UNCC Botanical Gardens

Good morning my dears, 

 

Springtime in the Carolinas is magical. The flowers begin to bloom and the petals that blow off in the wind leave colorful walkways - like confetti. The weather, besides the rain, is an ideal high 60s - high 70s so we can wear our sun dresses and sandals again. Hallelujah! 

What better way to get back outdoors in nature than take a trip to a botanical garden? We live in close proximity to a few different botanical gardens, but this was our first time an the University of North Carolina Charlotte botanical garden. The campus is beautiful, surrounded by trees, nature trails with walking paths, streams, and gardens to explore. There's no admission, but an honor code donation box that helps to keep these gardens taken care of. Here's a glimpse at our time there. 

- Video -

Thank you for stopping by. 

-Kiki Nakita-

You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Bloglovin' or YouTube

Kelsie's 3rd Birthday at Lake Tillery and a Housewarming Luncheon

Good afternoon my dears.

We recently celebrated the 3rd birthday of our dog, Kelsie Merrily.

Aka; Kells, Belle, Ballerina.

We adopted Kelsie in August, 2015 when she was five months old, from the high kill shelter in Elizabethtown, NC. She was due to be euthanized the following day, but instead, she got to come live with and make memories with us. 

 

So in keeping with last years tradition, which you can read about here, we decided to take Kelsie on a day trip, firstly to the car wash, then to Lake Tillery for a picnic and hike. 

We picnicked by this beach cove, with soft sand and waves as the boats and jet skies drove by. 

The area overlooked forest on one side...

...and the lake on the other side. 

After the picnic we hiked up the hill. 

Where as you climb you can see glimpses of the lake through the dappling trees. 

When we see glimpses of this bridge, then we know we're almost finished, and have more than met our 10,000 steps for the day.

The following day we hosted a luncheon for some friends. 

I grouped together the savory bites along with the bigger plates. 

Cheddar and heirloom tomato sandwiches. 

Mexican corn potato salad

Southwestern salad 

And I grouped together the sweet bites with the small plates and silverware. The green platter was for sugar cookies that were still in the oven. 

Strawberry scones served with rhubarb raspberry preserves. I had to take the dome off as it was steaming up. 

The housewarming gift we received from our realtor-turned-friend, her husband, her daughter, and new baby son. 

You can also watch the video of our weekend here too if you'd like. 

Enjoy the rest of your week,

Kiki Nakita

You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, or Bloglovin'

Spring Teaser

 

Oh, what a beautiful spring teaser day.

We had a really nice morning. I slept in a little, then we went for breakfast at Cracker Barrel which is almost always a little busier on the weekends, but we enjoy sharing a breakfast, and having a chat over coffee.

 

Afterwards, we went for a stroll through old town Matthews to the library. We were both surprised how may people like to spend their Saturday afternoon at the library, just perusing books, reading or studying.

 

 

At home, I sat outside in the sunshine while the dogs ran around for a little while. The birds were singing, and the leaves were swaying and I felt like doing a quick watercolor sketch, of our daffodils. It made me think about how much I appreciate floral gardens. Maybe it's because I grew up in an English country village, where roses and lavender abound with hints of wildflowers in the horse meadows.

 

Well, my coffee break is done for now, it's a part of my day to catch up with my blog and to read others, but I best be useful and help my husband with some house projects. Here's a good quote for today...

 

We'll be sure to get a membership there soon!

Sunset Walk and Homemade Beans and Potatoes

 

This evening we went on a 4 mile stroll along the Atlantic Ocean. It was a beautiful sight, with hues of pinks and oranges intermittent with the clouds and the most perfect temperature, not too hot...and not too cold (in the 70's).

 

 

After getting back home, and sand free, I made beans with potatoes. It was so simple and yet delicious.

 

Here's the recipe:

 

Quarter up some baby potatoes and put in a microwave safe bowl, fill with water and sprinkle with pepper. Put in the microwave for 10-12minutes.

 

Meanwhile on one hob heat up some Bush's beans in a saucepan and on the other add a table spoon of butter to a frying pan along with 1/4 of a diced onion and 1 diced celery stalk.

 

After the potatoes are cooked, drain and add to the sautéed onion and celery until golden brown.

 

Serve with grated mozzarella cheese.

 

 

Have a happy rest of the week.