Spring! Can you smell it????!!!

Spring??!!! Can you smell it?

This was a rough winter and I was soooo ready for Spring.

I guess it was during the "rat race" of welcoming in my daughter's friends for her birthday party, that I noticed my front tree and some bushes were budding. So...I snapped these shots.

 I mean.....I really can't explain how flowers and flowering plants make me feel. Just looking at them, I'm running through a field of wildflowers in my mind. haha. For me, Spring comes with little presents...the results of  the hard work of pruning and prepping in the fall. With each little bush that blooms, I feel like it's a little loveletter from God. A reminder of new life...and the joy and the warmth  of the sun.

I guess my Spring countdown starts with the scent of fresh Lilies at Easter.

I can't get enough.....I mean....every year I add another Lily to the house. This year we had three and the smell was heavenly. Add to that fresh roses and wild flowers.....and....Oh man.......Easter is NOT Easter without a houseful of fresh flowers!!!!!

So when my neighbor called me, this past week,  about purchasing a shared portion of mulch for our front beds, I gotta tell you...I got pretty excited. The idea of having some time in my garden sounded heavenly.

There is something so therapeutic about weeding a garden. Combing so delicately around the bush beds and delicate flowers. Removing the dead leaves and flower heads from around the base before tucking them in with new mulch for the season. As I kneeled before my hostas, I heard the words of St. Augustine... "My heart will not rest until it rests in you, Lord." How often we take for granted the simple beauty in an azalea. How many times do we take time to relish in the beauty of the rose bushes? I'm so thankful for the joy and new life that Spring brings....both to my heart and to my home.

This year our front landscaping will require a good bit of work. We lost four of our green bushes due to the harsh winter and will need to replace them. I am also going to try some new perennials this year. I will put in a few early saturday mornings and a few late afternoons as I spruce up the landscaping. Although, I know it will be tough, I also know that the beauty that the landscape will bring for subsequent years will be worth it.  Every opportunity to dig up the earth and plant something will remind me how our heavenly father plants seeds within our hearts. He plants seeds for us to nurture and help grow. We are his beautiful landscape.

With the start of Spring, it's also time to plant some veggies in our garden! These June-bearing strawberries are already in full swing. I have visions of strawberry shortcakes and chocolate covered strawberries for dessert this Spring!!

Similar to last year, we are hoping to have a successful harvest of bell peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, green beans, and scallions. We will be planting in the next week or two.....

Stay tuned for updates on our little garden! I'm hoping that our basil produces like this this year!

Spring is here! Let's hear about your favorite spring-time activity!

Are you a gardener, like myself?! I'd love to hear about it.

God Bless,

Tammi