Old House Depot in Jackson, Miss.

On Friday, we wanted to do some shopping for the new house, but we wanted to avoid the Black Friday hoopla. What better way to join in on the fun than to hit up a few local stores. First we went to the Old House Depot where they were celebrating five years in business and the house cat's first birthday. Old House Depot is an architectural salvage warehouse, meaning they have reclaimed building materials from windows and doors to bath tubs and mantels. I love this place. They really know how to make their favorite cat feel special.

If you are familiar with Koscuisko, Mississippi, you might recognize this "Building Materials" sign. It decorated the front of Scarborough Building Supply on Highway 12 for many, many years. Now I didn't confirm with the owners that this, in fact, was the Scarborough sign. But as many times as I've seen it, I'm pretty sure it is.

An antique hand-painted sign, bread peel, and screen doors.

Doors and shuttered windows with patina.

I was in awe of this old wooden door that once graced the entry of a church. I really wanted to take it home.

The lighting in this photo is bad, but you can barely make out another dark wood door nestled in the back there that is even more fantastic than the previous one. Look at that arched transom window above the swinging doors with iron lining the panes. I imagined it came from an old train depot.

As we browsed we were tapping our feet to the tunes of the Jamie Weems Trio featuring Tim Avalon and Tyler Kemp.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know I did. I relaxed a BUNCH and ate way too much.

Chance of Snow

So, what do you do when it is cold and rainy and there's a chance of snow?

You make hot chocolate. With bourbon. Or, in my case, Malibu rum. The recipe, complete with cardamom pods, was inspired by chef Maria Hines at Tilth Restaurant in Seattle. YUM.

Spooky Door Wreath

I got inspired by Casey's Halloween wreath and made one of my own. I know, I know, Halloween was almost a month ago. I am such a lazy blogger lately.








I got the fake crow at Michael's. I had the wreath and moss already.

I'm in the process of making a Christmas wreath. Since we close on a house on Dec 5th, I don't know if I'll have time for a tree this year. Yep, we will be moving for the second time this year. Ugh. We're crazy, but the house is worth it. I'm in love!

-- Post From My iPhone

It's Been A While...

So I am going to try to ease back into this. Today I am testing brunch recipes for a baby shower I'm hosting in a few weeks for Leah. I made my favorite muffin recipe - Morning Glory muffins - and modified it for mini-muffins. Morning Glory muffins are filled with goodies: carrot, apple, pineapple, raisins, nuts, and cinnamon spice. Little nuggets of fall.









-- Post From My iPhone

Hiatus

I am taking a break from blogging. We listed our house with Century 21 on May 3rd, and we had our first offer on May 5th. The contract was finalized on May 11th. We close on June 17th.

I do hope to compose some final blog posts about my garden at some point. However, right now life is just too hectic, and I may break into tears if I try to write about this garden that I've put so much time into. So, some distance... and some time...

Later gators.

Chipmunk

Right when we moved into this house, we found a little chipmunk drowned in the pool. So sad! He was such a cute, tiny little creature, and I felt so awful that he had fallen in and couldn't find his way out.
To continue the wildlife saga... yes, we have a chipmunk. Maybe even a family of chipmunks!
Apparently the chipmunk family made their way back to our yard. I was sitting in my office chair a few weeks ago when Walle started going nuts. I looked our the front window and saw this bad boy running across the front porch.

I've spotted this chipmunk (or maybe its relatives) numerous times over the past few weeks. Sometimes it is in the backyard, making its way across the back porch. Sometimes, it is on the front porch sniffing around for its next dinner. I do enjoy seeing these cute little creatures in my yard.

Oppossum

Yep. An opposum lives in our trees in suburbia. Wanna see?

The photos aren't great because it was fairly dark outside, and I was very cautious about getting too close to him because I didn't want to scare him away. Chip and I were sitting in the backyard on a cool April evening, enjoying a tasty beverage. We heard something scratching around on the fence, and we initially both assumed it was Meowmers, the neighbor's cat. But as I started to look closer, I realized this animal was much larger than Meowmers. I thought at first, "Holy crap, that is an oppossum!" But, to tell you the truth, I don't see so good, so I doubted myself.

The animal continued to walk the fence. When I saw him illuminated against the back neighbor's house, I knew it was an oppossum.

He walked right along the fence, right into the next neighbor's yard. He didn't mind us at all.

Carolina Wren

A pretty little Carolina Wren made its nest in the bird house hanging from a post on my back porch. For just a couple of weeks this spring I would go outside in the morning and evening to watch mamma bird feed her baby birds in the bird house. Anytime I got too close to the nest, mamma bird would let me know by giving her signature squawk.

Do you see her perching on the porch swing chain?

Then, all of a sudden, they were all gone.

April Iris Blooms

In late March I posted about how excited I was about all the buds on my irises. Well, bloom they did! It has been a spectacular year for these pretty purple plants.

By April 1 the first iris blooms had opened up.
Previously, these irises were planted in a very shady part of the backyard garden. Once I moved them to the sun, they multiplied very quickly. I've had to divide them every other year so far. Talk about prolific. This year is a divide year, so after they are done blooming, I'll have some irises to share with some garden friends!
I've had quite a time trying to figure out the cultivar/variety. I have some guesses, but no clear identity. Isn't it a beauty though? I love the rich color. I think it is stunning.
They are the perfect component in my front porch bed.

Happy Easter!

Yesterday I made an Easter Bunny cake for today's Easter lunch with my family.





It is a Carrot Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese frosting. The recipe is from "Come On In" (Junior League of Jackson, 1992).

Happy Easter, y'all. I hope you enjoy this beautiful spring day with your loved ones.

-- Post From My iPhone

English Rose Bouquet

Lovely English Roses

I love English roses. I can't even begin to describe how pretty the blooms are - pillowy and delicate with such lovely color. When I left for Oxford last week, I had shrubs that were covered in buds and a few blooms just opening up. When I got home on Saturday evening, the shrubs were covered in pretty yellow, peach, apricot, and blush pink blooms.

Golden Celebration buds on April 4th. Molineux just opening up, Monday, April 4th. Covered in buds on April 4th. On the left is Tamora. Molineux is in the center. Golden Celebration is on the right. Yesterday I grabbed some shots before heading to Sakura Bana for sushi. Here they are in full spring bloom on April 10th. In the back and right is Tamora. On the left is Molineaux. In the front and right is Golden Celebration. These are definitely the best blooms I've ever gotten from these shrubs. I transplanted Tamora all the way from Oxford. In January 2009 I moved Molineux and Golden Celebration just a few feet from their original spot to their new spot. The "before" photo from 2009 is telling - check out my Rose Victory post from May 2009. The fragrance on Tamora is amazing, very intense. This morning I cut some and brought them into the house, so I should have some pretty arrangement photos later in the week. Ambridge Rose is holding on. She's still very tiny, but she did produce two or three blooms this year. I really hope she takes off this year!

H.F. Young Clematis Blooms

It's that time of year again. That time of year when I really need to post new garden photos every single day, otherwise you guys are going to miss something! Early this week as I was getting ready for work, I looked outside our bedroom window to see this beauty in bloom. I've gotten some lovely photos over the past few days. H.F. Young, also known as Horace Young, clematis grows on the fence around our pool pump along with an agressive jasmine vine. I have clematis blooms both on the outside and the inside of the fence.

When the blooms first open they are a deep, rich purple color. As they age just two or three days they lighten to a pretty violet. As they age even more, the center of the petals becomes almost white and the outside is almost blue. I think these color variations are just fantastic!



I think the best way to admire a clematis blooms is from up close, so I took at few close ups for you.
A baby bloom. Just opened today.



I have roses and irises blooming, too. I have taken a few photos, and will do a post on those soon. Maybe tonight!