Mockingbird Sings

Good Friday Morning! This beautiful Mockingbird is also wishing everyone a good day. I caught him singing away. It really has been such a treat seeing all the birds play in the garden. I'm really looking forward to this weekend. I have no major plans. Except to play in the garden and spending time with my family. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!! 

Remembering Memorial Day

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day this past weekend. Here are two of my Hero's. My daughter Lauren who is serving in the Army and stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, CO. She has been in the Army since March 12, 2012. This photo was taken at her 94 Ordnance Battalion Graduation on Sept. 19, 2012. I am so proud of her. She is standing next to another hero of mine. My father Nash who served in the Air Force. I know this was a proud day for all of our family.

This Spring I wanted to honor my daughter in my own special way. So I decided to plant a red, white and blue garden. This is a special wheel barrow of mine I like to plant annuals in the Spring and Fall. At the local garden center I picked out some Red Verbena, Lobularia and Blue Daze. Then they got some Homestead Red and White Verbena that is suppose to be perennial. So I planted them in the ground by the star. I don't have to have flowers to remind me of my girl but it's a nice way to think of Lauren everyday.
 

A closer look at the cute pin wheels and Red Verbena and Lobularia. It's so pretty and vibrant!

Here is LOU!!! My faithful garden companion. Every time I get the camera out. There he is walking in front of my lens. He loves to pose and get his pictures taken. Don't worry if you like this one. There will be more...LOL!







I won't ever forget what Memorial Day is all about. It's a day to remember all those who have served and made the ultimate sacrifice for us to be free. God Bless them and those who have served and are serving in the military now.

A Combination Of Pretty Colors

Good Sunday Morning Everyone...I have been working on more of my container gardens for my home. I love to pick pretty colors and combinations. Here is a wrought iron wall basket planter I finished. I have found that I'm really loving using burlap to line them.

I picked out Raspberry Angelonia, Euphorbia in Blush, Blue Daze and Duranta for this basket. I'm using one side to a burlap bag I got at a garden center.

I like to double and place the burlap in the basket and add some potting soil on the bottom. Then I start to add the flowers to it. When I have all the flowers placed where I want them and extra soil in between. I will then cut away the extra burlap fabric. I find that the weight of the soil and flowers will push the fabric into the basket just right. I want to make sure there is enough on the top.

A closer look at all the pretty flowers. This is the first year I have seen Euphorbia in Blush.

Blue Daze...such a pretty little blue flower.
I really hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. Enjoy your gardens, family and friends no matter what your plans are. Life is good! 

Our First Vegetable Garden

This is the start of my very first vegetable garden. I had been wanting to plant one for several years. My husband Curtis and I decided to put one near our back porch. We had an old brick patio where the raised garden beds are. The brick had fallen apart and didn't look good anymore. So this winter we pulled up the brick. We thought putting the raised beds in this area would work out great. He helped me by making the raised garden boxes and retainer wall. The area where the rock wall is was our first flower garden area. It had become over grown and not very attractive. The only thing I left planted was the Bee Balm and Hosta.

I wanted to add color to my garden. So I painted the trellis's blue and green. My tomato cages are colorful too. It makes it fun for me.

I had been reading up on companion gardening and decided to add herbs to our vegetables. I feel this will be an experimental and learning curve year. Hope to have some great home grown veggies and fresh herbs to add to my cooking. I have green beans, radishes and carrots to add still. I will be sharing how the garden is coming along throughout the summer.
 
This is the start of my fruit and veggie harvest. I can't wait to taste the sweet strawberries and yummy squash.

Baby Birds Flew The Coup

After taking the weekend off at Senoia Garden Center where I work. I found out our baby Robin's flew the coup. I took this picture a couple day before they left. It was so sweet to see them grow. I was truly lucky to get Mama Robin in the picture watching over her babies.

Happy Mother's Day 2013

This is one of our family's favorite photos. It is a picture of my Mother and I. My parents told me I had just woken up from a nap and we had gone to sit on our porch. Dad had captured this moment in time. I really am the luckiest daughter to have such a loving Mom. I would like to wish all the Mom's a wonderful day today.

 

Mama Robin Feeding Her Babies

I have been working at the Senioa Garden Center this Spring. I have absolutely loved working there. A few weeks ago a Mama Robin was frantically looking for a place to make her nest. She kept on going from hanging basket to hanging basket. Well Janine the owner said to just give her one. So she finished her nest in a lovely pink Petunia basket. So we watered all the plants and hanging baskets around her and left hers alone. She was there every day watching over her eggs. I think she got used to us being around.

Here is a picture of the Pergola and area where her nest is hanging. You can see the other plants and hanging baskets are thriving and living just fine. Some customers would tell us to water it and didn't notice Mama Robin there. 

A couple days ago I finally noticed Babies Birds had hatched and Mama Bird was feeding them. The only camera I had was my cell phone. So I was able to zoom in and take these precious photos. They are priceless to me. She kept flying off and bringing more worms to them. So sweet a and special and I was happy to capture that moment in time.  

My Little Helper

Meet my next door neighbors daughter, Payton. This Spring she has been my little helper in my garden. Last night we decided to do some planting.

Every year I love to add Caladiums on my front and back porch. I brought home some beautiful potted ones from the garden center. I love this zinc olive basket and wanted the pot to sit higher. I lined it with burlap so the potting mix wouldn't fall through the little cracks when I watered. Then I put a black planters pot I had upside down. That way I can place my Caladium right on top of it. Then added potting mix around the black pot. I love the combination of Caladiums and Diamond Frost together.

 I had Payton add some Osmocote Fertilizer under the Diamond Frost.

Payton gently placed the flower in the pot.

Having fun taking pictures! : )

Gerbera's In The Garden

I was able to spend the day outside planting and fiddling in the garden today. I had gotten a new Gerbera the other day and thought I would plant it in a pot. I didnt' really like the color of a pot I had. So I cut part of a burlap bag from the garden center and wrapped the burlap around it. I think it looks really pretty on the porch and it just makes me happy.

A closer view of the little basket with the tiny birds nest.

Springtime Butterfly Earrings

I was in the mood to make some earrings this morning before going to work. I've been working the past few weeks at Senoia Garden Center. It has been so much fun. So working around so many beautiful flowers inspired me to pick out the butterfly's to add to my earrings.

Here is my finished project this. I am just in the mood to get my creative jewelry design juices flowing again. Can't wait to go through more beads to see what I come up with. Hope you like them too.  

My Pretty Pink Iris

 

I was so excited to go out to my flower bed in my front of my home this morning to see my pretty Pink Iris bloomed. They were a gift a few years ago of a dear friend that lives in CA. I have others from her but this is the first to bloom this season. It really is such a beautiful day here in Senoia, GA. Hope everyone is starting to see their gardens come to life from the winter months.

My Little Rosettes

I wanted to combine two things I love to do...crocheting and jewelry design. So I made the rosettes and added a fresh water pearl in the center. Then used a simple chain for it. It's a 20" necklace.

A closer look at the rosette.

I added one of my 2 1/2" necklace extensions. It's a figure 8 chain I handcraft on some of my necklaces.

This has really been a great week for me. A couple new things have happened in my life. First I took a step and finally started Lotta's Lovelies Blog. Something I had been thinking about for awhile now. Then a friend who owns Senioa Garden Center called and asked me to work there this year. We talked about it last year but life had been so crazy for me that I just couldn't do it. I really had such a good time. We get along great and have lots of ideas. I am really am looking forward to sharing here.

Little Birdie

One of our little birds coming for a visit.

My parents moved from PA to GA last year to live near me. They lived in a 100 year old farm house. Last year I realized Dad had been storing old windows in the pump house. They have the perfect amount of weathered cracked paint on them. Well after some begging they agreed to let me pack a few of them to bring here. I knew I would want to eventually do something with them.

We have this area between our kitchen and near the kitchen bay window. It's a little desk nook. After living here for almost 6 years I figured out what I wanted to do with this area. With the help from my wonderful and talented husband we took a trip to the home improvement store. We picked out some wood for the shelve and trim for the front of the shelf so it would match my mantel. Then  I picked out the corbels. That was the most expensive pieces in this project. I thought I waited this long. Might as well get what I want...LOL.

Then I walked around the house to find the right nicknacks to put on my shelf. Everything on the shelf is what I already had except the candles.

The black and white pictures are very special to me. They are pictures of my Mom and I. She told me I had just woke up from a nap and went to sit outside on the front porch. My Dad had taken the picture of me. The one on the right has been his favorite all these years. A couple years ago I had a bigger one framed for him.

I have been collecting aluminum trays and differ things I find when I go antiquing. The pitcher and bell are a couple favorite pieces of mine.

I made a Spring wreath for my Mom yesterday. She picked out the flowers and ribbon and I designed it. It's my second wreath I have made. I used to be timid about working with any kind of floral arrangements. I think I found another craft I want to continue to make.

Hi...Welcome to my first blog Lotta's Lovelies! I'm really excited about sharing my crafts, gardening and decorating. It'll be a learning curve for me but I'm ready to start something new.