apple blossoms in bloom

The town we live closest to is named "the apple capital" of Nova Scotia. As a result, we have an abundance of orchards around us and over the past couple of weeks, the apple blossoms in all of our nearby orchards have been in bloom. 

It's quite a spectacular sight - rows and rows of trees completely covered in soft pink and white blooms. Even more beautiful, is actually stopping to walk through an orchard in bloom. It's like a sea of petals that cling to the branches in some inexplicable way, so fragile and delicate. It's a wonder the slightest breeze doesn't carry them off. Their scent is subtle, but sweet. And the sound? At first you hear it before you see them, this low humming that fades in and out. As you look closer, you begin to see them - the bees, hovering, then dancing from one blossom to another, never stopping, always searching.

The blooming of the fruit trees, like so many other early blooms, is short and fleeting. It's something that I look forward to from the first signs of the trees come back to life. It's when everything seems to come back to life. Worthy enough a sight that I'll risk trespassing just to walk up and down the rows, taking them in, knowing in a day or two, or after the next heavy ran, or breezy day, they'll all be gone. Luckily, I have yet to meet a farmer who wasn't friendly enough to grant me the pleasure.

And as this is our first spring in our new home, and after so much had already faded by the time we purchased our property in the fall, it was the first time we were really able to see what was growing.

To my delight, there are two large, unruly apple trees down at the river's edge. Their branches are covered in lichen, gnarled and wild. Despite their age, beautiful blossoms covered them once more this spring.

Planting fruit trees is on our list of projects to do over the next few years, but not something that we will tackle any time soon, so I was thrilled to know that we had some already established.

Walking through the orchards was lovely, but this year, seeing my own white blossoms was something that brought me joy every time I looked out my kitchen windows.

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 the garden - lily of the valley

Currently you can smell our gardens before you actually see them.

We have three parts of our gardens that are full of blooming Lily of the Valley and their scent is unbelievable. Naturally, I pulled enough for a small arrangement and put them in the living room.

They always remind me of royal wedding bouquets.

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. 

First Day of Spring

Happy first day of Spring.

The sun made a short appearance this morning, blessing us with a beautiful sunrise, and the sidewalks were clear enough to walk to the bus stop with the boys. The canal is officially open and I watched the first boat slowly roll through as I walked back home.

Warmer temperatures are promised later this week, and despite the white patches here and there, I saw some bulbs poking their way up through the ground. Spring is indeed here, and we couldn't be happier.

Soon enough the orchards will be in full bloom and Winter will be a faint memory.

Fresh Starts

Well, hello there. It's been too long.

I hope you've all been well. We have been. And while I would love to catch you up on these past months in great detail - Christmas holidays, the starting of a New Year and all that's in between, let's just skip that, and start fresh. Isn't that what Spring is all about anyway?

Starting fresh.

The calender says that there are merely 9 more days until Spring arrives, however the sudden plummet in temperature and the rooftops covered in snow seem to be saying something entirely different. I mean we've barely had a Winter! What's the point in starting now? Bring on Spring!

Either way, if it feels like it has arrived next Monday or not, Spring is indeed coming, and ready for it we will be.

One of the things I anticipate most about this season, and I'm sure that most of you feel the same way, is the opportunity to spend time refreshing my home. After months of being closed up tight, I look forward to opening the windows and airing the house out. I look forward to doing a much needed, deep clean. I look forward to going through closets and cabinets and drawers and ridding the house of the unneccessary. 

Starting fresh.

I decided to order a few tools to help me begin this process and I thought I would share them with you. I'm sure many of you knew Jenny Steffens Hobick and her lovely shop Everyday Occasions.

I've had my eye on these items for quite some time, and finally decided to purchase them. I'm so glad I did.

I purchased two sets of her clear cleaning bottles. One set for the bathroom, to hold shampoo etc. I purchase the largest bottles of my favourite shampoo and conditioner as it's more cost effective and less waste, but I don't love the giant bottles. This way I have smaller, more manageable bottles on the shelves that can be refilled as needed.

I will do the same thing with cleaning supplies. I purchased a set of basic cleaning bottles - glass cleaner, floor cleaner and a disinfectant spray.

And while organizing my home is important, a big part of that is also being more intentional with my time. I love her tablets! Clean and simple. This weekly organizer will not only help me, but it will help my husband know what's upcoming as well.

Then there are two of her other tablets - a grocery list and a daily goals list. One of the ways I would love to be more intentional with my time, is by creating a plan for my day. Writing down specific goals is proven to help you achieve those goals.

And finally, her set of canvas bags. Perfect for the market, or errands, and perfectly simple.

I was thankful for the excuse to head over the river to pick up my package at my US post box. She does ship to Canada, but it's quite a bit more expensive. While there I picked out a couple new accessories for Spring from J Crew.

And I visited Target! Oh how I've missed having Target in Canada.

I couldn't resist all these dollar items in that front section... you know the one by the entrance? I will use them on our kids table at Easter.

And as another reminder that Spring is on it's way, my Lilac branches I'm forcing are in bloom! Delicate little white blooms. I can't wait! I've never forced them before.

So, to fresh starts! I'm looking forward to sharing more with you soon. In the meantime, follow along on Instagram: @growersdaughter.

Have a lovely weekend, 

Maria