a girl's morning out

Yesterday I spent the morning out with my mom and sister. My sister's been on bed rest and then recovering from her c-section, and is finally feeling like herself and itching to get out. Of course it's the perfect excuse to get out with her! So out we went - for coffee, thrifting, the greenhouse (again!), and then to lunch.

Years ago, when I only had one or two children to tote along, I went to every estate sale and weekly auction, and regularly circulated through all the local thrift shops. I would collect for the entire year and then have a huge tag sale on the Thanksgiving long weekend. It was something I loved to do. But over the years, it's just gotten harder to get out with four kids. Gone are they days when they sleep quietly in the stroller while the auctioneer rambles on. Plus four children take up all extra room in my vehicle which would previously have been used to pile in furniture and finds.

And while I do try to get out antiquing every so often, I don't usually make it to any thrift stores. But yesterday I was reminded how much I enjoyed hunting through one. We all found some great things, and decided we needed to do it more often!

Of course all good days out begin with coffee and croissants - yes Mom, even if we'll be eating lunch in two hours... These were from De La Terre, and are a favourite.

Our next stop was The Watering Can, a greenhouse with a flower market and cafe.

It was so nice walking though the greenhouse, where it's so warm and sunny.

After this, some thrifting, and then onto to lunch at The Grand Oak for soup and a sandwich. They also have fresh breads, cheese and lots of different preserves and gourmet food items to browse.

I've brought home a couple different plants over the last few days. Usually I have cut flowers, aside from some Myrtles and Ivy, but I couldn't resist these. A Helleborus (left), Begonia (middle) and an Oak Leaf Ivy (right).

I'm always drawn to greens and soft whites, and I love the hints of blush and burgundy in them all. 

I also couldn't pass up a bunch of White Parrot Tulips.

So, my thrift shop finds...

First, I have to preface this one find, those little bamboo forks, by saying this: Never ever, have I ever, not even in an antique store, let alone a thrift shop, have I ever found bamboo flatware. I've looked. So when I looked into the random junk bin of kitchen cutlery and saw bamboo, I audibly gasped.

They were a dollar.

(For all you American readers - 77 cents!)

I scored a collection of these great square canning jars.

I found some books, a waste basket, and a nice sized basket with a handle that will be perfect for an Easter arrangement.

And yes, this is my third copy of this Martha Stewart book, but it's in way better condition than my others. One of them will now be used to tear out of, like I would a magazine.

So I think it's safe to say I'm hooked.

spring in the dining room

 

It's deceptively sunny out this morning. We're well into March, but the temperatures don't seem to want to budge above freezing. That being said, the sun is decidedly warmer, so it at least feels spring-like inside. The Cherry Blossoms we've been forcing have started blooming and all the sunshine has brightened the dining room up. It doesn't get direct sunlight aside from first thing in the morning, so it can always seem darker than some other rooms in the house.

As it's been so long since I've shown much of the house (or anything for that matter!), I figured I'd start here.

Few things feel more like spring than blooming branches. The perfect way to add some spring to any room is by forcing some. My dad dropped off these branches on his way home from the flower market a couple weeks ago. They've made for lots of interesting lessons with the boys. We've painted the stages of the blossoms opening. We've studied the life cycle of the tree. We'll get around to studying pollination and the anatomy of the bee. And we unexpectedly discovered Hanami, the Japanese Cherry Blossom (Sakura) festival.

And then there are these beautiful Hellebores - another favourite spring flower. I picked this one up from the garden center. I've always wanted to plant some in our gardens as they're perennials. I love the variety of blooms varying from creamy white, to fresh green with hints of pink. If you find one with lots of new buds it will last a while. They look delicate, but they're actually very rugged. The leaves are almost hard and prickly. But when you need to push your way up through snow and slightly frozen ground, and survive those last unexpected cold snaps, you'd need to be pretty resilient.

Our dining room is in the original part of our home, which consists of the stone house and then a series of additions behind, so it has all the character.

And now that it feels more spring-like inside, I think I should probably take down our wreathes on the windows outside. Which is a tad sad because they're still pretty green!

This week we are taking some time off from school as it's spring break. I'm planning on going through the house and doing the Ruthless Declutter Challenge from Simplified with Emily Ley. It's a one week challenge to declutter your whole house, room by room, in a week. I did it last year and have been surprised at how decluttered things have stayed over the last year. I'm looking forward to it because I think it will be good to go through everything inside drawers and cupboards before trying to spring clean the house. You can follow along in my stories on instagram @growersdaughter.

in season - peonies, local strawberries and local rhubarb

This is one of my favourite times a year to visit our farmer's market as some of my favourite things are now in season.

A few weeks a year, locally grown Peonies are available and it's such a sight - pails and pails of blooms! And so reasonably priced, you can pick up an armful to enjoy a bunch in every room of the house.

Rhubarb is also still in season, and something I pick up each time I can. We never tire of Rhubarb Crumble Coffee Cake, or Rhubarb Almond Muffins, or a favourite of ours - Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble topped with Vanilla Ice Cream. I also freeze it to enjoy through out the summer.

And local Strawberries have become readily available, and while I will eventually get out to pick my own for jam, we still can't leave without two pints - one to eat and one to enjoy over waffles or with our yogurt.

Within a day or two the Peonies unfurl into the most beautiful flowers and they smell so pretty.

This weekend I also stopped by the Oliver and Rust parking lot sale and grabbed another one of my favourite locally made pillows. I also used my market tote which I brought back from Nantucket!

in the garden - lilacs

I was worried being away for the long weekend, that given all the gorgeous weather we've been having, the Lilacs would bloom and I would miss them.

They were so close to opening when I left, and we all know how quickly they come and go.

Happily, they were just ready for cutting by the time we returned, and I didn't miss enjoying them. The first thing I did the next morning was head out to the garden and snip a bouquet for our dining room table.

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I'm partial to this white variety, Mme Lemoine, but I do have to say, they aren't quite as fragrant as some of the more traditional purple varieties. But they still smell lovely!

And then while out with the boys, I couldn't resist picking a few branches of these purple ones on some back road. They are classically beautiful.

Potted Hydrangeas

Anyone who knows me, even just through reading this blog, knows that one of my favourite things are Hydrangeas.

I fill my gardens with them and when they sleep for the winter months, I have a fairly regular order with our flower man for cut Hydrangeas to enjoy inside.

During the weeks leading up to Spring, occasionally I'm lucky enough to get my hands on giant potted Hydrangeas from Costco. These are the largest, most gorgeous potted Hydrangeas I find anywhere. Some years we have them at the shop, but they're pretty rare, and usually the customers get first dibs.

I was so excited this week, while popping in to grab some staples, that I probably squealed out loud when I noticed them in a few buggies! I quickly made a bee line over to the single cart they had and then spent the next twenty minutes trying to decide which were my favourite. I had two white ones, but after much deliberation (way more than a decision like that should have required), I settled on one white and one light pink. I actually really like the pink, especially in an all white room.

See how large and full they are?

I made sure to pick one with lots of new growth, and tighter buds, and I water it regularly as it needs a lot of water. I do love the various shades of pink.

But of course, I love the white too. This one is sitting in our family room in a giant basket by our media cabinet. 

Pink Peonies

Friday is the market day, and it's also one of the days the flower truck stops at the store. Local Peonies are finally ready, so I indulged this morning in an armful for the house.

As I sit at the dining room table and type this, their scent is slowly filling the room.

While most of them are quite tight, it won't take long at all for them to unfurl.

I placed them in this large ironstone pot that I found while away last weekend. (It's actually part of my birthday gift from my mother in law, but she let me take it home early) The pot is set in a large round wicker tray and is sitting on my dining room table. It's quite the statement.

The First Lilacs and Lily of the Valley

We've been enjoying the warm Spring evenings in the garden, puttering about the yard. The sunlight is soft and dappled and the yard is peaceful.

It's also more fragrant now that our Lilacs have been blooming.

There are even a few early flowering bells of Lily of the Valley, which too add their fragrance.

And what's better than being able to bring some inside to enjoy?