Finally February

January is such a long dull brown month.

Flower shopping.

Aren't Hyacinths incredible?

Their scent is quite amazing, like springtime itself.  When I came across this amazing tableau of all of them gathered en masse at Trader Joe's I just had to document the sight.

Now I use this photo as my wallpaper on my Galaxy S5.

 A visit to TJ's is always a treat. I love how there's the flower display right at the front door of my store, then there's all those beautiful fresh fruits & veg, too.

What I've been eating:

Ihop has had  all you can eat pancake special going on and I've got to eat here twice.  I ordered that same tasty breakfast both times and then went out thrifting afterwards with my fav people.

One morning I woke up with the word 

Nalisniki 

stuck in my head.  I recalled it was a polish word that reminded me of my childhood & my grammy but I couldn't quite recall what it meant, something about food.  
Thought I'd have to give my momma a call but I figured a 5am call would be inappropriate. So I whipped our my trusty Galaxy, said, "ok, Google" then questioned, "What is Nalisniki?"  Try it!
{I LOVE Google!!}
Turns out Nalisniki, say naaa LISH knee key it's Polish for pancakes or crepes. 
So i wonder if i dream on other languages??
Anyway, I've had a hankering for pancakes.
Don't you LOVE going out to breakfast?

Thrifty Finds:

I've found a great deal of nice books lately

I comb the shelves looking for anything that catches my eye, tickles my fancy.  I collect books.  I'm always on the lookout for beautiful old books, books with interesting covers, classic books and books by my favorite authors.  

I like to collect Pyrex & milk glass but only if I can get it for less than a few dollars.  Besides being useful I like the nice bright sunny happy colors of Pyrex.

My eyes almost bugged out when I spied that exquisite glass with the lovely delicate etching, and it was only .25!

Aren't maps cool?  And travel books are nice to thumb through when you want to dream about vacations in far away lands.  

Here's what I'm Obsessed With: 

Trader Joe's version of my beloved old fashioned candy treat, Swedish Fish.  
I think they're new.  
But these are yummier.  
Cool different shapes & flavors, each delicious and I ate the whole bag myself. 

So lots of great finds recently.  I discovered some Dickens, Daphne du Maurier, Jane Austen, Agatha Christie and a few Stephen King I didn't have yet.  Also spotted that pretty minty colored box from Target at the Goodwill.  It will be perfect to store my treasures in.

Here's my List of  -   Stephen King Book I Still Need:

Bazaar of bad dreams 11.3.15
Finders Keepers 6.2015
Joyland - June 2013
XDr. Sleep - September 2013
XJust After Sunset 2008
Green Mile 1997
DESPERATION 1996
INSOMNIA 1994
XDOLORES CLAIBORNE, Viking, 1992,
X THE EYES OF THE DRAGON Viking, 1987
X SKELETON CREW, a collection of short stories, Putnam, 1985
X THE TALISMAN, Viking, 1984 (co-authored by Peter Straub)
CUJO, Viking, 1981
FIRESTARTER, Viking, 1980
DANSE MACABRE, Everest House, 1980
THE DEAD ZONE, Viking, 1979
THE STAND, Doubleday, 1978
NIGHT SHIFT, Doubleday, 1978
THE SHINING, Doubleday, 1977
SALEM'S LOT, Doubleday, 1975
CARRIE, Doubleday, 1974

Just lately I've added some nice checks to my SK List so now,  I need to look for, find & obtain mostly the oldest books and a few of the newest titles.  

I'm a BiG FaN of List Making! 

I'm an idea person.  But I'm not so much a remembering person, so list making is a must. You name it, I have made a List about it!  About the only thing I can think of that I don't have a list for is a List about all my many Lists!

 What do you make Lists of?

I keep a folder on my computer entitled Books I've Read that houses not only my chronological list of books I've finished reading but also more lists of all the names of authors I like and each book they've wrote and year each book was published.  Then I check off the books that I've read, very tidy like.  

What I See When I Walk:

I adore sunsets.

Almost as much as sunrises.  

I like when the light goes all soft and pink and mysterious.

Like so many great moments, it's fleeting.

What's Blooming in my Garden:

I was so thrilled this cute Helleborus I planted a few years ago in the Fairy garden was finally was going to bloom.  With a name like, "Christmas Snow" I though for sure it would be lovely.  But it is quite boring as far a Helleborus go, no cute pink shading, no darling speckles or freckles like some of my other cultivars I grow.  The leaves are evergreen though, like my others, and are among the first welcome blooms.

Go ahead, use that pic for some adorable cellphone wallpaper!

Highlights of my week

I've been obsessed with these adorable, white lace edge, metal plant pots from Ikea.  

I bought a bunch of them!  

At Christmas time I filled them with pretty pink or red poinsettias and tied them with red organza ribbon for festive decorations around the house and to give as gifts to friends, as well as teacher gifts.  

When your done with the plant you can fill the pot with pens & pencils, make up brushes & whatnot 

or get a new Springtime plant to fill it.  

Doesn't this pretty hyacinth look lovely and the aroma is divine!  

The Ikea planters come in all kinds of different sizes and recently they came out with a darling light pink pot and I've embedded a link so you can check them out. 

Now really, How cute is that?

Even if spring hasn't quite made it to your neck of the woods yet you can always get a little spring fever by adding a cute flowering plant to your window sill or desk.

I couldn't resist buying these charming posies.

They were only a few dollars each.  The African Violet will be blooming for months!  And even if I do manage to over water it or kill it another way, flowers that last for months for a couple of bucks is so worth it, ya know?  I'll definitely transplant the hyacinth outside into my flower garden.   

Currently...

I've been watching:
Cabin in the Woods, Super 8 & Divergent

All are ridiculously scary/thriller movies that must be accompanied by 

copious amounts of popcorn, soda and Twizzlers!!!!

I've been lamenting:

The shooting of the character,Will Gardner on The Good Wife.  

Were you as shocked as I was? 

I did not see that one coming!  All I could think of was,

"O Captain! My Captain!"

I've been reading:

I recently discovered Kate Atkinson's mysteries by reading a review in Entertainment Weekly or the Costco monthly magazine.  Her stories are based in the UK and seem to follow a few of the same characters, which I like.  I'm enjoying the stories but I must say that the writing, at times, is pretty incredible and just blows me away.  Here's an excerpt from "When Will There be Good News?" by Kate Atkinson.

The only important thing is love

When everything else has gone, love still remains. 

Often, after one of her moments of sadness, Dr. Hunter would give her head a little shake, as if she were trying to get rid of something from it, and smile and say, "And yet we are not downhearted, are we, Reggie?" 

And Reggie would say, "No, indeed we are not, Dr. H."

Is that just beautiful?  It really spoke to me.  And there are a bunch of books in the series to read!
Now, where's my cup of tea?
No better way to relax than a cup of tea and a good book!

Have a good week, readers ♥
Xo,
Michelle