids who don't.
They had so much fun!!

I do WISH that I had learned to swim as a youngster. That is one thing I have always
wanted to be able to do. I took swimming lessons one summer when I was probably
around 10 years old, but I did not pass. I passed the diving and flunked the swimming. I
was scared to death of my feet not being able to touch the bottom. ugh.
I don't know what you think , but I am sure a person can't save themselves by diving!! ha!!
 How I wish I had been allowed to go back the next year and actually learn. 

Beautiful little sisters Annika Lilyana and Ainsley Paige.

Family photo shoot time again!

{I never remember to have anyone take photos of hubby and I}

This man of mine was looking for ships or anything really. It doesn't take much to make him happy. 

We searched for shells at this beach and found several. I also brought some sand home.
 I am trying to make a beach inspired jar filled with goodies as a reminder of our wonderful time.
I am so ready to go back!!

Blessings~