When we bought our house, this lovely plant stand and pot (dead flowers included!) came with the deal. Since the whole ensemble is decidedly un-cheery and un-springlike, Sam and I decided to do a little makeover. I bought some bright yellow spray enamel and some sandpaper and got to work.
Then we bought some sweet plants; lobelia, dusty miller, sweet alyssum, primrose. The primrose is my favorite, I even like the name. A book my mom used to read me when I was a kid had a mouse named Primrose in it.
Sam loves to help and I've gotten a lot more relaxed about letting him play with the plants. I've come to realize that plants (like kids) are a lot more resilient than we think. And if he pulls a few leaves off, no big deal. They'll grow back. It's much more important to me that he learns to love plants and the outdoors and feels confident in taking care of them. He's really learned to be quite gentle and careful.
Once all the plants were settled into their new home we gave them a nice soak with our new watering can and set the whole thing atop the newly painted stand.
I LOVE doing little projects like this. It's so satisfying to take something ugly and give it new life. Given the state of the economy, my mind has turned to finaces more often than usual. I sometimes consider the economic value of things like homemade bread and staying home with Sam. In this case I added significant value to something that probably wouldn't have fetched more than $2 at a tag sale. I love that! Even if we don't or can't put a price tag on things we do as moms, it's sometimes fun to think about the richness and value that we bring into our families' lives simply by doing things ourselves and by recognizing value where others may not see it.
What do you think? Much nicer, no?
