Finally, the weather seems to be warming up and I hope it stays that way. I need to get some plants for the veranda and move the ones from the Carolina room to the front. I am in a mood for fresh lemons both in cooking and in decorating. So, let’s take a stroll through some past posts to bring together springtime and lemons! First up, a Lemon Tablescape. I still have the lemon salad plates, and the melamine platter, but the little lemon bread plates and yellow cutwork chargers have been donated back to the thrift store. See the whole thing on Lemon Fresh Tablescape.

You need something lemony for breakfast, right? How about my Lemon Donuts? These are easier than you’d think as they are baked, and all you need are two donut pans.

For lunch, my Ham and Apple Salad Wraps uses chopped ham and fresh apples with lemon juice to keep the apples fresh. I often take these wraps to picnics with our car clubs, as they are a bit more special than an ordinary sandwich.

For dinner, from the Milk Street Vegetables cookbook, a wonderful dish of Artichokes with Linguini I posted about a while ago. This is so easy, with a bright lemon flavor and the tang of artichokes. It has no butter or cream, yet has a wonderful sauce thickened with the pasta water. Download the recipe – Artichoke Linguini with Pancetta and Lemon.

Chicken Salmoriglio from the Milk Street Tuesday Nights Mediterranean cookbook was really easy. This is a southern Italian dish, with bright lemon and flavorful garlic. The dish is cooked at a very high heat, 475º, so it doesn’t take long. Slashing the meat allows the flavors to be absorbed deep in the pieces. Download the recipe – Chicken Salmoriglio.

My Sweet Babboo gave me some Lemon Infused Olive Oil in my Christmas stocking, and it is really good with charred Brussels sprouts. Just use a bit of it instead of plain olive oil to add a lemony lift to the sprouts.

Maybe a little lemon in your reading list would be fun? The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden – What if you could live just one day in an alternate version of your own life where you made a different choice? What might you learn from that life? This is the premise of this heartwarming story, in the magical realism genre. A woman who sacrificed her own life after the death of her mother to remain with her father and help raise her young sister gets the chance to see how her life would have turned out differently if she had followed a different path. A bit of an “It’s A Wonderful Life” kind of story, except that she cannot stay there, she only has one day, then it is back to reality. She learns that each choice made has consequences, both good and bad. There are some surprises in the book, and the outcome is not as predictable as you might think. Recommend.

Maybe you know someone who could use a lemon lift. One of the best Happy Mail surprises I have ever received was this one from a sweet blogger friend Val. It is a Sunshine box, and she even painted the inside of the box yellow so it burst with sunshine when opened. It had all kinds of lovely goodies, most were yellow as well like fabrics, ribbons, tape measure bits, lemon drops, and post-it notes, cushioned with yellow tissue paper. I have never forgotten her kindness at a time when I needed it.

You might send a lemon theme card with it, too. See my post Stamping with A Food Theme for ideas.

Last weekend, I was at our local Joanns, and happened across this gorgeous blue fabric on super sale. Yes, I had to get some, 2 yards in fact. I just could not resist the pretty sky blue color with the daisies and butterflies.

When I got it home, I pulled out the lemon and mason jar motif fabric called Zest For Life designed by Cynthia Coulter for Wilmington Prints and it goes beautifully! I got mine at my local shop, Beginnings, but Fat Quarter Shop has it.

Find Lemon Fabrics at Fat Quarter Shop. Find more Lemon items at Fat Quarter Shop, like cross stitch floss and lemon motif wool packs.

Next, I stitched out this embroidery design with lemons, and I might have a project idea! I have to decide if I am going to use it with the lemon fabrics, or use it on some new hand towels for my kitchen. Or both!

Are you in a spring time mood for lemony fun? What do you like to do with lemons?