All rested from a great family vacation.

We just got home from a very nice vacation. It was so much fun.  We go on a family trip each year all together.  With having firefighters and nurses in our family there is always someone missing at the holidays with working.  So this vacation is always a special one since we can all be together as a family.  Getting everyone's schedules to match is always an issue so this time with us all together is such a blessing to have.

We came back from beautiful sunny Florida and Fun Fun Fun Disney.  I wanted to show you just in the 10 days we were gone how much my flowers have tripled in size.

I guess the cooler temps and all the rain was good for them.  Not to mention the miracle grow I doused them with before we left!!!!!!!!!


The summer house is in full bloom.

My bike flowers are starting to really fill in nicely in the baskets.


All my pretties on the porch are doing really great.


The bag on the old door on my front door is loving where I hung it. It has tripled in size.  It loves the late afternoon sun.

Remember the chippy old barn door table.  The flowers on there are doing really good.  I love love love that blue chippy table so glad I found a home for it in the garden.

Since the scare of the impatiens and the mold I did not want to chance it this year in the beds so I went with petunias and they are doing so great and bushing up nicely.

Even my cherub is loving her place in the garden this year.  My Robin couple love to take their morning bath in the cherub bird bath.

My lilac bushes filled in so nicely.  I had a lot of flowers on the back of the house but I think with this crazy spring we had they just greened up more than bloomed this year.


The flowers I potted on the old ladder filled in so fast.  They are already half way down the ladder!!!!


It is amazing what some nice temps and miracle grow can do for your flowers.  Petunia's are a little more maintenance with having to deadhead them but they give such beautiful color and they love the sun so they are perfect for the deck.

I still need to get a plant for the fire truck.  Am going to work on that this week.

The plant on my table by my chair got so big I cannot even put my drink or magazines on there any more!!!!!

It was a beautiful vacation but it was nice to come home.  Hope you are all enjoying the nicer weather.  We had a little sun poke out today in between showers so I thought I would grab some pictures while the sun was shinning.
Kris
:)


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Paula and Patti

THE LADIES OF IVY AND ELEPHANTS are having their two year blogiversary!!! To celebrate they are having a great give away.  They are so sweet so I wanted to post about their giveaway as a way to say Happy Anniversary to two special and talented bloggers.  If you want to enter their giveaway and say Happy Blogiversary head over to their blog.  The details are below.

IvyandElephants


Happy Blogiversary!

What's It Wednesday #76
It's hard to believe that two years have passed since we first tentatively launched Ivy & Elephants. We were just two friends who happily chatted about our favorite blogs and marveled over the fabulous and creative designs we found there. This was a community of strong caring women living life to the fullest, and we wanted to be a part of it. Gratefully we were accepted and welcomed into the fold. Two years later I am happy to say that our little blog has flourished and we are blessed with wonderful and supportive friends all over the world.

To say thank you we're giving away two great books that we know you'll love. The first is “Paris Flea Market Style” by Claudia Strasser. If you know her first book, “The Paris Apartment” or her blog of the same name you know you won't be disappointed. To see some eye candy from the book and get a great review click on the link to Kim Hite's La Belle Époque Home.



The other is “Junk Style” by Melanie Molesworth. This book is filled with fabulous treasures artfully displayed and lovingly collected. For a sneak peek at the book check out The City Sage.

Again, thank you for all your friendship and support. Your words of encouragement are treasured and inspiring.

Good Luck!
Patti & Paula

Congrats to Patti and Paula for hitting their 2 year blogiversary.
Kris
:)
Just a little vacation update as we are nearing the end of our trip to Florida.  The weather has been great and our family trip has been a great time.
We head back to Chicago on Monday Night :( I will miss this beautiful weather and this beautiful home we rent and all the fun parks.  Disney really is the happiest place on Earth!!!!


Grandpa in the pool with Abby!!! Oh love this pool.

This is a salt water pool and Jacuzzi in the home we rent.  So much better on your hair and skin than a chlorine pool.  The house backs to a conservatory so it is very private.

Abby with her daddy (our son in law Tim) in the pool.  Oh how we loved coming home to the pool after long days and  evenings in the Disney Parks.

My favorite spot the Jacuzzi after walking all day in the parks!!!!! It felt so good on my back and feet!!!!

Here is Abby  with my daughter Jen blowing out her candles on her birthday cupcakes.


This is where all the memories begin!!!! The front gate of Disney just like it was when I was a kid.  So much excitement to see that entry way with Mickey's face.

Here is Abby waiting in line to see Mickey and Minnie.

Daddy being very patient waiting in line to see Mickey!!!!!

Here we are all taking our picture with Mickey. Love Mickey!!!! We were all melted and hot that day.  It was 94 degrees in the park. Mickey was so sweet to have his picture taken with all of us sweaty and hot people.



Here is my daughter Kimmie with Mickey.  She has had a huge crush on Mickey since she was 4 years old.

Grandpa with Abby on the carousel.

One of our favorite places to eat is the T Rex restaurant in Downtown Disney. Food is so yummy and fun and it is all about dinosaurs.  We were in the ice age room with the Volcano dessert at our table. The smoke coming out of the volcano in the center of the dessert was so much fun to get.

Our volcano dessert was so yummy. Best Chocolate Cake and ice cream concoction ever!!!! 

There are so many artist employed by Disney and this guy was one of the face painters.  He did such beautiful work. Abby wanted Minnie Mouse Face.


Abby's Minnie Mouse Face matched her Minnie Mouse Stroller.

We spent a few days at the beach and away from the Parks.  I so loved the sounds of the waves crashing and the smell of the ocean and that white sand. Oh so Heavenly.

By noon the beach was full.  It was a beautiful day to spend on the beach.

Abby trying to hide from me snapping her pictures.  No more pictures Meme!!!!!

I have to tell ya that sun zaps your energy! Abby took a nap on the beach chair.
So far we have had a wonderful vacation at all the theme parks and the beaches.  It was nice to spend time with my mom that lives down here.
Thanks for indulging me with some of my personal pictures of my family's vacation.  I usually like to keep the blog to DIY and decorating stuff but since many of you have asked me to post pictures I thought I would share a few.
Kris
:)

Photo: Hello Mickey & Minnie's friends. How are ya guys? :') Jane♥;)We are off to the happiest place on Earth!!!! Disney World in Florida.  We have been going as a family to Disney the past couple of years.  My daughter Jen, son in law Tim, my granddaughter Abby and my other daughter Kimmie and the hubby and myself.   It is my granddaughter's 3rd birthday on Saturday when we leave.  We told Abby for her special birthday we would be going on a plane to see Mickey and Minnie.  Abby is so excited.  So I will be off from "Blog World" to go to "Disney World" for the next 10 days!!


Hong Kong Disneyland
See you when I get back.
Kris
:)



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