Daybreak European Style Homes (Eastlake)

We are thinking about having a new home built.  We put ours on the market last week. We really love where we are at and we've done a lot to our home to make it quite the comfortable place to be, but there are a few things that we'd like that we don't have.

The home we are looking at has a few exterior style options.  Craftsman, Victorian and European.  We originally loved the craftsman, but they weren't sure if that was going to be an option for the lot we wanted since there were already 2 of them on the street.  So we started getting into the european option.

I was a little worried that it might be too blah at first, but then I walked over to some previously built homes with similar styling and decided they were actually okay.

I  still want to explore possible exterior options though and after walking around Eastlake I found a few homes that were inspiring.  Here are a few european/tudor style homes that I found to be quite darling.

So we'll see, maybe we'll add some shutters, stone/brick, or false half-timbering.

Most of them are brown though.  Here is a blue european style stucco home.  What do you think?

 There are a few more houses that I didn't get pictures of that are more similar to the actual house we are interested in with full brick/stone on the front portion of the house.  I'll have to get those later.  Until then, ttfn.

Spring Planting

Gardening got under way early this year, thank you mild winter! I was starting to wonder why specific plants and flowers I bought last year haven't been available this year.  Then I realized that last year we didn't start doing yard stuff until well in to June and some of those plants just aren't available this early.  Petunias for example.

I never really liked petunias, but now I can't wait for them to come out. Quick growing and colorful they really are a great addition to my planters.  My pepper plants and petunias got along wonderfully last year.

My salvias that I saved from the Lowe's "dying" (and therefore clearanced) plants are growing beautifully.  That's so rewarding!

I also planted some spring and summer bulbs that I got at Lowe's for $1 each!  I figured if they didn't come up it was a good and cheap experiment at the least, but I think we might have some luck.

My gladiolus are coming up and that is also super exciting, can't wait to see how everything looks this year.

My neighbors planted bulbs straight in the ground last fall and they have all come up.  I backfilled all my plants with potting soil, but I don't think I will do it anymore since everyone else's plants seem to be doing fine.