Time is getting away from me

The crocus' are withered away and spring has come, some of my flowers are blooming. I'm so excited to see that my handful of Prairie trillium have multiplied. It will be years before they all flower, but last year I was graced with one full beauty. I grew up calling them bloody noses... but my curiosity as a gardener wanted to know the real name. They aren't a typical looking flower, but one of my favorites. I think second in line would be Spring Beauties, as far as bulbs go.
We'll see what this year has in store for the garden. I have some lemon drops that I bought at a plant sale, and last year my one or two plants turned into at least two dozen seedlings... and now there is a full crown starting. My mind tells me I should be dividing them soon. It's suppose to be 70° here friday, so maybe then, if the kids allow me to wander away from the playset. Whatever I did with that helpful sheet with suggestions of when to divide and deadhead.... I always try to look before I dig since I can't remember all the plants likes and dislikes.
I finished my aunt's purse last week. I made it from the Ottobre pea pod purse pattern(free download). It came out pretty well, she was excited to have something made for her, too. I've never used the fusible batting before. It wasn't very difficult, but I had some challenges putting in the zipper and stitching along the top. I had to restitch some of it because the fabric was folding over itself, so I had lost about 1/4" in a few stretches. I'm glad I didn't just leave it and move on. I thought putting the bottom on would be hard, but it was just a matter of maneuvering the fabric around. I didn't get any puckers there. The expanded instructions were great. In a few weeks, Tuula and the Ottobre staff will be posting the rest of the bag photos they received on their new blog.
I'll come back and post some photos after lunch.

Summer, summer, summer

It's a good time in the garden now, there is so much in bloom. The kids love to go out and pick daisies and coreopsis. There are far more weeds than I care to look at, but I am just trying to enjoy the highlights of the yard, and get to cleaning up when I have time.
I love the blooms on this daylily. They are pretty big, and I just love the ruffled edges. By far, a favorite of the varieties in my yard. I think I have 8 to 10 different kinds, don't ask me to name them though. It's the same with the hostas, lots of varieties, but I need to keep track of the names better before I forget.
These are out back, but I love looking at them from the house. These hydrangeas have been so hardy and reliable. I got them at a plant sale fundraiser a few years ago, from the Soil and Water district. I was able to get plants from their sale for two or three years until they decided to quit doing it.
Check my flickr for a few other delights in my garden this year.

Resolutions and thoughts

Beki had an inspiring resolutions list on her blog. I am working on my own, but I am not bold enough to make it all public. Although, I know there are many things in the house & garden that can be done this year. The top of my list, is to get the rest of the wallpaper off the hallway walls. It's half down, and the rest needs to go. I won't say how long it's been that way. My family is probably wondering about us. I finally got a rug this week for the living room, so I can knock that one off the list. Yay!
I also need to get flannel interfacing, so I can get going on some projects in the Bend the Rules book. I did find a cute pink cotton shirt on clearance at Targét for my daughter. I hope to experiment some embroidery on it. See Doodle Stitching.
I also ordered a couple gardening catalogs, since none have yet arrived. Bluestone perennials, Whiteflower farm, Prairie Nursery (sells native), and Jackson & Perkins. I really hope to order some things from the Bluestone catalog this year. I meant to last year, but ended up getting some great deals free, and at a annual plant sale, about an hour from here. I like the J&P catalogs for ideas for container plants and garden structures (which I need).
I also need to decide what needs dividing this spring, besides Shasta daisies. I need to find my divide and propagate guide to make this task easier on my brain. I have a variety of hostas, a handful are new from last summer. I can't wait to see how many Fire & Ice I have... they seemed to revert to a green leaf, vs. keeping the white/cream (center?). I doubt I'll get any more of those. I am also excited to see how the new addition of daffodils/jonquils come up out back this year.