lucky...

my husband wakes me up with coffee every morning. this particular morning he woke me up with a pair of four-leaf clovers he found while walking our dogs. i am a lucky girl.

the shape of spring...

spring has sprung in such a big way. my baby garden welcomed a few new ferns and a darling strawberry plant from the easter bunny(momma branch). the farmers markets are in full swing and the candy-colored radishes and nubby, gnarled carrots look like something from a children's book.

i have a crush on spring.

how does your garden grow?

{1.garden hand tools, 2. l'occitane hand cream, 3. seed collection, 4. shitake mushroom log, 5. weck canning jars, 6. harvest basket, 7. galvanized watering can}

via internet archive

are you familiar with the mary frances book series? since today is the first day of spring i wanted to share some images from the adventures among the garden people... and include some of my favorite garden accessories. i'm hoping to spend more and more of my days digging in the dirt, provided my back hurries up and decides it wants to heal!

humble fieldguides...

photo italian vogue 2008 via 42nd and orange

i have a new love in my life... love is love farm, that is. i started volunteering a few weeks ago and am learning so, so many new and wonderful things about organic farming, food, and the innerworkings of nature. unfortunately i maybe, might have overestimated my body and sprained a ligament in my back... overzealous hoeing, perhaps? this last week i have been laid up on the sofa, completely useless, devouring any and all books on organic farming, biodynamics, primitive skills, and slow food culture. this coupled with some chiropractic sessions have been my roadmap to recovery(aaaand some solid modern medicine). here are a few samples of readings that i have been enjoying thoroughly, and i would love suggestions if y'all have any!

*the foxfire series: appalachian survival skills at its finest! takes place not too far away from my childhood lakehouse. here is amy's glimpse into their world and i'm sure it will catch you hook, line, and sinker.

*in defense of food: michael pollan certainly makes a convincing case for a plant-based diet. holy smokes. everyone has been teasing me for all of the "vegetarian propaganda" i've been immersing myself in, but i find it fascinating and can't believe it took me this long to read some of his work.

*the dirty life: the story of a writer in new york city who falls in love with a farmer and rebuilds a new life with him on a fledgling piece of land upstate.

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*the last american man: eustace conway. read about him. no words i can write could describe him fairly, so research this man. he is truly a marvel to behold.

in a snowglobe...

atlanta has been experiencing some serious winter wonderland-ness. i love it. all of it. things i am grateful for, in no particular order...

...i love that atlanta is wildly unprepared for any sort of snowpocalypse and most schools were closed all week long.

...i love that ed didn't have to go to work for half the week.

...i love walking our beagles in the snow(even though i slipped and fell flat on my back).

...i love numb noses and sloshy bean boots.

...i love walking to the grocery store for silly things like paper towels.

... i love hunkering down in my home and giving each neglected room the care it needed.

... i love making various soups for days on end(beef tenderloin, cauliflower, chicken & almond, and a hearty chicken and vegetable).

... i love curling up in my weathered leather club chair wrapped in a wool blanket, beagle in lap, book in hand.

i love being snowed in, because it gave me time to be extremely introspective and calm. it gave me incredible time to tend to the parts of my home that i had ignored. and it gave me time to be with my family in a warm and happy home, with burning cedar incense to pretend a fire was blazing. and lots and lots of soup.

lotte and bloom...

{flowers courtesy of lotte and bloom}

i discovered the lush and lovely floral arrangements of lotte and bloom this morning and let out a little sigh. what a darling spot of flower heaven! honestly, i don't think i will ever tire of organic and wild flower styling coupled with vintage containers. never ever ever.

i'm also going to attend miss amy merrick's wreath making class at the brooklyn flea this weekend! she's a saipua alumni and has now started her own floral business! she has serious skills to pay the bills y'all. check out her flickr stream and blog and get ready to have your socks rocked!

also, i have to give a shout out to my homegirl amy osaba. she is undoubtedly my favorite floral designer here in atlanta. if i had a million dollars i would buy an arrangement of hers a week! she's also one of the cutest most loveable gals on the planet.

pick your own pumpkin...


i am so grateful that my friend blayne beacham suggested picking pumpkins from a patch! ed and i decided to take advantage of an uncomfortably warm fall day, and drove to watkinsville to pluck a few jack o lanterns from the vine.

i kept loading our wheel barrow with the chubbiest, stumpiest green globes. i was on a mission to find cinderella, fairytale, ghost, or baby boo pumpkins, but settled for pretty standard pumpkin fare. nothing wrong with traditional- i ain't mad at that!

ed was a true blue trooper, as always. although he totally put his foot down when it came to going on a hayride. and he definitely vetoed watching the pig races. hey, ya win some, ya lose some.

later at night, we even snuck a pumpkin with a really good spindly, sinewy stem on my parents' porch. my mom is quite picky about pun'kin stems. this might have to become a new tradition...sneaky pumpkin gifting at night.

i love fall. i am officially ready to kiss these 80 degree days goodbye! and i also am tapping my foot at the trees to hurry up and change colors now. and i'm also ready to pull on some rag wool socks, drink obscene amounts of cider, bake some bread, and go on a fall hike down tallulah gorge. is that so much to ask??

the perks of being a flower...

nothing like a rescheduled photo shoot to leave you with an abundance of fresh flowers. not that i'm complaining! i could totally get used to this accidental perk of being a stylist. any pals in the atlanta area want a mini arrangement before the big holiday weekend?

either way, happy weekend dollies!

sweet georgia brown...

oh georgia, girl, you have been a warm welcome and an old sweet song since we came home. i feel like i am being re-acquainted with a long lost friend.

i have been enjoying lots of nature walks with my mother-in-law, husband and my mother around all the lovely little streets. folks smile and wave as we stroll on by, even if they have never seen us before. we've been greeted with warm air and some nice thunderstorms too.

we came back just in time to catch the last gasp of the dogwoods.

we don't have cherry blossoms in these here parts, but we do have some mighty fine azaleas.

today we went to ed's grandfather's house and devoured our fair share of tangy pulled pork, salty collard greens, and buttermilk biscuits. and of course, sweet tea and peach cobbler. pop even let me play in his basement and "relieve" him of some old, rusty hardware hooks, nails, burlap and the like.

this old medicine jar made its way home with us as well.

tomorrow my mother is going to teach me about gardening. she even already potted a little chamomile for me. i hope her green thumb is part of my genetic makeup. we shall see...

i must say, it feels pretty good to be a georgia peach again.

i will miss y'all most of all...

today and i will always be grateful for...

last night my closest friends gathered at madam geneva for a final farewell for ed and me. i really do believe the old adage, "if you can count your good friends you have on one hand, then consider yourself lucky". well then last night i needed at least 5 other free hands! we sipped pimms cups, gimlets, ellisons, and various other delicious gin-infused spirits while laughing and gossiping the night away. and then we capped the revelry off with an ungodly amount of french fries at pommes frites.

i didn't take any photos of the night, what was i thinking?! the night was perfect. a very special speech was made. beautiful smiling faces were aplenty. an abundance of gorgeous flowers speckled the room. very dear cards and books were given. there was a healthy showing of glittery sequins, bows, and party dresses. hilarious friends belted out showtunes with gusto on the streets of new york.

peter hale cooney III. chelsea rose cook. corrie wright pellerin. lauren weinerth. haylie b. waring. savannah wyatt. amy emerson merrick. john gardner. mary ping. madeleine alder-cossitt and anton hansson. abby hasler. jamie freed. blake lewis. max shimizu-jones. sarah meyer. mandy kordal. lauren demith. brendan coleman. nick derosa. i will miss y'all so much. new york has been a real wild ride, but none of it would have been half as special if it weren't for having each and every one of you in my life. thank you for making me love new york. i will always be grateful for the times we shared in the big apple. and i promise, i will be sure to write...

*all flowers shown were styled by amy merrick at saipua.

**thank you jamie jean freed for organzing our bon voyage. you totally nailed it.

flowery branch...

dear brooklyn botanical garden,

i've loved having you as my neighbor. i am definitely going to miss you and our short lived romance.

your patches of lilac and hyacinths knocked my socks off. their smell is so delicious, and i wish i could take you back to georgia with me.

hey mom, look, WISTERIA! as a child we played the wisteria game, aka "who can spot the wisteria first" game.

corrie had fun playing with nature's confetti.

but cherry blossom row...

man oh man, what a beauty!

curtains of pink powder puffs interlocked over our heads.

so thank you, little garden, for providing us with a magical place to play. so much beauty in one place, it makes my heart swell. i wish i could keep you.

i promise i'll keep in touch.love always,ginnybranch stelling

cherry-o...

today i am grateful for...

taking a detour from my spring cleaning to actually enjoy spring!! i dragged eddie out of our apartment for a little brooklyn botanic garden adventure. i must admit, i was a little too eager and still haven't adjusted to new york's spring schedule... meaning the garden was still a little sleepy, with flowers hiding beneath the soil.

but we sniffed out the blooms. daffodils and some cherry blossoms were sprinkled throughout the garden grounds.

oh the cherry blossoms, my favorite mid-atlantic treat! i can't wait for the explosion all over new york.

i had a dandy time just soaking up some sun and fresh air! and it was fun playing around with some cameras from my collection. i have yet to develop my pentax k1000, and i can't wait to see how they turn out. i love surprises! and i am loving these longer days and warmer air. yum.