OUTDOOR WEDNESDAY: SPRINGTIME IN CHICAGO & LAST DAY FOR GIVE~AWAY!!

Happy Outdoor Wednesday! I am happy I am not outside today; it is pouring rain and a little chilly. But the grass is emerald green and the trees are now leafy canopies hanging over the sidewalks and streets. Luckily, I took some pictures about two weeks ago when my bulb garden was in bloom. These pictures are of a bed along the back fence in my backyard. I actually planted new bulbs last year after The Husband cleaned out the bed and "cleaned out" all of my spring bulbs ("How was I supposed to know what they were?"). Grrrr.... I wasn't able to save anything so last year I just picked up some tulip & daffodil bulbs on sale and started digging like crazy. This Fall I will add some more color.

Once these have died off, I will fill in with some annuals and there will also be some perennials coming up. I'm also thinking of clearing some space for some flowering shrubs. My problem is that by mid~summer my backyard is shrouded by our huge, old Black Walnut trees. I really have to watch that whatever I plant is shade loving.

So, I have my work cut out for me once this rain stops. I also have an herb garden, a vegetable garden a flower bed along the patio and of course 10,000 pots and planters! Oh, and don't forget, I have 3X the amount of gardening to do at the lake!! But happily, I love it!! :-D

My church is three blocks away so I took a walk there last week because there is always something beautiful blooming. This is along the west side of the church near the rectory. It is so pleasant and serene to sit on one of these benches in front of the Blessed Virgin to reflect, pray, daydream or just breathe in the fragrant air.

Isn't she beautiful?

I wish you could smell these!!

Isn't this little angel precious. I just love statues, especially angels and fairies.

She blends in so perfectly....

Whoa....back to reality! I mentioned a few weeks ago I had the chance to meet a fellow blogger who came to Chicago with her sweet husband on a business trip. Well, this is Christine from Christine's Travel And Home Adventures and her husband John. I took the train downtown, cabbed over to The Husbands office, picked him up and then went to meet Christine and John at their hotel. We had dinner at a little place The Husband found, West Side Tavern and it was really good. Generally I am the one to pick restaurants but he really seemed to want to play "tour guide" on this night! We just had so much fun! You can easily guess that I felt I had known Christine forever~but not just from blogging. I think we have such personalities that we just clicked right away. For example, if The Husband and John had decided to.... who knows, go off and catch a movie or play, Christine and i would have found a multitude of things to do and keep us happily occupied together for hours! She is just so sweet and smart and pretty~look at that hair. You can find more pictures of our wonderful dinner, which by the way was also a celebration of her and John's birthdays, by clicking on her blog. And by the way, we are definitely going to meet up again! ;-D

Finally, I want to mention the Pay~It~Forward Giveaway that I won a few weeks ago from Lisa at Another Day Today. She sent me some wonderful gifts that I posted last week and it is now my turn to Pay It Forward. So anyone that commented on my posts as of last Monday (Blue Monday) through and including today, has a chance to win a gift from me! So today is the last day to leave a comment. If you have commented on all my posts since 5/4, your name will be thrown in that many times. I am hopeful I can announce the winner on Monday but we are going to the lake to work, work, work, but I will try really hard to get something out Sunday night or Monday morning. Good Luck everyone!!

I hope the sun is shining wherever you are! I think I am going to make a big mug of tea and curl up with Milo & Layla and a good book while that rain works it's magic on my little part of the world!! Visit Susan at A Southern Daydreamer and give her a big hug for all her hard work hosting Outdoor Wednesday every week! You will find a list of everyone else joining in and try to visit them too, even if it takes all week!

xoxo

Jane