Simple and Chic

I've gone through a couple revisions of my blog now (as you may have noticed) and I think this one suits my fancy.  I like the simplicity of it - white background, not many frills along with the vintage, shabby chic feel to it.  If I had endless money and time, I would make my world look like everything in the Jones Design Company blog.  I just love it. 

I got this linen design and the previous bird one as well from Background fairy.  She has a similar shabby chic vintagy style.  I JUST LOVE IT!  If you know of any other blogs like this with decorating ideas to that style, I'd be delighted to know about them. 

Today, (any minute now!) the Cooper's times 2 are coming to visit for Easter weekend.  This is a tradition started 2 years ago (see picture above of the first annual Houston Easter) and I absolutely love it.  I love hosting, I love spending time with them, and I love not driving!  It's so sweet of them to come visit and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ with us.  He is risen!  He is risen indeed!!

The Rose Mystery

I have to say that I just love Knock Out Roses.  They are incredibly low maintenance (which is the only kind of plant I can sustain) and gorgeous.  Their first bloom of the season was fabulous.  I was worried that they had died in one of our "winter storms" that wasn't, but they survived the harsh winter and began to bloom about a month ago.  Last spring, I planted these two modest size, maybe 1 1/2 feet tall, Knock Out Roses in my front flower bed right under the front windows.  Our garden was just sad and needed a major pick-me-up.  Now, one of them is GT and has probably tripled in size.  The other, well, I'm not sure what happened with it.  It has maybe grown a few inches up and out.  They are about 4 feet apart and I am at a loss as to the major difference in growth.

 Rose Bush #1 - Closest to the door and you'll notice it has now grown taller than the window

Rose Bush #2 - 4 feet to the right and you'll notice is not even close to reaching the window

I will keep trying though.  Today I fertilized the grass, pulled weeds AND I have watered my dried out lawn every night this week!  Wow, who am I?!  It was actually quite relaxing and satisfying.  If you can solve the Knock Out Rose mystery, please do tell.

Camping, etc.

Wow, so here's been my dilemma with blogging lately.  Event A happened and I wanted to blog about it but put it off.  Then event B, and C, and D happened and I wanted to blog about it but I didn't feel like I could until I had blogged event A and thus I just never blogged any of them.  So, *sigh* some events happened that will not be recorded as I would want in blogdom.  Sad, but reality.  I will post a few highlight pictures of the latest happenings and be able to move on with my blogging life. 

So, we had the best camping trip, a month ago, with my sister, her husband, and their three boys.  We went right outside of Bastrop near Austin and rented a one room cabin.  The men stayed out in the tents while my sister and I stayed inside in the one room cabin.  Delightful way to "camp".

My sister Anne and I at the first BBQ restaurant in Lockhart, 1 of 3 we ate at in 1 afternoon

All of us in front of Kreuz Market BBQ

This is the man who owns the cabin we rented.  He has a ranch and I got to feed the baby calf

one morning.

 My nephews - Jacob, Zach, and Andrew - growing up so fast!

All of us

 

Me and my Benjamin in the back porch of the cabin