Tuesdays With Tracy: Easter Decor and Garden Planning

Hello Friends!

I’m Kelly’s mom, Tracy, and I’m so glad you’re here. I sure do enjoy visiting the blog once a month.

Is your garden beginning to sprout with new life again?  Mine is, and the grass is beginning to get some green patches.  Yay!! Our current view of the pond.

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APRIL:  EASTER DECOR AND GARDEN PLANNING

The fountain is working again.  Sometimes during the winter the winds wreak havoc on the pond and the fountain stops spraying. Then when spring comes, somebody gets in a little boat and goes out and fixes it.  Whoever you are, you fountain fixer, thanks! 

Garden Planning

Before we get to my Easter decor let’s talk about what I’m doing for my garden.  Have you heard of winter sowing?  It’s basically planting seeds in containers and putting them outside to grow in cold weather.  

Here in Colorado we can’t plant anything until after the last frost, usually around Mother’s Day. So that makes for a very short growing season. So I started collecting milk jugs and planting seeds in them.

The first step was to cut the milk jugs just under the handles leaving a small portion attached. Then I mixed water and potting soil in a big bucket. I put the soil in, sprinkled seed packets in, and closed the jugs with tape.

Those were Sweet Pea seeds in my hand. I’m also  trying Hollyhocks, Lupine, Delphinium, and Poppies.  Kelly has been winter sowing in ziplock bags and I may be trying that too.

Below are my jugs in the raised bed below my deck. Have you ever tried winter sowing?

“Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world.”         Victor Kraft

Easter Decor

Do you decorate for different seasons?  I used to change up things constantly but not so much anymore.  We have family and friends over for Easter brunch so I like to be a little festive. 

Easter is the only time of year when it is safe to put all your eggs in one basket…

I painted these paper mache eggs a few years ago. Its’s an easy project with a big impact. All you need is the eggs, craft paint, and a paint brush.

The little lamb on the side table below was purchased years ago.  Some things just bring me fond memories of years gone by. 

I love lambs so when I see ones that warm my heart, I often have to bring them home. Well, not often…most of mine were purchased years ago.

I bring out some colorful quilts about this time of year. I have a stack of them in the basket in the European cart.

Uh oh, more lambs. Ha!  I guess this time of year I am especially reminded of the Lamb of God. 

The green garden book was an old one of my mom’s.  She always had a beautifully planned garden and my dad had an incredible green thumb. I guess that must run in our family because both of our daughters enjoy their gardens.

”April is the kindest month. April gets you out 

of your head and out working in the garden.”

Marty Rubin

Do you remember that last year Easter was so early?! It was at the end of March and that seemed so early to me.  

I’m hoping that we will have some warmer weather for Easter.  The weather here in Colorado can change so fast!  Yesterday we were in the 30’s and freezing, and today the sun is out, and this week will be possibly up to 80.  Is it like that where you live???

“Oh, the lovely fickleness of an April day!”

W.H. Gibson

On our entryway buffet I have cheerful layers of Spring and Easter decor.  Some dear friends gave us a fun green toolbox.  I enjoyed using it to hold decorative ducks, chicks, and eggs.

Oh Hi!  Do you know how hard it is to take photos with mirrors in them?

I put that bunting together a few years ago. I just clipped the felt carrots and vintage cards onto a ribbon.  I love finding old vintage postcards at flea markets and antique stores.  

If you look closely, you can see that these have writing on the backside and were at one time sent to someone with Easter greetings. 

I loved reading the postcards when I purchased them. They were sent between 1907 and 1915, and the postage was one cent. The written side of the one above had a little note hoping for a spring visit.

The one below was sent by a man and sent to “Master Harold Whiting”.  Good old Uncle Wesley kept it short and simple – “Card received yesterday. Sorry to hear (?name) sick.” 

I hope the person receiving the one below knew who Ellen was… she must have been running late and didn’t have time for a note!  Ha, I can relate to Ellen! And did you notice that they didn’t have detailed addresses…

Well enough of that.  Let’s get to my Easter table.  I know it’s early but I always like to have an idea of what it should  look like ahead of time.

I used to know a lady who did actually set her table for guests a week or two in advance.  I was so impressed with her efficiency but often wondered if she cleaned the dust off before eating.

We use the plastic eggs on the table as place cards. Inside of each egg we have placed a verse for each person to read from the book of Luke 24 in the Bible. It tells the resurrection story. See all the details HERE!

Those cute little salad/dessert plates were a gift from Kelly’s husband, Mike, a few years ago.  He’s a keeper!

I remember finding the sweet little porcelain bunnies when shopping with my mom when the girls were toddlers. I still love them after all these years. There are four of them and two are bells. 

The green Bordallo Pinheiro pieces were found at a thrift shop and EBay.  Do you like thrift shopping?

We will be expanding our table to host friends and family. The number of people always fluctuates, sometimes it’s ten, sometimes it’s sixteen. I say, the more the merrier and we always do potluck. Sharing a meal is so important and such a bonding, loving time.

For us Easter is the most important holiday of the year. It reveals God’s grace to the world. An unearned beautiful gift.

“Easter is never deserved.”          

Jan Karon

I’m praying for you to have a wonderful Spring and 

Easter whether it’s by yourself, or with family and friends.

Love,

Tracy