Pandemic painting project

I was determined to blog more this year, and now we're all stuck inside because of the pandemic. I hope everyone is safe and healthy and that this is all over soon.

I've done some pandemic painting over the past couple of weeks. First I did the dining room. Before, it was green with brown trim.

Sherwin Williams Secure Blue, with Extra White on the trim

I love the blue! Yep, that's paint on the floor. I had a little bit of an accident with the paint tray.



Oops! I tripped on the sheets on the floor, landed in the paint tray, and catapulted paint everywhere. This photo was taken a few days later. I was much more covered in paint after it happened! Haha. I'm not upset about the floor. I plan on putting in hardwood floors eventually. Until then, maybe we'll put a rug over it. Or not.

The next room I tackled was the downstairs bathroom. It's a small half bath. It originally was beige with brown trim. I went with lilac.

SW Inspiring Lilac, with Extra White trim

I like how this turned out. The next room to paint will be the upstairs hallway bathroom. I'm doing that in SW Lighthearted Pink. Most of the house is beige, so I need to add some color to the place. The white trim really brightens up the rooms compared to the dark wood.

Philadelphia Flower Show: Riviera Holiday

At the end of February, my mom and I made our annual trip to the Philly Flower Show. This year's theme was Riviera Holiday. It smelled great as we walked in.

So many colors! So many different flowers and plants! This was one of the best flower shows yet.

I couldn't stop taking pictures.

One display was particularly neat. It was supposed to be rows of buildings with flower boxes.

It was very original. You could walk between and see the flowers close up.

So pretty!

The flower show had plenty of lighting this year. One recurring issue is that there's never enough light, so sometimes displays are very dark and it's hard to see. Not this year!

Everything was well lit.

There were a lot of lemons.

And succulents!

I'm a fan of succulents. I have a bunch at home. This display was supposed to represent the ocean.

Nice!

Princess Grace of Monaco (Grace Kelly) was from the Philadelphia area, and she loved roses, so there was a special display with a replica of her wedding gown.

It was very popular. They had a video of her wedding playing, too.

My mom and I had a great time enjoying one of the best flower shows in years. Next year's theme is "Habitat." It's about pollinator- and wildlife-friendly gardening, as well as sustainable gardening. I wish that had been this year's theme! I'm in the process of figuring out plants, trees, and bushes to plant at the new house, and it's important to me and Dave to plant native plants that are good for pollinators and birds. We're also not going to use pesticides or other chemicals. I'm looking forward to next year's show.

Naz-O-Nut

I had read about Naz-O-Nut, a local doughnut shop in Nazareth, a few times and wanted to go there. I'm a big fan of doughnuts but have never made them myself. Since Dave and I were out and about on a Sunday morning, we stopped in. Everything looked delicious! It was a tough decision. I had to try my favorite kind, Boston cream.

OH MY GOODNESS. The delicious icing. The pastry cream filling- so full of it and so good. The other one I tried was the caramel with glaze drizzle.

That's icing from my Boston cream that fell on this one...oops...

Wow! Melt in your mouth. These were the best doughnuts I have ever had. Hands down. Amazing. If you're anywhere near the Lehigh Valley, definitely stop in here and try some. The shop is near downtown Nazareth. YUM.

Jack's Pumpkin Glow

Last fall, we went to Jack's Pumpkin Glow with my parents.

It was cool. There were jack-o'-lanterns everywhere.

What's this?

We saw elaborately crafted scenes.

Take me to your leader.

The volcano by the dinosaurs periodically blew out smoke.

It was a fun fall outing.

If it comes around your neck of the woods this year, I recommend it.

Candytopia

When I heard that there was an exhibit called Candytopia and that it featured free candy, I was there.

I guess I'd call it an art installation. There were rooms with different themes, each room filled with things made from candy, and each one featuring free candy.

made of candy

Dave isn't that into candy, so I got DOUBLE candy. Wheeeee! Needless to say, I ate too much candy and felt sick. That is not Candytopia's fault.

I love dragons.

This was my favorite thing in all of Candytopia, and it was in the first room. Candy dragon!

me and Dave

It was pretty cool.

Of course the Candy Man himself made an appearance...

Willy Wonka

All in all, it was a worthwhile experience.

First pupdate of the '20s

Pupdate! Jedi is doing well. He has a large fenced yard of his very own now, and he loves it. He also has his own Instagram account on which he discusses books, @readingbeagle.

Jedi and I tend to like the same books.