I read a quote by H.  Jackson Brown, author of the famed "Life's Little Instruction Book".  It says, "Always have something beautiful in sight even if it's just a daisy in a jelly glass."

It just makes me happy to have touches of beauty in my kitchen.  That is why I wanted to share this bouquet of light pink tulips that my sister brought for me.  She got them at Costco and gave them to me as a hostess gift, when she came for dinner.  They are still so pretty.  Makes me want to invite her for dinner again real soon.

They make me smile every time I sit down to the table.  Would you agree with me?

Even now that they are opened, they continue to add elegance to the kitchen.

I change the decorations on my kitchen island as often as I change my blog banner:)

A few years ago, my sister gave me a glass carafe, and my daughter gave me the rose creamer and sugar that are there now.

I added some faux green ivy, a string of tiny white battery operated lights, and a simple bird nest, with pink butterfly to the glass carafe. 

I like the look that it creates.

 

A strand of tiny white lights makes everything look better.

You can buy them inexpensively in any craft or garden store.  This strand requires 2 AA batteries and lasts a long time.

 

I rescued this green iron shelf from the garage, where it held some old cans of paint.  I brought it into my screened in porch and added some vintage items from

 our home.  I strung some tiny white lights around the back of it.  I like how it turned out.  What fun to shop through one's house and attic.  I do wish I was more skilled at creating vignettes, but this is okay with me.  The pink glass butter dish in the second to bottom shelf, was purchased at an old barn sale years ago, by some dear friends. 

 

On the same shelf is this old glass painted sign, just like my grandma had in her home.  My daughter found it at a flea market and gave it to me.  It reminds me of my grandma every time I see it.

 What a comforting promise for me in the world today.

Just a few simple touches of beauty, in my home tonight.

We are so busy!  You know how it is the day after a holiday weekend.

The driveway needs to be swept...never mind that you can only find the car wash brush.  It will work, as long as Pawpaw doesn't find out:)

Sometimes you just have to grab whatever shoes you can find, never mind that they are your older sisters and on the wrong feet, because you know time is so limited...

Next we are off to our McDonald's job, and all of you know how demanding that is.

So much food to serve, so many details to tend to, and customers can be a bit grouchy, especially after a holiday.

 

But, we are now organized and ready to face our day.  Bring on the orders folks:)

 

You know how it is...you just jump right in to face the week ahead, ready or not:)

Sure do hope you are already off and running today.

  I am. 

I do want to remember that every day we are given, is a gift.  A bit of humor sure helps too.

Happy Monday!

I introduced you to this dear friend in a previous post, but yesterday I was privileged to see some of her most recent masterpieces, and decided it seemed like the perfect post for Memorial Day.

Her hours and hours of work and expertise are done for service men and women who have been touched by war.  She did not want me to share this picture of her, but I think you need to see this gifted lady.

The organization is "Quilts of Valour".

 

 

My friend does the machine done quilt top.  In other words, she is the designer, the color coodinator, the piecer, and the artist of these quilts...an artist extrordinaire!  Her good friend is the the master quilter of these particular quilts.  There are many women who work tediously for the "Quilts of Valour" organization.

 

 

Look at the details in this quilt...amazing!!!

 

All done for very special men and women who serve our country.  Who help preserve our freedom...our heroes.

I want to share what a friend read at church, in regards to these men and women;

"I watched the flag pass by one day,

It fluttered in the breeze.

A young Marine saluted it,

and then he stood at ease.

I looked at him in uniform

So young, so tall, so proud,

He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him

Had fallen through the years,

How many died on foreign soil?

How many mother's tears?

How many pilots' planes shot down?

How many died at sea?

How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?

No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of TAPS one night,

When everything was still

I listened to the buglar play

And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times

That TAPS had meant "Amen,"

When a flag had draped a coffin

Of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,

Of mothers and the wives,

Of fathers, sons and husbands

With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard

At the bottom of the sea

Of unmarked graves in Arlington.

No, freedom isn't free."

~author unknown

 

Today, you may be having a picnic.  You may be celebrating a holiday from work, simply relaxing and stretching out on your hammock, or a blanket under the shade tree.  But, somewhere in this world of ours, soldiers are not having that privilege.   Thanks to them, we do.

Thanks to all of you...every last one of you who serve our country!

Those of you who haved serve and who do now serve in our United States Military! 

Those of you who lost loved ones in war, and those of you whose loved ones are not with you this holiday weekend because they are serving our country.

On a personal level...thanks to our wonderful son-in-law and all his years serving with the United States Coast Guard, our two nephews now serving with the United States Army.

Today we salute and honor you!

 

Wishing each one of you an enjoyable Memorial Day weekend!

Wishing you time to remember those who gave their lives for our freedoms...

And time to remember the ones who are to this day(including our two nephews), giving their time, work, dedication, and lives so that our flag can continue to wave in our country.  Freedom is a valuable gift!

May you have moments to spend with family and friends.

And, minutes to relax and reflect. 

Happy Memorial Day!

 

I've seen it before and wanted to make it for my porch.

I took four jelly jars and wound wire around the top of them and added a large hoop.

I had some clear glass flowers from a few years ago and wired a flower on one side and one of the leaves on the other.

My husband used little white hoop screws into the wood above the porch, to hang them.

I added a battery operated votive and my lanterns were complete.

It is almost too simple of an idea to share, but I am:)

The hanging lanterns add to the ambiance of the porch.

Remember the bird bath that my mother did not want anymore?

I had posted last year, that I added some tiny lights to it, a round piece of glass, and made an end table, adding a bit more to the ambiance.

Votives and strings of lights can add simple touches of beauty wherever you put them.

A fun, quick, inexpensive way to add a touch of sparkle, wherever these lanterns are hung.

Last summer, I visited a friend's backyard, and she had made these lanterns and had them hanging in the trees.  It was magical!

Thanks for stopping by!

I haven't posted for a few days and quite honestly it is because the well feels dry right now.

I will share a special time three little ones had at the farm on Saturday.

When you live in town, a visit to the country is a big event.

The weather was perfect and the there were no schedules to follow.

We hiked and crossed the stream on the rocks.

They brought their little fishing rods and their dad's tackle box.

Fortunately, they had a patient paw paw to help them with the bait.

And, their great-uncle had food to feed the fish, making the catch possible.

Their great-uncle had just purchased a boat from an elderly gentleman, and despite it's many years of  use, it still offered lots of fun moments.

Just "sitting on the dock of the bay", waiting for the fish to bite.  And bite they did!

 

 

A picture of true elation, before the fish is returned to the water.

And when you were tired of the boating, fishing, and hiking, you relaxed on the chair and munched on Goldfish.

When your face had enough sun, you borrowed your paw paw's cap.

Sometimes, you just strolled on the nice, long wooden dock, acting cool.

 

When you see a field of buttercups, you just have to pick a bouquet for your maw maw.

We all had so much fun and not one of us, wanted the day to end.

I guess that is what Spring and Summer days at the farm have to offer.

 

We saw her standing on the concrete railing by the pool, on one leg, so proudly.  We wondered at the sight.  Why was she there?

Then we saw her little one swimming in the water below...

...and to our delight, we discovered even more reasons as to the mother duck's focused pose.

Nestled in the corner of the pool were the rest of her babies.

She did not move from her position of guarding her little ones.

I understand that.

This week, when I took my little ones to the park, I stood guard too, although I kept both feet on the ground.

"Mothering" is a job to be taken seriously.

Just another "little something for you" today.

 

Pink and purple...it seems like a summer combination that one can find everywhere around here.

 

The first flowers from the farm roadside stand included the pink and purple.

I stopped at the stand recently and found this sweet little bouquet, with it's pretty Spring colors.

 

 

These two little ones naturally gravitate towards pink and purple.

The permanent markers they chose to decorate with had the same colors.

 

The color combination of petunias that my Mother chooses to plant in her flower beds, are always pink, purple, and white.

 

And, apparently the lodge we visited had the same combination of colors in mind,  as there were hanging baskets throughout, of the same vibrant colors.

 

In whatever shades of pink and purple one may find, I think it makes one take notice, whether it is by sight, or in the case of this bouquet, smell.  Oh, the fragrant aroma of lilacs.

  My uncle captured this photo recently on one of his travels.

What a way to bring calmness to one's heart and anxious thoughts, simply gazing at the beauty and peacefulness.

Spending quiet time alone with God is always an encouraging way to start my day, and reflect on the beauty of His creation.  Wouldn't you love to sit on a comfy beach chair on the beach and watch the sun set?  Okay, maybe it will help to just remember this scene throughout the day.

If you click on the picture, you can get the full impact.

Thank you for stopping by.

She took an old wooden shutter, painted it white, and then painted the middle panel with chalkboard paint.  On the blackboard she used her colored chalk and wrote out the "porch rules" for my porch.

It is the perfect addition to my porch and the most creative gift.

Thank you dear daughter!

I am surprised at the early blooming of  the roses this year.

This bouquet graces my kitchen table today, and looks so good in the old blue canning jar.

My love affair with roses continues on.

Georgia O'Keeffe says "Still, in a way, nobody sees a flower, really.  It is so small.  We haven't the time.  And to see takes time.  Like to have friends takes time."

Whether in the sun's brilliant rays, or the days of rain and storms, their delicate blooms offer color, fragrance, and true beauty.

I read a tip from a professional rose grower, Carolyn Roehm, that I want to share with you;

"TIP...All floral preservatives contain the same basic ingredients; a biocide, an acidifier, and sugar.  You can use a commercial preservative or you can make your own;  Fill the vase with a solution of equal parts lemon-lime soda and warm water.  Than add two or three drops of bleach to prevent bacteria or add two ounces of original Listerine mouthwash to each gallon of water.  Listerine contains sucrose(food), bactericide, and acid.  Acidified water moves more easily up a cut stem."

What helpful advice this is and I look forward to using this tip.

Whether a cut bouquet of roses...

Or a fence laden with fragrant blooms...my passion for roses continues on.  I dream of walking out my back door to a scene like the one above.

I am reading the inspiring book "One Thousand Gifts" by New York Times Bestseller Ann Voskamp, and without a doubt, roses are one of the gifts I am so thankful for today.

What is your favorite Summer flower?