Beautiful Blogger Award

Thanks to Carrie from {the vintage wren} for my first blog award!  She is the sweetest blogger I have come across, you have to go check out her blog!

The first rule is that I have to share 7 things about myself.

1. I work full time as an occupational therapist, helping people gain back their independence after suffering a stroke, car accident, heart surgery, etc.

2. I have two yorkies, Lucy & Ella.

3. I will be 25 in May.

4. I like taking weekend trips.  Since I'm in St. Louis, MO, those trips usually include Branson, Hermann, Nashville, and in April we will be going to Eureka Springs.

5. I love being outdoors, but I HATE bugs.

6. I'm an old soul.  I love old movies, music, houses and antiques.

7. My sense of smell is pretty much non-existent, so I rely on my husband to pick out my perfumes, candles, etc.

Now, that you know 7 things about me, I need to pass this on to 15 bloggers who I think are special.

1. aura j o o n

2. My Sweet Savannah 

3. The Adventures of Elizabeth 

4. Life in the Fun Lane 

5. The Lettered Cottage 

6. Flower Patch Farmgirl 

7. Le Petit Treat 

8. SoSo Rosey 

9. Busy Bead Lady 

10. The Many Roles of Mom

11. All Thangs Old But New 2 U 

12. Jaded Mind 

13. Shanty2Chic 

14. Rebecca Sower 

15. LUVTODECORATE 
 

 

 

The Makings of a Gardener

As some of you may know, the old house that Josh & I purchased last year sits on a 1/2 acre lot filled with gardens.  At some point, there must have been an avid gardener living here because amidst all the dried up organic debris and 5 years worth of leaves, we had tons of flowers popping up last spring and summer.  I imagine it like the Secret Garden, dead and decrepit, and I want so badly to see it all come to life again.  Last year we cleaned up the leaves and tore out a few overgrown bushes and 20 yucca plants.  We transplanted our roses (the poor shocked little things) and played with a few flowers, mostly annuals. 

This week I have started cleaning out the garden beds.  I pulled weeds from the long bed lining the side of the house.  I cleaned up my circle garden in the front yard and mixed in new dirt after discovering that my mounding perennials were poking through the ground. 

Here's a picture from last year:

We raked lingering leaves and picked up the seed pods from my magnolia tree.  

I'm so excited that the weather has warmed up.  I've been working through my lunches all week so I can rush home and dig in.  I'm hoping that we can finish the clean up this weekend so we can tackle our lack of curb appeal.  

We have garden beds lining every nook and cranny of our yard.  We also have a massive rectangle of dirt from where the previous owner's pool used to sit.  The plan is to turn that into a veggie garden with the assistance of my Grandpa.  Confession:  I'm totally overwhelmed.  I don't know what to put where or how much sun each plant needs.  What kind of dirt do I have?  Heck if I know.  Which part of my yard faces south?  Good question!  

If anyone has any tips or advice, I would love to hear it!  I am going to put some ideas on paper, and if it doesn't turn out how I hope this year, there is always next year.  Right?

The Start of Spring Cleaning

 

Doing a little spring cleaning today.  Going through boxes and deciding if I should have a garage sale or not.  The warmer weather has me inspired and motivated!  Is it odd that I enjoy organizing?