Weekend Recap

What a wonderfully busy weekend we Lowes had!  I feel like I got so much checked off my to do list and still was able to relax and enjoy time with my family.  For starters, Friday afternoon, Cash's vet called to let me know that his lump was cancer free!  Such a huge relief for us.  It was a regressing histiocytoma, which Landry had as a puppy.  There were some mast cells around it, but he said that's not uncommon with that type of lump.  We are going to keep getting every little bump aspirated, but we were so relieved that this one, which was particularly ugly, was benign.  And his stitches can come out this week.  All great news!  Then, Friday night after work I got a pedicure.  Having your feet rubbed this late in the pregnancy game is a Godsend!!  I told them I planned to see them one more time before I have this little sweetie, so here's hoping we make it to 39 weeks.

We had a storm blow through around 2AM on Saturday morning, so I slept like a baby.  Then we got up around 9AM, had bacon, eggs, and my fantastic homemade drop biscuits.  We tried to walk the pups next, but it started raining pretty hard, so we only got to do a very short loop.  We did spend some time that morning clearing out Riley's room, packing her diaper bag, making the hospital packing list, and boiling bottles and passies.

Then we headed in to town.  Alli has majorly outgrown her first pair of riding boots - they were a size 13 and now she's a 3!  Bless her heart, no wonder she fought me every time we put them on.  So we headed to one of my favorite stores in Fayetteville called Everything Horse and Hound to get new boots.  We of course walked out with new gloves, new socks, and some little pony socks for Riley.  You just can't stop me in a horse store.

Then I went in for a hair appointment - I got my last full foil before this little lady makes her big debut.  So hard to believe that the next time I go in, I'll have a bambino in tow!!  I also snagged some cute hair ties and two new summer Piko tops.  I am still obsessed with these - how convenient is it that they are in style and still fit pregnant ladies?  Screw you, peplum tops.  I love my Pikos.

After a little dinner, this mama was worn out and hit the hay early.  Ryan and Alli watched a movie and popped some popcorn, I think.  I was seriously snoozing by 7PM.

Today we walked the pups, and then Alli had a horse show.  She got two firsts and two seconds - very exciting.  She's not always too keen on the thirds and fourths.  She rode really well, and we are so very very proud of her.  We also got to see a little girl she used to go to Montessori School with who just started riding a few months ago - so fun!

Afterwards, we got our planting on here at the house (finally).  I'm a mid-to-late April planter, because you just never know when you're going to get that last frost.  I was a little lost at first trying to plant for this house.  In our last house, I had been doing it for five years, so I had a good idea of what plants went where.  This one was a whole new experience for me!

I did decide not to tear up any beds.  Our builder planted them, and he did pretty well, but I definitely have some changes I'd like to make.  However, with a bambino on the way, I decided to leave well enough alone.  We did purchase a green Japanese maple that they are going to plant in front of our house in two weeks.  It's going to go right in front of our front office window, so it'll provide some shade and privacy.  We are so excited!

So anyway, I got all of the pots done, and I think they look great.  We did African daisies, a tomato plant, a strawberry plant, and petunias in the back.  I like to have a few fruit/veggie producing plants, as Alli really seems to enjoy them.  Thanks to the Gosselin family for the strawberry plant!

And then vincas, vinca vines, dracaena, a penta, more petunias, and a geranium in the front.  I hear the humming birds really love the pentas, and I've seen myself that they love petunias.  I am itching for a birdbath or feeder, but I think that will have to come after we get the tree planted.

Then I painted yogurt on the terra cotta pot with the pentas in it, hoping to get a really nice patina on it in the next few weeks.  So now I am kicked back on our pretty shaded patio admiring our handiwork and trying to find the motivation to go cook.  Hope everyone's weekend was as fun as ours, and that you were all blessed with a gorgeous day like our Sunday has been!

Spring Fling

Remember last year when I was worried about the azaleas blooming?  Oh happy day - they bloomed this year!!  And the knockout roses look awesome too.  Things are blooming here at Chateau Lowe!!

Garden Party

It's that time of year again!  We Lowes spent the bulk of the last weekend laboring in our yard.  Ryan remulched beds and did some pesticide application, and Alli and I replanted all of our annuals.  We added some tomato plants to the fold, and who knows?  Maybe they will make us gardeners.  I've always been interested in an herb garden.

Happy Spring, y'all!  Here's a look at our handiwork:

Bloom Boom

It's one of my favorite times of the year.  Not that I care for spring any more or less than any other season, I just love it when the weather changes!  In case you hadn't picked up on it, Mrs. Lowe loves her a good change.  Hence the 45 paint colors in this ever evolving place we call home.  So when it's late spring and the temperature is inching up, I'm always eager for summer pool time.  When that fall crisp gets into the air, all I can think of is Thanksgiving and football.  When winter comes a-knocking, I'm always up for a good excuse to hibernate.  And when the days get warmer and the flowers start blooming, I'm ready for spring.

It's only been warm here for a few weeks, but I am cautiously optimistic that it's here to stay.  In fact, this weekend, we Lowes did some planting, walking, patioing, and general outdoor merriment.  We officially have declared it spring.

My parents are coming up for a visit next weekend, and my mom always helps me plant my pots.  Your girl may have a decorating eye, but she has a black thumb and no sense of style when it comes to flowers.  Other than I like for them all to be pink.  So Momsy works with that one stipulation and always helps me plant the most gorgeous pots year after year.  People stop me and ask me about them and I stumble through the flower names and look like a fool.  But the house looks rocking.

I decided to get a jump on her this year by planting a few of the pots with flowers I know we like to use year after year.  Even plant moron can pick up on a few things after 3 years.

These pots are Alli's.  The first year we had the house, my mom got her Gerber daisy in this pot.  So every year we do a pretty pink Gerber daisy here in the full sun that is our back porch.  This year Miss Bree opted for a softer pink.  Subtlety.  Something her mother lacks.  Next to that is a new pot from her Granny, Ryan's mom.  She put some little succulents (sorry, Johnnie, I can't remember what they are called!) in this cute pale pink pot.  I topped it off with a bulldog - my mom bought this for herself and Alli talked her into giving it her instead.  As usual.  We have another pot on our bistro table and  I'm planning to add two more out there as well, but those will stay unplanted until my pro gets here next weekend.

These are New Guinea impatiens in a wicked hot pink outside the front door.  They see very little sun and generally do pretty well here (unless I overwater them like I did last year).  Hopefully I've learned my lesson.

My mom bought this pot for me when we lived in our first apartment.  I always have a geranium in it - it has a really tiny mouth, so the geraniums sits just perfectly in it.  This is the one plant I have that I've never struggled with.  I can keep those alive like nobody's business.  Yeah, I'm bragging about it.

Ryan and I put this bed in the second spring we lived here - obviously it's on the side of our house around the AC unit.  We started out with spirea there, but they had a hard summer last year and we ended up losing them.  We replaced them this weekend with loropetalum.  So you can see that these plants are still babies, but I am so excited for them to grow in.  I read somewhere that loropetalum can grow 3 feet in a growing season!!  I added these pots last summer, and those are snapdragons peeking out.  Of course in assorted colors.  Including pink.

Last summer we decided to plant along the other side of the house, but elected not to put a bed in.  I felt like we'd regret it, but Mr. Lowe did not enjoy the other bed installment.  So I used his lack of enthusiasm to leverage some hot pink knockout roses.  Easy care, pretty flowers, and look good without a bed.  I'm hoping these bad boys burst into bloom soon.

And now a sad shot.  These four ladies have been with me since Spring 1 in Chateau de Lowe.  Mom, Dad, and I spent the better half of a weekend putting this bed in and planting these gorgeous Encore Azaleas.  They have had a few tough winters and are looking pretty darn sad right now.  Alive, but sad.  They barely bloomed last year at all.  I'm looking at you, plant-loving readers.  Help me bring them back.  I love them.  I get physically ill thinking about them not blooming again.  Save them.

Okay, recover.  And check back soon - hopefully this time next weekend I'll have some more gorgeous flower pots to share with you!!