First Day Of Spring - March 2016

It turned out that the first day of Spring was a bright, sparkling, clear and beautiful day here in the South.  It was nice to have a little picture taking time to spend outside on this lovely day.

If you look closely at the tree tops you can see all of the 

new little green leaves coming in on the awakening trees.

The grass has turned green which makes a pretty contrast with the pretty pink Azaleas blooming.

 And in the back yard,  looking down the hill toward the pond,  we

 can see most everything is turning green.

While sitting at the kitchen table this early morning and looking out the window, I saw the very first Hummingbird stop by the feeder.   There was not enough time to get my camera to take his picture.  I thought how nice it was for him to appear for the first time on the very first day of Spring.  

Azaleas picked from the front yard.

I enjoyed having the March Garden Club meeting at our home last Wednesday.   All the members bring a covered dish to share for brunch.  I was so busy getting everything ready I did not have time to take a photo of all the delicious dishes everyone shared....the below photo is an "after" photo.

The centerpiece for the dining room table is a collection of pretty flowers from our local Fresh Market.  If you have a Fresh Market in your area you know how charming it is to visit that beautiful grocery store.  I love that they play beautiful classical music for all to enjoy while shopping.  I know I can always count on Fresh Market to provide amazingly beautiful fresh cut flowers and at any time of year.

For the arrangement, I used a rose bouquet from the market,  plus a mixed-flower bouquet,  and a little baby's-breath mixed in, along with the addition of the Easter Bunny since we are only one week away from Easter.

This ceramic Easter Egg made for a nice vase for some Azaleas from the yard.   This arrangement is sitting on the fireplace mantel in the dining room as an added floral decoration during the Garden Club brunch.

I painted this ceramic Easter Egg candy holder many years ago when the children were very young ... So as I think about it, we have had this dish for a very long time.

Also, from Fresh Market are these lovely beautifully colored Tulips mixed in with Azaleas from the yard, and arranged in a pretty tea cup.  This little bouquet was made as an additional small floral arrangement for the coffee station.

The Easter Bunny made his way into the pictures also.  I could not resist taking his picture on this beautiful first day of Spring.  This too is an old family Easter decoration we have had since the children were very young.

After the meeting was over and the ladies were gone I brought the dining table arrangement into the kitchen.  We spend so much time in the kitchen I thought it would be appreciated more in this spot.

And, I placed this little tulip arrangement in different angles trying to get just the perfect picture.

The lighting is so good out on the front porch I placed this arrangement on the banister and snapped a couple of photos ... Don't you just love all those beautiful colors.  Yes, the good Lord is truly an amazing artist.

And, of course, I took the very colorful Azaleas out on the front 

porch as well in an attempt to better see all of their amazing colors as well.

Another view of the tea cup arrangement.

The lighting on the front porch banister nicely shows the bright pink of these beautiful roses.

You can see how the colors pop out so beautifully in this natural light.

And, in the below photo we see an arrangement of all "Pink Perfection" Camellias.  Years ago we planted this Pink Perfection tree in our side yard in memory of my sweet Mother who loved this Camellia. The tree has grown tall and beautiful and is always a reminder to me of my wonderful Mother and her love for these beautiful flowers.

This arrangement was placed on the coffee table during the Garden Club Meeting.

Unfortunately, this Pink Perfection Camellia tree does not show up too well in this photo.  There are not too many blooms on the second half of the tree which makes me wonder if the many deer who come into our yard have been having Camellia blossoms for lunch.

The below photos show the blossoms still on the tree ... It is understandable 

why they are called "Pink Perfection."

During my first day of Spring walk around the yard with the camera,  I wanted to include a picture of this adorable little tin birdhouse we found during a recent trip to the Orlando area.  We found this at the Old Time Pottery. 

From what I can find out there are 35 Old Time Pottery locations around the United States.  It is fun to visit there just to browse.  And, of course, you know you will find something to bring home.

I keep watching from the kitchen window to see if any birds stop in to take a look, but so far no one has moved in to this pretty new home.

This next photo is a photo of Easter Bunny's family member;  possibly his mother or even a sister.

Isn't she sooo cute with her pretty little Easter hat and colorful eggs in her basket.  She too was a "must have" from the trip to Old Time Pottery.  She is made out of colorful tin and can be placed in your garden area.

Easter Bunny's Mother or possibly his Sister!  

Well! Our Winter was not too bad this year.  We hardly had any freezing temperatures, which is very unusual for our North Florida location.  But it was cold enough to have some cozy fires in the fireplace and nice fresh cold temperatures to enjoy for awhile.

I sit in amazement at the changes Mother Nature can make in just a few days.  We go from what looks like black and white photos outside to the most amazing beautiful colors imaginable.

Beginning with Palm Sunday yesterday, many of us begin this amazing time of Holy Week.  I do wish you the most wonderful spirit-filled week leading up to this beautiful and scared time of Easter.

Wishing you a wonderful beginning of Spring and a happy and sacred 

Holy Week wherever you may be.