Thanks to all who stopped by the St. Patrick’s Blog Hop!  I enjoyed all the comments and after hearing all the gorgeous colors, don’t you know I went right out to my flower garden today to primp and prune those babies?  I sure did and it was a beautiful day to do so.  Will share pictures on my garden blog BloominThyme come Monday!

But right now we’re talking winners and congratulations go out to Savannah Miller ~~ woohoo!  Congratulations, Savannah.  I hope when this garden-themed package lands on your doorstep it brings a smile to your face and puts a spring in your step. :)  (Corny I know, but it works for me!)  And you will smell divine with that lotion.

If you didn’t win, don’t dismay.  You’ll have another chance in a few weeks when I host the “Authors in Bloom” blog hop.  Each “stop on the hop” will include a gardening tip and/or recipe — just in time for garden season!!  And the grand prize will be much like this hop:  an ereader and gift card, not to mention more garden goodies from me!

So mark your calendars!  The hop begins April 9th and starts right here.

Welcome to my corner of the St. Patrick’s Day blog hop, hosted by Carrie Ann Ryan!  Not only am I talking with Elise Rome today–I’m hopping with Carrie! (Some gals have ALL the luck, don’t they?) Not sure where this celebration originated, but does it matter?  I love this day!

You get to drink green beer and eat cupcakes and no one gives you a second glance.  Nada.  Nothing.  You can wear green and pinch folks you suspect may have forgotten to wear theirs–without getting the hard glare in return. (Love that part.)  And need I remind you of the cornbeef and cabbage?  My garden is all in a tizzy over this holiday because after all, it celebrates one of their best colors AND paves the way for spring.

How about you?  Does St. Patrick’s Day mean anything special?  Perhaps you’re Irish?  Like the color?  Enjoy pinching fannies?  Eating cabbage? 

And did I mention?  This blog hop is full of chances to try YOUR luck and win prizes galore.  Like a “spring greenie basket” inspired by my love of gardening.  What is that? 

Glad you asked!  It includes a host of goodies like custom-made seed packet holder and seed saving packets, white nectarine & orange blossom silkening body lotion by Organic Indulgence (one of my new favorites and BloominThyme Prize Picks!), veggie-themed votive burner including scented votive from Swan Creek Candle (Cilantro Clementine…hmmm) PLUS a packet of delicious “peas and carrots” Jelly Belly beans. ($35 value)

How do you win?  Simply leave a comment revealing YOUR favorite color along with your email and you’ll be entered for a random drawing to be held at the end of this hop!  (Limited to US residents only–international entries will win free ebook of my novel, Jennifer’s Garden.)  Winners will be notified by Sunday. :)

Now be sure to visit The Jeep Diva—you’ll find her link at the bottom of this post (#119). Thanks and have a great rest of your day hopping (and *pinching*) along!!

As the team of Garden landscaping Cheltenham work on my garden and I gear up for the garden season to lend my hand, I’ve been searching through my photos in an attempt to clear out the old and unwanted from cluttering my computer. It is that time of year, right?  You rummage through your closet and if you haven’t worn an item in the last 6 – 8 months, you toss it out of your life and into the pile for Goodwill.  Someone will breathe new life into it.  God knows I’ve done the same thing for countless other items!  Crocs, shorts, purses–you name it!  (It’s one of the reasons I have to drop off at the back door, now.)  Can I help it if I’m an excellent bargain shopper?

But in the process of going through these photos, I discovered some really neat ones and just thought I’d share. And some dresses were so pretty that I almost didn’t want to besmirch them with the garden work, and just hire a company like MyLawnCare lawn mowing Cairns to do the dirty work. For many of you, it may be too cold for these lovelies to flit about your garden.  Not here in Florida!  Though it is a bit rainy today…  A fact my sprouts LOVE.

Caught this little fella a few weeks back, hovering about the broccoli flowers I’m currently drying in an attempt to save seeds.

This gal lost her way and wound up indoors.  My daughter wasted no time adopting it as her own.  Who knows?  She may start a new trend. Ladybug rings, anyone?

This beast is not welcome in my garden OR my yard.  Thankfully he was found in the school garden and not my own.  I’d have dispatched him by now.  The kids?  They love icky stuff like him so we oohed and aahed for a while before pitching him over the fence.  He’ll survive.  Just not on our side.

Happy to say I haven’t seen the likes of this guy in a while.  He gives Eric Carle’s The Hungry Caterpillar a run for his money!  Shoot, who are we kidding?  He’ll send that sweet little caterpillar running for the hills.

Gives my tomato sprouts the shivers just thinking about it.  So as not to leave you in the same condition, here are some brighter images!  I love these colors.

Just gazing at them brings a smile to my face.  Actually, something about them makes me think of Hawaii.  I ask you:  What’s not to smile about Hawaii?

And of course it is strawberry season here in Florida.  Delicate and white, this little bloom will soon turn plump and juicy and oh so delicious!

This is a peach blossom.  A friend of mine has her heart set on creating an entirely edible yard and this is but one contribution to the cause.  Pretty.

And these are my blueberry blossoms.  Located outside my actual garden, these are my contribution to an edible landscape.  :)  Unfortunately, I won’t see these babies until March or April.  Until then, I’ll simply have to dream…