Saturday, December 25, 2010

After The Gift Wrap Is All Cleaned Up

 

Hello Everyone!
Was Santa good to everyone?
Or if not Santa did you  all have a wonderful
Christmas with family and friends?

Santa_Blue

We had such a nice Christmas.
We usually go out for supper Christmas Eve
and then come back to my home for the opening
of gifts.

Christmas_Baking

Chocolate Chip cookies, Pecan Pie Bars and Chocolate
Peanut Butter Fudge were made last week and filled the
Snowman boxes to give to everyone.
I think I gained ten pounds just making them.
Well I had to make certain they were good enough to
eat before giving them away didn’t I? LOL!

ChristmasBirds

The Snow Blower that I had won from Kylee’s giveaway
over at Our Little Acre arrived by truck this week.
It is still in the crate yet awaiting my sons next days off.

Christmas_Bouquet

A garden related gift from my daughter was some
solar color changing cattails garden stakes with
Butterflies on them to put in the garden this Spring.
Now that Christmas is over my mind will be on Spring
and garden planning. Pouring over the seed
and plant catalogs to see what new plants they are
offering. I will do this several times before I make up
my mind on what to order. Does anyone else do this
or am I just a girl that cannot make up her mind ? LOL!

Shellys_WashroomGathering

This is one of the gifts I made up for my daughter
to put in her Laundry Room. I did not post it until
now so it wouldn’t ruin the surprise.
An antique Band Box filled with an old mini glass washboard, a small antique sad iron, some scented lye
soaps and scented clothespins in a small basket are all tucked into the box.
I was tempted to keep it for myself. LOL!

Amaryllis_nonBloom
 African Violets & Amaryllis

With Christmas over it is back to the subject of gardening once again.
The Amaryllis bulbs from last year are sending
up leaves but no buds so it is back to the drawing board
for next year since I see no blooms  coming on.
Kathleen @ Kasey’s Korner who has such beautiful Amaryllis
blooms every year from her bulbs has given me some helpful
tips after my cry for help, which I was so grateful for, so there is always next year and another try at them.

Begonia_Madison

The new little Madison Begonia start is starting to grow
some new leaves so it shows promise.

Kolache_Plants

The Kolache plants were brought in this Fall and
are doing well. I am hoping for some much needed
blooms from them.

Violet

This African violet is still putting on blooms and
they are welcome since I have no Amaryllis blooms to brighten up the winter.

Violets

Some of the variegated African Violet leaves that were
started last winter are growing and I am hoping they will
soon give me some blooms for the first time.

Cyclamen3_Red

The Cyclamen’s blooms are starting to slow down
now but maybe the pretty foliage will stay around
for a while yet before it goes dormant.

The predicted snow storm went just below us over
Christmas giving us only another inch of snow.
We still had our white Christmas with help of some
of the previous five inches we had gotten and the
one inch of fresh snow on top of it Christmas day to
freshen up the old snow layer.
Did you get some  gardening gifts for Christmas?

 Happy Gardening,
Lona

34 comments:

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Your Christmas sounds like it was delightful. Your daughters' laundry room pkg full of goodies was wonderful. I'd have a hard time not keeping that myself.

I too, am looking forward to getting back to gardening now that two important holidays are over. May we carry the love and joy of today into each day of next year.

Looking forward to reading more of your lovely gardens this coming year.

Love and hugs ~ FlowerLady

Floridagirl said...

Never trust a skinny cook, I always say. ; ) Love your little laundry basket and all your pretty decorations. Looks like you had a lovely Christmas!

I don't even think of amaryllis as Christmas flowers, being a native Floridian and all. We think of them as spring bulbs here, the way Northerners think of tulips and daffodils! Your plants look like they have very healthy leaves. Do they bloom a different time of year for you?

BT said...

Hello there, what a lovely mixed post. I managed to keep amaryllis for a couple of years but then lost them. We have better luck with orchids!

I love the African Violets, they give so many blooms for such little care and attention.

I love the seed catalogues too - everything in them is so tempting! Do call again. There is still much work to do outside in our land. I hope the weather warms up then we can get on.

Happy New Year to you
Gina
x

Anonymous said...

It looks to be you had a wonderful Christmas with family and a lovely showing of your indoor plants. I would be so happy getting a new snowblower like you won. I have to shovel because I can not start mine. Luckily, the husband has been doing it this year, so not starting it turned into a plus.

You have a long post for Christmas Day, and as busy as you were today, I am amazed at that. I finally got a break just to read a few blogs.

Liz said...

Hi Lona,

Lovely to see all your indoor plants, I managed to get a couple of bunches of cut flowers for around the house and they're doing an amazing job of brightening the house up.

Amazingly, I didn't get any gardening gifts at all... Hard to believe - such an easy gift to give!
I did get a satnav though and I'm most excited about the fact I can make phonecalls through my phone on it! lol

Anonymous said...

It sounds as though you had a wonderful holiday. Merry Christmas and on toward the New Year!

Unknown said...

Glad it was a lovely day for you and your family, Lona! Love your decorations and of course the happy blooms on the saintpaulia and the cyclamen make me warm with joy. Hope today is lowkey and delightful in the post-Christmas glow.

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

Looks like you had a wonderful Christmas, we did too. I laughed as you said you 'only' got an inch of snow....we GOT an inch! Different perspective in the south. Still snowing now, of course one of the girls wants to drive somewhere.....kids!!

Unknown said...

Lona itlooks like you had a fantastic Christmas. I'm afraid that adorable basket for your daughter's laundry room would be sitting in my laundry room right about now! How creative it was and I just LOVE it!!! I need to get over and see Kathleen too because Bob's amaryliss didn't maker it either. Just leaves and then they fell over - pretty sad looking. I too am holding over a Begonia that looks similar to yours. So far it is still alive and has leaves. Keep your fingers crossed for me. ;-) It's good to be back reading some gardening blogs.

Darla said...

Sounds like a great Christmas. I adore the gift you made for you daughter. Ahem...we received a snow flurry today, you may come by and laugh if you like, lol.

IlonaGarden said...

I didn't get any garden gifts this year (except for Christmas plants I bought for myself) but love your Christmas photos- the gift you gave your daughter is so inspired - just beautiful :)

Patsy said...

What a lovely gift for your daughter.
I need to get me some Amaryllis to grow. As always your plants look so happy.

A Garden of Threads said...

I love the laundry box for your daughter. Yes, I received some wonderful gardening gifts. Have a great new year.

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Lona, your indoor plants look wonderful. Also, I could just easily eat up those cookies and candy treats!

Eileen

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

Sounds like you had a really nice Christmas. I love the gift you made for your daughter, I would've had a hard time parting with it too.
My Amaryllises from last year did the same thing. I think Kathleen has some special powers with Amaryllis :)

Anonymous said...

Lona girl, I'm completely agreeing with you on looking ahead to spring. I love your blog digs. I'll be poring over seed and plant catalogs too. Somehow this makes the wait bearable. I hope you're staying warm.

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Lona, your header is beautiful and makes me look forward to spring and summer. I love that vintage laundry room gift and your plant pots are so decorative.

Eileen

Gardener on Sherlock Street said...

Sounds like a happy Christmas!
Your indoor plants look good. I'm thinking it's time for new amaryllis bulbs too.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Lona girl you are not the only one that drives themselves MAD looking over seed and plant catalogs .. I go cross eyed going over them again and again ! LOL
You have so many wonderful plants in your home .. I decided to be cruel free and just have some Snake plants and behave myself .. the plant world breathed a collective sigh of relief with THST descion ? hahaha
Hey that was too cute the little laundry basket !!!
Well if I don't make it over again before NY .. have a VERY Happy New Year girl !!!
Joy : )

Jane Doe said...

Your blog feels so light and beautiful. Loved the laundry box. I tend to order or purchase what catches my eye first. It's like answering a question I'm unsure of...go with the gut response and most of the time I've hit the nail on the head.

Have a wonderful day!

Karen said...

Lona, glad to hear you had a Merry Christmas. I loved the gift for your daughter, too. So cute. I never have had luck with amaryllis reblooming, either, so I'm waiting to learn from fellow bloggers.

Balisha said...

That container that you put together for your daughter is so cute.I'll bet she loved it.
Don't give up on your amaryllis yet.One of mine is sending up leaves too, but I noticed on the very bottom of the bulb a flower bud is starting.Have a nice day...Balisha

Corner Gardener Sue said...

Hi Lona,
I can't remember if I've seen your new blog look. It is beautiful! You sure have lots of pretty pots and containers, and some nice blooms in them as well! I love the gift you put together for your daughter!

Your garden stakes sound cool. Our daughter gave us a stepping stone with a flower on it, and the word, "grow" on it. Also, she gave us a little chair with a hole in it for a pot. Our grandson, who is almost 3 sat in it, and when I told him it wasn't really a chair, he said he wouldn't break it. His mom was concerned that he might think it was a potty chair. LOL I bought a couple kinds of bird feeders, and got another kind for free. (I posted about them today.)

Have a great last few days of 2010. The days are getting longer now. Yeah!

jerilanders said...

I can't even think of gardening right now.... well, at least I will try NOT to. Too many other things to finish up, and winter is the perfect time for it. I will leave all the indoor gardening to you and live vicariously through your photographs for a few months. I must say that African violets are, I think the sweetest, old fashioned plant.

Anonymous said...

Lona, I love your African violets. I wrote about mine for Fiskars, but it isn't published yet. Where did you find those gorgeous African violet pots? I also place mine in old china, but I've never seen the old pots. So pretty. Loved reading your post. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.~~Dee

Jean said...

Ooh! You are looking sooo springy! I can't think of spring yet , we still have too much winter to get thru. Love the Band Box! Perfect! Jean

Sara Chapman said...

Sounds like a delicious Christmas. I want a cookie!

I really love your header photo with all the pink perfect flowers.

Phillip Oliver said...

Mmm, that chocolate looks good. I've gained weight over the holidays too. Your winter blooms are so nice, I know they are very welcome this time of year.

The Redneck Rosarian said...

Sounds like you had a great Christmas. Love the African Violets. The pots are of particular interest. Very nice. Hard to find a nice violet pot, it seems... Happy New Year To You!

Pat said...

Ok..yes the flowers are wonderful but I really enjoyed seeing your pots and the brass rack you have...nice stuff.
Had a good holiday but it's not over yet,there's still New Year's Eve.

Wsprsweetly Of Cottages said...

You take the absolute most beautiful photo's!!
LOVE this blog!

Barbara said...

Hi Lona, I enjoyed your post and seeing your lovely Christmas things and your indoor plants. I cop out every year and buy new amaryllis bulbs at the gardener's, which then bloom reliably. And I have a whole stack of gardening brochures, books, and catalogues next to the bed for spring planning. Happy New Year!

Becca's Dirt said...

Hope you have a Happy New Year. Pretty blooms indoors.

Anonymous said...

Greetings from rainy Southern California.

I added myself to follow your blog. You are more than welcome to visit mine and become a follower if you want to :-)

May God bless you and your family in 2011 ~Ron

And always remember: Smiles don't have to be saved for a rainy day. It's good to waste them :-)