Which Boxwood Where?

I am about to purchase a dozen or so boxwood plants. I want them to line my stone wall and to boarder a few beds. I just read an article that credits boxwood as the most popular shrub for homes. But we already knew this. My Boxwood Pinterest board is filled with inspiration.

James Schettino Architects

Felhander/Steeneken Architects

Design Focus

Milieu Design

Howard Design Studio

If you didn't already know, not all boxwood plants are created equal. I will be hunting for English Dwarf Boxwood. 

Nelson County

The dwarf variety reach a mature size of 2' x 2'. Now you may be thinking you will have to wait a long time before you have your beautiful boarder.

Traditional Home

However, slow growing plants require a lot less pruning.

Country Gardener

And that always works for me. 

Dirt Simple

Do you have boxwood in your yard?

Kelly Wearstler Miami

When Nicole and Debbie asked me to guest post for them while they went on vacation....I felt like taking a virtual vacation to Miami. 
And as long as it is a virtual vacation......nothing but the best for us!
We will be visiting The Viceroy Hotel designed by Kelly Wearstler

Come with me over to Live Laugh Decorate

I'll be waiting for you by the pool.

Here's the link to my guest post.

How Do You Score?

Alright, I don't know about you but each week I never accomplish everything on "the list". It is so easy to see what I didn't get done and I often overlook what I actually accomplished. 

A friend of mine often said there should be "Great Job Awards"....and accolades for the mundane, but oh so important tasks. 

 I agree, and I made a random tally.......want to see how you score?
From last Friday, until today......
1. If you managed to go to the grocery store once this week..........................................5 pts     (an additional 2 pts for each extra trip)
2. If you managed to get some form of dinner on the table 5 nights.............................5 pts     (an additional 2 pts per meal if nobody complained)
3. Laundry Points......................................................................................................1 pt per load
4. Homework-if you helped them, drove them to the tutor, or thought about it.....2 pts 
5. Pet Points......are they still alive?....................................................................................10 pts
6. Random Points  ................................................................................................................(2 per)         Loading the dishwasher         Emptying the dishwasher         Taking out the trash         Taking in the trash cans         Vacuuming         Cleaning in any form

7. Appointment Points....Dr.'s visits, Dentist visits, Lessons of any kind............................8 pts

8. Creativity Points (see below)..........................................................................................15 pts

Bonus Points ...............state what you deserve bonus points for.....................................25 pts

My creativity points were earned when my daughter had orthodontia work done and could only eat soft food. She requested macaroni and cheese for lunch. That required me to cook it and put it in a warmed thermos before 7am. On the first morning, I forgot to put the leftovers into the fridge, so I had to throw them out. I hate throwing out food. On the second morning, I used the leftovers for this

A Macaroni & Cheese Omelet
My son loved it....#NewKraftRecipe
I scored over 100. My bonus points were earned when I changed several light bulbs and mailed insurance paper work. 
We all need to pat ourselves on the back....what did you score and how did you earn extra points?

Pre-Season Garden Tour

These days I'm all about keeping my blog posts real. My home is as perfectly imperfect as yours. Some areas I love and some areas need attention.  When it comes to my garden, I never know what I will find at the beginning of Spring.
Let's do an evaluation together.
This is the vegetable garden that needs renovating.

The wood raised beds have decomposed.

The weeds are out of control.

This side needs more plants.

This is the back of my property. There is a chain link fence that surrounds the yard. I want to plant more evergreens against the fence. This area could look more lush.

Here you can really see how unattractive the fence is.

I would like to find something that will help keep the deer out of the yard.

The window boxes on the shed need fresh plants.

I have dug this weed out so many times....it's time for some weed killer.

This nasty weed has spread like crazy. I am not sure what I am going use on it....any suggestions?

Looks like Snowplow Jim's plow was set a little bit low. 

I need to rake this back into place.

It's a bit early, but I think the lavender that I planted may have survived the winter.

The white hydrangeas always look dead, but come back strong.

The Daffodil's look beautiful, and the Iris's need a clean up.

 I have tried to love these grasses over here....but I still don't think they work in this spot. I think I'll move them somewhere else.

This area needs a groundcover.

That's what my garden looks like when I start a new season. Have you made any gardening plans for your yard?

....And We're Live

Hi Friends! I'm back from my Spring Break, and I have a whole lot of nothing to report.  I did not go online much, so I need to catch up with all of you....nothing that a few hours of blog hopping can't fix. 
We stayed at home and hung out most of the time. We did manage to go to Hibachi. 

I'm on Instagram now so some of you already know this. I'm trying to figure out what to share and who to follow.....if you're on it, let me know and I'll follow you.

We did manage to go into the city and visit Eataly. Eataly is a world famous marketplace where you can shop, eat, and learn about Italian food. 

The produce is displayed beautifully throughout the marketplace. You can actually select produce and have it washed and cut up for you at no additional charge. 

This is my neighbor's son, Nick. He is the Oleologist at Eataly. 

He was kind enough to give us a tour. After we sampled really good olive oil, I must admit I have become a bit of an olive oil snob. This is one of the oils we took home.

Then we made our way to the cheese department.

We brought some of that home, too.

We watched them make bread

And we brought some of that home, too. Since I'm still gluten free I didn't taste it, but I heard it was delicious. 

Next, we shopped the pasta department.

There is a Brewery on the the roof.

We did manage to have dinner there. This is not gluten free pasta...but mine was and it was delicious.

Sandy did a nice review of Eataly's cooking classes. She was invited to attend a class...and she can bring a guest...she invited me! Sandy and I will be learning The Art of Spring Risotto.  

I think they serve wine with the class...that should make for some fun Instagram pictures.

That was my week in review....how was your week? What are we working on?

Spring Break

My kids are off, so I'm off. 

I'm going to unplug for a week and annoy my children. 
See you soon!