Roses a bloomin

My roses have started blooming in full force now. Some of them seem a little early, but then I really don't keep a log or anything yet I guess my blog is my log now! Most of my roses are antique roses although I have bought a few hybrids, but the hybrids have to be ones that I just fall in love with as I like non fussy roses!! I don't do anything to my roses except add some compost now and then, no spray unless it is dish soap with hot sauce in it. Since we have honeybees I try to keep everything more natural so we won't poison the honeybees. Quite a few of my roses are still in pots, have been for 5 years! We always thought we would move again, but with the way things are these days...I'm planting like crazy!
Now this is a pretty rose that blooms on and off. I have two as I had bought my mother-in-law one also. I can't remember the name of some of them so if anyone knows please pass the info on!

Prime example of rose in a pot! Hubby had put bricks around so as to keep them warm in the winter. This one is pretty well rooted so I think we will mortar the bricks, cut the pot, and add dirt. Did you notice the little seat to the left? That is a crepe myrtle that hubby had cut down. At the time we had placed a rock with a plant on top, and then it started sending branches up. We prune it every year so the branches give good back support and the rock warms the bottom in the winter!! The rose growing in the pot is called Ispahan, one of my favorites although it only blooms once, but the scent!!! Oh my!

Here is a close up. This year it was totally covered in blooms.

Don't know the name of this one, however, it seems to bloom for most of the summer as looking back on my old house photos I see it blooming.

Gorgeous color on it!

I believe this one is Duchess de Brandt, although not sure.

My favorite! Can you believe this one is in a pot!!! I absolutely adore, love this rose!! The scent is heavenly, it starts blooming in the early spring, and continues until the first deep frost which is usually December here. The name? Pearl D' Ore. Look how huge it is!! I even pruned this one too. Which reminds me I need to get out there and snip some of it off so it will bloom some more although it will keep blooming even if I don't do it.

I have a few more roses to show, but I'll leave them for another day! Now I need to get outside so I can start planting. Hubby said I need to get some things in the dirt before the end of the summer! I have a bad habit of buying then it grows (hubby said he has never seen anything like it!) on the carport till I get around to planting!!! I want to go and buy some more geraniums so I better get busy!!

It's my party!

As you know I have been busy around here, mainly outside, trying to get things planted, and getting my hands dirty!! So, not too long ago my daughter asked if I would host a jewelry party. She sells Premier Jewelry, and I just love that stuff! Plus as a hostess I get free jewelry, now how cool is that?!
So along with outside the house I have been cleaning inside. The one way my house gets its top notch, super, super clean, top to bottom clean, throw a party! Kind of like oh no!, company's coming clean! Actually it is spring cleaning time, but this was the best excuse so I won't stop cleaning.
While I was washing windows, hanging up spring/summer curtains (see I told you!) I thought of a great idea. I'll have a jewelry giveaway for my blog friends!
So here are the choices, however, you can only choose one. I offer two choices from the earrings, and also two choices from the bracelets (which by the way are the stretch kind so one size pretty much fits all). That way if you don't wear earrings you might like the bracelet or vice versa.

Earrings #1

Earrings #2

Bracelet #1

Bracelet #2

So since I have never done a giveaway before I'll do as other bloggers have done it. On your comment please let me know which one you would want. Along with leaving a comment if you take my jewelry button to post on your site your name will go into the hat twice, and if you include me in a post I'll put your name in again. The only thing I ask is that you let me know in your comment! This giveaway starts today, and ends May 31st. So on Tuesday, June 1st, I'll let the jewelry lady (my daughter) draw the name! This giveaway is open to international as well as the USA.
So all your jewelry lovers let's get the party started!!

I've tried, but spring is in the air

Ok, I've tried to read/post lately, but spring is in the air!

The undergrowth in the back part of the woods is growing strong!! Here are those flowers that I had posted before just popping up everywhere in the back.

Pretty flower, has a bulb, but still no name.

Part of the walk trail we have been working on. There is also a 30+foot tree that fell over out there that we still need to cut up for firewood. It is soooo huge, but it is an old oak tree which will make really good firewood.

See this mess here? I have been working on it too. We have cut down quite a few scraggly trees, and some little pines that I felt were too close to the house.

This is the spot where my garden house aka old shed will be going. I have had to move plants from that opening so hubby could take the tractor to it. Look at that mess!! My poor old bones ache just from looking at it!

This is the view the garden shed will have once in place. I have started planting things on that side, and there is a dahlia bed in there too.

I never took these paper lanterns down last year. They have battery operated lights to them so we used them quite a bit. However, after this past winter they are past their prime. Plus two of them have bird nests in them!!

You can see part of the wood pile hubby has started for his "barn". Actually I call the old one his "doggy house", and my family in Germany got a kick out of that one! Once it's done it will be his new and improved doggy house! This grassy area makes a great place to play badminton or croquet.

Underneath the gazebo about a year ago we added these cement stones from one of those molded forms. It took us about four days doing a row each night, and I placed different leaves on each form, even the small ones. It gives it a different look.

I got out of storage the gazebo set, and scrubbed it down. Has anyone ever tried washing those type cushions? New ones are sooo expensive, and these are still like new. However, I do want to clean them up a bit, and thought of taking them to one of those laundry places. I scrubbed the concrete down too!!

Cute little candle holders that I found for $1 each at Big Lots. Oh, and you can't forget the mosquito repellent. That is a must for around here!!!

So, that is just some outside things that have been done. Inside I have been going to town too! Washing windows, curtains, cleaning cabinets, and there is still more to be done!! Plus I am having a jewelry party soon, and that is a big motivation on my part to get into the spring cleaning mode! Oh! speaking of jewelry party.....I'll be doing a post soon on that! I see a giveaway in this blogs future!!

Looks yummy

Oooooh, don't these look yummy? They are some of the first strawberries from my garden!

I am surprised to have received them as everything has been slow to grow this spring. Our spring has been a little hot, and a little cool especially at night. The ground has not had much of a chance to warm up. With the weather this way not much has come up so it will mean extra work for me re-planting everything except for what is outside the greenhouse. Oh well, at least I have strawberries!

A Happy Boo Hooer

"When I was little, you were always there to catch me when I'd fall, brush away the fears, then send me out into the world again. I may not need your arms to pick me up anymore, but I still need you, Mom, and no matter how old I get, I always will."
(expressions from Hallmark card) Now is that not a boo hooer card?! Love it!!! Sigh.
She also had this in hand

Now is that a true, down to earth sign or what?!! I'll put it on my garden house later on when it is moved into place, but for right now it will always be right where I can see it.
Hope all of you had a wonderful Mother's day, and that goes for you if you have animals too; as they are our babies too!!

Trip to the old school

I thought that I would share more Germany photos with you as I did take over 600!! There were two places I wanted to go, and here is one of them. This was the school where I spent probably a year and half at learning. I remember the one thing I did not like was that we had to go to school for a half a day on Saturdays!! That was terrible!!!

I don't remember it this big, and they may have added on which they probably did

I do remember my classroom on the second floor! Look at the colors on these trees! Almost makes you wish for fall just for the colors, but remember I said almost!

I really don't remember this part, but my cousin Irene said this was part of the gathering area.

Here we are being kids again!

This was the way we used to walk back home

One thing that I wanted do which was a must.....visit my Oma and Opa's (grandparents) grave site.

Hubby could not believe how it looked like a park through the area

It is all beautifully kept

A hillside, why? The minute I came upon it I knew it felt familiar. Well bloggers, when winter time came along this was the best spot for us kids to zoom down on sleds!!! They also had these shoes that had little skis on them that was the length of the shoe. Oh how I wanted those shoe skis! We always had to share with our cousins, but waiting for our turn, oh!!!

My cousin and I

Just some nice memories from the "old" school days!
P.S. I read where the last two pics did not show, so I took them off and re-did them. I have no idea what is going on with blogger, but for the last few times it has done that! Very frustrating!!

I just noticed again that not all photos posted although they showed up just fine in the compose section of posting. I hope that you will be able to see the photos as they are very pretty! Just don't understand why there is a problem today, but hopefully it will go away soon as I have more photos to post!!

Update! I got the photos to work! after reinstalling them.

Garden view from childhood

I thought that today I would show you a lovely garden, some of it was there when I was a child, but most of it is new. I am so glad to get these photos loaded as blogger was giving me a little bit of a problem today! These are photos from my aunt's garden in Northern Germany.
The little blue pool is probably as old as me!! I don't remember if it was blue when I was a child during the stay in Germany, but I do remember my brother falling into it!!
My aunt has a lot of roses in the front of this bed too, and the last time we (my daughter & I) were in Germany some 10 years ago the Leland cypress were not this tall!!

Being as this was towards the end of September, my aunt had already removed the top to the gazebo to prepare for the winter.

The inpatients were beautiful as well as the fuchsia which she stored away a few days later.

Love this concrete basket with the begonias! My mom told me that my aunt has had this probably as long as the blue concrete pool!!

Did you notice the stork on top of the topiary bush? So many cute details! I want my pond to be this big too.

A walk way leading over to the gazebo, and another pond.

Is this not cute?!!! I sooo love it!

This is one of my favorite views. Totally gorgeous!

My aunt works so hard in her garden, and once she knew we were coming she added more details plus last minute work. So you can see now, gardening runs deep on both sides of my family!!!
I hope you have enjoyed this little garden view, and since it is raining outside today I am going to do some blog reading! Because when the sun comes out you know where I will be (hence slow posting and blogging!) I certainly have a long way to go before it will look like this, but I'll certainly give it a shot!!