Things We Love Right Now - April 2013

Here in South Carolina, spring has sprung! The Japanese magnolias and Bradford pear trees are full of blooms and the dogwoods and azealas will pop soon too. If you have any kind of magnolia growing in your garden, one single bloom (like this one!) can decorate a home beautifully. Set it to float in an attractive bowl filled with water and place it as a centerpiece on the dining table. Your guests are sure to be enchanted. This would work with other large flowers or blossoms too.

We're all enjoying the beautiful spring weather and looking forward to getting outdoors more!

John and Kathy are excited about some of their discoveries in their genealogical searches. They've taken advantage of the sunny days to explore cemeteries around Spartanburg and Pacolet where Kathy has found quite a few of her ancestors buried. She recently learned that her grandmother's great-great-grandfather and her grandfather's great-great-great-grandfather are one and the same person! (Apparently some first cousins got married back around the 1700s!)

Both Therese and Greg are super-excited that the major league baseball season has just begun! Therese says that baseball is the best sport ever and she'll be cheering on the Braves. Greg is very excited about his fantasy league baseball team. Last year he had a lot of injuries on his team but he's got a new roster for the 2013 season. He has high hopes for two young players: Oscar Taveras, an outfielder with the St. Louis Cardinals, and Salvador Perez, a catcher with the Kansas City Royals.

Greg is really getting into his sports manager role, and he likes the idea of quaffing from this handsome vintage beer stein while cheering his team to triumph. I guess he could drown his sorrows with it too, if the season doesn't go as well as he hopes!

I am looking forward to taking a trip with my mom to Hobe Sound, Florida, to visit my nieces and my best friend from college. My nieces are 10 and 11 this year – aren't they adorable? I'm a proud aunt! We've booked a cabin in a state park and will go horseback riding, boating, and to the beach - the weather should be awesome. Of course, that means pulling out all my summer leisure gear. If your garage is packed to the rafters with sports and leisure equipment, these professional organizer tips on 7 steps to organize your garage might help!