Peony Season

Our peony season has ended and oh my, was it a beautiful and lovely one.  This was the best year yet for our peonies, and I'm happy to report that they have finally recovered from the disaster of a couple of years ago.  

One of the things I enjoyed the most about this years peonies was that I had so many blooms that I was able to give aways bunches of them!  That made me happy!

We even had a small dinner party to celebrate the peonies!

I made big and small arrangements for all over the house!  I even made Harris a "masculine" all white arrangement (he then let me know that he doesn't mind pink so much!). 

And here are some of the blooms...

Lilacs

I love this time of year where one season of blooming flowers flows into the next (I think this is a great reminder of what's in bloom).  As always, our lilac season felt very short but I think we made the most of it with arrangements, cocktails and syrups!

I made a lilac simple syrup that we've used in a few cocktails and spritzers.  I've also used it in my coffee!  I didn't love the margarita, it was too citrusy, but it was pretty!

I also made a batch of lilac sugar which can also be used in any number of different dishes.

 

May Day "Baskets"

Happy May Day everyone!  I love the sweet tradition of delivering May Baskets, full of spring flowers, to hang on neighbors doorknobs.  For years I've wanted to just that, but inevitably May 1st sneaks up on me and I find I'm unprepared.

Not this year!  I picked up flowers at the grocery store, saved cans from making chili, and put together a few sweet "baskets."  I drilled holes in the sides of the cans and knotted ribbon through the can so that it could hang from a doorknob.

I would have loved to use flowers from my yard, but I don't have anything blooming except a few daffodils.  I did use a sprig from the crab apple tree however.

I don't think I will ever tire of pink and green together.  It's so lovely and couldn't be more perfect for spring.

Daffodils and Compost Pudding

Happy Friday!  Today's post is about two totally unrelated things but they are both pretty happy...

My daffodils are coming up and this little arrangement makes my heart flutter just a bit every time I look at it in the window.  Makes me want to plant about a million more daffodils.

Also, for Earth Day I made "compost pudding."  Funny story- Harris has been asking for pudding in his lunchbox, and when I told him we were going to make pudding for Earth Day he gently reminded me that he was talking about the pudding in the plastic cups that everyone else got in their lunches!  Ha! He did however admit that homemade pudding was way better (but would still like some plastic cup pudding in his lunch!).

Pudding + Gummy worms + crushed Oreo cookies= Compost Pudding

Flowers

Yesterday, I attended a writing celebration in Harris' kindergarten class.  Here is the poem that Harris wrote:

Flowers

by Harris

Flowers sprout in 

the spring.

Flowers smell 

like honey.

Flowers are

My Mom's favorite thing!

I wonder where on earth he got the idea that flowers were my favorite thing?

Remember the herb garden I planted last year?  My how it has grown!

Grace brought these to me the other day just because.

P.S.  Funnily enough, I'm not a big fan of "florist flowers."  Bryce coming home with a dozen roses is not really my thing but I feel totally different about flowers from my own garden or a friends garden!

Daffodils

Last fall I planted a lot of daffodil bulbs around our yard.  I intentionally planted late bloomers because I thought we would have more of an opportunity to be outside and enjoy them later in the spring rather than earlier.  Enjoy them we have!

We have tiny, ruffled clusters of daffodils,

miniature daffodils,

yellow and orange daffodils...

teeny, tiny yellow daffodils,

and ruffly, gorgeous daffodils.

My quandary with flowers is always whether to leave them outside to enjoy or bring them inside to enjoy.  We did both.  I think in the fall I'm going to plant even more!

Peonies

Be still my heart. These beautiful flowers all came from our garden. For the past several weeks we have had a pretty steady flow of peonies but this combination takes the prize so far. I'm in love.

Beautiful

My mom brought these over yesterday.  I think they look gorgeous on my dining room table. Thanks Mom!