Gabrielle Messina Just a Girl

Delights

 Finding delights in the little things.... With the heat wave still going strong in our neck of the woods, we haven't been spending a lot of time outdoors except to water flowers and to go swimming. I've been cutting loads and loads of hydrangeas and sprigs of lavender. The white ones are called "Blushing Bride". There is just the slightest hint of blush pink.    I have vases throughout the house. Upstairs and downstairs and in every room. The perfume of the lavender just wafting through the air. Flowers have a way of taking a room and elevating them to something extraordinary. If the flowers are from your our backyard, that just makes them all that more extraordinary!   We were at the nursery the other day, looking for a new tree and this beauty also came home with us. I love the intricate petals and the hue.  These Mexican confections.... I may be finding a little too delightful! Colossal strawberry marshmallows have found their way into our home too.... They are four times the size of the standard marshmallow. Their a sweet snack all by themselves!   The other day, I found this sweet little thing organizing her stash of dime store jewels. I told her to freeze and ran to get the camera... this may just be the most delightful of all! 
 

Happy To Report

On our way home from our trip, I was thinking about how much I missed our kids and in addition to our kids, I also missed my own bed. Even thought about doing a silly post on my bed! Then, just like that,  I got a bug that left me barricaded in my bedroom alone. Talk about making up for lost time! LOL  I'm happy to report that I'm feeling much better! I washed all the bed linens early this morning and cranked open the windows. The bed's been made for the first time in two days and it feels good to be about the house today.   For the past two days, I've been alternating between the bed and the bedroom floor. Happy to report the pillows are back on the bed, where they're supposed to be. I'm just A little stiff and sore from all that lying around. This morning, I was able to make and eat breakfast with my family! Something I take for granted most days. Stuffed French Toast encrusted with cinnamon sugar Corn Flakes and topped with berries. Yum! And those little faces on the kids looked extra cute today. After not seeing them for more than a few minutes in the past two days. Gosh, I've missed those little birds! So happy I'll be able to spend the day with them! After the kids were off to school, I wandered outside to water some things in the garden. I've been wanting to share with you my Wisteria! I'm so excited that it's finally bloomed after being planted for over three years, this is the first year with blooms and it's positively loaded with them!! Too bad they''ll be gone all too soon...   And one of my favorites, Bleeding Heart.... bigger and better than ever this year! Well, I think I hear my little guy waking and I need to get a move on. There's still plenty to do around here to make up from my sick days! Have a beautiful day! 

 
 
 
 
 

Through the Garden Gate

Over the past week or so, I have been taking my camera outside with me so I could snap a few shots of my kids, my garden and my kids in the garden. The weather has been ever so pleasant. We are trying to get the most out of these perfect days, before the dog days of summer set in. After that happens, the only place I want to be is in the pool. I fell in love with this gate while my husband and I were on a long weekend in the The Finger Lakes Region of New York. I had to bring it home with me. I tucked some of my Peonies into some florist tubes and nestled them next to the swinging lady. It was a perfect little touch for our afternoon barbe-que. 

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I captured this shot on a bizarre cool night we had last week, in the garage. I love how the neon sign my husband has hanging illuminated the flowers.

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Some more Peonies, this is how they looked two weeks ago.

And here they are last weekend, in full bloom. If you look hard, you can see the falling petals from my neighbor's trees. It was like it was snowing! So beautiful!

 

My fountain. In the summer, the water evaporates in no time at all.

This year I bought two Hibiscus' and put them on my front porch. I am going to bring them inside, hopefully keeping them alive so I can bring them outside for years to come! I'm not holding my breath though.

Pretty peach!

I usually kill Snapdragons, although they are some of my favorites. This year, so far so good. 

I do not know what these are. I don't even remember planting these, but they have spread through this bed like wildfire.

I like these Iris', but I love the two toned leaves. The reason for planting them entirely.

Strawberries. These will never even make it into the house. Every time we go outside, the girls pull off the ripe berries and eat them then and there. Along with all this there is the the Lavender and Wisteria(that has been planted for thee years now and has yet to produce a single bloom), we have a peach tree (that will be so heavy by mid summer it looks like it may just sink into the ground) a cherry tree, and a fig tree. Oh how I look forward to all those summer fruits!

I Just Couldn't Resist....

No question about it, I love them. Peonies, we're talking here. The are my mom's favorite flowers, mine too. These are the very first few from my garden. I thought I's share them with you. I could not resist snapping a few pictures, even if it't just a few flowers.

 

Here's some more, the very first few from another bush. Just look how delicate the petals are. I have eight Peony bushes planted, all started from a little root. I planted three of them when we first moved to out home, the others I planted about two years ago. They are less mature and don't produce as many.

While I was taking pictures of the Peonies, I snapped a picture of the beautiful Begonias I got at the flea market last week. We had a very strange cool night and brought some of my flowers I had outside inside. And yes, I know I still have to show you the finds of a rather bountiful trip to the flea.  But today, I just wanted to show you some pretty flowers. Oh, how we love those flowers!