Dear March—Come in—
How glad I am—
I hoped for you before—
Put down your Hat—
You must have walked—
How out of Breath you are—
Emily Dickenson
Spring is here and yes, it is when flowers bloom and nature sings.
The long leaves of the Plumaria tree is sprouting bright yellow, waxy blossoms with a strong fragrance that permeates my Secret Garden.
In the large Whiskey Barrels, I see pinkish colored flower buds among the kelly green leaves and they are bursting into little green ovals that will become full sized Meyer lemons in just a few short months.
Night Jasmine is blooming and fragrance is everywhere.
Our ficus hedges that run up the East and West sides of our home, host nests of blue-speckled, cream-colored and dusty-white eggs the size of marbles.
Even the long necked Egret has stopped to say hello as he struts beside the ficus hedges.
And in the clusters of boxwoods and ixora bushes, there are many hiding places for the little bunnies that I had feared were lost in the swirling waters of overflowing canals during Hurricane Ian.
I tried to get a picture of them this morning, but they hop quicker than I can walk. 🙂
There are blooms everywhere.
And the little burrowing owls are popping their heads out of their burrows and saying hello.
And yet, here they all are.
It is Spring!
“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “What’s the first thing you say to yourself?”
“What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?”
“I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully. “It’s the same thing,”
A.A. Milne
So what exciting thing is going to be happening in Mid-March?
Everything!
Spring is here and yes, Nature really does sing.
One can hear the early morning sounds of the Mockingbirds singing their greetings and the “coos” of the Morning doves splashing in the bird baths as they prepare themselves for the day.
The table setting I have chosen is also heralding Spring.
A pink floral tablecloth purchased from Pottery Barn several years ago is the starting point.
8 square napkins become 4 square placemats and four napkins enclosed in sisal bunny napkin rings.
A pink watering can holds pink and white spring blossoms, while bunnies of every size and color hop around the table.
There are white bunnies, green bunnies, pink bunnies and brown sisal bunnies scattered about the table.
One large girl bunny has a pink gingham skirt and carries a basket of flowers on her arm while the matching boy bunny sports a white vest and blue jacket, plus a basket of eggs on his back.
The ruffled edge dinner plate is white and topped with a pink egg-shaped salad plate.
The salad plate sports a baby chick outline in the center.
The light green water goblets and clear green flatware tie into the colors on the napkins/placemats.
Cute little nests hold three eggs and also serves as a name tag holder; and I mixed it up a bit by using little sisal bunny name holders too!
The little egg filled nests are placed in the center of the salad plates as well as being scattered around the table, reflecting the nests in the ficus trees.
There are two sets of salt and pepper shakers; one is white rabbit holding a carrot and the other set are bunnies.
Below is our Menu which features Leg of Lamb with mint jelly….so so so good and a casserole of Spring veggies and of course Hot Cross Buns.
Have you planned your Spring Dinner? If so, Share Please!
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Menu
Roast Leg of Lamb
With Mint Jelly
Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs
Scalloped Hasselback potatoes
Lemony Asparagus, Beans & peas
Moroccan Glazed carrots
Pistachio Salad
Hot Cross Buns
Carrot cake w/ Cream Cheese icing
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I hope you are having Spring weather at your home.
I understand there is still snow in the midwest, but I am sure Spring is just around the corner for you.
Just remember the promise that Spring also brings.
Matthew 28:6 “He is not here; for He is risen”
“It’s not about the bunny; it’s about the lamb.”
Unknown
Sources
Pink tablecloth and matching napkins: Pottery Barn on-line several years ago
Colored eggs napkins, set of 8: Amazon last year
Pink egg shaped salad plates and large bunnies: Valerie ParHill on-line several years ago
Ruffled white dinner plates: Amazon several years ago
Green clear glass handled flatware: (So long ago, I can’t remember where I got them)
All Sisal bunnies, ceramic white bunnies: Pier 1 (in store when they had a store)
Pink watering can, flower blossoms, green bunnies, green goblets: On-Line many years ago
I would like to thank Rita from Panoply for her organizing skills as she put together a Spring hop of wonderful stylists, each with their own unique way of decorating.
Blessings Always my friends.
Kari, it is so nice to see you enjoying your beautiful table and being creative! I love those egg shaped plates, they are so pretty. All of your bunnies are so cute and of course perfect for an Easter table! The tablecloth, too, is just right for the holiday! Hugs!
Kari, what a treat to get a tour of your garden! I loved seeing the egret and owls, too. Your pink and green tablescape is so pretty! I love the arrangement in the watering can and the pink egg shaped salad plates. And of course…the multitude of bunnies! It’s fun to hop with you again. Happy Spring 🙂
Kari, you have so many precious bunnies on your table! I love bunnies! Your entire table is beautiful, and the floral china is so pretty! I enjoyed seeing all of the pretty blooms around your home. Our blooms are still a little slow to wake up, but I am anxiously awaiting their arrival. I have so enjoyed my visit and wish you a very happy and blessed spring!
Kari, what a lovely table for spring! The Easter egg shaped plates are so pretty and unique! LOVE the watering can filled with gorgeous blooms! The rattan bunny napkins rings though! Adorable!! You are so blessed to have such many flowers growing already. While things are starting to poke up out of the soil here, it will be a while before we actually see any colour up here in the North! Happy Spring 🙂
Kari, I was swooning over your beautiful setting around your home. Such lovely blooms and as you were providing photos and descriptions, I could almost smell the lovely scents which you described. I was lost in the moment, but soon realized I am still in Wisconsin with all the snow and 3-6 inches more expected tonight. I makes me want to move. And your lovely tablescape with all of the pink colors and plenty of bunnies. So sweet and darling. I love your Mr. and Mrs. Bunny who are all dressed up. And the bunny salt and pepper shakers are endearing. I love the egg pattern placemats which really emphasizes the lovely nests filled with eggs throughout your table. Nature sure is singing at your table and at your house! Happy Easter to you and your family, Kari.
Your photos make an excellent intro to a lovely spring table. I love all the soft colors and of course the bunnies! I’m smitten with the bunny napkin rings, so very cute! A charming, playful table I would love to join you at. Happy Spring!
Thanks Sandra….bunnies are such fun, or at least when they are not eating up the new growth in one’s garden, fortunately I don’t have a veggie garden so am safe from their voracious appetites. I still think they are cute. The bunny napkin rings came from Pier 1 many years ago…I think. I still have “Chemo Brain” so sometimes I can’t remember certain things but my doctor says that is normal. LOL Thanks for stopping by.
Kari, your pictures of spring are absolutely gorgeous – how beautiful it is down there. I am so glad to hear that Ian didn’t completely destroy everything; I remember watching here in Canada when it was happening with abject horror at all the destruction – he was a nasty one for sure. And now for your table… it is gorgeous. Pink is my favorite color and paired with the green, you have done it to perfection here from those pretty egg plates to the napkins/placemats to that beautiful blooming pink and white centerpiece. Love all the delightful bunnies that you have gathered around too. It was great hopping with you and I wish you and the Captain a very blessed Easter.
Thank you Kim for your kind comments. Many of us are still trying to get people to come out to give insurance estimates, etc. It will be a long time before we are back to normal. Have a great day.
Kari, I had never heard of a Burrowing Owl and had to look it up, so cute and what a treat to see them! Love all your adorable bunnies and sweet egg-shaped plates at your table! I have the matching pattern tablecloth to your napkins and love how the patterned eggs are repeated in your plates. As always, it’s always a treat to join you at the table and hop with you. Happy Spring! ♥
Thank you Mary…I love blog hopping as the ideas are endless….especially yours! I have enjoyed those napkins on many a table and my little grands enjoy them too.
Yes, the little burrowing owls are so cute and when the snow birds come to Florida for their sojourn (from Thanksgiving through Easter) they bring big fancy telescopes, cameras ,etc on tripods and watch them for hours. They are fascinating as are our Florida Scrub-Jays which are protected. We have a certain area where they congregate/flock and they will literally eat peanuts from your hand! Everywhere we have lived…there have always been blue jays, and these pretty birds remind me of them. Happy Spring to you and yours!
Kari, the plumeria bloom is a beauty and I love that you can grow Meyer lemons. The long necked egret even stopped to make sure he made the blog post. My granddaughters would love your girl bunny, she is adorable. My girls would say that the matching boy bunny is wearing a Peter Rabbit jacket. The pink egg shaped salad plate is really charming and the table is so lovely. Your menu sounds delicious. Happy Spring and a blessed Easter Season!
Pam our garden is usually a stopover for so many of Florida’s fowl. There are a flock of white Ibis that search for grubs daily. I can count on them (about 15-20) each morning.
I guess I am still young at heart because I still love bunny rabbits…maybe because of Peter Rabbit as well as the song “Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail”. Do your grands like that song too? I know they can wreck havoc in a garden but they don’t seem to do that here…not sure why. Perhaps because I don’t have garden vegetables planted. I am excited about growing Meyer lemons and limes in my whiskey barrels…we currently have bananas, papaya, mango, grapefruit and oranges. The rabbits can’t reach them. LOL
Thanks for stopping by my dear friend.
A very quietly beautiful and playful color scheme you’ve brought us today in your tablescape, Kari! I love your quotes and introduction to spring, my favorite season of all. I cannot get over how beautiful your landscape flowers appear, when I thought you sustained so much damage from Ian. The pale green flatware here is wonderful, love that color. It was so smart of you to use the napkins as placemats as well as their originally intended use. That looks great. Your menu looks terrific. Ours is typically a tried and true ham with scalloped potatoes, deviled eggs and green beans and corn. I love seven layer salad too. Wishing you a happy and healthy spring!
Thank you Rita….yes, we did suffer a lot of plant and tree damage but have replaced most landscaping and believe it or not…a lot of the original has come back thanks to our weather here in Florida. I remember one of the first things a landscaper told me when we moved here …he said; “plants grow 24-7 and 365 days of the year”….and because of the mostly palm trees…as soon as they are planted (because they are planted mature)…they look like they have been there for years! Gone are the memory days of my midwest plantings of …for example planting a 4-6 ft shade tree and waiting 20 years for it to mature. LOL
Down here, our landscaper just planted 3 more Royal palms and their beginning height of 20-25 ft (and their huge fronds) are within about 2 feet of our original Royals’ height and size. We have always chuckled when a new business goes in, such as a CVS Pharmacy store, and the landscaping goes in and one can no longer tell if the business has been there for years or was recently built. LOL
Having said all that…many (including us) are still with downed fences, leaky roofs, torn or completely gone pool enclosures, and there are still those with flood damage in their homes including wet and moldy sheetrock, walls that need re-building or complete houses that need re-built. So sad for so many.
We in our home are truly Blessed even though our terracotta tiled roof is now enclosed with white shrink wrap and we have no fence or pool screen and unfortunately the wait list is long, so repairs will be delayed.
Thanks for your kind comments and Ham and Lamb alternate each year for our Easter Dinner. I love Lamb but Ham is always so good and the left-overs are great.
Thanks for stopping by my friend and funny isn’t it how our desire to not miss a single game at the Dance diminishes when our teams go out early? At least the Big 12 still has Kansas State still “in”… and we won’t even discuss Texas! LOL
In answer to your question about Blackberry Winter: Blackberry Winter is usually the first week of May here in the South. It’s a cold snap that usually coincides with when blackberries are in bloom, hence the name Blackberry Winter. My birthday is May 2nd, by the way…
I had never heard that before…so your birthday is the day after our twins. Of course I originally hail from the midwest…Kansas to be exact… and have only been in Florida about 15 years but I am learning Southern traditions…sweet tea being a must for most. LOL
You’d better do something about your bunny infestation in your home because they might move outside and destroy your gorgeous garden! I loved seeing your garden photos. 😀 And I think your table is adorable with all the bunnies. My favorite thing about your table: the egg-shaped plates. They’re fabulous! I also like your table runner and tablecloth. They compliment each other well. I also like the greens on your table (especially the glasses) because greens never clash, and they look great with pink! Thanks for including your menu: It sounds delicious! I have not planned ahead for Easter because I usually don’t host Easter. I might make some hot cross buns for Easter weekend. Happy Spring!
Thanks for stopping by Ricki Jill…and hot cross buns would be excellent for Easter week-end. And I guess we kinda like the pink and green don’t we? LOL. Have a great and Blessed Spring and Easter.
Hi Kari! I loved seeing your garden blooms and the strutting egret! We are so lucky in our Southern states to be enjoying sunshine and blooms while so many are dealing with snow, I can’t imagine! You certainly have a fluffle of bunnies hopping around your table and each one as cute as can be! I love Mr. and Mrs. Bunny in their Sunday best and all the little sisal bunnies doing various tasks around the table. I love how you used napkins as placemats, such a great idea, and the pink egg plates are wonderful. The profusion of flowers blooming in the pink watering can sing Spring! Your menu sounds wonderful, Leg of Lamb sounds perfect. We usually do lamb “lollipops” which are individual chops cut from rack of lamb, and grill them, all the kids love them! Happy Spring and Easter Kari! 💕🐇💕
thanks Jenna for stopping by…I happen to love lamb and lamb chops are delish. I like them grilled just as you described too. My daughter had snow yesterday so we are very glad we live in Florida…you are right, us southerners are Blessed. Are you going to the beach for Easter?
We are going next week because that’s the children’s Spring Break. The weather should be in the 70s and I have my pool man turning on the heater so we can enjoy swimming, looking forward to it!
Dear Kari, pink is one of my favorite colors. I just love your table setting. Only thing I wish you could have gotten a picture of the live bunnies. I haven’t seen one in a very long time. We are getting rain today, so it was lovely to see your landscape and birds.
Hugs,
Sandy
Thanks Sandy for stopping by today…I am still trying to recoup from Saturday’s loss to Arkansas. I really thought the Jayhawks would go all the way, but maybe next year. The little bunnies are everywhere this year. Must be a bumper crop due to hiding away so long during the hurricane. LOL Happy Easter sweet friend to you and Ron.
I was very disappointed with the Jayhawks loss, but I have been watching the worldwide baseball games. I hope we win. Happy Easter to you and The Captain.
Kari, thanks so much for a peek at your beautiful garden and blooming plants. I enjoyed seeing your visiting bird. So nice to wake up and see such natural elements all around you. Your pink and white table setting is just wonderful for introducing Spring. The pink egg plates with nesting eggs works really well with the rest of the setting. Happy Spring!
Happy Spring to you too and thanks for stopping by!
Kari, What a darling table full of all sizes and colors of bunnies. The cute pink egg salad plates are so cute and those bunny salt and pepper shakers win the prize. I love how you used napkins for placemats that repeat your egg theme.
The watering can full of spring blooms pulls all your pieces together wonderfully.
I am intrigued by the burrowing owls. I must admit I have not heard of them before. They are cute. I will look them up to read more about. It’s fun to learn new things. Have a wonderful week and a lovely Easter ahead.Blessings, Bonnie
The little burrowing owls are an endangered species and so they are protected by our county. They are only about 6-8 inches tall….and if one nests in your yard, you are not allowed to remove him without paying about $25,000.00 (and much red tape) to relocate their burrow. One day one of them flew into my Secret Garden like he was looking for a place to burrow and I politely told him….”No Way little cutie!..don’t even think about it.” (you can’t even mow around their burrows, so if you are unlucky or lucky to have them nest in your yard…you can give up on your yard always being neat and tidy.) Plus you will have those little white crosses (for perches) and yellow police tape as permanent structures. Ha ha LOL. But lucky for us he moved down to the corner to an empty lot. Whew! But they are adorable….from afar. LOL
Kari, what a beautiful table setting and I am smitten with your centerpiece blossoms–pinned! Blessings, Cecilia @My Thrift Store Addiction
thank you Cecilia….I have always loved cherry and apple blossoms! thanks for stopping by.