Feeling blue?  A few pictures to hopefully convince you "having the blues" can sometimes be good. 

These few pictures do that for me today.

They come from my personal collection of blue, as in the marbles from the marble game, the blue ice cream selection at "Minnie Moos", the joy of a first "Merry Go Round" ride,  and the thrill of the high slide at

"The Bounce Place"...

A few pictures from my uncle's camera, captured from a beachside visit...

My friend's "Morning Glory" growing expertise...

And, past copies of "Victoria" magazine, that always offers me "blue smiles" with their gorgeous photography...

 

 

 

 

 

Wouldn't you love to be here...sitting on the beach at the end of the day, on a comfy beach chair, just listening to the waves rolling in, and soaking in the breathtaking sunset?  I am sure that would remove any feelings of "blue" in my day.

My uncle took this picture last evening, and it reminded me that, no matter how dark the clouds may be, there is always blue sky behind them...always.

She has a great following and she takes it seriously.  She makes sure "her birds" are well taken care of during these "hot, very hot" and somewhat dry summer months.  They congregate in our back yard daily for food, and for this;

She(my wonderful Mother), placed two black rectangular containers, filled with water, on her stone wall.  Afterall," the birds need water to drink and bath in," she says.  Well, what do you know, bathe and drink they do.  Everyday, this is the scene I see as I look out of my kitchen window.  Today, I will share it with you.

Somedays there are more than this in each black container.  They always seem to be having a good time.  Like party central:)  In a way, she is their local "caregiver".

Meanwhile, upstairs, in my floor of our home, I could be labeled, their local "caregiver" during certain days of the week.  I lovingly take good care of them.  I make sure they are fed, and given plenty to drink.  And at "some" moments during their stay, they actually take good care of each other:)  Last evening I saw this scene taking place and grabbed my camera.  One has to capture precious moments like this one.

 Together, we care for birds and precious little ones, at this house.

Hope you have someone to care about" you".  I do.  I treasure all of your visits and comments.  They offer me refreshment in the hot, summer months.

Thanks for stopping by!

The farms in my part of the country are still producing beautiful bouquets of flowers and the prices are unbelievable.  My daughter dropped off this bouquet along with her children last week.  I think I get the best end of the deal.  I get to babysit, plus I get to have fresh flowers on my table.  Happy me!

I know that I did a previous post on plate communication creations.  A simple white plate, a stand to sit it on, and dry erase markers to write the message.  I have been sharing these as gifts lately and have been hearing that they are providing fun ways to communicate with those you love.  Recently, I purchased the above plate for 3.00 on the clearance shelf at Marshall's store.  The stand cost 6 or 7 dollars at Joann's Fabrics, the dry erase markers were 4 for a dollar at the Dollar Tree and the rub-ons were purchased at Michaels.

K&Company have so many beautiful sheets of rub-ons, and can be purchased at many craft stores.  The above sheet comes with colored rhinestones to stick on the rubbed on picture.

Here I rubbed on this Gerbera Daisy arrangement onto the corner of the white plate, with the included plastic stick.  I then placed the colored rhinestones on the center of a few of the flowers.

I wrote a message on the plate with the dry erase markers.  I think it would be nice to place this plate outside of a friend's back door, especially if you know they are going through a painful time in life. 

This plate I created for a friend's 50th birthday gift.  I used red poppy rub-ons and red lettering that was on the same sheet.  She placed it on her kitchen counter and now uses it as a message center for her family.  A simple, inexpensive white plate sitting on a black stand.  Messages like "I love you", "I am sorry", "You don't have to make dinner tonight, because I will"...any messages that a family wants to share.  The words can be wiped off easily with a damp papertowel, and new words written.

I have been experimenting with different ways to decorate the plates before giving them away.  I thought I would share a few of the ways with you. 

The above creation...white plate edged in black...1.00 at the Dollar Tree

black stand...6.00 at Joann's Fabrics

Real looking sunflower from craft store...3.00

I hot glued the flower stem to the side of the plate and tied a sheer ribbon to it. 

Now ready to write whatever words one wants to share.

That's it for today.  Once again, it truly is just "a little something for you"!

We visited their great-grandma at the village last week.

The littliest ones love going there to visit.  The aquariam is always intriquing to them.

Grandma and granddaughter share moments of conversation together.

Needlework and carefully made crafts are framed and displayed in the hallways.  It amazes me how talented the residents are in creating these masterpieces.

 

This scene touched my heart, as I was getting ready to say goodbye.  A lady was playing beautiful music on the organ in the lobby.  I saw this couple sitting there holding hands while listening to the music.  How tender!  Each visit leaves me with a new appreciation for those in this phase of their lives.  I feel like we all (young and old alike) profit from our time spent with our dear Mother, Mother-in-law, grandma and great-grandma.

Recently I read this poem and close this post with sharing it;

"Blessed In Aging"

"Blessed are they who understand

My faltering step and shaking hand

Blessed, who know my ears today,

Must strain to hear the things they say.

Blessed are those who seem to know

My eyes are dim and my mind is slow

Blessed are those who look away

When I spilled the tea that weary day.

Blessed are they who, with cheery smile

Stopped to chat for a little while

Blessed are they who know the way

To bring back memories of yesterday.

Blessed are those who never say

"You've told that story twice today."

Blessed are they who make it known

That I am loved, respected, and not alone.

And blessed are they who will ease the days,

Of my journey home, in loving ways."

~Esther Mary Walker

This poem serves as a good reminder to me, today.

 

Ever since I was a little girl, I liked the color red.  One would not know that by visiting in my home and you know what, I still cannot figure that out.  Why didn't I decorate at least one room in red?  Another one of those puzzles in my life.

Today, I thought I would share some "red and some white" pictures with you, that make me smile.  I hope they do the same for you.  Seems like lately we all need some smiles.  We need to focus on the beauty of our everyday lives.  Would you agree?

I remember the restaurant that I once ate in, that had a red rose like this on every table.  It was such a gorgeous rose that I found myself photographing it and now I am thankful I did.  What a simple, yet so elegant centerpiece!

Last week I stopped at a roadside stand near my home.  The homemade cherry pie looked so good and the way it was displayed looked even better.  Must have been a creative owner:)   And no, I did not buy it.  Wanted to but didn't.

When we took our out-of-state guests on a tour of our county, we stopped at a thriving country bakery.  Outside of the bakery, were wooden swings to sit on and relax.  As I did just that, this little guy with the bright red comb came running by the swing.  Imagine that!  Does that happen at the bakery you frequent?  Just had to take it's picture.

I brought red and white flowers in from the outdoor pots, by my front door.  I liked how they looked in the tiny white pitcher, especially sitting next to the plate of vegtables that my wonderful neighbor lady brought me yesterday, from her backyard garden.  An unexpected blessing.

What a surprise treat for me, who does not have a vegtable garden.  Can I tell you, those tiny tomatoes tasted better than candy to me.  I don't know what kind they were, but they "were"(the plate is empty now) so good!

Whenever I am down in my mother's kitchen, the red glassware always makes me smile.  It looks so pretty in her white, glass cupboards.  Would you agree?  She knows how to make everything pretty.

At a restaurant I once ate at, they served the condiments in a basket like this.  Mayo and ketchup...the red and white, I like on many a sandwich that I eat.

I liked this sign I saw in a coffee shop I once visited.  I liked it so much that I took a picture of it.  The red and white words seemed like the perfect advertisement for their ice cream cones.  Oh, I'd love to have one right now.

It is a beautiful, sunny summer afternoon.  I wish for you some time to have a picnic with friends, to eat ice cream, to walk barefoot in the grass, or to head out to a ballgame.  I wish you time to focus on what is true, noble, and lovely today.  My mother reminded me often about a verse from the Bible, in Phillipians 4:8.  It serves as a good reminder for me, in light of all that is taking place in the world today. 

Today's simple, "before and after" pictures.  Last evening, the clean jars sat on the counter waiting to be filled.

Finally, filled with fresh peach puree' to be frozen for the coming winter.  I enjoy the taste of fresh peaches throughout the year.  I also made peach jelly and finished late in the evening.

The collection of old bottles that sits on the wooden shelf throughout the year. 

Adding fresh flowers in the bottles makes me happy when I walk into my house.  Yesterday I added some of my roses.

Here is the most vast difference in my "before and after" pictures.  Before haircuts...

...after haircuts (two pictures taken two weeks apart from each other).  I can't believe how much older they look with the haircuts, although it is not any easier to tell them apart.

Wishing you joy in your day today!

This evening we had a rare opportunity.  We attended a book signing for an unique, new cookbook titled "Mennonite Girls Can Cook".  Two of the beautiful, gracious women who helped create the cookbook were at our local bookstore for the signing.  I can't tell you how much those of us who attended the signing, enjoyed meeting them.   Most importantly, all author royalties will be donated to charity to feed hungry children.  Now how's that for a deal, a cookbook chocked full of delicious, tried and true recipes, with the proceeds going to a very special cause.  The concept proved to be an exciting adventure for all the girls involved.

How interesting, five of us from the East Coast meeting for the first time, the two of them from the west coast of Canada.  A few years ago I was introduced to some of these ladies, when I "accidently" came across their cooking blog.  This blog lead me to some of their individual blogs.  I enjoyed my visits so much, that I found myself going back quite often.   Tonight, it meant so much to have the privilege of personally meeting these wonderful girls.  Pictured above from left to right, my Aunt, Anneliese(one of the authors, me, Lovella, another one of the authors, and my Sister-in-Law.  We all laughed and talked like we had known each other for years.  What fun!

Adding to the joy of the signing, was the fact that my daughter and her good friend had the opportunity to join all of us,to get their cookbooks signed too.  Pictured above, from left to right, is my daughter's good friend, Jeane', Anneliese, Lovella, and my daughter, Jeane'.  On a side note, my daughter was named after her friend and that is why they share the same name.  Thanks to my daughter I have these great pictures.

If you would like to visit Anneliese's blog, you can find it at "foreverythingaseason.blogspot.com/"

or Lovella's blog at "lovella-at-home.blogspot.com/"

If you need some very good recipes, you can find them at "mennonitegirlscancook.blogspot.com/"

What fun for me to meet two bloggers in person, after knowing them only through blogland the last few years.  I only wish we all could have sat around a table and talk for hours.  Maybe someday:)