I've been in a sunshine-induced stupor after three warm, sunny days, in a row. It's enough to convince me that it is, in fact, spring. I'm thrilled. Accordingly, Stimulus Day 4 focuses on enjoying the sunshine.
After finding this in one of my new hanging plants, I figured it might be time to buy one of these:
We kept noticing a flurry of bird activity in the new hanging baskets, but I just figured they liked the new flowers. I was thinking they were grateful I gave them a nice place to land other than the roof. It wasn't until the flowers started to die, and we took the baskets down to investigate, that we discovered the little nest. It was quite cute, nestled in amongst the (dead) flowers. We took it down before any eggs were laid, but I have since moved it to an inconspicuous place. I'm hoping they come back, but I couldn't have the dead flowers hanging in front of the house.
Incidentally, I don't think the nest killed the flowers. I think it was the week-long wind and rain storm that did them in. I'm hoping for better luck with the new flowers. We'll see.
We tried a little picnic on the patio this weekend, and I found our supply of outdoor dishes to be woefully inadequate. These pretty red dishes from Pottery Barn would be perfect for outdoor dining. In the past, we've used paper plates for impromptu picnics. But it just gets so complicated when the wind picks up a bit and the whole thing tries to blow away--taking your potato chips with it.
I love these hand-painted Dr. Scholls. Notice the crystals on the buckle?! During the summer, I find that comfort is very important in a shoe, and I feel like these would be pretty comfortable for wearing around a picnic.
I love hats, but I don't find many occassions to wear them. A few years ago when we went to the beach, I searched all over town trying to find a hat like this. I couldn't find a single one. I think it's because everyone was going through that weird cowboy-beach-hat thing. I'm glad that has passed.
Generally, beachwear can be pretty uninspired. Instead of buying a swimsuit cover-up, I usually invest in a couple of inexpensive knit dresses and throw one on when I'm headed to the pool. I've never had anything adverse happen to one of them, but I figure if some weird pool chemical caused any damage that I wouldn't be out a ton of money. Plus, you can wear the dresses for a day of shopping. picnicking or even dining out. Double-duty that you wouldn't get out of a traditional beach coverup.
I actually love summer clothing, primarily because you can get so many inexpensive little dresses to wear out and about. I usually think of my summer wardrobe as disposable. Ninety percent of what I buy for the summer gets donated to charities when fall hits. Inexpensive clothes simply aren't made to last more than a season or two, but they're inexpensive enough to replace the following year. Plus, it means I get to shop more, which I like.