Happiness Is...the Scent of Confederate Jasmine

Springtime in Texas is beautiful, y'all.  And one of the pleasures of living in a new house this spring is discovering all of the treasures blooming in our garden.  Like this Confederate Jasmine, which perfumes my entire yard:

It's climbing the brick next to my living room windows, and I don't mind at all. The scent is intoxicating and happiness-inducing.

What's growing in your garden this spring?

Wedding Flowers

I was blessed to attend the wedding of a dear friend last weekend; after the ceremony, we celebrated with a beautiful luncheon reception.  I snapped a quick photo of one of the gorgeous purple and green floral centerpieces:

The arrangements were so spring-like and fresh, thanks to the brightness of the hydrangea. The lavender roses, however, reminded me of the centerpieces from my youngest daughter's amethyst-inspired christening party, which was held in autumn:

I love how the same rose can be used to evoke both the new beginnings of spring, and the rich jewel tones of fall.  Celebration in all, and of all, seasons.  

Teacher Appreciation Week: Day Four

After a week of pretty, sweet, and healthy treats for our teacher, it was time to get practical.  Blessed with a generous class gift fund, I created a bouquet of gift cards:

Although I got a chuckle out of this, I kept it wholesome and purchased gift cards from our teacher's favorite stores.  I taped each gift card onto a flower cut-out, attached the flower to a long craft stick, and inserted the stick into floral foam at the bottom of a pail.  I covered the floral foam with raffia, wrote "Thank you for helping us grow" and the year on the pail, and that's it!  An easy, cute way to present otherwise practical gift cards.

How are you honoring your children's teachers this week?

Sharing with Ladybird Ln

Teacher Appreciation Week: Day Three

We had a day off from Teacher Appreciation gifting because our teacher was at a conference, but when she comes back to her classroom today, she'll find this:

A basket of apples, how cliche.  But when each apple is individually tied to an Apple Store gift card?

Much more fun!  Our school has smart boards in every classroom and issues an ipad to every student; our teachers are thus expected to be up-to-date on all things technology.  We're hoping she can use these Apple gift cards to buy apps, music, books, or even hardware of her choice.  Our teacher is APP-solutely wonderful, and as one of the homeroom moms, I'm having fun organizing class gifts for her this week!

Our Teacher Appreciation Week Plan: Something pretty (sunflowers in a pencil vase); something sweet (the bundt cake tower); something healthy (the apples); and something practical (tomorrow's bouquet of gift cards).   Each child is also presenting her with a handwritten card or letter on Friday.  We're saving the tear-jerker, personalized gifts from the kids for the end-of-year gift presentation in just two weeks.  :)

How are you honoring your teachers this week?

(Sharing with Five Days...5 Ways and Sun Scholars)

Teacher Appreciation Week: Day Two

Our week-long appreciation of our first-grade teacher continues.  On Monday, this. On Tuesday, a tower of little bundt cakes in our teacher's favorite flavors:

By the way, if you haven't tried Nothing Bundt Cakes, you must.  They opened shop in my neighborhood last year, and they've become my go-to bakery for holidays and special occasions.  So. Amazing.  :-)

How are you honoring your teachers this week?

Teacher Appreciation Week: Day One

I did it:

after I pinned it:

A sweet bouquet of sunflowers, posing in a pencil-wrapped vase, ready to present to our first-grade teacher on the first day of Teacher Appreciation Week. As one of the homeroom moms, I'm responsible for coordinating the Teacher Appreciation effort.  And while the week will culminate in a practical presentation of gift cards, we wanted to surprise our beloved teacher with something pretty or fun every day.  

Pinterest to the rescue.  For this copycat project, I used a plain glass vase and ribbon I had on hand, exactly 40 pencils at a cost of $1.50, and a $10 bouquet of sunflowers.  I simply inserted the pencils between two rubber bands on the vase, and then covered the bands with ribbon.  I chose not to glue so that the pencils and vase would be reusable. Total cost, $11.50; total time invested, about 10 minutes. 

How are you celebrating your teachers this week? 


(Sharing with Making the World Cuter and My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia)

Before and After: Kid's Bathroom

As another testament to the miracle of paint, here's a before and after of my middle daughter's jack-and-jill bathroom, which connects her new bedroom with the playroom.

Before: Lots of wallpaper and dingy cabinets.

After: Light, bright, and airy, thanks to Benjamin Moore's Barely Teal (which is one shade lighter than the playroom's Jamaican Aqua) on the walls and Atrium White on the cabinets and trim:

Eventually, the countertops and fixtures will need to be updated, but for now, wallpaper removal and fresh paint has brightened the room tremendously.  We finished the space with crisp white bath linens, clean white shades on the three windows, and charming prints from thewheatfield.



From tired to fresh, quite a nice change!  


(Are you new to the cul-de-sac?  I blog about nesting, nurturing, reading, traveling, and most of all, celebrating life with my family! If you like what you see, please consider joining the conversation via GFC or email.  I'm trying to get this blog off the ground and would love to get to know you! :)



Sharing with Between Naps on the Porch, Serenity Now, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Seven Thirty Three, Southern Lovely, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, French Country Cottage,  and Remodelaholic