Weekending.

We've reached that time of year when the weather is playing all kinds of tricks on us. Saturday started out sunny then turned cloudy and windy. Sunday started out cloudy then by the time we got home from church it had become the most beautiful day. We ate dinner on the back porch and immediately headed out on a little walk to take advantage of the windless afternoon.

Look at all those people walking ahead of me! I love them so.

Floral Arranging 101: Hand Tied Bouquet.

Today I'm excited to share my very first homework assignment from the Floral Arranging 101 class I'm taking. The class has been really great and I feel like I've learned a lot already. We started off by learning about the proper way to condition flowers, the types of tools to use, how to hand tie a bouquet and then wrap it in a freezer paper aqua pack. We were then given the assignment to create our own hand tied bouquet.

When I signed up for the class I was hoping I would be able to use flowers from our yard. There is a pretty lilac bush, peonies and roses a plenty. Unfortunately, the lilac bloomed three weeks before the class began and the peonies and roses hadn't opened up in time for this project. This meant I was forced to search grocery stores and local flower shops. I live in a rural area and don't have access to a flower market so after going to 5 different places I finally purchased a mixed bouquet that wasn't too hideous from the grocery store for $24.99. I then went to a flower shop for 3 coral peonies and greenery that set me back an additional $23.00. I have a feeling I will be doing a bit of flower hunting for every assignment.

Overall I'm really happy with how the bouquet came together. Chelsea's instructions were so helpful and easy to follow. I loved receiving feedback from Chelsea after I uploaded my images in the class gallery. She suggested editing down the hydrangea so it wasn't such a large mass and I completely agree with her. One thing that makes the bouquet look a bit more polished is the spiraling stems. I was really surprised how simple it was and I think it adds such a nice, professional looking touch.

I ended up giving my mom the bouquet as a Mother's Day gift and she loved it. She's been texting me photos of it everyday so I can see how it's holding up. She's the sweetest.

Tomorrow my assignment is a wild english garden arrangement and I'm heading out right now to cut some roses. Have a lovely weekend, friends!

How To Make Seed Bombs.

I love growing things and while I don't claim to have the greenest thumb, I have managed to avoid killing most things I plant. It's rewarding to see something grow and mature from a tiny seed, am I right?

If you like the idea of growing flowers but find yourself with a brown or even a black thumb, seed bombs are the spring project for you. With a small bit of dirt, clay, and seeds you can make seed bombs to sprinkle around your yard. Before you know it flowers will be popping up everywhere! Or, wrap up your seed bombs in cute fabric and give them to friends and neighbors as a little spring time gift.

Sound fun? Head over to the Project Wedding blog for the full tutorial.

Mother's Day 2013.

Yesterday morning I was lying in bed listening to the clanking of dishes as Ryan and the children prepared my Mother's Day breakfast. I was enjoying the extra few minutes of solitude, thinking of those precious ones that have made me a mother when suddenly I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. I realized something that made me feel very sad. You see, I haven't been very good about taking individual pictures with the kids. In fact, I couldn't even remember the last time we'd done it.

I decided right then and there I would do better. I would stop shying away from the camera and hand it off to Ryan a little more often. After church we called the kids into the family room and spent 10 minutes snapping away.

After each of the kids had a turn we tried our darndest for a group shot. Unfortunately we were all a little tired + hungry by that point. There were even some tears shed.

Are you good about taking pictures with your children? If so, share you secrets!

Simple Mother's Day Gift Wrap.

This week has flown by in a flurry and at times seemed never ending. Does that ever happen to you too? I'm very happy today is Friday and am looking forward to the weekend ahead.

Mother's Day is such a nice time to think of my mother and all of the other women in my life that have mothered and loved me. I also really, really love seeing the gifts my children have made at school. They get so excited!

Speaking of gifts, I shared a simple Mother's Day wrapping idea over on Make and Takes yesterday if you'd like to take a peek.

Do you have any fun plans for the weekend? We're taking the boat on the river tonight. It's forecasted to be 97 degrees today. In May! I'm also planning on working on my homework for the Floral Arranging 101 class I'm taking. Wish me luck!