#1- Create throw pillow covers in bright spring colors. Purchase a couple of coordinating flat sheets at a spring whites sale and make several pillow covers to liven up your couches and beds.

#2- Accent your rooms with some greenery. How about a string of ivy along a shelf? A flower garland might look nice draped over a window treatment. You can purchase some inexpensive garland at your local craft or dollar store.

#3- Find some interesting containers to house freshly picked flowers. You can put an arrangement of tulips in a glass water pitcher for a colorful table centerpiece. Adorn your shelves with groups of interesting bottles and place a tulip in each one. A thrift shop can be a great resource for interesting containers and unique bottles.

#4- A decorated birdhouse can add a charming touch of spring. Purchase an unfinished wooden birdhouse from your local craft store. You can paint or stain it and decorate it with some silk flowers or greenery.

#5- Press some spring flowers. Place several flowers (pansies work well) between a couple pieces of paper and insert them into a heavy book. When there is no moisture left–this takes about two weeks–the flowers are ready to use for decorating. You can mount them on heavy decorative paper and frame them in a unique picture frame.

#6- Use scented candles to bring a fresh aroma into your home. For a unique look, you can fill a large saucer with a base of sand or decorative gravel and arrange a grouping of different height pillar candles. (Make sure that all flammable objects are a safe distance from your flame.)

Use these tips to give a taste of spring—even if the snow lingers.

The dance of which I am writing is none other than the Girl Scouts Father-Daughter Dance.  With 10 and 11 year old dance partners, this was going to be a big night.  The girls were excited to wear pretty dresses and choose Dad’s tie.  Unbeknownst to them, Dad had even more excitement in store for them.

On Friday, Dad went to Flowers on the Hill and ordered a corsage for each girl.  The owner told him that many dads were placing orders for this special occasion and that his flowers would be ready the next day.

Head forward to Saturday.  Being the weekend and in a house with 4 children, life is busy:  a birthday breakfast for one of the dance attendees, small work projects, and weekend errands.  At 1:30, as the florist was closing, Dad received a call on his cell phone, reminding him that his corsages were ready.  Unfortunately, he was 30 minutes away with his 2 sons.  The owner generously offered to wait a little bit, but being in the middle of an errand, Dad couldn’t be there in less than an hour.

At this point, there could have been a small crisis for Dad.  However, the owner was gracious and generous.  She offered to leave the corsages at the counter of the neighboring convenient store for Dad to retrieve when he arrived.  Dad gratefully accepted the offer, finished his errand, and picked up the corsages.

Of course, the flowers were beautiful.  Almost as beautiful as the two girls who proudly wore them on their wrists.  The girls were excited not only to spend an evening with their dad but they were thrilled to be given such wonderful corsages.

While leaving corsages for a customer at a neighboring store might seem like a small action, it was huge in Dad’s eyes.  Not only did the owner of Flowers on the Hill provide beautiful flowers, she went above and beyond her job to make someone else’s day better.  For this reason, she is now considered the fairy of flowers at Dad’s house!