Tiptoe Through the Tulips

...and Iceland Poppies....

Last weekend, my neighbor, Rachel and I carved out a little window of time to trek out to the local nursery. That one wasn't open as it's hours of operation sign indicated it would be, so we drove a little further down the highway and shopped at a nursery that was actually open for business. They had so many plants! BEAUTIFUL, healthy, lovely plants. I was happy to bring some of them home to live in my yard and bring my kids and me joy.

...and echinacea...

...and lavender...

...and Bluebells of Scotland...

Hello, My Friend! Hello!

I am completely flabbergasted at how quickly this summer is breezing by. I have had the best of intentions, of course. I wanted to have a regular library day. I wanted to go on regular hikes with the kids...those didn't happen, either. And in just a few short weeks, the kids will go back to school and I'll be at home left to shuffle around here in solitude...well, near solidtude. I crave the routine, but do feel sad knowing that I won't have my pals around to watch movies, eat popcorn, bake cookies...or any of the the fun things we DID manage to accomplish. I'm still coffee tagging with my coffee drinking friends...and even some who are NOT coffee drinkers. hee hee hee!


A few years ago, a friend of mine helped me find a couple of dressers. This was one of them. At the time, I could see beyond the many different colors and sharpie marker markings. My kids begged me to please get rid of this hideous hunk of junk. I ended up using it as a changing table for my youngest child. It was perfect! The height was just right and the drawers came in very handy for storing diapers and other supplies. I finally got the supplies around to strip off the many layers of color. It looks quite a lot different now. I will post another picture later to show my progress. I have some neat ideas for this piece. I hope you'll stay tuned. ;)

I also joined another Yarnigras Apron Swap. This theme was "Mamma Mia." It was so much fun. The hostess, Valerie Powery, loves the movie and decided to have a little fun with her apron swap and tie the two together. The requirements were to send our assigned swap partner a handmade apron along with some little trinket and a recipe that had something to do with the movie. I had sooooo much fun first just picking the fabrics for my apron. My kittens decided they wanted to help me out a little bit in the construction of this project. Again, I have a picture of the finished product that I will share in another post.

Here is my beautiful Mama Cat, Moses. Every cat loves to bask in the sunlight that streams into their house, right? Moses is no exception. I loved how the light shone through her ears. She is such a beautiful little cat. I sure wish she'd let me snuggle her more.

Saturday, In the Yard

Aside from taking Kaitlyn to the airport this morning to go on a week-long excursion to visit a childhood friend, today was a mostly homebody day. I puttered around in the yard, mostly, and got a few weeds pulled, a lot of the plants watered, the pool has finished filling and is almost ready for swimming.

I'm a little discouraged by the mosquitoes out there. They don't seem to care what time of day it is they feed or how hot it is. They just want to eat and eat and eat all. day. long. We've polished off a bottle of bug repellant in not time at all. When we tried to replenish our supply, the store was out of all sprays that are supposed to repel them..With them being so prolific and persistent, it makes it uncomfortable to be out in the yard for too long.

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend...without have to have a blood transfusion after your fun in the sun! hee hee!

Friendship Gardens

Several years ago, my friend Mary gave me two clumps of Daisies and a Poppy plant from her garden. That was when I was just really starting to experience the real joys of gardening. Now, those clumps of daisies have spread and produced so many flowers. This was the first season that I really got excited about them and cut them to bring them indoors to enjoy them here, too.

Every Spring, without fail, I go out into the yard to see the awakenings of all the plants and whenever I see the Daisies sprouting up their new, bright green leaves, I think of Mary and the day we dug up those plants and wrapped them in newspaper to bring them to my yard. Sadly, I have lost touch with Mary, but she made an imprint on my heart...and I do remember her because of my friendship garden.

Afternoon Light

They called out to me as I watered this evening...I just had to capture some of the beauty.

I know my garden may not ever grace the covers of a magazine, but I love to spend time there. I love to share time there with my kids. I love to photograph the beauty there. I love the peacefulness that comes from just sitting there...in the warm, amber light, the choir of birdsongs...and the scent of the jasmine.

Rainy Days and Mondays...

Yesterday was a rainy day AND a Monday. Amanda was itching to get out and do something...anything! It was her suggestion that we go to the lake. I'd never seen this lake before and I was up for a little adventure.

I think, too often, we get in a rut and don't see the beauty in our everyday surroundings. We put on our blinders and drive to work as quickly as we can because we've pushed the snooze button a couple of times.

I wanted to put dinner into the crock pot before we left and as I was doing that, a thundrestorm rolled in...like clockwork. Amanda and I were determined to have this little adventure...and despite the rain, we loaded up the two little boys into the car and sped off.

Not two minutes into our journey, heavy rain began to fall. We forged ahead. We weren't about to let a few raindrops deter us! Besides, most of the time, the rain only falls for about ten minutes.

When we got the little lake, though, the rain still fell...heavily. We took shelter under the picnic pavillion and had a snack of cheese and crackers and washed it down with Capri Suns. The little boys finished their snacks and started to run around in the rain. They had sooooo much fun chasing each other!

We didn't have to go far to see something new and to have a little fun and make a few new memories. I urge you to get out there and explore your everyday surroundings, too! Take off the blinders and drive a little more slowly. You'll see something that catches your eye. Of this I am certain.

To Market, To Market

I love this flea market! I wish they had it EVERY weekend!! I loved everything I saw!


Blues...

Shabby Chic...

Antique plates...

Handmade Primitive Dolls...

Cozy pillows...

Antique quilts...

Pretty flowers.

Fresh Herbs...

I can hardly wait 'til next month's flea market.

Christmas in July!

The Christmas crafting is underway. I found a lovely and easy knit pattern for a bed cover in Debbie Bliss's Summer magazine. I decided it would make a great gift idea for my older son, Ryan. He chose the color, then I cast on the 236 stitches and got started right away. It's knitting up quickly. YAAAAY!

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

One of my favorite things is Nag Champa incense. I love to buy it. I love to sniff it through the blue and white box. I love to burn it! I love to watch the little billows of smoke form.

Most of my children are asthmatics, so I can only indulge myself with this treat for my soul when the children are at their dad's on the weekend.

This last weekend, I stuck the wooden part of the incense into the crock where my Bamboo lives. The bluish smoke and the green leaves looked so beautiful and graceful...dancing together.

Smile!

I think he looks as though he is laughing.

They are now ten weeks old and have been a lot of fun to have around. One kitten has already found a new home. It was sad to see her go. She went to someone we know so we can still keep tabs on how she's growing.

We plan to keep one of the kittens. Wanna help pick out a name?