Happy Weekend, Friends!
It’s officially spring and it sure feels like it here in Northern California.
How about where you live?
I’m behind the eight ball when it comes to spring decorating.
After getting an early jump on my spring doormat,
I got caught up with the wedding and never got around to springing-up Snowberry’s front porch.
Not to worry, it will be remedied this weekend after a trip to my favorite nursery.
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It was a busy week on the blog.
All about (you guessed it) … weddings!
More specifically what to wear to a formal wedding.
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- Sister Jane’s Wedding Look
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- BFF Jane’s Wedding Look
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- Niece Sophie’s Look
But today it’s all about spring.
And I’m meeting up with Kim and Elizabeth to share our favorite things this week.
My list was long and hard to narrow down, but here goes!
SPRING WREATHS
Speaking of the front porch, after buying a doormat my spring decorating came to a screeching halt. Today I’ll haul down my spring décor bin and make a trip to the nursery for some colorful spring flowers. After giving the porch a good cleaning, laying out the new doormat, and replanting the porch pots I’ll wait impatiently for this pretty spring wreath to arrive. I ordered it last night on Etsy. I love the colors and that it’s a good size … 24” diameter … which works best on my front door.
There are so many cute spring and Easter themed wreaths out there. Here are a few more that caught my eye.
IT’S TOMATO TIME
Its officially tomato planting season, as I was reminded by my local nursery. And I’m excited to pick up a couple of plants at the nursery this weekend for our raised beds. When I say a couple … I mean two. In years past I’ve gotten carried away and planted too many. In a few months they’ll be gigantic and taking over our limited space. Not to mention they produce more tomatoes than we can ever possibly eat. And it seems everyone plants their own tomatoes so giving them away isn’t easy. I love to make bruschetta throughout the summer and with that in mind I’m leaning toward red cherry and yellow tear drop plants. It would be nice to have an orange tear drop too. I love a tri-colored bruschetta. Oh, and a Roma tomato would also be great. Gah. See what I mean? Maybe I’ll limit myself to three. Do you grow tomatoes? I’d love to know your favorite varieties.
By the way, this is my favorite bruschetta recipe. I use small cherry and tear drop tomatoes in lieu of a large heirloom. And I skip the olives.
JANSEN HOME
Have you heard about Jansen Home? An online home décor shop launched last year by sisters, Kate Knowles (of Kate Knowles Home), and Ashley Jansen. Kate built her dream home around the same time I was renovating Snowberry. She has amazing taste and I enjoyed following along with her building process. As if I didn’t have enough construction in my life. So, I was excited when she and her sister announced that they were opening an online shop focused on classic decor. I wanted to be first in line to shop their beautifully curated pieces. One of my favorite purchases is their woven pitcher and old fashioned glasses. I can’t wait for summer entertaining season to put them to good use. And my very favorite purchase, so far, is this rattan bowl. It’s been a fixture on my kitchen counter, usually filled with fruit. Yesterday I harvested another batch of lemons from our garden, and it looks so pretty in the bowl.
ART IN THE KITCHEN
Speaking of lemons … how do you feel about art in the kitchen? How about lemon art in the kitchen? I met artist Krista Kim at a retreat a year ago fell in love with her citrus prints. I bought this lemon print for my kitchen. It’s the first thing I see each morning when I come down the hall to feed Pippa and Maggie. And it puts me in a good mood. Jim prefers I start the day in a good mood. Krista does beautiful work which you can find on her Etsy shop.
A PERSONAL KINDNESS THAT WARMED MY HEART
My sweet dad passed away in January. He had been in declining health for several years with a neuropathy issue affecting his legs and mobility. He’d been an active guy throughout his life. A daily runner, on weekends he ran in races all over California including many marathons. He was an avid tennis player, golfer, and swimmer. Slowly he was forced to give up these activities that he loved until swimming was the only exercise he could do. But he did it twice a day every day. Then he discovered a Pilates class offered at his club and became an enthusiastic participant. So enthusiastic that he proudly told me his instructor depended on him to make the class music playlists. I was impressed.
By the beginning of last year, my dad could no longer swim or do Pilates. He and his wife sold their longtime home and moved to Eastern Oregon to be near one of her daughters. Six months after the move he was hospitalized and from there went into assisted living and hospice. Many of you have gone through similar situations with your parents and know how it goes.
A couple of weeks ago I received a Facebook message from a woman who said she was my dad’s Pilates instructor. She wanted to know how he was doing, and I had to give her the sad news. She told me that for years he made the playlists for her class, and she’d saved them. All of them. And could not bring herself to throw them away. She sent me snapshot of the ‘playlists’ … and asked if I’d like to have them. Pages and pages of typed song lists. I got a good laugh. I guess she was the one to make the actual playlists from his direction. As my niece said, ‘that’s so grandpa!’ Anyway, the box of playlists arrived this week and I can’t tell you what it means to me to receive them. What an unexpected treasure. I’m so grateful for the thoughtfulness of this woman who cared about and appreciated my dad too.
So there you have it … five things front and center in mind this week.
I’d better take the dogs for their walk and get busy on the porch.
Let’s see what Kim and Elizabeth have for us this week!
As always, I appreciate your visit and welcome your thoughts in the comments below.
Happy Spring and Cheers from Snowberry!
What a special gift to receive and it brought a tear to my eye. So sorry for the loss of your father.
Ahhh, tomatoes! I have a very easy and delicious marinara sauce that I make when I have an abundance of tomatoes. I make large batches by roasting the tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, Italian herbs, olive oil and balsamic vinegar and then pureeing in my blender. I freeze the batches and have homemade marinara sauce at the ready.
Looking forward to seeing your spring decor.
Oh Juliet, I love this story about your dad and his playlists. What a tribute to share with all of us. Oh my porch is in dire need of a makeover. We have a yard cleanup crew coming next week and we need to pre-clean before they clean!
ha! Happy Saturday! laura in Colorado
Laura, this makes me laugh … I always pre-clean before the serious cleaning too. But one can never sparkle too much. Wishing you a happy weekend in beautiful Colorado! xo
Juliet, Wow , what a special little memory of your dad, who sounds like the most cool person. How wonderful she saved these and shared with you. What a treasure and a little look into him. I love this list particularly! It is so hard losing a parent and these little memories are everything when they are gone.
I love your doors wreath. It’s going to be so pretty on your door with the color. I didn’t even think about Etsy for wreaths! I am thinking I need a spring wreath now. Thanks for all the cute recommendations. I want to go to Ashley’s shop. That basket is lovely, and you will use it so much. I use mine like that for bread with a pretty napkin. I will also check out your artist. Lemons are very California and maybe that’s why I love your still life. Really fun post. Love doing this with you ladies! Happy weekend. xo
Oh I almost forgot to say, I also plant tomatoes and am writing a little thing about tomato growing from my dad’s tips. He won’t let me put mine in until middle April because of frosts, but this year we are having some really warm weather so it will be fine I think. Looks like you had some beautiful bounty last year! It’s the most rewarding thing to plant. low maintenance and keeps giving until November in California! We are so lucky!
I remember you saying that about your dad and tomato planting. I thought it was a little early, but looked to see that a we planted same weekend last year and all went well. So fingers crossed. Your dad’s tomato growing tips will be much appreciated … I can’t wait! xo
I love the story about your dad. A true gift.
The playlists will forever remind you of him.
Tomatoes and lemons are two foods that top my list of things to enjoy. Summertime is the best. Bruschetta with tomatoes and basil is the best meal you can enjoy on a hot day… with a nice cold glass of wine. Let the growing season begin!
It was such an unexpected and wonderful gift. Yes, bruschetta … the perfect meal. I could eat it all year long. Yum! xo
Oh Juliet, thank you for sharing that sweet story about your dad. I’m going to use his playlist as I do my spring cleaning. He sounds like he was an absolute peach!
Blessings, Sherri
Sherri, I love that you’re doing that … happy spring cleaning! And, thank you for spending time with me this morning. xo
What a tribute to your dad and I’m so sorry for your loss.
You looked beautiful for the wedding.
I love that wreath!
Love the playlists! (Wiping away a tear). Very special and thoughtful of the Pilates instructor. Give me all the lemons!!
Isn’t that the nicest, sweetest gesture … I’m so grateful to have these moments. Yes, bring on the lemons!!! Happy weekend. xo
What a wonderful treasure to remember your Dad and his very good taste in music! These are great songs that remind us of special times. I love how he included “this day in history” at the top of the playlist. No doubt the teacher and the others in the class awaited your Dad’s arrival, excited to see what he had prepared for them that day.
I love the variety of things you all share with us in these Saturday posts.
What a treasure to have those playlists! I love the Etsy wreath you ordered. I’m sure it will look fabulous on your Snowberry door. BTW, you looked beautiful for the wedding. Happy Saturday, friend!
Juliet, I have found that as I age the littlest moments mean the most. How wonderful that this woman, pilates instructor, reached out to you to send you the playlists from the classes. Your dad sounds like a wonderful man and to have this piece of him is a gift.
Thank you for sharing all of your “spring things”, the tomatoes, the lemons and your porch and personal stories. I am sorry for the loss of your father. Take care and enjoy your weekend.
Love the playlists your dad made. Such a special memento of your sweet father. Your wedding ensemble was fabulous, and those gold nails are so glamorous!
What a precious gift from that sweet instructor…a treasure for sure. And tomatoes already? We have another 6 weeks before planting them here. Thank you for the suggestions on what to plant. Happy weekend!
I just left a long message and it disappeared…before I leave it again, I’ll wait to see if it publishes. I’m not sure??
Thanks for letting me know, Annie … so frustrating and I”m sorry. I’m contacting Grayson now. xo
Love this post. Your dad sounds like a special guy. Sorry for your loss. I love this time of year, don’t you? I love planting grape tomatoes. They are so good to snack on or halved on salads. We always plant too many tomatoes, too.♀️
Julie
My message was lost too??
Shoot … I’m going to ask Grayson about that. And tell him it’s YOU. He’ll hop to! xo
Juliet, I am so sorry about your father. To have that playlist is wonderful. His memories will live on. It’s never easy losing a parent.
I love your pillow with the name of your home. It’s so perfect! Can we talk about that bowl of lemons? Are they from a tree in your yard? They are huge! I had visions of a Friday evening drink with couple of those lemons.
The lemons are from our yard … they’re growing like crazy right now. And I need to mix a lot of cocktails to keep up. Wish you were my neighbor and could run across the street to join me. The pillow was a gift from Karen on Bainbridge Island. Do you follow her? She made it! xo
LOVE THE PLAY LIST AND HOW KIND OF HER TO SEARCH YOU OUT!
Bruschetta recipe I will show THE ITALIAN!We made it last night!A bit different in his recipe book and I think he made it the night you two were here?
Slice of bread on the barbecue rub the bread with a garlic clove punch hole in the bread with a fork!Add Olive Oil drizzle it then ADD salt!
THAT is the way I learned to do it.Otherwise how does one keep those tomatoes on the bread as you bite it?
They all fall off………NO?
Haha … you’re right … keeping the diced tomatoes on the bread is a challenge. Warning … Bruschetta should not be enjoyed while wearing white!!! I defer to the Italian on all things Bruschetta! xo