Pine-Cone Lovin'

I have three {beautiful} crabapple trees. Okay, I'm {lying}. For 2 weeks in May, I have three beautiful crabapple trees. They have gorgeous fuchsia blossoms and smell heavenly. The rest of the year, I have three perfectly {average} crabapple trees. 

I have tried on various occasions to grow shade-loving plants under my three crabapple trees.

 Shade-loving plants do not love {my} shade!

{sigh} So I have given up on my dreams of a shade garden... but that's okay, because I was totally inspired by the front yard of a dude who lives down the street from ~jan. 

Here is one before (I put in the river rock rings last year. Can you {believe} I picked up all that lovely river rock in my pasture?)

and here it is {now}.

(My {kitty} wanted to be a part of this..)

The only thing I did was pull the weeds, put down some {biodegradable} brown paper as a weed block, 

and piled on the pine-cones. 

So pretty!

(the tree ring, not me!)

Thank you, Margo, for allowing me to pick up and bring home all of these lovely pine-cones from your cabin, and Pat for taking pics, and Lizzy for helping me spread the prickly pine cones!

<3 AmberLou

I will be linking to these parties

Made By You Monday@Skip To My Lou It's So Very Creative @ It's So Very Cheri Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple DIY Project Parade @ The DIY Show Off Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative Modern Craftswoman Monday @ Tools Are For Women Too! Marketing Monday @ Santa's Gift Shoppe  Making the World Cuter Mondays @ Making The World Cuter  Market Yourself Monday @ Sumo's Sweet Stuff Toot Your Horn Tuesday @ A Silly Little Sparrow  Topsy Turvy Tuesday @ I'm Topsy Turvy  Anti-Procrasitnation Tuesday @ A New Nostalgia  Tutorial Tuesday @ Hope Studios Anything Related @ All Thingz Related Hoo Are You? @ Night Owl Crafting Show & Tell @ Blue Cricket Design Show Us What You're Working With @ Me & My Bucket Penny Pinching Party @ The Thrifty Home  Link Love @ Tea Rose Home Idea Sharin Wednesday @ Women Who Do It All Make It Yours Day @ My Backyard Eden Outdoor Wednesday @ A Southern Daydreamer Spotlight Yourself @ It's So Very Cheri Show off Your Stuff @ Fireflies and Jellybeans Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple Thrifty Thursday @ Tales from Bloggeritaville I Made It! @ Everything Etsy Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage  Get Your Craft on Thursday @ Life as Lori  Under $100 @ Beyond the Picket Fence  It's Party Time Thursday @ Pony Tails and Fish Scales Hooking Up @ HoH  Home & Family Friday @ Home is Where my Story Begins  Finished For Friday @ Lit & Laundry Favorite Things Friday @ A Few of my Favorite Things Show & Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous I'm Lovin It! @ Tidy Mom Flaunt It Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the Fridge Look at Me! @ Fun to Craft It's a Hodgepodge Friday @ It's a Hodgepodge Life Friday Favorites @ Simply Sweet Home Plant A Punkin Seed @ Punkin Seed Productions Show & Share @ Just A Girl Inspired By @ The Inspired Room Tutorial Linky Party @ Fine Craft Guild Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors Check Me Out Saturday @ A Vision To Remember  Sundae Scoop @ I Heart Naptime Saturday Soiree @ A Little Lovely It's So Very Thrifty @ It's So Very Cheri Share Your Faves @ It's A Blog Party  Weekend Wrap-Up @ Tatertots & Jello 






1. Do you prefer sweet or salty foods?

Salty.  mmmMMMmmm!

2. Name your 3 BEST personality traits!

I'm shameless. I'm friendly. I hate gossip. 

3. Name your 3 worst personality traits!

I talk about myself too much. I interrupt.  I'm impatient.

4. Do you collect anything?

as a kid I collected pigs, now I try to keep things simpler.

5. What is your favorite season of the year?

Spring. ahhhhh....