Tiny little shoes waiting to be put on precious little feet...

Vibrant colored Gerbera daises, purchased at the grocery store, are waiting to be planted...

More fragrant lilacs are waiting to be shared with friends who also enjoy their beauty...

But, a surprise visit from this precious little one makes me want to do nothing else than spend time with her...

The flower beds are multiplying daily with growth.  The weeds and edging are waiting to be done.

It can feel a bit overwhelming.  But, a few moments of  reflecting on  the devastating images flashing over the television screens, and suddenly everything is put in proper perspective.  My heart is heavy for the thousands of people who would be thrilled to be able to locate their dear loved ones, their houses, porches and flower gardens this evening.   My husband and I were scrubbing our porch and pulling items out of their winter storage locations,  getting our porch ready for warm weather, the thought occured to me, that many would be thrilled to have my chore list rather than theirs.  How does one ever begin to pick up the pieces of their lives after such utter destruction?  In just a matter of seconds, it is all gone.  No more flower beds to weed, porches to scrub, lilacs to cut, or Cosmos to plant.  I heard one gentleman being interviewed and he said it all disappeared in a matter of 60 seconds.   It is indescribeable.  So, I will continue on with my endless list and I will thank God for it all, without a single complaint.

Question;   Is white really a color?

Answer;   That depends upon whom you ask.  Scientists consider black to be the absence of light (and color if you like), and white to be the pressence of all colors.  Fine artists on the other hand, believe the complete reverse:  white is the absence of color.

To a housepainter, if you can get it in a can, it is a color.

White projects purity,

cleanliness,

and

neutrality.

~all above info from... answers.com

How the color white affects us physically?

Aids mental clarity.

Encourages us to clear clutter or obstacles.

Evokes purification of thoughts or actions.

Enables fresh beginnings.

~above info from...sensationalcolor.com

White is calming and soothing to me.

And, someday I hope to have a white room like the beautiful one above, or maybe to just have the privilege of sitting down to dinner in a white dining room.

Whether white is a color or not, I am always drawn to it, in whatever form it takes.

Aren't you happy you stopped by?  What does a white room do for you?  I can only imagine how those of you who love the bold, bright colors, will answer?

Happy Wednesday!

Recently I went to a luncheon in the home of my cousin's daughter.  What a lovely person she is and how honored I felt to be invited into her home.  I offered to bring the dessert.  Actually, I was looking forward to using the mini shot glasses and tiny spoons that my sister gave me for my birthday.  The 12 of these tiny glasses came in a box, with spoons included, from Pier One.  If you remember from previous posts, if I do eat dessert, I like just a little something sweet, so this was the best gift for me. 

What fun to fill these glasses for anything I choosse to use.  For the luncheon, I chose sliced fresh strawberries, Jello cheesecake pudding, graham cracker crumbs and topped it all with Cool Whip.

The sliced strawberries, mixed with some frozen strawberry puree' from my freezer.  The picture's quality is not the best but I will share it since it is one of the steps.

1 cup of graham crackers

3 TBSP  melted butter

1 tsp sugar

Mix together.  Spoon about 1 tsp. into each dish and pat down.

Follow the pudding directions on the 3.4 oz. box of Jello, cheesecake pudding box.  To that I added 1/2 tsp. of vanilla.  The graham crackers, then the pudding, the strawberries, and a dollop of Cool Whip.  This dessert is best if it sets in the refrigerator for a few hours first.

I think it is a perfect way to end a meal, with a little something sweet.  Thank you to my dear sister for the clever and useful birthday gift. 

This might be a gift idea in your future, unless you prefer bigger desserts:)

 Even though I had done an early morning post, I thought I add a few thoughts and pictures of our day spent together.

Now...all the brilliantly colored eggs that were hidden by two handsome men in our family, have been emptied, and saved until another year.

The carefully created carrot cake, made by my daughter and her sweet little helper, has been eaten (well at least some of it).

The little ones worked hard at finding all the carefully hidden eggs.

But there were times one just had to take a brief, immediate rest and eat a gummy butterfly.  An energy boast:)

Then the moments of true excitement came, as they opened each and every one of the treasured eggs.

Their created nest favors were finally revealed to their parents.  Their enthusiasm and joy over all the little things means so much to me.

The time we spent together was yet another special memory in our hearts.   

After weeks like this past ones, I have come to appreciate times together more than ever!

"Joy comes in the morning."  Psalms 30:5

"As surely as the dawn
conquers the darkness of night,
as quietly and unobtrusively
as comes the daybreak,
So sure,
so quiet
is the joy that can be ours,
fresh and new every morning!

Perhaps they are
the same old words we read,
the same old prayers we pray.
But the joy is new,
like an old sun shining on an old world
to make a day which has never been."

~Gladys and Gordon De Pree

"Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection rnot in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime."    ~Martin Luther

Despite what difficult, painful, or perplexing situations you may find yourself in this Easter morning, each new day is a gift.  And, because of the resurrection, joy has come in our morning.   I am so grateful that my Savior lives.
Happy Easter to each and every one of you and your families! 

Life does go on.  Today after the rain I took pictures of my blooming, Bleeding Hearts.   Even though the rain was heavy this morning, their tiny, delicately created blooms shared their beauty.  Don't you just love perennials?  Year after year they come back to visit.

Their artistic design is amazing to me.  They reminded me of hearts with tear drops when I took this picture.

Thanks to a creative lady in blogland, I copied this fun idea and three little grandchildren eagerly made each little nest.  The blog is..."gratefulprayerthankfulheart.blogspot.com/" .  I really enjoy every visit I make to her fascinating, beautiful, and well written blog.  I know she would like if you visited her too.  The recipe for the chow mein nests with the eggs can be found on her blog, along with more pictures.  The grandchildren were excited to make the edible favors for our Easter dinner, and can't wait to surprise their parents with the completed project.

Finally, I want to share my adorable little Easter bunny with you.  Her other grandma captured this picture for me and eagerly I will share it with you. 

It has been a sad week for all of us, but today I am passing on some nuggets of joy with you, from my world.   Easter is one of the most thrilling and important holidays for me.  Tomorrow I will share a few thoughts from my heart.
Happy Saturday!

Saying final earthly good byes to someone you love, is difficult.

I am so thankful for all that I learned from this wonderful lady.  I pray that I will be able to carry on the torch, and show God's love to those around me, like she so freely did.

She lived her life here in such a way, that now, when she is not here anymore the void will be BIG, for so many.

Isn't it a fact of life, that sometimes, in the midst of a week that can feel overcast and sad, there may burst forth out of the clouds, some  moments of bright sunshine?

  So, today, even though my heart feels a bit heavy from the happenings of the last few days and the events the rest of my week,  I do have some sunshine, and I'd like to share it with you. The picture is not the best quality, but you get the idea, right?

It was one of many special memories that we all hold dear in our hearts today.  Memories of times spent together over the years.  Three ladies who were born in the 1930s, who grew up together, got married within a few years of each other, and had daughters within a few years of each other.  The three ladies and their husbands raised families, became empty nesters and continued to grow older together.  They sometimes vacationed together, they ate some dinners together, and they shared life experiences together.

Here they are, the three mothers and their daughters spending the evening together at a most special tea party and dinner a few years ago.  Oh, what a wonderful time they all had, eating, sharing, laughing and relaxing.

On Saturday, one of the mothers, the one in the beautiful soft turquoise jacket on the right, passed away unexpectantly.  We are all in disbelief that such a vibrant, warm, caring, genuine and young 70 something lady could leave so quickly, without any warning.  My mother and her at spent the day together on Tuesday with never a thought that it would be the last time they would be together on this earth.

This week will be so different that any of us had planned.  Our dear friend will be missed more than we can express, but we know that we will see her again, someday, in heaven.  Until then, we will carry on with the sadness of her absence with us.

That tea party remains a special memory in our hearts, but now it has become a more treasured memory than ever.  Treat those you love with kindness and love for you never know when it will be the last time you see them on this earth.

I don't have anything new or exciting to blog about today, but since you stopped by, I thought I would share a part of my Spring ritual with you.  Now, how exciting is that?:)  I look forward to taking out my glass pedestal bowl, filling it with water, floating my candles and fresh flowers (whatever is growing outside my back door at the time).  Tonight I floated some pansies and violas.  Their little faces seem to smile up at me every time I sit at my kitchen table.

One of the quirks of my personality is that I like to change my table centerpiece.  It makes me feel like I made a decorating change even though it is a minor change.  Surprisingly, the bags of little white floating candles from Michaels, burn for a while.  I keep a bag of them on hand throughout the Spring and Summer.

This evening I was outside doing some weeding.  I was again reminded of how much I like my white flowering tree at the corner of our house.  I am amazed at it's beauty, when only a few months ago, it was only brown barren branches.

Years ago, my husband bought me this cute bunny in a gift shop, during our visit down south.  She takes her place on the ledge of our kitchen, each Easter, overseeing all the activities of our family.

Driving home this evening on one of my regular routes, I was impressed at how quickly the grass had turned to it's vibrant green color, and the farmers had already been plowing the fields. 

So despite the fact that my husband and I both have become the recipients of nasty colds, I find the above pictures reason to smile through it all.  I am headed to the kitchen for a hot cup of tea.  Maybe it will help.

 I know April showers are an important part of the whole process of this season of the year, but I found myself looking forward to Spring and Summer's PINK.  It is a happy, fun, calming, feminine, and gentle color to me.  Today, I want to share a few of my Spring and Summer pinks, from my photo file with you.

Here are some pretty flower cookies that my sister served to her husband's family on Sunday.  She is like me in that she likes taking pictures of food as in this picture of her pink and green cookies.

Here is the birthday cake created for my sister's beatutiful "20" year old daughter.

The little girl in pink on this picture, always steals my heart, and pink always reminds me of her.  This picture of her and her dear mother, was taken a few weeks ago.

The pink orchids are on my daughter and son-in-law's kitchen table.  Friends from their church gave them the orchids and told them all they needed to do to keep them alive and blooming, was to add 2 ice cubes to the soil every so often (I forget how often), but they are multiplying for them so they must be doing something right.

I look forward to when my friends on the farm, have their flower gardens in full bloom.  In the above picture, I filled my canning jars with their abundance.  I wish you could visit their gardens and see what talented gardners two ladies in their seventies, can be.

My mother's flower beds have beautiful pink petunias growing in them every summer.  Pink, purple, and white...that is what she prefers in her flower bed, and I like the way the colors look together.  I enjoy picking them and putting them in my little glass vases.

Ready for her walk, a few weeks ago.  Cute in her pink.

And of course, pink reminds me Easter Sunday with little girls in their dresses, the pink flowering tree blooming, and the pretty pastels of the colored eggs.
Now, didn't the pink of this post help to brighten your day and make you look forward to the warm weather ahead? 
Thank you for stopping by.