plant friday: hydrangea

 I have always wanted hydrangeas in the yard; they are the quintessential summer flower.

And now, I find myself living in a climate they love.

With the garage and patio complete, we are slowly working on landscaping. Perhaps, I have said this before- if you can stand to, wait until fall to purchase your perennials and shrubs. You will get a great deal, and come spring, well, your planting work will be done.

In this case, I couldn't stand to wait. I wanted hydrangeas in this spot since the day we moved in.

Two nights ago, hubby helped me plant them. It was only nine (okay, that's late). We have been working

late nights outside all summer, so what's another.

Hydrangeas do well with some sun, even a few hours of filtered sun should be enough.

The dense blooms last a long time and pruning is easy. The variety we planted is called limelight. They can get quite tall and hedgy, which is exactly what we want for this space. When pruning next spring,

we will only trim dead branches/stems and clip off the dead blooms. When we planted ours, I used a plant starter. This stuff works! Click here for more info and pick it up at your local nursery.

I found this blog. Check out the beautiful pictures of limelights and the helpful info.

This website: (click here) also has good information to get you started with your hydrangeas.

- our limelights after an early morning thunderstorm -

 

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pajamas and antiques

My favorite summer mornings are those spent at home in our pajamas, with no plans.

We have not had too many of those yet this season. Though our activities have been fun, it is nice to now have a few weeks of nothing. So, what do you do with your plan-less summer mornings?

Today we had breakfast out back. (Perhaps, I still need to share pictures of the finished garage, patio, backyard...) The kids and I chalked the driveway and because they were playing so nicely, I decided to spend a few minutes photographing my recent antiquing finds. Here they are!

Okay, the finds in these two pictures come from an antique mall. While antique malls are not my favorite, sometimes you can find a good deal. As you can see, I found a few!
The glasses were added to my mishmash of vintage glasses we use for everyday - under $10.
The brown, ribbed bowl and plate is McCoy - only $6!
The pots are McCoy and USA - under $10.
Vintage, last supper painting - $10.
I have a weakness for the little Christmas figurines, these are marked Japan on the bottom - $20 (but
there were three more in the set - my Mom and I split them).

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The goodies in these pictures are from another shed sale- same place I told you about here.

The wooden rack is from an old church pew. It will go on the wall next to Koko's bed, for books - $3.

The piano bench needs a little work, but is perfect for the upstairs landing - $10.

You can probably tell, I also have a weakness for small, framed stuff - all pictured here were under $10.

I have a smallish collection of baby and children's items as well - elephant tin $1.

Apple crate - $4.

Vintage, local advertising tray - $5.

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Have any questions about my finds? Please ask and happy antiquing!

the 4th

We learned last week that the fourth of July is a big deal here.

Flags and banners still hang respectfully from most of the old houses in the old neighborhood. We displayed ours as well. The flag was given to us by the previous owner. His son told us he thought it should stay with the house. And we are happy to have it.

I think I previously mentioned the July 4th block party tradition. Well, it was a great time. We met new folks and chatted with our neighbors. The kids together decorated their bikes and Koko's wagon, then paraded up and down the hill for much of the morning. The t-shirts were a hit and cute I think.

We spent the rest of the day with our friends at a nearby lake. We feel so blessed to have met this family, and they graciously included us in their own family fourth tradition. It was great to swim, visit and eat.
Doesn't food (especially chip and dippy stuff) always taste better at the lake.

We drove home just after sunset and watched explosions of fireworks in every direction.
The neighbors warned us it would be loud in the old neighborhood, but we were not prepared for smoke-filled air seen in the light of the street lamps. You know how you smell the evening campfire on you the next day? Well, same thing here. It sounded like a war-zone, but that's okay. We pulled up to the old house just in time to sit on the front steps and watch the fireworks display.

- koko won best float! -

- E got an honorable mention -

- this was such a fun craft to do with the kids -

 

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Hope all you dear friends and readers had a fun 4th.

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in the details:

america t-shirts - fabric paint, letter stencils purchased from craft store

we supplied white hanes t-shirts - i had the brushes and made my own flag stencil

plant friday: moss rose

I am not sure why, but I never planted moss rose in AZ.

Funny, because I think it would thrive there. The moss rose is durable; it will suffer through blistering,

full-sun heat and still present beautiful and vibrant flowers. I grabbed several multi-colored packs and filled

a few clay pots on the front porch. They do not disappoint and can be purchased in many, many colors.

Moss rose does well in the ground, too. I am always looking for ideas when I walk and run in the old neighborhood, and I see a lot of it planted in beds. It will fill-out and spread, but I see evidence of bunnies snacking on the leaves. There are ways to prevent this, but after all my planting this season, I decided that from now on (she says until next spring), I will only plant perennials in the ground. Annuals in pots.

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summer series

I have been wanting to share this idea with you, and today seems like the right day.
On the last day of school, we gave out these fun and yummy treats to the kids' teachers and the staff.

Wouldn't these cute drinks be so festive and refreshing at your Fourth of July block parties and gatherings! Perhaps, I will get a few ready for ours tomorrow. The old house sits on a block that celebrates July 4th every year with a patriotic sing-a-long, kid bike parade, watermelon-eating contest and brunch. Oh, and I was recruited early on to do the t-shirt craft.

This tradition is 30 years running, say the neighbors. Tomorrow will be our first!

- you know me and trader joe's! -

-orange you glad it's summer! -

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 in the details:

orange cream soda - trader joe's, $4

tags - all stuff i have:  white tags, white ribbon, circle stamp, orange ink pad, sharpies

(all craft items available at your local craft or scrapbook store)