April 29 - Dog Party and Projecting

Dog Party on the back porch

Applique Bag Project

Sophie and Charlie spent some extended time on the porch today enjoying the "dog's life" at the Springer home.  I spent some time projecting with the fabric I purchased on Friday.

April 28 - Emma in French Braids

Emma dropped by for a visit this morning while her mommy went for a pedicure.  She had been for a haircut and the stylist put her hair in french braids.  She looked so sweet!  She helped me water the garden and then enjoyed a lollipop on the back porch.

April 27 - Fabric Shopping

Dan and I went out and about today for lunch and some shopping.  We stopped by a favorite fabric shop of mine and picked up some bright colored cotton prints to add to my fabric stash.  I am thinking of making an appliqued tote bag and hope to start on it this weekend.

April 26 - Macro Shots and Charlie

 
I put my macro lens on the camera today and shot some close ups of the blooms currently in our yard.  I also captured Charlie while he was outside with Matt.

April 25 - Shopping for my boys

On my way to Greenville today, I stopped at the Gaffney Outlet Mall.  I view it as bad luck to pass an outlet mall without stopping.

Today, I found some cute items for Bobby and Noah.  I stopped by Emily's for a quick drop off of a couple of cute matching shirts that I bought for Bobby and Noah at the Gap Outlet.  Bobby was napping, but I did get in a short visit with Emmy and Noah.  After confirming sizes with Emmy, I stopped again at the outlets on my return to Charlotte and picked up a few more cute items for my boys.  I purchased the shark jammies and Mickey shirts for both Bobby and Noah.  Noah is the recipient of the rest of the printed tee shirts, as Emmy told me Bobby was already well stocked with tee shirts.

April 24 - Bloom and New Bird Bath

I took a close up shot of the blooms on our front porch today trying to isolate the beautiful yellow daisy with my camera settings and composure.  We also added a new bird bath to our garden and I captured a shot of it today.  We covered the tender plants in our garden last night, as the weather was very cool.  I hope this is the last time for that activity.

April 23 - Magnolia Blooms and Rose Petals

The Magnolia in our yard has started to bloom today.  It is windy, wet, and very cool in Charlotte today.  Evidence of the wind is seen in the shot of the rose petals blown from the bushes.

April 22 - Cooking on a rainy Sunday

It was rainy and cool in Charlotte today.  I got up early and made a batch of potato salad and put a couple of pork shoulders in the oven to bake all day for a pulled pork BBQ sandwich and potato salad dinner.

April 21 - Magnolia Buds

Our magnolia tree is covered in buds.

April 20 - Nana's Garden Helpers

Emily, Bobby, and Noah came for a visit today.  I purchased a couple of child size watering cans so that Bobby and Noah could help me water our flowers and herbs.  The boys liked helping in the garden!

April 20 - Bluebirds have moved into our birdhouse

Dan noticed yesterday that we had birds move in to our birdhouse.  I was able to get the first photo of them this morning - we have bluebirds!

April 19 - Water droplets

It was wet this morning when I took out Charlie.  I captured these shots of the water droplets accumulated on the daylilies in the front yard.

April 18 - Rainy Day

April 17 - Mexican Food Cravings

My Taco Salad Lunch

Mexican Inspiration

I am having cravings for Mexican food.  How did it start?  What have I done?

1. I bought Pioneer Woman's latest cookbook and made her recipes for White Chicken Enchiladas, Mexican Rice, and Restaurant Salsa using lots of fresh cilantro from our herb garden.  YUM!  The salsa is so easy and very addictive.
2. I read through the latest editions of the Food Network and Cooking Light magazines - both featuring Mexican food.  This prompted a "taco night" on Sunday.  I made a taco salad from the leftovers for lunch today.
3. Tonight's menu includes Bobby Flay's guacamole recipe from the Food Network current edition, Tyler Florence's steak fajitas, and a side of black beans and rice. 

April 16 - Our Back Porch

Back Porch

Back Porch

View from the porch

Our back porch is a favorite spot in our home, especially when the weather is beautiful as it is this time of year. 

April 15 - Emma's Big Blue Ball

Emma came over this morning for a play date and brought a big blue ball.  After helping Nana water the flowers and garden, she played catch with Nana.  Then it was full "game on" with a serious round of kick ball with Uncle Matty.  We all had fun and she left the ball at our house so we could play again next visit. 

April 14 - Charlie, New Bird House, and Hummingbird Feeder

Another beautiful day in Charlotte!  We put up a new bird house and hung the hummingbird feeder today.  We picked up Charlie on January 14th and I have been taking shots of him each month on the 14th to track the change in his appearance from puppy to dog.  He enjoyed chilling on the back porch with the family today!  What a sweet face!

April 13 - Puttering on the Porch and Patio

It was a beautiful spring day today.  We had the tree people by to trim up the hedges and remove some dead limbs and trees.  I spent time cleaning the porch, hanging the signs I painted years ago, and placing the new herb markers and a great new dragonfly stake.  The roses are in full bloom and could not be more beautiful today.

April 12 - Porch flowers and second daylily bloom

The plantings on our front porch continue to fill in.  I found the second daylily bloom of the season this morning and there will be more soon.