Spring has sprung: Lupine is here!

Lupine (plant) blooming, purple cone shaped flowers, green pointed leaves, striking combination
Lupine in bloom!

I’ve never planted lupine. I’ve never actually seen it blooming in Maine because we always used to visit in September (after they bloomed), but here it is in Charleston! Blooming beautifully and for sale. I love to visit shops with beautiful plants, we have several that I can think of and each is a dream!

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What a night, right?

Sunset in neighborhood with older trees and power lines. Orange sky with fiery bright yellow nearer to the horizon. Striking

We took a walk a few nights ago and the sunset was so striking. Not as easy to see for us with homes and large trees but you couldn’t miss the bright orange and the fiery yellow. You can tell by the power lines and streetlights that this is an older neighborhood. The outline of the trees makes this a striking image.

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Guess the Artist #40 | Detroit Institute of Arts

Painting in gold frame, subject men in a boat, trying to save a man in the water, shark, one man with a harpoon, buildings and boats in distance
I took this photo at the DIA a few years ago. Amazing place to visit!

DRAMATIC painting. So much going on here. You can feel the emotion, the pleas for help, the brave souls trying their best. What happened a few seconds after this painting? Can YOU guess this artist? Read on to find out the artist’s name and information about this painting.

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After the Ice/Snow – “Winter” Resumes…

View from the battery in Charleston, SC, water with ripples, blue sky with clouds and sun, feel the sun

This photo was taken on Murray Blvd last week, overlooking the Ashley River in Charleston, SC. After days of being indoors this bright, sunny and warm day was fabulous. With temps hovering near 60℉ the shining sun sure felt good. We decided to take a walk on “The Battery” and it was so pleasant. Many people out walking, jogging, fishing. Quite a delight to feel the warm sun on your face.

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Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix Is the Best!

Photo of hot chocolate mix (homemade) in glass container, tin of starbucks hot cocoa mix on top of container, view out the window, snowy day in charleston, sc

The day I wrote this post was a snow day (woot! woot!) and the grocery store was out of the hot cocoa mix that we like which prompted an investigation. Good grief, I’ve come to find I’ve been paying for the tin! It’s inexpensive to make, comes together quickly and is every bit as tasty as the other brands. TWO ingredients and an optional two more… Whip this together in a few minutes and have it ready to make a nice mug of hot chocolate in the time it takes to heat the milk! FYI, as cold as it was last week, it’s near 70 and sunny today. Crazy🤪! ❄️☀️

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Book: All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin!

Book on a table, blue book, gold writing, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author, Emily Giffin, All We Ever Wanted

I feel like I give a lot of 4 and 5 star reviews, but I spend a lot of time researching which books to add to my To Be Read (TBR) List. A LOT of time. So I have an excellent selection of books on the shelf to read. It helps to have found a few authors that I think highly of, especially an author with many books that I haven’t read yet (best feeling ever!) – This book was excellent on so many levels.

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Pigeon Forge House Plan by C3 Studio!

Pigeon Forge House Plan by C3 Studio

Sharp house plan, isn’t it (and it’s so much larger than it looks!) – This plan has a main floor and basement living (so much living to be done in this basement, wow!) – Personally, I could do with the main floor (for the two of us) and be beyond thrilled. However, if you have a larger family, this could be a dream come true!

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Will you be seeing snow from the arctic blast?

I took this photo in early December while we were in the mountains of North Carolina for a wonderful stay. We arrived (no snow) to chilly temps and a weather advisory, possible snow, especially in the higher elevations. Well, we were pretty excited. We weren’t going to be driving anywhere for the next few days, so what better time to enjoy a major snowfall?

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Bermuda Bluff (16366) House Plan | Allison Ramsey Architects

Bermuda Bluff by Allison Ramsey Architect

House Plan Thursday… and another great Allison Ramsey plan is unveiled! Wouldn’t this be a sweet cottage set well, just about anywhere? This is the front view. I love porches, I think they make a house a home. Porches are a nice gathering place where you can spend time enjoying the great outdoors. #forestbathing This plan has a screened and unscreened porch. So perfect, I would use both! 

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Making Vegetable Broth from Frozen Scraps! #bestever

Ball Canning Jar with homemade vegetable broth, 2 jars on a table

A while back I had read about freezing your veggie scraps, then making homemade vegetable broth with them. I had two bags full of veggie scraps. I worked hard to have a good mix. Nothing that would give the broth a bad taste (i.e. cruciferous veggies) or be too soft (zucchini), etc. It came time to make the broth, I had a freezer bag jam packed. Then there was a carrot recall. Ahhh, deciding not to risk death for vegetable broth I tossed it all and started over…

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