The peonies were so pretty this year. It always seems to rain just after they bloom out and they just hold so much water in their petals that they droop to the ground. I always try to pick some before that happens.
What is prettier than a peony? A lot of peonies! They make such lush and good smelling bouquets. I only wish they lasted longer.
This is yummy. The original recipe came from the Feb. 2009 issue of Southern Living magazine. I made a few changes.
Welcome back to my secret garden. When we walk up a few steps we are on the deck and it looks out over the pool. To the right of the diving board is a little area where I have my herb garden.
Now we are on the deck. All of the petunias in these pictures reseed every year. I bought purple wave petunias about 5 years ago and they have shown up every year since. They do not always run true to their original color but they are always shades of purple down to pink. I just transplant them into pots and let them grow.
More of the petunias and the plant in the front that looks brown is not dead. It is really a bronze shade and is a coleus. I love foliage plants because they always provide color even when there is not a lot of blooms on the other flowers. The oval shaped planter on the bottom shelf is full of garden sage. I love to cook with it.
The thing hanging on the wall was purchased at a yard sale for $5.00. The green heart shaped plant is a wild morning glory that I just let grow. It actually gets too much shade to bloom but I love the leaves. The purple plant beside it is a purple basil. It reseeds all over the place and I usually keep a couple of pots of it because I love the dark purple.
I found this little set at a local antique store and fell in love with it. The chairs actually fold up. Of course the pot with the red is a mixed group of coleus. It sure looks like the deck could use a good sweeping.
I found these chairs at another local antique store. They just fit in this corner.
It was very hot here today. 90 degrees. I worked outside most of the morning and nearly melted. My house sits on a very small downtown lot and we have no lawn at all in the back. Instead we have a small enclosed patio, a raised deck, a small herb garden, and an inground pool. Most people do not know that we have anything besides a pool back there and it is always a surprise when we have guests. I call it my secret garden. So please join me for a visit on my patio and later we will visit the other areas. If you will notice there are no hands on the clock. I removed them because time just seems to stand still when I am out here whether I'm working or just enjoying my coffee in the morning. 
The wreath on the wall is a living wreath. I made it with moss on a wire frame and it has had different flowers or greenery many times. The large green plant below it is Sweet Annie. It is one of my favorite plants and I always put it near the entrance because when people brush up against it the sweet odor is wonderful.
The steps go up to a small porch and the deck. I always seem to have such a hodge podge of containers. Maybe someday I will try to coordinate it all a little better.
One of my favorite corners. Do you see the metal cat sitting under the birdcage?
Sunday morning the sky was full of fluffy white clouds after a very stormy night. There were strong winds, hail, heavy rains and tornado warnings and then this beautiful sky.
Tuesday morning the sky looked like this. It was so very foggy and the sun just couldn't seem to pierce through it. 
Nothing like driving inside a cloud. That is the sun behind the trees and I am meeting a car on the road. Such a misty, "moisty" morning. In a couple of hours the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. 
This has been one of the most beautiful springs I have seen in years. The flowers have been so pretty. I am still trying to learn how to post all the pictures to my blog. I am not a camera person. I am always the one at the family reunion that forgot her camera. But I am determined to learn. Speaking of determination, this little columbine is very determined. It comes up in a crack between my front steps each year. I can't stand to cut it down until it blooms so here it is again. I hope it continues for many years to come. I love it. I can walk around it.
The azaleas are blooming now. 
And the iris.
This will always be one of my most loved flowers although most of you probably want to kill them all. Sweet little dandelion. I love it because my children always picked them and brought them to me. Such love from such sweet little sweaty hands bringing momma flowers. I remember picking them for my own mother. I taught kindergarten for many years and each spring little ones would come running to me, holding that little piece of sunny yellow love in their hands just for their teacher. Yes, it will always be dear to my heart.
Little bluets by the hundreds carpet the ground.
Miniature jonquils.
And the large multi-colored ones.
One of the first signs of spring, crocus.
I have pictures of the wonderful junk my sister and I found when we went to Peddler's Mall in Richmond last week. Somehow or other they are not in the order I wanted them and for some reason I can't cut and paste them so you will just have to see them in the order the computer wants them. I always seem to find books. This time I only got a hymn book and the neatest little dollhouse book. It opens up and has rooms and furniture that you can color and make a little house. I really think it is neat.
I have always loved those old stamp holders that they used to have at the post office. I just had to have this one. Now if I can find enough stamps with handles to fill it up. The bell is a cookie cutter. There was a basket of the wooden spools. I only wish I had bought more. The little butter knife will be used with cheese balls.
We stopped at Hobby Lobby and I found some goodies there. Crepe paper, tissue paper, stamp pad, embossing ink, a rubber stamp of a key, a brush holder that expands and some markers.
Obviously, I didn't rotate this picture when I downloaded the pictures. Believe me, it will be easier for you to turn your head sideways than for me to try to change it. This is the plate that you will see in the next picture after I turned it into a picture frame. This is a picture that I downloaded from someone's free images, (Thank You). I will actually put a picture of my children in it later.
This is the pretty little plate before. I seem to have a tendency to purchase dishes. This one is hand painted and I love the colors. There are three little bottles above it. I'm sure I will find some use for them.
Linens and whitegoods. Oh how I love them. The little slip is probably for a doll. The lace runner was all rolled up and I thought it was just lace. It is in good shape and I don't know if I can cut it up or not. The little rabbit holds bunny note paper.
Tiny ornaments for tiny Christmas trees. I love little trees and couldn't pass these up. The price was right.
Madame Alexander Dolls that were in happy meals at McDonalds some time ago. I have been picking these up. I have about a dozen now. I want to put them on a Christmas Tree for my little peeps.
Seam binding and tapes. At 10 cents a package I couldn't resist. The one thing that amazed me was the price of old paper sewing patterns. The cheapest one I saw was 85 cents and they went all the way up to $3.00. Wow.
I am trying to make a little fairy and I needed wings and hair. The package in the middle has wings and the one behind it is hair. How lucky can I be. The birds are iron ons and the brown looking package is cardboard frames.
