Thursday, March 17, 2011

Bringing a Little Spring Inside

We've been in our home for eight years now....And for eight years I have admired the cheery yellow flowers on a scraggly forsythia bush that blooms every Spring between our fence and the neighbors'.

As I gaze out my kitchen window at those blooms each Spring, I've always contemplated just snipping a few and bringing them inside to enjoy. But doubt always creeps in and I worry about "messing the bush up" or what I will look at besides chain link if I take branches inside. And then the blossoms wither and I'm left to wait until the next year for another glimpse of sunshine in flower form.

I've mentioned before that I shy away from taking risks. I don't like failure. It makes me eat too many brownies.

To say that I am neurotic would be an understatement.

Following Spring tradition, I found my eyes glued to those blooms again as I washed dishes for the 156th time yesterday. I had some sort of lightlbulb-revelation-road-to-Damascus- moment and realized that if I didn't just bring some flowers inside to enjoy already, I'd spend another few seasons wishing I had.

In short: use it, or lose it.

Paula assured me that the bush would not explode or implode or disappear into a black hole if I pruned a few branches off. So I did. And I put them in my Blessings Unlimited pitcher next to a ceramic quote tile.

And it was great.

Sometimes taking a "risk" is worth it! These simple branches from my back yard are the perfect way to welcome Spring into my home.




Linking to The Nester's Risk Party.

Visit thecsiproject.com


21 comments:

  1. There you go! Your forsythia bush is probably better off for having been pruned, and look at your nice cheery kitchen now! Good for you.

    I like that BU pitcher--very pretty! I hope that being a consultant is working out to be a good thing for you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. so pretty and springy! we won't be seeing those for awhile but i love, love, love that first sign of spring!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Amanda, those look great in your home!! I did the same thing with our flowers outside... debating back and forth on cutting them to bring inside and it's the perfect amount of spring! Enjoy your day :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have a hard time taking the plunge with lots of decisions, too--especially with decorating, it's easy for me to second-guess until I never do ANYTHING. I hope this one will be easier for you next time, anyway--look how beautiful those blooms look! Also, great idea with the marker tile quote board. We are just noticing some blooms outside (finally!) this week. Hooray for Spring!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love forsythia...my mom always cut some branches and brought them in the house for an Easter tree. Ours haven't bloomed yet, and are too little still to cut off any branches, but I have some nice-looking faux forsythia that I use for now.
    It's perfectly fine to cut some branches to enjoy inside. For actual pruning and shaping the bush, I read that the time to do that is after the blooms have faded.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow! They almost look faux, they are so pretty. glad you took the chance!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh wow! Those are so pretty, especially in that pitcher, I love it. I have yet to see any of our flowers bloom, not even the daffodils which is odd b/c they're always the 1st to pop out :-)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh, those yellow flowers add such brightness to that spot! A splash of spring color is what my home needs right now -- thanks for the idea :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I did the same thing several years ago from a neighboring bush. I kept the cuttings in water even after the blooms fell off. The next thing I realized they were rooting so I planted them in a garden pot and now I have a very nice plant of my own.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love it! What a great reminder to seize the day. I tend to be a bit neuotic too and if I don't know there is 100% success at the end of a journey....I usually don't start it. I recenlty submitted some articles to our Austin newspaper, after sitting around and wishing about it for months...and they were accepted!

    It felt freeing to just throw caution to the wind and acept that usually we all enjoy thinks most when we just live, take the chance or cut the flowers.

    They look beautiful....so happy you did it. Now I'm thinking I need some yellow nature in my kitchen. Thanks for the inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Your Forsythia looks marvelous in your BU vase. I'll bet that you smile every time you see it.

    Thanks for the shout out!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love to see the Forsythia in bloom. What a bright, cheery first sign of spring! I'm so glad you took the risk (I am not a risk taker either!). I bet seeing those flowers in your pitcher makes you happy :)
    Love the pitcher and the quote on that tile.
    Jennifer

    ReplyDelete
  13. Amanda something about forsythia I just love!! So fresh and bright for spring!!

    Come and join my Springtime Giveaway!

    xoxo
    Karena
    Art by Karena

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love forsythia! It's so bright and cheery. It looks beautiful in your pitcher.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I'm so glad you brought them in, Amanda. They are so pretty and cheery!

    ReplyDelete
  16. So beautiful, bright and cheery!! Glad you snipped!!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

    ReplyDelete
  17. SWEET! Hope you have a great weekend!
    :) Shauna from:
    http://www.trying2staycalm.com/

    ReplyDelete
  18. Those flowers are beautiful in that pitcher. Good for you for taking finally taking the big step!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Absoutely beautiful! I need to go round some up from the patch along the trail in our neighborhood. Forsythia is such a happy, spring flower...

    ReplyDelete
  20. i love that pic.. its beautiful and all springy.. and yellow is the cheeriest of all colors.. looks great.. i am saving your pic for inspiration..

    ReplyDelete

I love to hear your feedback! Please feel free to leave comments...just don't send me spam asking me to buy stuff off your website! I've got three kids and no money to purchase your magic weight-loss pill or bust enhancement, or whatever else you might be selling. Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you! :)

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...