Outdoor Wednesday- Nuts about Lilacs!

While we had a short break from the rain here,

It was time to get outside and breathe in some of that wonderful fresh spring air! 

There's nothing I look more forward to in the Spring than the delightful fragrance of blooms on my Lilac bush I have in my backyard.

I also look forward to these beautiful visitors that also love the lilacs... 

You know, for some reason I had always thought that these were Monarch butterflies. 

Well it turns out that I was all wrong!

After doing a bit of research it turns out that they are not Monarch's at all,

but in fact they are Yellow Tiger Swallowtail butterflies. 

This breed of Swallowtail Butterfly named "Tiger" after it's beautiful tiger-like stripes on it's wings.

 I could sit and smell the sweet fragrance of these flowers for hours!

...and watch these graceful butterflies flit in and out amongst them too...

They're just so beautiful! 

 Of course I love watching the squirrels playing in the back yard too!

This one doesn't seem to be the least bit bothered by my close presence while he munches away at a pecan!

Speaking of squirrels... having squirrels in our backyard here in town is okay. 

But squirrel's are an almond growers worst enemy,

 and we have to constantly keep the squirrel population under control in our orchard. 

Spring happens to be my favorite time to take a drive out to our orchard. 

Here's a few shots I took there just after the spring bloom. 

It's so beautiful and peaceful out here!

See the new baby trees we planted...

Grow babies Grow!!

Here's a close up shot below...

Can you see the little fuzzy nutlets in the center of the buds?!

Well friends I hope you enjoyed a bit of Spring here in my neck of the woods!

I hope you all are enjoying yours wherever you are!

Now scoot on over to Susan's at a Southern Daydreamer for

Outdoor Wednesday 

and some more outdoor fun!!

Happy Spring!

Hugs,

Sherri

Easter Baskets~

As you might of guessed I've been quite a basket case the last few days that were leading up to my Mom's surgery. 

 I can now breathe a sigh of relief since she has come through it and so far isn't having any complications.  Yay!

Here's a couple a little Easter vignettes I put together to share with you...

I hope you enjoy them! 

I also want to thank all of you too for all your warm thoughts and prayers!! 

They really meant the world to me! 

We haven't really made any Easter plans for the weekend,

with all that has been going on lately. 

 I would just be thrilled to have a beautiful sunny "uneventful" day to just relax!! 

How about you?  What are your plans?

Hope your Easter weekend is enjoyable and filled with many blessings!!

Big hugs,

Sherri:)

Thrifty Treasures and Blue Monday/ Bunnies and Prayers

Hi everyone! I hope you had an enjoyable weekend! 

The weather was beautiful here!
Hubby and I have been busy working in the yard and patio area getting things spruced up for Spring.  I'll be showing you soon some of the things we've been doing.  

I can't believe Easter will be here already next Sunday! 

The time has just been flying by lately!  

I've also been doing a bit of rearranging around the house and putting a few Easter things out as well. 

Here's a cute little bunny couple I found at a local T/S, along with a blue and white striped heart shaped box pillow I made that a few of you might recognize, along with this needlepoint pillow with a darling fruit basket on it,

(that I did not make)!
It was a gift from my long time friend Mary.

Of course I had to put out my darling quilted Easter gardening bunny cut-out that my 

Momma made for me...

She such a sweet Momma! 

The bunny's a cutie too!!

Don't ya think?!

Love her Easter bonnet and button up shoes!

Speaking of my sweet Momma...

She is scheduled to check in to the hospital on the 1st of April for By-pass surgery. 

I would be so grateful if you could join me in sending up a prayer for her

that she comes through this very serious surgery safely. 

Thanks soooo much!

I bought this darling planter at one of my favorite out of town thirft stores,

then added the the faux ivy and praying cherub. 

I thought it turned out real cute,

and also serves as a great reminder of the power of prayer. 

Thanks for stopping by to visit today! 

I'll be linking up to

Rhoda from Southern Hospitality 

"TODAYS THRIFTY TREASURES" ,

and

Smiling Sally's

"BLUE MONDAY". 

Please stop by to pay them a visit and the other participants as well!

Have a wonderful week, and blessings to you all!

Sherri:)

Thrifty Treasures/Blue Monday - Frenchy Craiglist China Cabinet

I know that in my last post I asked you all to stay tuned to see my new

buffet/hutch

(new to me that is)

that I found on Craigslist for the bargain price of only 100 buckaroos...

Can you believe it?!!

Yep... I can hardly believe it myself.... 

but it's true! 

I would have gotten this posted sooner, but have been having some puter problems... 

But I'm slowly getting things back together.

My old hutch was okay but I had decided that I wanted something a little less

country looking and a bit more frenchy looking. 

When I saw this for only a hundred bucks I was totally smitten!

I just love the richness of the wood on this hutch...

The people we bought it from said it was Mahogany.   

I TOTALLY love it with all the carving and

leaded beveled glass doors and the gorgeous carved topper.

 

I put alot of the pretties in it that I had on my old hutch

but added a few more blue and white pieces.

Full view with open doors and before I got done tweaking the arrangement it to get it just right.

Full view with doors closed and showing the gorgeous beveled leaded glass.

Hope you like it as much as I do!!

Now head on over and check out some more

"THRIFTY TREASURES" 

over at Southern Hospitality!

Then pop in at Sally's for

"BLUE MONDAY" 

too!

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Were supposed to have temps in the pleasant 70's here this week

Yippee!!

Thanks for stopping by! 

Sherri:)

Metamorphosis Monday- Sometimes good things come your way!

It may not happen often but occasionally something good comes your way! 
When it comes after a long period of difficulties in life it can be just the thing to
lift your spirits...
Theres nothing quite like finding a great bargain to excite me,

and recently I found a couple of REALLY GREAT ones! 

This one was my VERY favorite kind of bargain....

FREE!! 

 I got this beautiful 4 poster headboard and footboard that my neighbors no longer wanted.  Sure it had a few scratches and was missing a finial at the top of the post on the footboard and there were no side rails. 

But come on they just tossed this gorgeous thing out into the cold! 

Can you believe it?!

 I guess sometimes it's just easier to throw something out

than to take the time to sell it or fix it...  

To those people I say

THANK YOU!!! 

I'll be happy to fix up those discards, and turn them into treasures! 

(well some of them anyway).

Here it is in the back of the truck looking all muddy and cruddy.

Poor thing!

Another look (before)...

I just got a damp rag and wiped all down thoroughly then after it was good and dry I rubbed it lightly with some extra fine steel wool.   

Then wiped on some matching stain/polyurethane with a clean soft cloth.

...and Voila!!  Good as new!!

I've already put the headboard in my guest room,

you know the one I already did a little mini makeover on.

Well as you might have guessed I'm redoing it again. 

Still haven't yet decided what to do with the footboard...I've been combing Ebay hoping to find a matching finial to replace the the broken one,  or maybe I might just replace all four finials.

But so far I'm just thrilled to have this beautiful headboard!! 

 For FREE!!!

Here's a sneak peak of it in the guest room...

I'm thinking about possibly even painting both headboard and footboard in a creamy white or maybe a different darker stain color.... 

Hmmm decisions, decisions.

I'll be sure to let you know when I get it all figured out lol!!

I've already moved on to refinishing my kitchen cabinets!! Ha! 

I've been feeling like my old self (I mean younger self) lately... full of energy!

The other bargain I got was a beautiful piece of furniture on Craigslist! 

It wasn't  "Free" 

but pretty darned close!

Stay tuned I'll be showing it soon!

For more transformations head on over to

Susan's @ Between Naps on the Porch

for

Metamorphosis Monday

Susan is also having a wonderful Give away as well...

Don't miss it!!!

Have a great week!!

Sherri :)