Back in the Saddle...almost

So I am going to get back in the blogging saddle....sort of.

I don't have a baking story, but it's just been too long, and I really want to get back to writing, pictures, and baking!

Today I finally made my way over to the Public Garden here in Boston...

...it is the prettiest time of year in Boston and I can't help but take pictures of all the glory! 

Last year the Garden was in full bloom on Marathon Monday, but due to the crazy winter we've had, the full bloom was delayed a few weeks this year...

Some of the trees were just past their prime today, as were some of the tulips. 

All were still beautiful though. 

I could have stayed there all day, but I figured 118 pictures was probably enough!

You can't precisely plan exactly when the Garden will show all of its colors, but this couple sure lucked out, and they're wedding pictures will be beautiful...

Even through the rain, the colors were beautiful.

This tulip amazed me, it was as if someone dipped a paint brush in bright red paint and just swished this one petal...amazing.

Happy Mother's Day!!

April Flowers

I've been a little distracted, by what? Flowers. Really? Flowers? Yes, seriously, flowers.

Last week I took a chocolate making class, I had a lot of fun, but it wasn't spectacular. I felt like we were just given a chocolate recipe and told to go make it. I could do that at home...I do, do that at home. It was fun to meet some new people and play with all the industrial equipment, that was awesome. I couldn't take pictures, but I did make white chocolate mimosa truffles. Would I make them again? Maybe...I probably would leave out the champagne though.

The day BEFORE my chocolate class, I did one of my most favorite things to do. I went through Boston Public Garden and took pictures of everything in full bloom.

There are a special few days, a week if you're lucky, where all of the flowering trees, and all of the tulips are at their true peak.

Almost every year for more than the last 10 years I've taken pictures of all the blooms in their glory.

I have so many pictures of tulips, flowering cherry trees, weeping cherry trees, they should last me a lifetime.

Yet, I still go down, because the act of doing it fill me with joy. It's such a special, short lived moment, to catch it at that right moment is a gift.  There have been a few years, where it rained seemingly for weeks on end, or work just took a priority and I couldn't get there before dark fell. The years that I do make it, it's a thrill and I do consider it a gift.

I took these pictures a week ago.  The flowers are still out, I walked past them yesterday and today, but they really are just passed their prime. Still beautiful, but the tulips are just a little too open, and many of the cherry trees have wept their petals.

So baking, and sugar has taken a bit of a back seat in my mind, as I enjoy the flowers of the city.

Although I did make a killer batch of mint oreo cookie ice cream...but that's another blog post.

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First Week of Spring!

What's the best part of Spring? Daffodils, bunnies, tree buds, birds...NO! Free Water Ice!

Up here in New England, we'd call it a Slush, but down in the Philly area, it's water ice...and it's FREE on the first day of Spring! What you see in the picture is Florida Orange Water Ice on the top, and on the bottom, unseen, is PEEPS flavor! It's bright yellow, and tastes like a marshamallow peep. It was fantastic, and my tongue and lips were bright yellow for most of the day.

I was going to write a post about the rest of our great first day of Spring, but....it's been a busy week, so I thought I'd share some of the springy things that have been going on. The first day of Spring was spent at the in-laws in Delaware...somewhere I never imagined spending a lot of time, but it sure is nice to get a little weather that's warmer than Boston this time of year. That's what we got last Saturday, WARM! It was great.

We took Bella for a walk, (my in-laws dog...we have Pepper the Devil Kitty), to see some flowers

Played with the nephews and some chalk on the driveway

And then we did the best thing of all...my most favorite part of the day...

Oh wait, we all ready talked about that didn't we?

Yesterday I was able to leave work a little early, and take a nice walk over to the Seaport area to go check out the flower show.

On the way, this guy was sleeping in a window as I walked by

I found some evidence of Spring in Boston!

( Can you believe it was snowing this morning?)

The flower show was great, I could look at flowers all day long...really I could.

Camillas. They look like Origami

My beloved Peony

Happy Spring!!