I know you were hoping for the finalized version of Molly’s dress… so was I! But it didn’t happen today. In fact, it’s 10:52 Thursday evening and I never made it into my sewing room except early this morning when I was boxing up my Regency dress that sold. I did a few things around the house, I went to the Post Office, then with my mom to a doctor’s appointment, did grocery shopping, talked to my 2 sisters, chatted a little bit with Rebecca, took pictures of the chicks, made fajitas for dinner, changed the sheets on my bed… and then I debated…hmmm…it’s 9:45… should I try and get something done on Molly’s dress? Well, sorry to say but the “No’s” won out… I’ll do my best to work on it tomorrow. I don’t know of anything “so far” that I have going on… ( but with my life, you never know…)
But I won’t leave you Post-less… I have a few things to share with you… just not dolly related today…although I do have a picture of fabric…does that count?
Shall we start with it?
Joy was wondering what color the flowers in Molly’s dress were…on the pinkish side or red…
I took a clear close up picture of them and I’m thinking they are a cherry red on one side of the flower and a rosy pink on the other half…
I’d say the background is an off white or a very light beige.
If you click on any picture, it will enlarge.
Okay, now let’s go outside. My hubby wanted me to take some pictures of the Clematis climbing up the trellis he built. It’s been growing for about 4 years now and this is the prettiest it’s ever been. It’s not as full as some I saw when I googled “Clematis” to make sure I had it spelled right, but I like mine very much. Laura said “April showers bring May flowers.” Well, I got my flowers in April…
I’m not the greatest at photography, but I loved these close up shots of the flowers… You should click on them to see them bigger…
Next we’ll move onto the garden. My hubby planted the 8 tomato plants on Saturday and the 4 cucumber plants, he’s waiting to put in the ground once these storms get through… he almost put them in yesterday…it’s a good thing he didn’t or they would have been pelted into the ground last night with all the rain and wind we got….and hail!
Did you see his 2 snakes he’s got to keep the birds out… we’ll see if it works…
Okay, now let’s move on out to the chicks in their new habitat… My hubby cleared out the back of his shed and made a door where they can come and go in the day time. They get closed up at night because they don’t have all their feathers yet, and they still need a heat lamp. We have 24 but they will be sorted and swapped at a meet when they get big enough for him to pick his favorites…
Did you spot Reuben in this picture? He thinks I was taking his picture…He likes to play like he’s the “guardian of the chicks!” The big hens we have are in a separate coop next to the young chicks.
One of the young hens got loose in the shed and when my hubby picked her up, I snapped this picture. This one is called a Salmon Faverolles… they have a beard and a muff when they get big…but she wouldn’t look straight at me so you could see the feathers on the side of her face. I found these 2 pictures of what they look like grown up…
Okay, we’re just about done outside… a few more “pretty” pictures… on my way back inside…
This is our Wegalia bush… there are 2 of them and they are pretty big… I love it when they are covered with the blooms… it just started blooming about 4 or 5 days ago.
I think this might be another Wegalia bush but just a different variety…it’s light pink and very pretty…
On the other side is the Sedum.. one of my favorites… but I like it like this, in the green stage instead of when it gets the blooms all over it.
Well, that was my trip outside… I hope you enjoyed it. I don’t get out and “smell the roses” like I should… too busy sewing…
I’ll get back to THAT tomorrow…
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Love seeing your outside photos! I’m also a gardener, but I fight with too much shade which limits my plantings. Your clematis is gorgeous! Do you pronounce it CLEM-a-tis, or cle-MAT-is? I pronounce it the first way, but I think it depends on where you live geographically to its pronunciation. I have two growing on either side of a metal trellis my husband made for me. They are not in bloom yet, but are starting to climb. I love the light pink weigela! I had a Wine and Roses variety, but it died and I haven’t replaced it with another. I can’t keep the sedum around – the deer eat it to the ground. That is another challenge to my gardening.
I love how the little chicks have grown! You’ve got quite a nice variety. Your salmon bearded variety will be quite handsome when fully grown!
You do need to get outside more and enjoy the beauty around you! I like to stroll through my gardens when I go up to get the mail and paper each day. 🙂
HI Karen,
Thanks so much for your sweet comments. We pronounce it cle-MAT-is here… I’ve never heard it pronounced any other way myself… Mine really should be fully than what it is, but it’s just so healthy looking I don’t want to disturb it. I’m sure it will fill in the trellis one of these years.
Yes, the chicks can hardly be called chicks any more. I guess we’ll call them the young hens now. We’ve never had the Salmon Faverolles before and they are supposed to be an easy going and sort of silly hen… the one that my hubby caught in the shed just perched on his hand like a pet… so maybe they will be fun to have…
I know I need to get outside more… my hubby would like it if I did too… collecting the eggs each day, really isn’t “smelling the roses” much… I have to admit that…
Thanks Karen,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, Jeanne, thank you for showing me your sunshine. We haven’t seen it since Monday; none today either, and tomorrow it’s supposed to rain. We’ve had SO many cloudy days that it is so hard to be cheery. In addition to cloudy days it’s been quite cold, woe is me, sorry.
Are those the teeny tiny chicks? If so, they grow like weeds. Our Weigela bushes barely have leaves much less flowers. Your garden will be wonderful, and it’s fun to see how it looks now, ready and waiting. I enjoyed your stroll around your yard very much, thank you!!! Hope you have another sunny day, Jeanne!
HI Cindy,
Oh, I’m so sorry you’ve had cloudy and dreary days…as I know you love the flowers and trees so much! I’m glad my sunny pictures brightened you day just a little bit. We’re supposed to get rain over the next few days. I was hoping to go to some yard sales tomorrow but I think I’ll sleep in instead since it’s supposed to rain…
Yes, they will have to be called our young hens from now on I think… they are hardly chicks now…
Thanks so much Cindy.. I hope your sunshine comes soon!
Blessings, Jeanne
Your light pink bush looks like Daphne to me. Ours bloomed a month ago. Love the fragrance. My husband will be so jealous of your tomatoes. Not in yet here. Still pulling weeds. And your chickies are the sweetest. Your yard looks like a botanical garden.
HI Joy,
I’ll have to take a closeup picture and see if you think it’s Daphne. I looked at some images of Daphne and don’t think it is, but I’m not certain…
My hubby wasn’t going to plant anything this year…but he just couldn’t resist… he absolutely loves tomatoes… so he gave in…
Thanks for the compliments on our yard… I’ll be sure and pass them along to my “live in” gardener… he’ll be pleased!
Blessings, Jeanne
Your clematis looks beautiful. We have one as well, a blue variety. Blue flowers are my weakness. I need to get a new delphinium this year. The viburnum has bloomed and the lilacs are just coming out. I have a woodland garden at the bottom of the yard with the garden swing. The woodland poppies, pulmonaria,Virginia bluebells, wild violets, and my ferns are just making their appearances this week.
My, the little chicks have grown!! Reuben must enjoy watching over them. You must be in a slightly different climate zone than I am. We can’t plant out the garden for about two more weeks.
Have a wonderful day.
HI Laura,
Well, our Clematis is certainly the prettiest it’s ever been before… not really full and covering the trellis all the way, but it’s healthy and growing… so I’m happy!
Your yard sounds like a real beauty! You must really enjoy it!
Yes, our chickies AND Reuben have both grown. Reuben celebrated his first birthday just a little while back…
I don’t know what ZONE we are in right off hand, but it’s been warm enough to get a few things planted….and the weeds have already started coming up too…
Thanks Laura,
Blessings, Jeanne
You have such a pretty and varied yard…full of life and color. Thanks for the invigorating walk around it.
Take care.
HI Becky,
It was my pleasure to take everyone on a little stroll around my yard. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Blessings, Jeanne
Well, I’m late again, due to computer problems! Ugh! I wrote a pretty long comment, but then the computer locked up on me and next thing, it deleted it! I’m going to try again now. But it’s fun to see everyone’s comments first and to see that everyone has different things going on in their yard. My wegalia are just now starting to bloom, I have the red ones–Red Prince. Your pink ones look like the variegated ones, with the two-toned leaves, very pretty! Oh, I love your clematis! Mine is not yet blooming, but is a different variety, a deep, dark purple. My iris are blooming, and I also have a beautiful azalea bush full of flowers! I love this time of the year!
Wow, the material from Molly’s dress looks really different today than the other day. The background is white? Didn’t look like that before.
The chicks are really growing! Rueben looks like the king of the hill, for sure, watching over them! Does he follow George all around the yard? So cute!
Thank you for showing your lovely surroundings!
HI Linda,
If you think YOU’RE late getting your comments in, I’m REALLY late.. it’s after 1:00 Saturday morning and I’m getting through the list, but still have a few to go.
I know you love this time of year and hope your foot isn’t hindering you too much in getting things done…
Actually you got mentioned in my post again today.. the fabric is now Khaki, thanks to Rebecca’s help… :o)
Reuben has to stay on a leash or he’d be darting every where.. He does follow George around everywhere… but it’s because he HAS to. Sometimes he gets chained up to the chicken pen and is free to roam around a bit while George does something else.
I’m glad you enjoyed the “yard tour!”
Blessings, Jeanne
Your yard and shrubs and flowers are beautiful. I agree, it’s like a botanical garden- so lovely and peaceful. I’m sure your family enjoys it immensely. And Reuben…he has grown. He is adorable and those chickens. George certainly takes good care of them. They look healthy and happy as chickens can be. That makes me smile! Happy chickens.
We are enjoying the birds that come visit our bird feeder. The Mourning Doves crack me up…they are so comical. They chase each other back and forth on the fence that holds the bird feeder. Then they sit there looking at the bird feeder. At some point they must eat but I see them chasing each other more- they look like those wooden ducks in that game at a carnival going back and forth in the gallery!
The dress material for Molly is really pretty. Can’t wait to see the dress finished.
Thank you Paula, for your kind compliments on our yard. George is the “grounds keeper” so I’ll let him know everyone likes how he has things arranged…
We have happy chickens and you have happy birds… what a great world we live in! :o)
Your doves do sound sort of comical…
Well, you’ll get to see the dress finished in today’s post. Hope you like it.
Blessings, Jeanne
Hello Jeanne,
Your garden is just lovely! Thank you so much for the tour. I especially enjoyed seeing lively little Reuben play his role as guardian of the chicks! It made me laugh, and reminded me of our miniature longhaired dachshund, Coco, who takes her role as guardian of our family seriously, too!
As much as I look forward to seeing your charming dolly creations, I also enjoy pictures of your other pursuits as well. In that way, those who follow your blog have the opportunity to learn a bit about you as a person and what inspires you as a designer. Please don’t feel that every post must be solely about sewing! We are all striving for that work/life balance, and I know I am amazed at how much you can pack into a single day!
Someone said, “Flowers are like friends; they bring color to your world.” Thanks again for bringing color to our world through the beautiful views of spring from your yard!
Dolly hugs,
Anne
HI Anne,
Reuben really takes his role of guardian very seriously… he even gets upset when the hens get popcorn and he doesn’t…
I’m so happy you enjoy seeing my “non-dolly” posts as much as you do my dolly posts, Anne. That’s a blessing to me, because sometimes “life” just happens and no dolls are involved.
Thanks so much for reading each Day,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh Jeanne, Reuben has gotten just beautiful. He was a cute puppy, but now he’s just gorgeous. I think it’s funny that you have a doggy door for your chickens. The plants are beautiful; especially the clematis. It’s not familiar to me, so I’m pretty sure it doesn’t grow in South Texas. Oh well.
HI Carolyn,
Thanks for your kind comments about Reuben. I would tell him but I’m sure it would go straight to his head! :o)
Yes, a doggy door our chicks… they can come and go as they like.. in the sun or out of the sun.
I have no idea of Clematis is a regional flower or not… but it grows well here in Southern Illinois…
I’m sure you have some beautiful flowers of your own in Texas…
Thanks so much Carolyn,
Blessings, Jeanne
I loved seeing the chickens — they have certainly changed. And so has Ruben. Your yard looks way different from mine, which was white today — we get rain and snow and then rain and then more snow. Someone must have asked because there was a news article that said that for seven of the last 10 years, the last measurable snowfall has been in May, twice as late as the 12th. You can see that that makes planting tricky. The weekend is supposed to be more of the same, but Monday may be clearer. May is often too wet to do much planting, but it’s easier to try since I’ve retired.
I say cle-MAT-is, and mine is starting to grow up its trellis. It’s purple and usually makes a very nice show. It came with the house and I’ve never done anything but cut it back when it gives up at the end of summer. Weigela is a new one for me. I wonder if it grows in zone 5.
Hi Marilyn,
I saw where Colorado got socked with another round of snow today… you poor people.. doesn’t Colorado know it’s Spring???
I’ll have to look up what zone we are in here in Southern Illinois.. you’re the second person who has mentioned Zones…
I hope you get some sunshine and milder weather soon.. your summer will start and Spring will be long gone with not much spring time “prettiness!”
Thanks Marilyn,
blessings, Jeanne