Hi lovlies and happy Monday! I had the pleasure of attending Summer School in Portland this weekend where I took a flower arranging class from Chelsea of {Frolic}. This was my first ever floral class and I was excited to learn how she creates her relaxed fresh flower arrangements.

I can assure you that making something look so simple and effortless is really quite the oposite. I picked up some great tips and basics for floral arranging but I no doubt need more practice. Above are some pics of the event and my final bouquet. I can’t wait to experiment and develop some skills and hopefully share as I go.

Chelsea was sweet as always and I got to see other friends as well as meet new ones. I even shared a table with Lillian of Unstitched, Grace of Design*Sponge and Katy from Katy Elliot. Such a talented and fun group and a great way to spend the weekend!

My little Tula being adorable and keeping me company!

I wanted to pop in again and apologize for my erratic and unpredictable posting lately. My back issues have not improved much and and after weeks of physical therapy and countless doctor appointments I was able to meet with a specialist. Unfortunately, my herniated disk is quite sever and a portion even managed to detach itself and could potentially cause even more nerve damage.

With the recommendation from my physical therapist, specialist and surgeons I am having surgery to alleviate the pain and remove the herniation. I go in for surgery this morning and am actually looking forward to waking up and feeling pain free! It’s been over six months since this all began so I am thrilled to be on the mend soon.

From what I understand, the surgery is quite common and the recovery is pretty quick. I’m not sure what to expect in the next week or so but wanted to give you all a heads up if I disappear for a few days. I hope to be back here soon and looking forward to being on a more normal schedule.

Thanks again to all of you for your support and understanding. My best to you all and see you soon! xoxo

Hello and Thanks Stamps from Eat Pray Create

Hello friends! I am so sorry for being MIA most of last week. I’ve been suffering from some chronic back pain lately which has caused me some severe discomfort and numbness. Turns out I have two herniated disks which I understand can be very painful but also very common. I’m hoping physical therapy will help me get back to normal but I see a specialist later this week for more answers.

I’m looking forward to getting back to my daily schedule here on T&T and the last four days away has felt like an eternity. It’s amazing how much of my life is devoted to Twig & Thistle. The blog is like a great friend I chat with everyday and share all my favorite things with. And thanks to all of you for making it what it is and all your support. It truly means the world to me, so thank you all for visiting, reading and commenting! I fell so lucky to have so many incredible web friends! Check back in a bit for a peak at a beautiful tablescape!

One of my favorite series online is The Handsom on Oh, Hello Friend and I was beyond excited when Danni asked my hubs Joseph to participate! The Handsome is where Danni interviews husbands of bloggers for a peak behind the curtain and into their day-to-day lives. Joseph was so honored and had a blast with the interview!

If you have a moment and would like to learn a little about my own little handsome than head on over to read his interview. Big thanks to Danni and of course to my husband for making Twig & Thistle possible!

My thoughts are with the people and families in Japan. As the images continue to come in and the devastation worsens, my heart goes out to all that have been affected. As a way of honoring the tragedy in Japan, I will be taking part in the Bloggers Day of Silence, tomorrow, March 18th. Along with over 200 bloggers, we will silence our blogs in hopes of taking the day to reflect and revere the disaster in Japan.

The lovely ladies of Utterly Engaged and Ever Ours have joined with ShelterBox to create a fundraising site called For Japan With Love. ShelterBox is an international disaster relief charity that delivers emergency shelter, warmth and dignity to people affected by disaster worldwide. If you’d like to donate or would like more information please visit For Japan With Love and ShelterBox. Please donate what you can and encourage others to do the same. Thank you and lot’s of love! xoxo