Impatiens

You totally thought I spelled that title wrong, didn't you? ha.

Earlier this week, I had 3(!!) days off in a row, and I took advantage of the time to complete a little home project I'd been contemplating. Here at Chez Sweets, our back balcony is doing just fine, thankyouverymuch, but I wanted to spruce up our boringly generic front door. The biggest challenge to finding something to grow there is the approximately 20 minutes (seriously) of direct sun that spot gets, at least in the summer. When the giant, shady tree loses its leaves in the fall, there will be significantly more light, and I already have some mums planned. But I digress.

I did a little research, hit the garden center, found nothing on my list, but then saw and remembered about Impatiens. ah ha! I remember these guys! They love the shade. So I picked some in a pretty color, forgetting about the brick red door mat we have, and found some pretty planters at Marshall's (yes, I had a good week).

Sunday Flowers

I have been away. awhile. whoops

I mentioned a couple weeks ago a month ago (where did the time go?!) that there were some big events in October that were making my brain track lots of details. Well, they were great, and I promise some more details and lots of photos soon. However, this past week Mr. Official Taster and I moved apartments, so it's been continuously a little crazy for a month now, and we still don't have internet in our new place, which makes talking to all you lovely people slightly more challenging. We get it on Wednesday (fingers crossed!), so at that point, I will be out of excuses, and hopefully in possession of some of the photos I want to share.

So you'll just have to be patient a little longer. thank you :)

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

Sunday Flowers

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! I'm lucky enough to see mine today, which is the first time that's happened in a few years.

 These pictures were all taken at Longwood Gardens this spring. It was spring bulb season at the time, so the tulips were just lovely. I thought they did a nice job with the swaths of color.

Are you doing anything special for Father's Day? We brought home some fresh raspberries and green beans from the farmers' market, and we are heading out for a good meal later today.

Have a great week!

Sunday Flowers

Today's water lily photos also come from our wonderful trip to Hawaii in January. This top photo isn't awesome, but it does show off a huge koi, so that's fun. 

The bright sunshine made it relatively easy to take crisp, clear, pretty photos. Having that light is definitely something I've been struggling with since living in Seattle. Remember these whoopie pies? They were super stale when I finally had good light. Don't worry, though, we ate the rest before that. I just saved some pretty ones for you all. 

What are you doing this weekend? Are you able to enjoy some sunshine? Official Taster and I are heading out to the farmers' market (there is one year round one here). It's kind of a hike, but we don't go every weekend and when we do, it's a treat. 

Happy Sunday!

Sunday Flowers

Happy Sunday to all.  I hope you're having beautiful weather, and that you get outside and enjoy Spring. All of these Hibiscus photos were taken on our trip to Hawaii in January. I had a lovely time hiking around one of the many botanical gardens with my parents. 

There's been a lot of talk in the blogosphere about Japan, ways to help, and days of silence. I think that's as it should be. Americans have a long history of donating time and money in response to natural disasters. I don't really have anything to add to what everyone has been thinking and feeling about Japan, but I also am not sure it's fair to focus solely on the people of Japan without also focusing on the people of Libya, Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, and so many more places, including our nation's backyard. 

So, while donating to Japan is a worthy cause, also consider making a donation to the general funds of organizations like The American Red Cross or Doctors Without Borders so that money can go where it's needed most at any given time. You can also simply click to give at Free Rice or The Hunger Site and it's partners. 

Go out, enjoy the sunshine and daffodils, and have a great day!

Sunday Flowers

Happy Daylight Savings! Hopefully, you remembered to change your clock and you weren't late to something important. If you're like me, you rely on your cell phone automatically adjusting for you. 

Today's theme can be summed up as Up Close and Personal. It's no secret (if you're a Sunday Flowers fan) that I like to take close-ups of flowers. However, these are really close, and, I think, pretty interesting. Looking at them is a little like hanging upside down as a kid and viewing the world upside down and imagining what it would be like to live in my room if the floor had glow-in-the-dark stars and the ceiling was carpeted with piles of books. Did you do that too, or do you just think I'm crazy now?

Anyway, I hope you're having a good weekend. I'm trying skiing for the first time ever today, so hopefully all goes well. Official Taster says I'll know if skiing is for me after my first downhill trip. I'm hoping I decide that it is since I'll already have bought the day pass and rented the equipment. 

What are you up to this weekend?

Sunday Flowers

Good morning! I hope you are having a good weekend, wherever you are. It has been really, really cold here. When I woke up Saturday morning I got up, turned the heat on in the living area, and went back to bed where it was warm. I had tea, a book, and my computer and I wasn't cold. ahhh, delightful.

 My hope is that these yellow beauties will help fight the chill! I photographed all of these Hibiscus on our trip to Hawaii. Now there it was warm and lovely.

Official Taster and I didn't do anything too exciting this weekend. Mostly errands and general hanging around. How about you? What did you do to keep warm? Bake? Vacuum? Jumping jacks?

In other news, and this is important, Facebook has changed everyone's options. again. sigh. So if you're not seeing Short & Sweets' posts in your feed anymore, scroll down to the bottom of your home page, click "Edit Options," and then choose "Show Posts From All Friends And Family" instead of just those friends you interact with most often. That way you won't miss any of my brilliant thoughts.

Sunday Flowers

Today is brought to you by the color pink and the big island of Hawaii. I know there has been a lot of pink lately due to Valentine's Day, and, I'm sorry, but these particular beauties just jumped out at me as a great way to brighten a winter day.

This Presidents' Weekend, Official Taster's mom is visiting, so we're doing some Welcome to Seattle things, like visiting Pikes Place Market. Also on the agenda: good food. Hopefully I'll be able to share some about that. 

What fun things are on your menu this weekend?

Sunday Flowers

...are back! I hope your weekend is going well. Do you have Super Bowl party plans? Official Taster and I are attending one and, of course, bringing a dessert. Hopefully I'll have some pictures to show you later this week.  

These pictures are actually from back in the fall. I went on a field trip to Euro American Propagators. We saw how they grow their plants from seeds and cuttings, and the end of the tour was their display garden. 

It changes twice a year, and is designed both to show current trends and to showcase their own plants, which is why those white plant tags are everywhere. 

It was a lovely mix of succulents and flowering annuals and perennials in both sun and shade.

I have seen this a couple other places before, but I really like breaking up a patio with little groundcover succulents or other plants between the stones. 

Even just having plants with different colors of green can create some visual interest.

I hope this little glimpse of sunshine helps keep you warm this weekend! Are you one of the many stuck under many feet of snow?

Sunday Flowers

Happy New Year! This post opens with pineapples, traditionally a symbol of welcome, and, in this case, a fitting way to bring in the new year and a new year of posts from yours truly.

That's right- today is the one year anniversary of my first post. For those of you who've been loyal ever since, thank you! Those of you who are newer to Short & Sweets, you get no less of my gratitude. I still get excited every time I get a new follower or a new fan on facebook.

Sometimes, I admit, having the pressure to create posts can be irritating. But, for the most part, I really enjoy the chance to write, create, and push myself to come up with fun new recipes. I think having this stage actually forces me to be more creative and more willing to try new things.

I'm not really one for New Year's resolutions, but I do want to continue this, improve it, and, hopefully, gain new followers. So, I'm asking you, dear reader, to help me. Let me know what you like, what you don't, what you want to see more of, what you're tired of. Really, any thoughts are welcome. Please leave a comment below, and, as always, feel free to email or convo me via Etsy. You can also still take the handy, 10 second survey I whipped up last month.

Stay tuned for more blogiversary excitement throughout the week! Hint: there's a giveaway coming!

I wish you and yours all the best in 2011 and beyond. Have a happy and healthy New Year!

Sunday Flowers

Happy Boxing Day! I hope you're surviving the weekend in good cheer! These are more of the Chinese Hibiscus from Longwood Gardens. Enjoy!


I'm enjoying Christmas on the east coast with family. What are you doing to celebrate?

Sunday Flowers

If I'm remembering correctly, these giant lily pads are called Dinner Plate Water Lilies, but it's possible I'm making that up. They are way bigger than dinner plates, as they're maybe 2.5 ft across. Even though I don't usually like taking pictures of random people and then posting them on this blog, I'm glad there are some faceless people back there to help with relative size.

This was the main stem of one plant, and then it branched out with the giant lily pads. The undersides are thorny, which I assume helps protect them from hungry fishes. The day we went it was quite windy, and a few had actually gotten flipped over. I think if we had visited Longwood Gardens one week earlier, we would have seen the lily ponds at their prime, but they were still worth braving the chilly air to see.

I hope you're having a good weekend and that the holiday season is making you merry rather than stressed out. Happy Sunday!

Sunday Flowers

Good morning! Today's flowers are brought to you by the color Yellow. These gems are again from my visit to Longwood Gardens earlier this fall. This Chinese Hibiscus flower was HUGE. As in bigger than my hand if I stretch my fingers apart as far as possible.

I'm not thrilled with this photo, but the orchid is to snazzy for me to delete the file.
This chrysanthemum bloom is also big, like the size of my hand. Longwood is where the famous Thousand-Bloom Chrysanthemum stuns visitors, and which I forgot to take a photo of. However, click the link to see a photo and a video.

Finally, this Abutilon sp., or Chinese Lantern, looked really lovely as a giant hanging basket. It was a nice use of this plant because usually the flowers are below eye level, meaning you see the top of the lantern. But with the hanging baskets well above our heads, we could see the usually-hidden interior.

I hope you're having a great weekend, and, if it applies, a good first half of Hanukkah!

Sunday Flowers

When I visited my parents at the end of October, we spent an afternoon at Longwood Gardens. If you're ever in the Pennsylvania/Delaware area, it is most definitely worth a visit. They have beautiful grounds and a huge indoor area. Longwood is especially known for their Christmas Display, but there are lovely exhibits year round. So for today and the next few weeks, Sunday flowers are Longwood flowers. Orchids today!

I hope you had a good Thanksgiving weekend!