Spring in my Utah Garden

Spring comes late in Utah,

especially if you live close to the mountains,

and we live next to the Uintah Mountains.

Of course, we love it here,

we get beautiful cold winters, usually with

lots of snow, and very frosty springs.

Even today as I take the pictures of the 

flower beds and yard,

it is cold, a cold front coming in today.

But the one lucky thing is all

our fruit trees have not bloomed yet.

We are hoping they don't so we 

can get apples, apricots, plums and grapes

this year.  

Last year, not a thing, it warmed up fast, bloomed, and then

froze it all.

You always need a beautiful
inviting door!
I learned how to make these wreaths in November,
and made a bunch.  I so love how this
looks on my front door!
It matches the house, I know I am so monochromatic,
but elegant for sure.

So here are my spring garden photos

for April, we will be gone most of May, doing

Humanitarian Work for Latter-Day Saint Charities,

and spending some time in Colorado

a very close family member who 

has pancreatic cancer.

2 years ago when we arrived home from our Humanitarian Mission 

to Ethiopia, these flower beds were to my waist in grass.

All that grass just happy as can be and

choking out our perennials.  I had worked very hard over the

years to get these flower beds established and happy,

but not many people love to weed like I do and so when we

returned home, they were very neglected.

This flower bed, I painted the bench last year,

the boards are still not in good shape, but for the number of 

times we sit on them, they will do.

I took 2/3rds of this flower bed and gave it back to the

grass.  I had fought the grass ever since we started this flower bed

so as I studied it from my bedroom window,

I became apparent to me it was time to weed less.

It turned out quite nice, I also added the

wine barrels last year, with a few flowers in them,

I see that they have not survived the winter with 

the same amount of flowers in the spring,

we will fix that when plants come into the green houses.

I love these Johnny Jump Ups,

they were given to me by a sweet woman 

down the road.  She has now passed, and as I

see these in the spring I always think of her,

She gave me these and my first Iris'.

More Johnny's

This is part of the front flower bed, the Yellow tulips just now

blooming.  There will be red and some pink later in the spring.

We are leaving though for most of the next month

so I needed to take pictures today. 

We will see what is in bloom next week when we are home

for a few days.  I hope for a few pink tulips, they are 

my fav's.

Red tulips planted close to my sundial.

I so love these.  They are so bright and say

a friendly hello when they pop up.

Here is our first bloom on our new nectarine tree

we planted last year.  It is close to the

front of the house, so is able to take advantage of the warmth

of the house.  Hope he lives through this cold few days.

More red tulips,  I so love them.

I painted the garden shed this week, and put in the bricks
in front of the door.
It is easier to get in and out with the
bricks there. Big change from a red shed.
Dana wasn't sure about it, White he said,
I had to laugh, it's not white, but several shades
darker. Mmmm, he didn't see it.

Inside the our greenhouse the veggies are growing.
Dana started these in big barrels,
an experiment.  Needs to be much warmer before we can
plant them outside.

Close up of the veggies.  Love the greenhouse.
Will update you later on it, but was nice to share
the kale and greens here with you.

Well a happy spring to you!

I am loving this fun, fun day.

Tulips, and Johnny Jump ups, such a happy day.

Hugs!

Robin

5 Great Spring Table Settings

I have loved to set the table with

pretty dishes since I was a child.

I know that I have learned this from my

mother, who always made the

dinner table something special.

She was a woman of culture, she grew

up in Germany, and her mother was from

a Royal line.  I think that at her home 

there always was coffee set out 

in beautiful china, with silverware,

and awesome food.

Over the years this art really has been lost.

We go out to eat, or we bring home 

take out food, and who would think of setting

 out the china for such a meal.

Well, probably my mother. 

But for the rest of us, we just don't think in 

those terms.

I have over the years collected dishes,

not china, I have some, but mostly

different sets of dishes.

I love to mix and match them,

and set the table with nice dishes.

I love the ambiance of it, 

Dana teases me, that the food doesn't taste

any different, maybe so, but I feel better,

so the food somehow does taste better.

For spring,

I am sharing 6 different place settings,

to help you, and remind me of how to set

a fun table, even if it is just for 2.

Setting #1

The Spring Flowers Setting

I love to share the colors of one plate with another,

and then layer my plates on top of all these fun colors.

Here we are setting the table with pastels,

but with a bright place mat.

The floral dishes I just brought home,

they were my mothers, she passed away

just a year ago.

I used a white on white dinner plate,

pink on white salad bowl,

and the spring flowers dishes.

Pink goblets, and just my nicer

flat ware, the ones I purchased after

the kids left home.

(no more digging in the dirt outside to lose the matches)

My sister wanted the same set of dishes,

but it was my turn to choose, so I shared the set with her.

She got the dinner plates, demi tea cups, and a serving platter,

I took the salad plates and the covered casserole dish.

I thought how fun,

we can both have spring dishes

and a part of mom in our homes this spring and all the

springs to come.

I was with my mom when she purchased these dishes.

At the same time, we were newly wed, I bought

strawberry dishes, and I eventually gave them to her

when she wallpapered her kitchen with strawberries.

My dad still to this day uses them

as his everyday dishes.

I is just so fun to put a table out on the porch,

cover the table with white lace linens,

and then add layers of table cloths until you achieve the 

look you are wanting.

I have a stash of table cloths,

that I pull out all year long.

They are used over and over again,

with covering the kitchen table to setting these

fun breakfast or lunch settings for

Dana and I.

The spring bulb arrangement is one of my fav's.

I pull it out every spring.  

Just love the open look of it, 

and close it looks to my flower beds in the spring.

Setting #2

The Cabbage Setting

These cabbage bowls are some of my favorite dishes in my 

collection.  They just make me think of Easter,

and how hungry all those bunnies are without

these to eat on.  I love the bright table cloth,

in such bright spring colors.

I used the white on white dinner plate again.

Then a green salad plate,

and then my favorite cabbage bowls.

One has broken, so I am down to only 3,

I would love to have another one to make my set of 4 again.

I will keep looking.

The cabbage soup tureen I found in a

fabulous store in Portugal.  I could have bought

the whole store, but alas, I came home with

this soup tureen.  Again, I so love this look,

and it has been used often.

I again used goblets, but these I purchased a few

years ago at World Market.  I love the

bubbles in the yellow glass.

 I do love this color of yellow.

Daffodils add just a touch of yellow to the

table, and are soooo spring.

I just want to sit out here and enjoy the morning.

Who said we had to go to work, or do anything important

for that matter.

It just feels so good to eat at such a 

beautiful table.

Place setting #3

The Pink Rose Setting

I have been hunting for these dishes for years,

and each time I find another piece,

I purchase it.

It has been many years since I have seen

any of these at all.

I am in love with the combination of the pink rose

and the teal wide border with a touch of gold

around the edge.

This is a magnificent antique set.

At one time, I had a bowl with a pink wide edge too.

I had it mounted on the wall, and one day, one of 

the kids hit the wall quite hard, 

and down went my bowl.

Alas it is gone, but I still see it in my memories.

I have 2 of the teal bowls, 2 tea cups, but only one 

saucer, and 8 dinner plates, 8 desert plates.

I also have this cute sugar bowl with its lid.

All together, it makes a beautiful place setting.

Especially for a lunch with my friends, or

dinner with Dana.  

I also have 2 serving platters that match the set.

This is one of my treasures!

Place setting #4

The Robin's Nest 

I love to take the table out back and set it for

Dana and I for lunch.

Today I have set the table for a book club

brunch.  Books are added to the table

as decoration, and a green topiary.

My sparrow with her nest sits in the middle

of one of the plates.

I added yellow bubble glasses with matching goblets,

 and a blue desert bowl to the table. 

And for those who

need a coffee or hot chocolate,

the green mug with matching saucer.

I am not exactly sure if I have set the tables

with the true form of etiquette.  

I am just an every day woman who loves to

set the table pretty!

I have paired these desert plates again with the 

white on white dinner plates.

A close up of the sparrow plate.

A close up of the egg plate,

each plate in this set of salad plates has its own

individual look.

Place setting #5

The China

I can honestly say I have never taken this set out to

use yet!  These are Mary Carol 

dishes, except the silver edged salad plate.

I have a set of 12

and really I need to have a dinner party!

This just feels like Mother's Day to me!

Beautiful Peonies in a white on white pitcher.

Gold and silver dishes.

And a Lavender Goblet.

The little dish at the side would be perfect

for shrimp cocktail!

I so love the table cloth.

It has the most wonderful ribbon

embroidery ever on it.

I just want to spend time here with my mother,

or my daughters!

It is the kind of table we wish for in our dreams,

when everything comes together 

romantically.  Our husbands have spoiled us,

and now we can feel like queens.

The candles burning in the evening,

with the sun going down, and we

are right there with the 

most special person in 

our lives.

Mother's Day,

or any special day with our 

best friends.

I promise next time my pictures

will be better, 

I am still learning how to 

do great things with my 

camera!

Hope you have enjoyed this post!

Have a wonderful day!

Robin