Louisa Cornell, ladydawgfan, KateS and Kelly Ryan are the winners of Fun Contest Saturday!
Lori Austin's (aka Lori Handeland) An Outlaw in Wonderland has been named one of Publisher Weekly's Best Summer Books of 2013!!
A big CONGRATULATIONS to Goddesses Lori Austin (Lori Handeland) and Sabrina Jeffries for being named as RITA finalists for their historical romances BEAUTY AND THE BOUNTY HUNTER and A LADY NEVER SURRENDERS!
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I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden. ~Ruth Stout
How can you not love the sweet little crocus peeking out from the ground, the tulips, iris and daffodils reaching toward the sun, setting off their own little flower fireworks show after a long season of sleeping through the cold? Or that first truly beautiful day where the sun warms your skin, the snow has all melted and you open your eyes realizing everything is starting to come alive?
Bliss.
To celebrate the beauty of spring, Fun Contest Saturday is giving away two books from the Goddesses (two winners, one book each):
ANY MAN OF MINE signed by Rachel Gibson and A LADY NEVER SURRENDERS signed by Sabrina Jeffries.
What is your favorite sign of spring? (Besides the three new releases coming out Tuesday from Suzanne Enoch, Julia London and Susan Mallery, of course!)
Spring brings the lovely smell of orange blossoms and gardenias in the air!
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 6:52 am.
You stole my favorite sign of spring- new book releases. Tuesday can’t come soon enough.
Ok the smell of flowers in two NYC parks I commute through, the blooming trees a gorgeous contrast to over commercialized streets, sleeping with the windows open – love it all. It makes up for the exhaustion I feel which I’m convinced is my version of spring allergies.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 7:02 am.
For me spring is when the Jacaranda trees are showing their beautiful purple flowers and the mama and papa plovers are watching over their chicks. Those chicks are so ugly that they are adorable. The bad thing about spring though is that my hayfever goes into over drive and I get more sinusy which means hell for me.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 7:09 am.
Girl, I’m right with you on the sinus mess.
Yuck.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 9:00 am.
I’ve been sneezing a lot recently too.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 10:55 am.
Ugh, allergies. They’re a big problem for me, too. In fact, I’m seeing an ENT because of chronic sinusitis on Monday, and my new allergist changed my allergy shots up in an effort to make them more effective.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 11:21 am.
I went on a fun course of antibiotics last year to clear up nearly 2 decades of sinus infection. Sadly though autumn isn’t much fun either for me and I am currently in it at the moment. Thankfully it has been a damp summer so it hasn’t been as bad this summer.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 11:57 am.
signs of spring here are the piles of salt on the roads & steps that weren’t useful. All the birds sounding like the background to the Angry Birds game. minus maniacal cackling and pig grunts.
oh and best of all -dog poop that is suddenly visible when the snow melts away! despite the ‘pick up after your dog’ bylaw.
In a few weeks, I’ll be seeing lilac buds. for now, only the small shoots of the daffodils, crocuses and tiger lilies in the yard are showing
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 7:37 am.
Buds on everything, flowers peeking up, birds back and singing, snow melting ( well, usually anyways.. this year has been odd), and just about every other sign you can name! Spring is my favorite season
.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 7:56 am.
The flowering trees – dogwoods, bradford pear, cherry, and plum – are my favorite sign of spring. They’re gorgeous and the flowers don’t last very long; so, you have to catch them quickly.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 7:56 am.
Flowers. Always. Mmm.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 8:02 am.
Yellow daffies nodding in the breeze!
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 8:17 am.
Totally agree! Its the yellow daffodils trumpeting that SPRING IS COMING!
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 8:49 am.
I used to love when all the snow melted and the flower buds started appearing. Now, nothing ever REALLY goes away since I am in Florida. Yes, some things die off or get hit by frost but most things come back. I started up my garden again last week so we’ll see if maybe I can get a good load of veggies this year. That would be fabulous!!!!
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 8:39 am.
Oh, mine is the smell of the hyacinth, mountain laurels, and magnolias….I absolutely love them. Plus, living in Texas, it is always a beautiful sight as you are riding down the road and seeing the sides of the roads COVERED in bluebonnets. Absolutely gorgeous, if you have never been to Texas in the spring to see them.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 8:59 am.
I love the crisp cool mornings and evenings. Being able to sleep with the windows open is heavenly after being cooped up inside all winter.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 9:10 am.
Sitting on my front porch listening to the birds and windchimes and watching the grass and trees turn greener every day. And then the flowers bloom .. heaven.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 9:13 am.
Cherry Blossoms! I LOVE it when the cherry blossom trees bloom. Makes me smile
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 9:18 am.
warm air, soft breezes, bright blue skies…it’s just about the only thing that trumps book release days!!!
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 9:20 am.
Hanging the sheets out on line so they are crisp and smell fresh when you go to bed!
SW Ohio is a riot of color right now and I wish you could all come visit for tea this afternoon to enjoy it with me!
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 9:23 am.
My favorite signs of spring are: having my windows open, waliking in t-shirts and capris, wearing flip flops, grilling on the patio.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 9:40 am.
two tulips in my yard that pop up each year – we didn’t plant them, they’ve been here since we moved in and reappear each year.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 10:39 am.
My favorite sign of spring is also the flowers. I’ve started many of my veggies inside also, so I have a ton of green all over the place. I love spring until the weather creeps into the high seventies (Fahrenheit) I’d take 40 and below any day over 75 and up.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 10:51 am.
When the yellow finches start turning yellow again. When the daffodils come through the ground, you know that spring is arriving. This year the daffodils came through the ground in January. Now I’m waiting for my neighbor’s lilac bush to bloom. She always gives me a bouquet of lilacs.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 11:02 am.
The temperate weather is my favorite part of Spring. I love it when the days get into the high sixties or low seventies and the nights are still in the forties or fifties for good sleeping.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 11:04 am.
Hmm, spring in California usually means that the rain has stopped, but we’re expecting rain on Sunday. It, also, means daffodils are, now, $1.29 for 10, at Trader Joe’s – the perfect way to brighten the room. It means better produce at the farmer’s market. I got very, very lucky and found a farmer, who grows and sells rhubarb! It means strawberry rhubarb crisp with homemade vanilla ice cream is in my future.
Growing up in Montana, spring meant flowers, specifically lilacs. These completely non-descriptive bushes explode with heavily perfumed, beautiful blossoms that line the sidewalks I had to walk to and from my elementary and middle schools. It always made me sad with someone pruned their lilacs all the soil because it meant no lilacs for a couple of years. At our house we had my g-grandaunt’s lilac bushes that were at least 50+ years old that my mom dug up from my aunt’s house when she passed away. They were beautiful. There was one in particular that was such a deep purple that it was almost black. So beautiful, but it had no scent.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 12:02 pm.
When I see the violets bloom I know spring is here and I wait for the hummingbirds to arrive. Do you know why hummingbirds hum?????????? Wait for it…..Because they don’t know the words. tee hee……..
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 12:22 pm.
*groan* that’s an old joke. So old that it has hair on it as my mum would say.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 5:24 pm.
What a delightful contest ! For me it is the smell of fresh air and the flowers that pop up everywhere ,it is just so many stunning colors coming to life everywhere and the birds appear and it just all feels so alive !
Thank you for the giveaway
Desere
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 12:23 pm.
Well, I’m having fun just watching all of my flowers bloom, along with the trees. We have hedgehogs that come out, too. I’ve only seen one of them so far.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 12:24 pm.
I love, love, love, love Spring because 1. My birthday 2. Flowers and everything is blooming 3. Sunshine 4. It makes me Happy 5. It feels Clean 6. It’s soccer season 7. It’s almost a perfect time of year 8. Birds, bees, butterflies 9. Everything smells good 10. Everything seems lit up
Gimme Spring, gimme spring, there’s a skip in my step….
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 12:26 pm.
Spring where I live means wild dogwoods, azaleas in all shades from deep red to white, wisteria, and bulb flowers all in bloom at once, seemingly overnight. It’s a wild riot of bright color, all amidst the deep green pine forests of east central Mississippi. In south Louisiana bayou country, where I’m from, the seasons weren’t that different. Spring meant a change from brown to green. Here spring arrives with a jaunty fashion show, and I love it!
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 12:37 pm.
Edea, whereabouts are you staying? I was in Starkville for about 8 years going to college and then some after. If there is anything prettier than a Mississippi spring, I don’t know what it is.
Posted on March 25, 2012 at 1:08 am.
Ohhhhh, it would have to be hearing the baby birds early in the morning….Great contest!! =)
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 12:45 pm.
The lilac bush in the front yard blooming; seeing robins and seeing the two new colts in the field with their mamas.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 12:56 pm.
I love the very first signs–when crocuses poke up out of the ground, often through the snow. Yea!
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 1:11 pm.
The greening up and flowering of the outside world never ceases to amaze and delight.
This year the amazement and delight is running about 3 weeks ahead of normal growing schedule. It makes me nervous.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 1:15 pm.
I know spring has sprung when, after being cooped up in the house all winter, my dogs want to go out and lay on the warm cement around the pool. It’s my favorite sign because it means that it’s warm enough to bring my favorite book and drink outside and read in the sunshine. Where, especially after next Tuesday, is where you’ll most likely find me
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 1:30 pm.
Seeing all the buds on the trees and the start of the spirng flowers poking up through the ground. Also, sleeping with the windows open at night, and waking up to the birds chirpping in the morning.
I also love the longer daylight hours.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 1:38 pm.
Best thing about the arrival of spring is hearing the birds singing again! Next all the buds and shoots appearing. But definately the songs is the herald of spring for me.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 2:19 pm.
In South Florida the signs are not as evident as they are in other parts of the country. However, I have learned that in Spring, the “green” is a lot brighter and the few perenials that we do have are now green and blooming. There is also a bit more rain ….normally every day between 1 PM and 4 PM.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 2:29 pm.
To me its the flowers blooming, grass getting green. It is like a new world wakeing up to a new beginning. Also means mowing the lawn.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 2:32 pm.
I love to see the cherry blossoms and blue bonnes bloom:)
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 2:33 pm.
Blooming flowers, no more snow!!! and being able to sleep with the window open
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 2:34 pm.
Green grass, all my bulbs flowering and the return of all the birds
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 2:34 pm.
My favorite sign of spring is when I can open the windows for the first time because it’s warm out and you just want to let the fresh air in!
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 2:36 pm.
The weather n flowers.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 2:38 pm.
Here in NC we often seem to go directly from Winter to Summer w/ no real transition period. So when we do get a true Spring it is a real treat. Love watching the birds at the feeder outside my kitchen window and seeing which of the flowers decide to return for another year.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 2:41 pm.
My favorite sign of spring is the warm weather and the grass turning green.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 2:44 pm.
My favorite sign of spring is definitely the blooming flowers. They’re just so cheerful and lovely. Here in Florida the rains return and everything gets nice and green again.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 2:45 pm.
My favorite sign of spring is the daffodils blooming. I love when the bulbs bloom: tulips, hyacinth, iris…so much beauty and color
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 3:00 pm.
I love the return of all the birds! The flowers and grass make me sneeze. LOL
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 3:18 pm.
For me the sign that spring is here is the melting of snow, the kids going to the park, and the smell of romance in the air!
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 3:22 pm.
Chocolate – but not just any chocolate – chocolate shaped like eggs and bunnies!
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 3:22 pm.
i love the nice cool air the flower blooming and if course we cant forgot bunnies and birds on the list for speing those are my favorites.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 3:31 pm.
i want to add my email address
AngelwolfMystic@yahoo.com to make it easier for you authors
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 3:32 pm.
red bud trees, dogwood and azaleas in bloom.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 3:33 pm.
daffodils popping up
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 3:42 pm.
Flowers blooming in the garden–that’s my favorite sign of spring.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 3:43 pm.
Buds on the tree.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 3:59 pm.
I like to see the jonquils come up, but my favorite sign of spring is when the forsythia bushes bloom. I love to see those branches covered with little yellow blossoms!
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 4:00 pm.
Totally the three new releases!
Okay no, my favorite sign of spring is definitely the warmer temperatures. I love the gentle, warm spring wind! I do enjoy flowers and birds and so on, but the warmth is the best.
I do also, admittedly, enjoy the bunny-shaped chocolates, but I can get chocolate in any season.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 4:03 pm.
Birds filling the air with their catchy songs, beautiful cherry blossoms, and fragrant tea olives!
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 4:13 pm.
The geraniums, daffies, petunias popping up everywhere.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 4:14 pm.
Hmm My favorite sign of spring???? Down here in Arkansas, I’d say the early arrival of the daffodils and then the leaves popping out on the trees. It means I can call my mom in Michigan and tease her about the lovely warm weather, green and yellow everywhere while she is still looking for her crocus to peek out at her from under the snow (accept for this year) But growing up in Michigan, I got all excited over seeing buds on the trees and then the Lilacs blooming (Lilacs being my absolute favorite)
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 4:31 pm.
I love the longer hours of daylight. I also love seeing the flowers blooming.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 4:42 pm.
The trees getting their leaves, the flowers blooming and the grass getting green.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 5:06 pm.
I like spring when it gets warm enough not to need to wear winter gear anymore.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 5:07 pm.
I love Spring because it means warmer weather, chirping birds and rainy days. We get some pretty impressive thunderstorms here, and I love to watch the lighting and listen to the thunder. I think the only thing I dislike about Spring are allergies, and bugs…I hate spiders and bees! Good luck Everyone!!!!
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 5:24 pm.
I love my Cherry Blossom tree blooming, my dogwood trees, jonquils, forsythia blooming, and green grass. Of course, my allergies don’t like spring nearly as much as I do.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 5:34 pm.
I love to see all the Irises spring up. So beautiful. I can do without the allergy thing, but love everything blooming.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 5:42 pm.
The yellow “wall” of forsythia in the back yard lets me know spring is arriving. But my favorite thing is my beautiful pink cherry tree covered in little crepe-paper-like puffs.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 5:58 pm.
It starts with the crocus popping up.. then the rest of the spring flowers.. but wow! we’re way ahead of schedule… I have lilacs blooming…
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 6:26 pm.
My favorite sign of spring? The birth of baby animals! There’s nothing like seeing little baby birds or hearing them when they’re hungry.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 7:18 pm.
I love the sounds of the birds chirping, the smell of the purple hyacinth in my flower bed, the wonderful sight of all the flowering trees and shrubs, warm days & pleasant nights. I love the fresh smell & greening up of the grass. The smell of earthworms after it rains.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 7:31 pm.
The pollen.
Kidding!
The Bradford pear trees in bloom. They smell nasty, but they are SO pretty to look at.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 7:34 pm.
Favorite signs of Spring: plum tree blooming in back and dogwood blooming in front.
Least favorite signs of Spring: pollen and tornadoes
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 7:40 pm.
My favorite sign of spring? All the prom dresses that start appearing in store windows. After all, CA is same-o, same-o must of the time weather-wise so I have to go for the mall stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I love my roses blooming away and the daffodils and tulips dotting the flower-beds in SoCal, but for flower shows, nothing beats the wild blue bonnets and Indian paintbrushes that fill the meadows between Houston and Austin in the spring. At least there used to be meadows between Houston and Austin on the I-290. Anyone know if the blue bonnets still put on a show?
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 7:49 pm.
My favorite signs of spring is the grass getting greener and the birds are out singing in the mornings. But my most favorite is when the “Hosta’s” come thru the ground. That is when I know its spring for sure. It makes my very happy. They are ny favorite plant.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 8:03 pm.
Sunshine hitting my kitchen window sill, sure sigb,plus time to see lilly of valley start to come up
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 8:03 pm.
Nesting Blue Birds!
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 8:10 pm.
Daffodils! Blue skies with puffy white clouds! Days warm enough to skip the winter coat! Not being dark when I leave for work OR when I get home from work!
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 8:18 pm.
Definitely when it starts to get warm out! I hate cold weather. I do love when blossoms start to pop up on trees, though!
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 8:47 pm.
I love daffodils!
And no more snow on the walkways! 
Can’t stand winter…
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 9:06 pm.
I love all the different colors and smells that all the fresh blooming flowers create along with the warmer weather.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 9:43 pm.
My azaleas and dogwoods are blooming! I love the splash of color across the slope from my front yard up to my driveway. And after a rainstorm the lawn is dotted with dogwood petals. And it won’t be long and my day lilies will start to open into a glorious orchestra of yellow, peach, orange, burgundy and red.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 10:19 pm.
I enjoy the warmer weather, the daffodils, and weeding my Garden.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 10:45 pm.
i love spring, i love sunshine, i love flower and i love sunbathing on the beach and drink fresh juice or coconut water
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 10:47 pm.
I just had to take my lawnmower in today to get serviced–and will have to mow by the end of the week. Pretty sure I can’t remember when we’ve had to start this early! The biggest sign for me is all the equipment in the fields getting them ready for planting. It will be here before we know it.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 10:50 pm.
When it is warm enough to walk outside every day, instead of going to the gym & using the treadmill (ugh!)
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 11:15 pm.
I like the flowers blooming.
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 11:55 pm.
I love when the grass starts turning green again! YAY! It makes me so happy, I hate staring at the brown/yellow grass all winter. So green grass means spring has sprung.
Posted on March 25, 2012 at 1:10 am.
In Vermont, spring generally means mud season, that time of year that every foot, paw and tire is caked with mud from being outside once the snow melts and the sun hasn’t been warm enough to cook the ground hard. However, this has been an unusual spring, to say the least, and we just finished an extended period of 70-80 degree weather with no rain. The ground is solid, no mud in sight, snow is long gone, and flowers are close to blooming. We have buds on,our lilac bushes already and Daffies in front of the house that should be in bloom within a day or two. Last weekend, it was so warm that people were actually braving the 40 degree waters of Lake Champlain.
Like I said, strange spring!
Posted on March 25, 2012 at 1:23 am.
I love the hundreds of jonquils that grow up through my front lawn. They look so beautiful. They nod & tell me Spring is here.
Posted on March 25, 2012 at 3:52 am.
He Is sooooo georgous:)
Posted on March 25, 2012 at 11:37 am.
What I love about Spring is the warm weather and blooming of flower and trees.
Posted on March 25, 2012 at 1:35 pm.
The 1st sign of spring that I like is…the change of temperature. Yeah, right now we have a weird winter but in true weather cycle, the rising temperature shows that spring is near.
Posted on March 25, 2012 at 5:48 pm.
My favorite sign of spring is all the trees and flowers are blooming.
Posted on March 26, 2012 at 6:07 pm.
The blooming of the trees and flowers always excites me. I know spring is on its way and it won’t be long until summer!
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 1:20 pm.