My Creative Blog [Search results for spring] 

Spring collection from Noa Noa is also on the market, and their clothes are simply beautiful. I really don't know why I don't own anything from them. It's a total mystery!

Source: noanoa.dk

As you know, we're chatting about Spring Things on the blog. One thing that bloggers and DIYers seem to get all jazzed up about is mantles. Decorating a seasonal mantle is a must, or so it seems. Well, I have a confession… I really struggle with the whole seasonal mantle thing. My darn TV gets in the way and stunts my creativity. So… rather than focusing on my mantle, I've scoured the web for the BEST Spring Mantles Around! If you want to see oodles more, check out the always fabulous Layla, who's hosting a link up right now!

Actually, let's get started with The Lettered Cottage's Spring 2012 Mantle: What I love:-It looks effortless, like"Oh my mantle just sort of did this fabulous arrangement on it's own, and it was so pretty that these butterflies came through the window and joined without me knowing." -I love the pop of green in the basket. It's really cool and you know I love me some kelly green! What I wish:-I wish that when I put things on my mantle with the desire for it to look natural and organically arranged, it didn't look like I let my kids help decorate.

Source: theletteredcottage.net via The Real Housewives on Pinterest

Two Thirty-Five Designs Spring 2012 Mantle:What I love:-I love, love, love (notice 3 loves means I REALLY love it) that it's non-traditional, but still has some tradtional elements. Notice, there are little robins egg-type vase filler, but it's not all"in your face over-the-top Easter Eggy" -I love that the colors and bright and make me feel like spring, but aren't pastel. What I Wish: I wish I could paint an awesome canvas like that. Yup, she actually painted it herself!

Source: twothirtyfivedesigns.blogspot.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest
Remodelando la Casa's Spring 2012 Mantle What I love:-Again, loving that it's non-traditional… are you seeing a pattern here? _-Love that the simple, stark look of it totally reminds me of spring. I'm getting all English teacher-y on you here, but the empty frames and lots of negative space make me think about how during spring, I feel like my yard is empty and just waiting to be filled with all kinds of cool growing things. Then she was genius and put the branches again reminding me of what's to come. I have no clue what the G is for, but I'm going to go with Grow. Okay, enough lessons in symbolism. What I wish: -I wish my darn TV wasn't on the wall so I could do something just like this!

Source: remodelandolacasa.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest

Four Generations One Roof's Spring 2012 Mantle What I love:-I love the canvas panels! They are fabulous and want to know something awesome?? There are kids dump-truck artwork behind them! Yup! Talk about a good upcycle! -I also love the rope lamp bases. I know Jess would be diggin' them to! What I wish:I wish that I didn't have plans tonight so that I could do a quick, fabric wrap DIY project STAT! (Okay, I only semi-wish that, because I'm going on a big ole' group date out for dinner and to see The Hunger Games! I will have to DIY later!)

Source: fourgenerationsoneroof.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest

Last, but so not least… Christina's Adventures' Spring 2012 Mantle What I love:-I am so in love with the glazed, layered frames. If you want to glaze a frame, we wrote a great tutorial a while back. -I love that she just wrapped two books with fabric -Even though I'm not usually a tulip girl, or a fan of pink, the color combo here is just perfect. What I wish:-I really wish Christina would come here and do my mantle for me! -Oh and one more thing I love… look at that pitcher. The metal finish is so cool!

Source: christinasadventures.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest

There's my wrap up… It almost makes me want to go decorate the dreaded TV mantle… hmm. And, we don't really do linky parties here at RHBC, but we'd love to see what your mantle or decorated shelf looks like. Leave us a link in the comments to your Spring Mantle!

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Holy Cannoli Batman… could Spring have taken any longer to come this year? Finally, we're getting some warmth up in here!

I really love spring (once it gets here)… it means flowers, outdoor projects, and flip-flops (do you remember those days in college, when you'd have a warm-ish spring day, so you'd put on flip-flops, a tank, shorts, and act like it was 100 degrees out? Yup, that was me!)
This Spring, I have a ton of projects I want to work on in our yard. Last summer we finished up our huge patio project, but we didn't have much time or budget left to tackle the landscaping and some other fun projects to make the space complete!

Landscaping around the patio and building a shed are our first two orders of business! I've successfully taken over 3/4s of our huge garage with all my DIY projects and materials, so the hubs has decided it's time for a shed for our mower, yard tools, etc.

Since these are two pretty hefty sized projects, I need all the help and advice I can get. I visited the Garden Club on The Home Depot's website to get some expert advice, inspiration, and I got an awesome coupon just for signing up as part of the community. SCORE!

Check out who else is part of the Garden Club Community…

I mean if Martha is doing it… I'm so there!

I was browsing the site looking for landscaping ideas, but got completely distracted by all the awesome project inspiration ideas! Have you heard of Envirotile? If I had an old, cement slab patio, I would do this in an instant… I found an awesome step-by-step guide that seemed so simple!

One of the other things I loved once I became a member of the Garden Club community, was their Monthly to-do lists! Once I click on where I live on the map, it provides me with a list of what I should be doing when, based on my zone!

Especially with how cool this spring has been, it's easy to forget about some of the outdoor things I need to be taking care of now! I printed out my list for March and it's right on the fridge for the hubs and me to tackle! (Actually, he's outside working in the yard, as I'm writing this!)

We love the Home Depot (and not just because they're one of our CWTS sponsors!!), and I'm so glad I checked out their site and became a member of the Garden Club

To join yourself & get your coupon (c'mon, all the cool kids are doing it)- click HERE

Happy Spring and Happy Gardening!!

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It's home improvement time, and The Home Depot has everything you need for spring. No matter what projects you want to tackle, The Home Depot has you covered and can help you #DigIn to spring.

Spring is the perfect time for all your outdoor home renovations. Shop The Home Depot for terrific values on new patio furniture, landscape supplies such as fertilizer and potting soil and outdoor grills. Keep your lawn and garden looking great, too, with the huge selection of lawn mowers, edgers and trimmers, and garden tools.

Visit The Home Depot Garden Club for product ideas from kick-starting your Spring with seed starter kits to building a window birdfeeder.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

Here are the Spring news from Lexington. Really bright and summery. I love it! I don't have a house by the sea but it would do it's job in the countryside too. Definitely!

Source: lexington.com

It's officially spring! Although, it has been feeling like summer with the weather we're having in Bucks County lately! I'm loving it! We thought we'd take a few posts to get you all ready for the season. We're talking spring cleaning (gag), Spring decor, Spring mantles (mine is so NOT springy yet), Spring landscaping, and more ("more" means whatever we feel like on a given day!) So, whip out your flip-flops, pull on some cute crop jeans, and let's get moving with Spring Things! (and I by no means am trying to suggest that you only wear flip-flops and jeans… a shirt is highly recommended too!)

Spring Thing # 1: Outdoor Plans

As most of you know, we finished building our house 16 months ago. As with lots of BIG projects, when you're finally finished you're kind of ready to be done spending money for a while. So, we decided to wait until the fall to do landscaping. I'm not really sure what happened to that plan, I think it had something to do with the craziness of a certain show that rhymes with"Late Smirkus"… but the landscaping didn't get done. Now it's spring and we're ready to attack the front of the house with all things green and planty. (I'll talk more about landscaping for a serial plant killer next week)
Before the hubs breaks ground, I wanted to tackle the porch. Here's the sad looking state of my porch… (and no, my grass isn't that green yet, it's an old pic)

I have plans to add some fun furniture, but first there's a BIG question at hand…

Forgive my terrible sample pics, but I wanted to try and get an idea of how different colors would look. I think a pop of color on the door will look awesome and make me happy every time I come home! Here are some awesome inspiration pics that got me motivated to start with the door!

Source: centsationalgirl.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest

I'm loving this color blue, but I'm not sure it would work with our sand/grey/blech siding. (FYI We couldn't pick our siding because we bought a partially started home from the bank and finished it. Siding was already on. Boo!))

Source: maisonsblanches.tumblr.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest

Source: google.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest

Source: number-2-pencil.blogspot.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest
So, what do you think? I need some input on this one. I asked my hubs and he sarcastically said,"How about we paint, the door, then all the shutters, Oh, and add some chevron!" Grrr… I gave him the stink eye for sure! Since he's NO HELP, I'm leaning on all of you. Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.
Thanks for your help! I'm excited to get working on the door and the porch furniture this weekend. Here's a sneak peek at some bistro sets that are in the running. (I scoured craigslist and thrift stores for one I could DIY and people are just insane with their pricing. Most were more expensive than what I could buy new and they were hideous!) Now, don't be swayed by the yellow, these just happened to catch my eye!

Source: target.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest

Source: target.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest
Thanks for your help! I can't wait to share my NEW porch with you!

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Well, Spring is in full-force here in Bucks County, with trees and flowers beginning to bloom like crazy (although this weekend we experienced a bit of a set-back with 50 degree-gasp!-rainy weather!) A great way to enjoy Spring, especially when the days are still a bit too cool to be outside, is by bringing the outdoors in. A nature walk with your kids, husband or on your own will provide you with loads of opportunities for adding some spring color to your homes. For me, it's not enough to just look at Spring through a window, I've got to get that stuff inside my house!

Probably my most favorite sight in spring are the millions of forsythias that bloom in all their mustardy-yellow glory. As soon as I saw buds on our forsythia, I cut a few branches, plunked them down in a vase and they immediately brought sunshine to my new white kitchen. {Sigh}

Remember my Garden Wall? I felt that my house was in dire need of greens last spring, and guess what? These little fellas are still going strong. Hooray for me!

Centsational Girl

Don't even get me started on all the things I dig in this picture. Let's just focus on those beautiful pink (don't quote me on this) peonies. Am I right on the flower, anyone? Whatever they are, they're lovely.

Source: brittanyanddylan.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest Ever thought about making your own terrarium? Not sure why, but these things are mega-popular right now. It could be that it's almost impossible to kill succulents, which is awesome for plant-killers like me.

I am in love with growing your own wheat grass. It sounds super easy to do, and is a really versatile spring decoration. I'm thinking I might give this a try this week! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blog Name Update We're making progress very slowly. So slowly, in fact, that it's been a torturous process for us. Thank you all for your support and suggestions for names. We so appreciate you taking the time to give us your thoughts! Since we are two extremely decisive girls, not being able to decide on a name has thrown us for a loop! All day long we call each other with new name ideas. We think we've narrowed it down to a few that we like, and now we need your help! Please vote on your favorite name (FYI- they're very similar to each other!), and if you're so inclined, leave us a note with why you voted for that one!

We've toyed around with a million variations, like: BC Design (for Bucks County), Designing Reality, East Coast Creative, just to name a few. Do any of them jump out at you? Argh! It's driving us crazy. Help a few girls out, will you?; )

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.
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Again, thanks for all your help! Now, go outside and bring some of that glorious Spring inside!; )

Well, we both were inspired to put together our perfect Spring outfit because of this cool contest being held on another blog. The winner gets 2 FREE pieces of jewelry and $200 towards your perfect outfit. Yes, please, count us in! Oh, I could browse my favorite store sites all day and find a million things I like, but I'll be realistic, I'm not going to be able to buy these gorgeous things anytime soon. But it's fun to design a fun outfit, and I'm crossing my fingers that I'll win! (Shhh, don't tell Monica!)
Jessica's Perfect Spring Outfit

(Clockwise from top left)
1. Necklace from Jess LC
2. Ruffled Pintuck top from Banana Republic (on sale now!)
3. Jeans from Banana Republic (also on sale!)
4. Hobo Bag from Piperlime
6. Bracelet from Jess LC
7. Shoes from DSW

*Can you tell I'm a neutrals kind of girl?: ) Also, this proves to me that I am no clothing stylist. Now I know I'm doing what I should be doing.

Monica's Perfect Spring Outfit
Ok, just to give this a little perspective… When I told Eric about blogging an outfit he said,"You know nothing about fashion, why would you do that?" He didn't mean it in a rude way, he was just being honest because I am pretty Plain Jane and comfy when it comes to my clothing choices. My number one staple in my closet is sneakers! They're my favorite and of course they'd need to be a part of my perfect spring outfit.

(Clockwise from top left)
1. Sweater from Hollister
2. Belle Classic Shirt from A&F (on sale now!)
3. Astor bead necklace from Jess LC
4. Earings from Jess LC
5. Sneaks from Zappos (I actually have these in yellow & grey)
3. Chunky bracelet watch on Ebay
4. Hobo Bag from Melie Bianco
6. Crop Jeans from A&F
7. Glasses from Banana Republic

*Can you tell I'm a no frills kind of girl? I will most likely be the only woman in the retirement home someday still wearing cool sneakers!

Have a great Monday and have fun planning your perfect spring outfit!

We briefly interrupt this CWTS week because it's now officially spring and I'm not sure if you know this, but it has been SNOWING the last 2 days here in PA. We thought maybe the snow was due to the fact that we haven't been posting about anything spring?? So, just to make sure spring isn't offended, and stops the snow business, we proudly present you with a spring post! (CWTS Tutorials will be back in full swing tomorrow, but you can check out the Round 2 projects and winners here and here.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You all know that HGTV has a special place in our hearts. We got our very first magazine feature in their November 2012 Thanksgiving issue (remember the fun leftovers station idea?) So, of course we were game when HGTVGardens asked us to give their new website a whirl!

We started off by becoming HGTVGardens community members (which was easy peasy), you can check our our profile here.

I added a few of my own outdoor posts to my photo album.

If you're a blogger, this is a great way to get some new local blog readers, because HGTVGardens suggests content based on your zip code. So people right in your hometown will see your posts. It's also really cool because those people live in the same gardening"zone," so I won't be shown a bunch of posts of plants that could never grow in PA!

Then, I took some time to explore the site! You know I don't have an especially green thumb, but I do love to make our yard look awesome in the summer and fall! I have my go-to annuals, but I really want to find more perennials that I like. With 4 acres of land, annuals get really pricey! I couldn't believe how simple HGTVGardens made searching for the right plants! Check this out… they already had my zone, so I just clicked Perennial, then Partial Sun and Boom!

I found this adorable flower!! I don't know about the name, seriously,"Sneezeweed??" but it looks awesome, will come back each year, and Bonus… it attracts butterflies! I really love the Plant Finder tool and see many more new and awesome flowers making their home with us this year!

Another thing I loved about the HGTVGardens site was that the articles were super relevant. It wasn't like Uncle Bob's Random flower that only grows in Texas or anything like that! I was super excited to stumble upon this article about Meadows. Two summers ago, I started trying to get a meadow going and each year I'm getting closer and closer!

Honestly, to start my meadow, I just went to American Meadows and picked the flowers I thought were pretty… this article would have been really helpful about two years ago! Ha! Now, I know which bags of seed I'll be ordering this year, and I'm pretty sure they'll do a lot better than the"Monica Random Picking Method."
I knew I was a big HGTV fan, but the HGTVGardens site really impressed me. I added it to my Bookmarks bar… people, that's a big deal in my world! Take some time to check it out and I'd love to know what new plants and ideas you find (they have a whole section for crafts and fun outdoor ideas too!)
And just because I love it a lot, here's my Go-To flower. It's perfect for the lazy gardener… loves sun, doesn't need water, comes in tons of colors, and makes me look like a much better gardener than I really am!

Happy Spring, now if the East Coast could get the spring memo and stop snowing, I could start getting my gardening groove on!

**This post brought to you by gardening crew at HGTV, but all opinions belong 100% to yours truly!

I'm not a huge fan of spring, mainly because I LOVE summer and get a tad impatient for the hot pool-weather days. However, I do love seeing all the new spring trends, products, and ideas. Today we're sharing a few Spring Must Haves from our fabulous sponsors. We so appreciate our sponsors. They make this blog possible and we're so grateful for that! Make sure you check them out and tell them RHBC sent you! ********************************************************************************** Remember the awesome artwork we made for Jess' house? Well, it wouldn't have looked half as amazing without the mad-photo-skills of Stacy Salvatori. She's local to Bucks County and would be a great choice for your family pictures or next big event. Visit Stacy's Website

I'm love with the Just for Girls Collection from Red Letter Words. How fun and springy are these prints? I plan to order a few for Kenzie's room in the next few weeks. I love art that looks cool and will also daily encourage my tween (holy cow that is the first time I've written that. I can't believe I have a ten year old!) Visit Red Letter Words

#1- Make 5 Dinners in One Hour… that's NO JOKE! These crazy affordable meal plans with shopping lists and directions will rock your world. Head over to their Facebook page to try one week for FREE!

#2- We're so glad that 31 Gifts jumped on the Grey & Yellow bandwagon and came out with this adorable line! I'd love an organizing utility tote in this pattern! Contact Mandy to get yours (you can get me one too!)

#3- Have you visited My Best Friend's Hair yet? You definitely need to. If you have a stylist you love, go let the world know by leaving a review or if you have yet to find the right stylist for you, head to their site to read other users reviews and find yourself a rockin' stylist today!

#4- I require a perfect spring candle in my kitchen this time of year. CJ's EcoChic Candles smell amazing, and because they're soy they last forever! (ok, not literally, but figuratively). They best part… you're not going to pay $25 like you would at the big chain stores and you're supporting a great small business.

#5-This is a spoiler alert! Remember the SuperFab room makeover we're currently working on? Well, we have Royal Design Studios to thank for one of the amazing design elements in the room. They have the best stencil selection around! Check out their new and improved website and they have an idea blog with all kinds of inspiration. Guess who was featured there for our Nate Show stencil project? Visit their new website!

#6- Kotton Pickin' Kute is more than just hats! For Spring you need to check out the fun headbands she offers. Seriously, that baby is adorable!

#7- Guess what?? Liberty Thrift listened to its shoppers and extended their hours! Woohoo! It's now open M-Sat 9-7pm. We have a fun outing in the works with Liberty and can't wait to share the details with you!

#8- Moo & Puppy is our favorite digital scrapbook company out there! We love the preppy look of this madras paper pack. (I'll confess that in the 90s I loved and wore lots of Abercrombie before they went all half-naked. But man, I do love me some preppy styles!) Moo & Puppy is giving you 15% off with the code RHBC15.

#9- Jet Upholstery is more than just chairs and cushions! Look at that amazing bed! Even for these DIYers some projects are better left to the pros! Visit Jet's Website for more info!

Those links should keep you busy for a while! I actually have about 15 tabs open on my computer right now, because I want to place a ton of orders! Thanks again to our sponsors! You're the best!

Yellowstone's name is historically credited to the Native Americans who lived in and around the park area. The name is basically derived from the Yellowstone River. The Yellowstone River has high yellow rock cliffs along its banks in the northern area of the present day park.

In 1872 Yellowstone National Park was established making it the world's first national park. It's location is in Wyoming, USA, exactly halfway between the Equator and the North Pole.
The Continental Divide of North America runs diagonally through the south-western part of the park. The divide is a topographic feature that separates Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean water drainages.
The park sits on the Yellowstone Plateau, at an average elevation of 2400 m above sea level and at the plateau you also find Mount Washburn at 3122 m.

The park has one active volcano, 300 active geysers, 290 waterfalls, one of the worlds largest volcanic explosion craters and approximately 2000 earthquakes a year.
The highest waterfall is the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River at 94 m.

Yellowstone has the largest concentration of free-roaming wildlife in the global temperate zone, for example Black Bear, Grizzly Bear, Coyote, Swift Fox, Red Fox, Wolf, Lynx, Bald Eagle, Moose, Bison, Canada Goose and White Pelican.

Old Faithful Geyser is one of the most popular features in the park and erupts every 65 minutes, which lasts from 1,5 minutes up to 5 minutes. It has been measured to 22m deep and a 129 degrees Celsius. When it erupts it expels 14 000 to 35 000 litres of water and reaches heights from 30m to 55m.

There are three canyons located in the park, cut through the Yellowstone Plateau by rivers over the last 640,000 years. For example, the Yellowstone River has carved two colourful canyons, one of them being the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

The Beauty Pool is one of many colourful thermal pools in Yellowstone.

The Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world.

Mammoth Hot Springs features unique hot spring pools, called terraces, where geologic formations have come about from the heat, flowing water and limestone.

Although there is a lot of mud at Yellowstone, Mud Volcano is actually labled wrong. It is not a mud volcano, but rather a mud pot. And a mud pot is a hot spring formed in high-temperature geothermal areas where water is in short supply.

Yellowstone is included on the United Nations World Heritage List.

A few fast facts:
*Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park area is roughly half the size of New Zealand.
*In 2006, the Federal Government budget for maintaining the park was over $30 million.
*5% of Yellowstone Park is covered by water. 80% of the park is mountain forest and approximately 15% grasslands.
*Yellowstone Park is home to two endangered species; the Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) and the Whooping Crane (Grus Americana).
*There are estimated to be over 10,000 thermal features/attractions in Yellowstone National Park.
*Lodge Pole Pines make up 80% of the forest in Yellowstone.

Happy Tuesday!

Y ou know it's truly spring when the orchards are on the verge of blossoming. Very soon the valley and hills will be twinkling with little pink and white flowers so deliciously beautiful that you'll want to walk down orchard row upon orchard row trying to take them all in.

Meet my new friend. She lives on a sheep farm down the road and she's fulfilling my desire to make new furry friends. My sweet adorable alpacas ( here ) have been moved to another field so the sheep are my new adorables to stop and say hello to. And she's the perfect kind of furry friend....completely squeezable!

Indoors, spring is shining brightly through the white ranunculus on our bedroom dresser.

And of course the heavenly pink ranunculus on my nightstand. Can you kiss a flower? What would Hubby think if I leaned over and kissed my ranunculus before we went to sleep at night? I'm afraid he'd think it was fairly normal behavior.

My new spring bonnet is the latest addition to my spring 'wardrobe'. I found it at an antique store and it simply made me smile. Do you think I should wear it on Easter? Do you think it will 'go' with jeans and a warm sweater?
Happy Easter dear friends.
xoTrina

Outside my window, the landlord has started project spring cleanup. I enjoy standing by the kitchen window and look at how pretty it gets. Although the sun isn't shining quite as much as wished and the temperature is climbing a bit too slowly, it is spring. No doubt about it. And. It. Feels. So. Good.

With the return of Spring comes the dreaded Spring Cleaning (at least, it's dreaded for me)! One of the most satisfying cleaning habits for me is window cleaning! There is nothing like a window that's smeared with dog drool, kids fingerprints, snow residue and all sorts of other things being cleaned to reveal the sunshine and the beautiful outdoors. Today, I'm sharing three tips from a professional window cleaner that will make cleaning windows so much easier and a whole lot more satisfying!

Most of you don't know this, but my hubs owns a company called Jackson Home Services that specializes in residential and commercial window cleaning. He cleaned windows professionally for 4 years before taking another job (darn that the economy tanked!), and now runs his window cleaning business on the weekends. He has generously offered to share his"insider" secrets with all of you, just so you don't dread the process any more.: )
Tip #1: Invest in a Squeegee.

Honestly, this one makes all the difference in a window with streaks and without streaks. You can find these at Lowes or Home Depot for cheap, and you won't regret it. My hubs does a tricky"S" move with his squeegee, but for your purposes, after getting the window wet, running the squeegee across the window from one side to the next will work.

Tip #2: Don't use Windex!

It's silly to spend all that money on window cleaning solutions when the pros just use an ounce of Joy Dish Soap (or any other dish soap, but my hubs prefers Joy) in a bucket half-full of warm water. Dip a towel/cloth in the water and wipe it all over the window and then use the squeegee to clean it off.
Tip #3: Use a Lint-free Cloth & Steel Wool to finish it off!

After using the squeegee, take the lint-free or microfiber cloth, and wipe around the corners and base of the windows to dry any remaining water. If you encounter a stubborn spot on the glass, like a paint splatter, screen residue etc, rub it with a piece of steel wool to remove. Make sure your window is wet when you do this! Don't worry, this won't damage or scratch your glass, but will easily remove the spot. Then, start over with the squeegee.
Tip #4: Hire a Professional to make your life REALLY easy! (Bonus tip from ME!: )) If you're in the Bucks, Montgomery or Chester county areas, consider hiring Jackson Home Services to completely eliminate the windown cleaning hassle. My hubs is super resposible, courteous, honest and polite. (And I'm not biased at all!) He does a great job, can give you references, and is offering 20% off for all RHBC readers. To schedule a cleaning, email Kevin Jackson at jacksonhomeservices@gmail.com with RHBC20 in the title.

Happy Spring Cleaning!

L ast spring I came across a lilac shrub at our local nursery. Its blossoms had the strongest lilac fragrance I've ever smelled.
I brought her home and planted her by our old lilac bush so that they could blossom happily together.

But this has been a cool spring so our little baby lilac hasn't shown many signs of life. However, today I looked closer and saw that the poor leafless branches miraculously produced one single large blossom.

And she's beautiful. The variety is called Katherine Havemeyer and the flowers are described as 'lilac-blue, double and open from purple buds, with four to eight inch dense panicles appearing in late spring and early summer'. This species is also referred to as the French Lilac and is known for its extremely fragrant blossoms.
Perhaps as spring warms into summer, she'll come on stronger and grace us with more of her sweet blossoms.

It's been ten years since Jess and I have been on Spring Break together… Ugh, that just sounds old, but we did have fun on our Florida spring break trip during college. Think beaches, pools, shopping, and a convertible. While we're far from our spring break years, we do both happen to be heading out next week on vacations…

Without knowing it we both booked trips to visit this fella on the same week- Sweet!

So, while we're away we have some awesome surprises for you, so don't you worry, Real Housewives of Bucks County won't be leaving you high and dry.

Any guesses what kind of guest bloggers are going to be making an appearance next week?

I received a request to post on my collection of transfer ware. I have three different patterns, a collection that started when I inherited my Grandmother's red transfer ware.

They were her everyday dishes that I grew up with. She lost many of the original plates in the California earth quakes. However, it was a pattern that continued to be made, so she was able to order replacements.

This is the mark on the back.

I display the red after Thanksgiving as they're part of my Christmas decorations. They stay up until spring, when it's time to display my teal blue transfer ware.

I bought these at an antique store in Washington state. They were on clearance and I almost passed them up thinking that although they were so beautiful, what would I everdo with them? That is the day I thought of putting up my different collections by season — and that is how I rationalized buying them!

This is the mark on the back.

This was taken last spring....which was the first spring I displayed them on the shelves.

The brown transfer ware goes up in fall. I came upon my brown transfer ware at Marshall's department store, and thought they would be perfect dishes to use for Thanksgiving.

This is the mark on the back of the plate.

If we didn't have the open shelves in the kitchen, I don't think I would have started collecting the other two patterns. But the open shelves are like a blank canvas, and can create a completely new look for the kitchen depending on what I put on them.
Soon I will be taking down the red transfer ware and putting up the teal blue bird transfer ware. This time, I'm going to try something different and attempt to create less of a kitchen feel and more of a 'room' feel.
Jennifer at The Newlywed Diaries posted on this look here and I really love it! So we'll see how I do — suggestions always welcome!

We had a warm, cozy fire over the weekend.

Every time we have a fire in the fireplace, we always ask ourselves why we don't have them more often. For some reason, our fires are lit in the coldest months of winter. As I suggested to Mike, a summer fire....with the windows thrown open and the chirping of crickets outside....why haven't we done that?

My hydrangeas are already budding, inspiring some spring reading (or at least the thought of spring reading)!

I added an orchid to the mantle in anticipation of the changing seasons.

Ever since the babies arrived, we've been spending most of our days in this room (which was tidied up before I took pictures!). For wear and tear (and spills and leaks), I typically throw a quilt over the couch. Baby swing is by Nature's Purest.

I'm thinking spring. It's hard not to (despite the snow) when you see bouquets of tulips and daffodils in the grocery store. So I've gathered some photos I took of the flowers we enjoyed last year to tide me through the next couple of months of winter.

The first spring flowers that grace our land are the blossoming fruit trees — they are absolutely breathtaking.

These were the first peonies I clipped at the flower farm. They were so gorgeous and delicate and their pink blossoms enormous!

We have some very old lilac bushes that probably need some serious pruning. They are a bit tattered and worse for wear, but still produce the most fragrant smelling flowers. I take this as my cue to gather them up in bunches and spread them throughout the house.

This was the bouquet I was most proud of last summer as it was the very first clipping from our newly planted rose and peony bushes.

These are the first clippings from the Little Lamb Hydrangea bushes I planted.

These are also Little Lamb Hydrangea but were clipped towards the end of summer, after they turned from milky white to a blushing pink.

And these were the last of the rose clippings before the frost came and lulled everything to sleep.
I've missed my petaled friends and can't wait to see them again this spring.

So. It's Sunday. 20th of March. Bare ground haven't been spotted since midst November. It is now officially reported missing. The birds are starting to sing Spring love songs. And today, when I got up to heal my hurting head, the horizon was in cascades of clear Pink and deep Orange. And it was light outside. So, Spring is here. The problem is only; it isn't here yet.

To celebrate the Spring That Isn't Here, I thought I'd show you a very pretty (of course) Rose that bears my name. I'm amazed! I never thought I'd find a flower that had the same name as I.

Apparently it is a climbing Rose, from the family Hybrid Teas. It's quite thorny (well, so am I), large and with a darker or vibrant shade of Orange. And it is continuously blooming. I think I'll get me one of these. Or two.

So behold; the Rose Bettina.

I f there comes a little thaw, Still the air is chill and raw,
Here and there a patch of snow, Dirtier than the ground below, Dribbles down a marshy flood; Ankle-deep you stick in mud In the meadows while you sing, "This is Spring."
-Christopher Pearce Cranch
I just love the imagery of in the meadows while you sing. HAPPY SPRING! xo