I Almost Missed My Spring Blooms!

Dad started this rose for me from Mom's

Right after Easter I came down with Bronchitis,

C did too. :(

His surgery had to be postponed.

Then I got the flu.

Yep, I was batting a thousand.

This can't be - I NEVER get sick!!

After going to the Dr. I went to bed,

stayed there for about a week and a half.

BandT gave me this gorgeous tree Rose

For the first time in my life I listened to my body

and that's what it said to do, so I did.

Rose started by Dad for me from Mom's

I ventured outback yesterday for what seemed

the first time in months.

Iris from Mom

Everything was either in full bloom,

or just about finished!

Very disappointed to say the least.

Dad started this rose for me from Mom's

I snapped away as quickly as I could,

feeling that all the blossoms were all going to fall

with every step I took!

My Lady Banks Rose decided to climb from it's

ladder into the Cherry Plum

which was fine, but very few blooms were left.

The ground was covered in yellow petals.

But at least I didn't miss my Cecil Brunner!!

My FAV!

Brings back memories of my Mom ♥♥

It has just about covered the arbor

and most of the gazebo ~

the scent is intoxicating.

Cecil Brunner bloom.

BandT gave me another Cecil last Mom's Day for the

other side of the gazebo

so it would fill in faster ♥♥

Cecil Brunner bloom

Remember the succulents I planted in the strawberry pot

here and here?

Here they are, the pot is in there somewhere!

I lost most of my Lilacs to the drought.

So upsetting, they were older ones from my parents farm.

I only have a few left of ones I have bought.

The Fig tree already has figs!

Turkey Fig from my parents original.

The garden from a different angle

Too late to pick the Asparagus :(

Hand me down from Dad.

3 in 1 Apple, given to me by Dad,

 just about done blooming.

Variegated Pittosporum (Mock Orange) in bloom,

smells heavenly

Wild area under my bedroom window, full of Calendula.

Someday it may look a little more tamed.

You can barely see my edging of blue bottles along the railroad tie and walkway the Calendula has overrun.

Oxalis getting ready to die down for the Summer.

When we we're little my sister and

I would pick a stem and suck on it.

Mom always called this "Sour Grass".

I was an adult before I knew the actual name! LOL

Another plant from Mom.

Sea of Forget-Me-Nots already going to seed.

Rosemary in bloom

Titanium Classic Pruning Shears By Haus & Garten Review #Hausandgarten

When I was asked to review Haus & Garten's Titanium Classic Pruning Shears

I was really excited!

After several years of drought, we have had El Nino storms throughout the winter and I am grateful! Lord knows we needed all that rain badly. But that rain made my gardens come back to life and they had become a jungle!

The entrance to the gazebo is somewhere in there!

 

Panic set in when I realized Easter was early this year

and I needed to get my gardens ready for the Celebration.

Walkway? what walkway?

Pruning was definitely in order!

Not to mention everything else I needed to get done,

and throw in C's surgery along with other real life stuff, needless to say I was behind. My old pruners were dull and chipped, so the Haus and Garten's came at the perfect time.

Upon opening I noticed right away just how razor sharp the blade was, the shears are solid and very well made. They felt good in my hand, not too heavy nor too light. I love the ergonomic anti-slip shock absorbing pads. I was relieved to feel how good they felt in my hand as I sometimes have problems with shears sliding/moving and am having to constantly re-adjust, not these! 

These Shears outshine their competition. I was surprised to be able to tackle my entire yard with just these shears. I really gave them a work out! From tough stems, twigs to small branches - I never had an issue. They went through them all without difficulty.
They saved me a lot of time from switching back and forth between tools.

After photos ~ Look how you can see everything!!

Weeks later everything's fresh 

and starting to bloom!

I said I would put them to the test and I did!

The high quality stainless steel has a protective titanium coating that decreases friction to make easier cutting and longer lasting protection against rust and corrosion.
Awesome!

These flawlessly made pruning shears are backed up with a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee. Personalized customer service is available 7 days a week ready to help you!

They are available here on Amazon.

What a great gift for the gardener in your life!

 I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free or a discounted price from Haus & Garten. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Purex plus Clorox2 Detergent Review and Giveaway! #PurexPlusClorox2

Purex plus Clorox2 couldn't have shown up at a better time!

Sure I was preparing for Easter,

had a ton of other things on my mind ~

laundry wasn't one of them.

I put it aside for time being,

and went on with the preparation and celebration.

Then came the after Easter clean up....uggh

That's when I remembered Purex plus Clorox2!

I had tons of laundry - tablecloths, napkins,

and other linens,

not to mention all our clothes!

Especially mine....

I think more food went on my

blouse than in my mouth!

Saved the Bean Salad as a little one ran by - that's on the left,

the ham slipped as I was carving it and sloshed up on me - that's on the right. OY!

New Purex^® plus Clorox2 detergent is specially formulated with Clorox 2^® stain-fighting enzymes to remove the toughest stains.

Believe me there's a lot of tough stains in that mountain of laundry.

My Sunshine was sitting among the Oxalis

and decided she wanted me to sit with her

There went my pants!

Flower stains! LOL

New Purex^® plus Clorox2 detergent works on 100 different stains

Contains a powerful boost of Clorox 2^® stain fighters

Safe for colors (contains no chlorine bleach)

It will get a real test this time around!

For Tough Stains

Pretreat by applying some detergent directly to stains and rub into fabric. Allow formula to sit on stains for 5 minutes. For added power, use 3/4 cap of detergent in wash.

Well, looky looky!!

New Purex^® plus Clorox2 detergent saved my butt literally!

It removed not only the flower stains

but the leafy green stains too!!

And look at my blouse!

My whole outfit was saved from all the

assortment of stains from Easter!

The olive oil from the Bean Salad and

the Ham drippings are GONE!

I'm really relieved, I don't have that many nice outfits

and really thought this one was a goner for sure.

 Can't give you anymore proof than that.

All I did was pour a little on the stains,

rub it in good, let it sit for about 5 minutes then

toss it along with the rest of the clothes

and detergent into the machine.

Have you tried New Purex^® plus Clorox2 detergent yet?

Would you like to? Now's your chance.

Purex^® sent along 2 coupons for a free bottle

New Purex^® plus Clorox2 detergent!

Two lucky people will receive 1 coupon
each for a bottle of New Purex plus Clorox2 detergent!

Just enter the giveaway form below. Entries will be verified.

Open to US residents only. Must be 18 years of age or older to participate. 

Promotions ends April 30, 2016XXXXXXXXXXXX

a Rafflecopter giveaway

   Available in Original Fresh or Sunny Linen
You can find Purex on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

"The Purex brand provided me with a sample of Purex plus Clorox2 detergent in exchange for a product review. However, all the opinions expressed here are mine."