Good morning. Let’s start off the day with a nice photo of the pear tree in bloom. I went out when the sun came out earlier in the week to get a better shot of the lovely white flowers with the mountain background. It is something to help your mood this morning as we all deal with the time change. Ugh, I hate this switching to daylight saving time.
I really like this one, and it may be an entry in next year’s state fair photography contest.
I’ve been clearing out a lot of my tablescaping stuff, as I’ve shown before on my post Clearing Out. I have donated most of the things for minor ‘holidays’ like St Patrick’s day, and the like. I’m going to go to seasonal tables for the most part. So, to lift our spirits and bring some sunshine into the house, I set a blue and yellow spring tablescape. It starts with my Rooster Parade table topper on a white tablecloth.
I folded the yellow napkins in a tulip shape, then added rooster napkin rings that echo the roosters on the border of the table topper.
Yellow chargers are placed with white dinner plates and these pretty patterned salad plates. Everyday flatware, crystal drink glasses and individual salt and pepper shakers complete the place settings.
In the center, a ceramic basket holds blue and yellow silk flowers, flanked with my Mason jar candles and white rooster and chicken figures.
The little mini quilt came out too, with an adorable pair of little ducks in spring hats.
In a springtime mood, I wanted to stamp a few cards for friends.
These iris stamps were a gift some time back from a fellow stamper (Thanks, Loris!!), and I haven’t had a chance to play with them yet. I do love the images.
I colored them with pastel chalks, and added the framed sentiment.
On the inside, a nice wish and a cute little chick.
While I was playing at the workbench, I found another use for those mailers that cannot be recycled. I began using them as a base to spray paint rocks. This group is now base coated and will be spring themed for hiding in the community in a couple of weeks.
On the frame this week, I’m practicing free motion quilting on Oh My Strippy Stars. I’ll show you more on that when we get to finishing the quilt.
In the kitchen, the dishwasher didn’t just take a break, it went belly up. Two trips to the hardware store, and My Sweet Babboo had what he needed to install it. But the delivery guys got scared at our mountain road. While I watched from the veranda, they turned around and left without delivering my new dishwasher! Can you believe it? Rescheduled for delivery today, and assured them that they could make it up the hill and turn around to get back down. I thought this was going to be easy, but is it ever? My blogger buddy at Marmalade Gypsy can attest that often a dishwasher can be a challenge. (I can hear you laughing, Jeanie!)
So, I’m still washing dishes by hand. Didn’t stop me from baking an apple pie. My Sweet Babboo loves these because I put double the amount of cinnamon in them than the recipe calls for. I didn’t cook the apples ahead either. I used a store bought crust, peeled and sliced the apples, tossed them with cinnamon, nutmeg and flour, dumped them in the crust and baked for an hour. No butter. He ate a quarter of it when it came out of the oven and polished it off in three days.
Last week, I showed the heartleaf brunnera, and said I was happy it survived as I was worried about it. This week, it bloomed! I was so surprised to see this! It glowed in the late afternoon sunlight in the Carolina room.
One more pretty picture for you, the delicate pink cherry tree blossoms in the sun.
What have you been working on this week?
From My Carolina Home 
Love your Sunday chat today. That tablesacpe is so pretty in blue and yellow! I could kick myself for not buying a similar ceramic basket at a recent estate sale. I know you get a lot of use from yours.
Love, love, love the mini quilt (I love every one you’ve ever displayed).
My sister’s been handashing dishes since last Novemeber. The delivery of her replacement dw keeps getting pushed out for whatever reasons, two at least were with in person arrivals and departures. Unbelievable!
Have a good week. Going to be low 20s here a few mornings, so I’ll be covering my peonies!
You are terrific. The pear tree photo is truly a winner. The cards are really special.
Ready to make an apple pie in my
Iron skillet. Quadrille clue is completed
. Thanks for all you do for your wonder filled blog.
Love all the spring pictures, especially since it has been snowing for the last 2 days here in MN. It reminds me that spring will be here, even if it is taking its sweet time. I also really enjoyed your table scape. I am not much in using chickens to decorate but they were just enough of an accent that it worked for me. Especially with the sunshine yellow to make things bright.
I got my 4 patches done for Oh My scrappy Stars, made progress on my quilt for a friend and worked on my half square triangles for quadrille. Hoping to be mostly caught up on quadrille by the end of the month. Fingers crossed.
When we were building our house the sink we ordered was on back order for months. I had a dishwasher but no kitchen sink! Nobody wants to deliver at my house, the driveway is tricky & they’re afraid they can’t turn around by the house. You’ve really got spring, flowers inside & out. The table setting is so welcoming, ready for one of your delicious signature recipes. Mmm, the apple pie!
I enjoyed your Sunday chat, Carole! The pear tree blooms are stunning!
I especially enjoyed this cheerful and colorful post on this rainy, dreary Sunday morning!
I have white on my trees too but it’s SNOW, not blossoms!
Great napkin rings. You add beauty (and whimsy) to the world.
You did hear a bit of a chuckle, Carole, but it was a sympathetic one! And you’ll love the new dishwasher when all is said and done. That pie looks to die for. But A-1 on the list is that fabulous spring table in one of my favorite color combos, blue and yellow. It’s so darned happy and looks wonderful with the rooster quilt.
Have a wonderful week. It looks like it’s off to a good start. (And yes,that IS your entry to the fair!)
Loving all the beautiful pictures of spring! Hopefully no snow for you this weekend to damage the buds.
oh no to see the delivery man just about there and then turn around -I could see it if you were in a really remote area and no where to turn around but you are in a neighborhood granted in the NC mountains – I hope it can get arranged to get it done. Love apple pie and I have some apples getting old – I might just have to slice them up
You do such great tablescapes. Can you tell me, is the glasses that you used on your spring table crystal ? Thanks so much for the info.
The little mini quilt is sweet. You did an amazing job on the quilting too! The whole setting says SPRING! I’m working on my EPP project from my LQS, Quadrille, and Oh My Twinkling Stars over the weekend.
Love all your photos! I hope SPRING stays in the mountains. It is still below freezing here this morning in Delaware. Tired of the cold! That apple pie made my mouth water, and I believe I would chance a bite of it for breakfast!!! (Health food, right?) Frustrating about the dishwasher! I’m on my 2nd one in 17 years, and thinking it is on its last legs which is equally frustrating. Going to finish trimming the LAST 10 HST this morning and try to do a bit of the March clue this afternoon. I have 11 different scrappy prints and really want mix them as I add the HST to the rectangles.
I can sympathize with the dishwasher problems. My dishwasher decided to fall apart, literally, the week before Thanksgiving. The repair person ordered a part, which they did not have in stock and couldn’t tell us when they would have one. So we decided to replace it.
Easy, right? As soon as the install person started to remove the old one he said “Was this floor put in after the dishwasher was installed?” Well, yes we put hardwood floors all throughout the main living areas of the house when we moved in. After 2 hours of wrestling to get the old one out and the new one in, I now have a beautiful new dishwasher.
PS: That pie looks great! I love cinnamon too.
Well, mission accomplished! My mood is soaring reading your lovely post! Your tablescapes are always “just right”—a lovely balance of color and interesting details. Makes me feel like spring. And what great floral stamps—they made beautiful spring /cards. And the white blossoms with mountains in the background is a sure winner in my book. Thanks for the terrific inspiration !
Beautiful pear tree photo, Carole! Does it produce pears? I love your blue and yellow tablescape – your colors are fresh and spring-y! Yum on your apple pie, and hope the dishwasher makes its appearance soon!
How fun to see those lovely iris images in use with your beautiful cards! I love iris and enjoyed those stamps for many years. Your art and the generous ways you share it is inspiring. Happy almost Spring 🙂
There are seldom any upsides to being a “flatlander” but most deliveries get through. One icey winter we did watch a moving van slide down the incline at the corner several times before he gave up and went back down the hill to the other exit. Thanks for all the wonderful spring colors! We just got snow last night, really the first of this winter! Odd for Chicago. Working on a pattern of a family tree. And got Step Three of the sew along done. Loving it! Thanks.
Beautiful blooms. I especially like the brunnera and will be looking for one at our local nursery. Tomorrow is “quilt till you wilt” day at the RV park and I’ll be working on my mystery quilt with 30’s fabrics.
I use Vietnamese cinnamon from King Arthur Flour.
Love your blue and yellow table scape.
What a sweet little blue flower. I don’t think I have ever seen one. Very pretty
I love your Spring tablescape! The blue and yellow go so well together and that little mini quilt is simply adorable! I may be the only one who sees it but the heartleaf brunnera looks like a little squirrel facing to the right. Anyone else see it?
Lovely pictures!
You are a delightful lady! Thanks for the spirit lift!
Your spring tablescape is gorgeous! I like the idea of seasonal changes instead of each holiday. Hope you get your dishwasher soon. I prefer to wash mine by hand. When we designed our home the builder asked me where the dishwasher was going in the kitchen, I told him I didn’t want one and preferred more cabinetry. They said I was the first woman to turn down a dishwasher! Lol
Working on the second Quadrille Twin today!!
I love your sunny table setting with the cute figurines, the rooster table topper and those gorgeous yellow patterned salad plates!
Your Spring quilt is adorable too – inspires me to want to make one – I shall put it on my to do list.
I hate the time change too and your post has lightened by mood – thanks!
I completed the quilting on my churn dash lap quilt, (yay) even got the binding done so it’s ready to give to my friend. I love your spring mini quilt. I enjoy making mini quilts with my scraps.
Hi Carole,
Your table settings always look so nice. Do you keep it set all the time?
Everything is looking very Spring like. Your blossoms are lovely. Let’s hope you keep moving on into Spring. Now, I’ll have to make an Apple Pie. Yours looks so tasty.