Pulling Up Pansies

It is time to pull up my pansies for the summer. I planted them in October and they have been a bright spot of color in my yard for most of this winter. They curled up and hid on the coldest days but their perky little heads popped right up when the sun came out. It really grieves me to pull up blooming flowers but they are really ratty looking and I need to get the geraniums in the ground.

With our crazy hot weather here these babies would get fried! Sooo.... I started pulling.

Since I was pulling, I kept going with all the weeds!

All of the brown leaves are from our magnolia tree. It is so beautiful but it drops leaves all year long. I actually pulled weeds last week and they're back with a vengeance. The number one job this weekend is to get down a heavy layer of mulch! Here is why the magnolia tree is worth it.... behold....

 I really wish you could smell it! It is so sweet and a little lemony. MMMMM.... It's a nice place to work.

Right beside the Magnolia is the LAVENDER.

After all the pulling the weeds are gone.... for now.

 In April we had record breaking temps here and all most everyday was 80 deg. or above (that's 26.6 in Celsius) so the weeds are "growing like weeds". Tomorrow I'm heading to the garden center to get some HEAT and SUN loving plants to take their place.

In the wooded lot next to our house there is another heat lovin' weed that is actually welcome.
Blackberries. Way ahead of schedule this year.

Maybe a cobbler in a couple of weeks? My grandmother made a killer blackberry cobbler so I think I will try it. FYI - I HATE cooking. I really do. I see these awesome recipes on Pinterest and think " I should make that" but the fact is I don't WANT to.  I want to eat it, I'll clean up the dishes, but I want somebody else to cook it for me. If I am ever REALLY wealthy I will hire a CHEF. My poor son's future wife (if he ever finds her) will have no problem competing with my cooking. He was raised on take-out.

Y'all come back tomorrow and see my new yarn purchases. I am starting a new hooky project. I am in love! Thanks so much for visiting.

Grandmother

I was blessed with 2 wonderful grandmothers. Both were great at many things using hooks and needles. Today I am showing a treasure that my maternal grandmother, Agnes Elizabeth,  made specifically for me, and I watched her sew almost every stitch by hand. You see, she and Grandaddy lived across the street from me as I was growing up. My mom is an only child and when my Grandaddy retired from the ministry in Dallas, Texas they hightailed it back up here to Tennessee, where they were from originally. Grandmother was always reading the Bible, cooking, or making something with her hands.She was a germ-a-phobe and a whistler. Always the same song and under her breath... sorta whisper whistling. She was more than I could possibly describe here in a few sentences so I will just share these pictures of her handiwork.

Grandmother's Cathedral Window Quilt

 
When I was younger I didn't like all of the colors that were in the quilt.  Now, WOW! I ADORE all the crazy colors, and it will always go with whatever decor I have at the time.  There is NOTHING it doesn't match. Now that I am older, and try to make things myself, I cannot imagine doing this quilt by hand. I remember all of the little squares that she cutout and each cathedral window as it was made. I just had NO IDEA what she was doing. When she was part way through she said that she was going to give it to me when she finished.  I wasn't very appreciative. Nope.  I didn't get it, then.

Now it is one of my most prized possessions and thankfully I know that Grandmother, in Heaven, knows how much I treasure it. 

Thank you, Grandmother.