Scent of Heaven

Have you ever had the pleasure of smelling gardenias growing? 

I'm sure it's how heaven smells.

Housekeeping (or lack there of)

So awhile back, April 18th to be exact, I introduced a plant that lives at our house.  This plant had a strange growth that appeared to be the start of a bloom.  I was excited about what it was going to do so I promised a follow up blog entry. Well it was a total dud and nothing happened....until this week.

Just the other day I saw that the very same plant had this crazy bloom on it!  The blooms are fragrant but not overly so and they make a total mess on the floor around the plant.  I noticed at least two other blooms starting as well - so maybe the bloom in April was a warning bloom?

So as the name of this entry suggests, this and other camera grabbing

moments often distract me from doing any housekeeping... Oops.

What kind of flower are you?

So two shutterbugs went to the botanical gardens again today which resulted in hundreds of pictures.  We even "drug" along some friends.  They aren't as crazy about pictures as we are - who is? But they are gardeners who enjoy photographs, so they were perfect company.  It was a hot one today but we went early and survived.  Afterwards we ventured downtown to a local burrito place. It was a fantastic lunch!

So I pose to you the question - what kind of flower are you?

A classic one?

A crazy one?

A simple one?

A spikey one?

A tall one?

A unique one?

Or a lizard one?

WednesDAY Lillies

Yet another backyard photo shoot~

Last year I got one bloom of of this plant - this year it's a whole different story.

Last year, the bugs were the only ones who enjoyed these lillies!

New growth.

(not on the day lillies but it caught our attention nonetheless)

Can I say I LOVE the lens I used to take these pictures?

I don't know what I did before this lens!

GNO

Girls Night Out Italiano Style

Ok - you got us - it wasn't a girls night out.  It was actually a girls night in - which means it was even better.  We got together and tried out some new recipes along with an old favorite of mine. 

The end result was perfection!!!

I forgot my camera - I know that sounds weird - but you'll have to make do with these cell phone pictures.

Appetizer - Fresh Bruschetta

This new recipe is a keeper!  Check it out here - BRUSCHETTA BITES

I can't say that we followed the recipe exactly - who does that?

Main Entree - Tried and True Chicken Picatta

  

This is my favorite and I love this recpie that I got from good friends.

This picture doesn't do it justice - you'll just have to trust me.

Dessert - Homemade Fake Cannolis

We weren't up for making cannoli shells, so this recipe worked out perfectly.

If you are up for trying a not so authentic cannoli that does a pretty good impersonation, 

here it is - Cannoli Fake Out!! 

South Mtns

In front of High Shoals Falls

Shame on whomever picked this flower! 

However, it was a nice thought to leave it behind so some of its beauty could still be captured.

Jacob Fork River

Bulls and Balloons

We spent Memorial Day weekend in South Carolina.  We attended our first ever rodeo staring one of our cousins.  She rode in two events and it was awesome to take it all in.  We also attempted to go to a huge hot air balloon festival but the weather had other plans and canceled the balloon launch.  Since we bought our tickets in advance we went anyway and enjoyed some of one of the concerts. 

Here are some pictures from our adventure.  Don't mind the blur - do you know how fast everything moves at a rodeo? :)