Around the house

April in Virginia usually looks like this:

April 2012

But these days, it is feeling much more like this:

Chilly and gray—very un-spring-like.  I’m refusing to turn the heat back on in the house out of principle, but I may cave soon considering Will and I have both slept wearing our winter fleece coats overtop of our pajamas all week.  I’m just going to assume the kids are warm enough since we don't hear a peep.

One of the few bright spots of the unseasonably cool weather is how much the flowers seem to love it.  Our azalea hedge is looking prettier than I ever remember it this year:

And my pansies show no signs of drooping or fading, which might just be a first:

The cold weather also seems to be keeping the mosquitos at bay, so there has been lots of al fresco dining this month:

A rare warm(ish) evening when coats weren't necessary

And because of the bug-less days and evenings, we’ve been using our patio much more than usual, which inspired me to get some new outdoor pillows to spruce up the space:

Please excuse the shabby chic nature of our patio furniture--much more shabby than chic, I'm afraid.

I'm having a bit of an orange obsession these days, so I couldn't resist these.

All from Target, of course--the greatest place on earth and the surest way for me to spend at least $100 under one roof.

Inside my kitchen shelves got a little spring makeover:

And I’ve been buying fresh flowers more than I remember in the past. 

Once you get used to them in the house, they’re a bit addicting.  Beware!  Plus, it never hurts to have a rose as gorgeous as this to stare at every time you enter a room:

Costco oranges in a glass bowl round out my orange obsession.  

Sadly, these babies are even less enduring than fresh flowers—Will and I devoured them in about 5 days.  Or at least I hope Will ate some of them otherwise I may be more obsessed with orange than I had originally thought.

Happy Wednesday, everyone!