forcing spring to arrive

I LOVE SPRING! I love Fall the most, but Spring is a VERY close second. Flowers bloom, the temperatures are warmer (but not too hot and definitely not humid -- yay!), baby animals are born, volleyball season is well underway, I'm loaded with work because of new listings coming on the real estate market, the smell of wood smoke and fresh cut grass mingle together in the air, I could go on and on.

Technically, it is still winter around here for another month, so I decided to force Spring upon my home. I went to the backyard, cut three branches from our Forsythia bushes, brought them inside, and stuck them in a vase of water. Then I waited. Each day, I talked to the buds and invited them to open. The toddler did the same. After not even a week, the blooms arrived!

I had never forced blooms before, but this will definitely be a must on the winter checklist from now on!

This picture was taken yesterday, but today ALL of the branches are blooming so brightly... LOVE.