Quietly, without fanfare, and only me watching, this is what took place in my
small flower bed, during today's early morning hour.

The roses were closer to showing their color.  The tiny buds were just waiting to burst
open, and reveal their beauty to the world.

The peony buds were one day closer to doing the same.  Hidden color and design were formed,
and waiting to show it all to the world nearby.

A construction worker was busy at work, in a slow, tedious process of building a nest,
and did not seem fazed by the clicks of my camera.

In my book, this is construction at it's finest!  I am positive, there were no

blueprints, no executive meetings, and no permits needed...

No...instinct was built in.  I marveled at the order, the design, and the skills used in the
project.  It did leave me wondering as to "where" her construction would take place? 
I found myself hoping it would not be on the front door wreath, like last year.

The pansies in the pot, on the old wooden bench appeared to be observing the garden events
taking place, with their pretty, little, colorful faces.

Me...I have so much to do and must be on my way.  Just thought you might enjoy some
brief garden news today.

The mergers of creative minds and talent needed to bring that creativity to fruition, have
always been something I admire.  Today, I want to share two of many examples that
I saw that happen recently.

My niece was a bridesmaid in the wedding of a college friend this past weekend.  That
in itself is a honor.  But, on top of that, she baked the wedding cake and the cupcakes
served with it, at the reception.  Not only did she bake them, she decorated them,
created the pedestal stands, and display on which they were served, going perfectly in
the old library venue.  She has a career in finance, but has always enjoyed baking. She
offered to share her talents in this way, with the bride-to-be.  To me,it seemed like a
huge undertaking.  But, she handled the job with skill and ease.  I must admit, I was
proud of the finished product, and wanted to share it with you.

Pieces of walnut wood, sliced from a fallen tree and cut by her dad, were used as the display
trays.

Her famous Oreo cookie cupcakes, were the one flavor she baked, and...

Her equally famous chocolate/peanut butter cupcakes, were the other flavor, with chopped
Reese's peanut butter cups on the top. 

What a lovely display!  To make the pedestal displays, she used four wooden pieces that
were from a piece of furniture that she found on her dad's work bench.  She sprayed painted
them blue and secured them firmly onto each log slice.  How clever!  The old books in the
background, added to the unique, library décor of the evening.

 

Here my pretty niece is pictured on the right, along with the bride and another

one of the bridesmaids.

She is pictured here with her mother, who was instrumental in instilling in her,
the love of baking and cooking.  What a legacy to pass onto a child.

Speaking of creativity coming to fruition, a few years ago, my oldest daughter took
an old white shutter, painted it with chalk board paint, and decorated it with font and
pictures, as a gift to me on Mother's Day.  It has remained on my porch through four
seasons of the year, without fading.  On Sunday, she stopped over and said that she
wants to redo it for me, this time using chalk markers instead of chalk.

She wiped the shutter clean, and then in the presence of two of her young fans,
proceeded to the redoing process, with speed and artistic skill.  I was so impressed
as I sat on the sofa watching the transformation taking place.

The new chalk markers added a brightness to the board that the chalk was not able
to do. 

I was amazed, that even the pictures were drawn with speed and skill.

And, here is the updated version of my "Porch Rules" shutter.  Oh, and by the way,
she did correct the spelling of the word "reminisce", in case any of you picked it up.
I am so thrilled with this masterpiece!

Along with the theme of this post, containing beauty and creativity...this is what

I found last evening, as I was driving home.  The breathtaking scene, caused me

to once again, stop by the road and take a picture.  Exquisite beauty that cannot

be replicated by mere humans.  It made me want to grab a lawn chair, and sit

for hours by the water:)

 

Thank you for stopping by!   

 

A few of the mothers I am choosing to honor this Mother's Day,

on a day set aside for that very thing......

 

Mothering is a huge job, carrying with it more than anyone can ever

prepare you for.  It is a great privilege, and one never

to be taken for granted.  It is also demanding, tiring, perplexing, emotionally

challenging, yet full of joys, blessings, and deep satisfaction.

 

Many years ago, I was given three precious gifts from my

Heavenly Father ............ three beautiful daughters.  My only training

ground for the role, was the years I had living with my own mother, and at times

in the presence of my two loving grandmothers.  I now know, how many

lessons I was grasping from observing them in daily life.

I think back to those growing up days, to those teenage years, and

then on to the years of becoming a mother myself.  My heart overflows

with gratitude, as I remember back.  Back to the examples I had,

the love I was shown, the work ethic I was exposed to, the perseverance I

saw carried out, and the patience extended to me.

 

Now, I am in a different role.  One where I am taking a back seat to parenting.

Where the decisions are not mind to make, and the mothering is not

mine to provide.  A role where I give advice if asked, and offer

lots of love, care, and fun to their little ones.  It is such a different role for

me.  Now, I observe the three of them walking through their new, God

given roles.  I watch, I pray, and I pray.  I see their role now, with

a new set of eyes.  I see how hard they work, how unselfishly they

 live and give, and how much they invest in their children's lives.

 

I am so thankful for each one of my daughters.  Mother's Day is their day. 

And, Mother's Day... 

is a special day for each and every one of you who visit here, whatever role

you may find yourself in, whether...

mother,

grandmother,

aunt,

teacher,

nurse,

doctor,

Sunday school teacher,

babysitter,

nanny...

you are making a difference!  You are touching lives.  You are sharing love,

kindness, instruction, and many life lessons. 

Thank you for that!

 

Here are a few favorite pictures of our daughters in their mothering

roles, captured this past year;

 

 

And, here are a few favorite pictures, showing that some lessons are already being
learned by their children;

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for stopping by today!

You are a blessing to me!

 

Springtime creates it's own beauty.  I like how this paper napkin depicts the season in
vivid colors, and how it brings together the table colors, at my brunch.

The pink tulips, the array of tiny forget-me-not flowers, and the white dishes, where
enhanced by the napkin's design.  The centerpiece container was a birthday gift from
one of my daughters, and was ordered from the Magnolia Shop, which is a online
store of one of my favorite television shows, "Fixer Upper", on HSN.

The forget-me-not flowers were shared with me, from the abundance of my daughter's
garden, a few years ago, and they continue to grow in abundance with each year.

On a side note, I learned that the forget-me-not flower was named the official flower
of National Grandparent's Day by the National Grandparent's Day Council.  They
symbolize true love and remembrance. 

On my table this morning, they enhanced the small pink tulips, in each tiny gift favor.

Years ago, my sister purchased a "brunch" I offered at a school benefit auction, and only
now it was being "cashed in".  She brought the dear women, that make up a Bible Study
group of friends.  What a delightful group of women to share a morning with!

The conversations, the laughter, the food and the pretty spring flowers, helped create a
memorable way to spend a warm, sunny morning.

 

And, you know how happy it makes me, when I can start bringing the flowers

from the outside, into my home, adding color and fragrance everywhere.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

 

 

"We delight in the beauty of the a butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through
to achieve that beauty."     ~Maya Angelou

This is true in the lives of our family and friends.  We delight in who they are, while
unaware of all they may have gone through, to become the person that they are today.
The caterpillar while encased in the darkened cocoon, never dreamt of the freedom that
lie ahead.

"Butterflies can't see their wings.  They can't see how beautiful they are, but everyone
else can.  People are like that."   ~unknown

Speaking of beautiful people...my cousin captured the two pictures above, last summer
in her zinnia garden. 

These pictures were taken at a recent visit to the National Museum of Natural History,
in Washington, DC.

"Most have noticed the wings of a butterfly, and observed the uniformity and beauty of the
pattern.  Now to produce that beautiful uniformity of pattern, hundreds of thousands, if not
millions of little feathers must combine.  And were we to have to calculate the exact shape,
situation, and tint of marking which every single plume of this countless feather-dust must
have, to prevent the whole being a confused blotch, it would exceed all the powers of human
mathematics, not to say all the faculties of the human mind.  But we might as well believe
that a group of boys, by throwing together stone after stone for a number of years, could
build up a Westminster Palace---as that all these minute feathers came together by chance!"
~ Philpot

At the one section of the museum, containing the butterfly display, I stood gazing at
all the colors, patterns, and varieties of butterflies that hung above me, in a massive
display, representing a few of the many types of butterflies found in this world.

The museum was a most interesting place for all of us to spend time on a Saturday morning.
The adults and the children alike, were captivated by all that we saw.

Fun with our family, on a rainy, overcast Saturday morning, a few months ago.

Wishing you a good weekend, and hoping that your weather is as lovely as ours is today.

This summer, when you see butterflies with their intricate markings and brilliant
colors, that you are reminded of the God who created them, for us to enjoy.

"A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every

day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful

which God has implanted in the human soul."     ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


I am afraid that too often lately, we see more of the ugly in our world, flashed across
the television screens of our homes, and we become so absorbed in the ugliness at
times, that we miss out on the beautiful around us.  My prayer is, that on my blog, in
a simple way, I will continue to share bits of the beauty that make up daily life.  And
that even in the midst of pain, trials, uncertainty, and unrest...our focus can be
redirected to those simple, yet amazing gifts that our Heavenly Father provides us with.

 

A tiny gift for you today.  I only wish I could share the sweet aroma it provides,
along with it.  I know it would make you smile.

Thank you for stopping by.

On a clear, sunny Saturday afternoon, I was honored to be invited to a baby shower
for one of my daughter's dear friends.  On the invitation, it was called a "Mr. McGregor's
Garden Party", and I looked forward to seeing what that would entail.

The "soon to be mother" and one of her good friends.  They did not find out ahead of time
whether she was having a boy or girl, but everyone was making their predictions for her.
She looked pretty in her lace and pearls, for this anticipated event!

It was fun to walk around the home, and see all the creative touches put in place for this
garden party shower.

Here we were to guess the amount of old buttons in the jar.  I recognized some of the old books,
from my daughter's childhood. 

Eagerly this sweet girl wrote down her button guess.  In a few short weeks, she will get to meet her
new little cousin.  The big smile revealed her excitement over it all.

The clever way the relish tray was presented, fit perfectly into the garden theme.

Strawberries and grapes became eye candy, on the clear crystal pedestal display, and
tasted so good with the melted chocolate drizzled over it.

The food presentation was well thought out and  so attractively done.

 

 One of my favorite aspects of Mr. McGregor's Garden Party...

peanut butter button cookies, made by the hostess.  What a cute addition to the shower!

 

The sister and niece of the mother-to-be added to the shower's festivities, with their
warm smiles and kind hospitality.

 

 

Two lovely ladies, who eagerly look forward to fulfilling the coveted role

of "grandma" to the new little one.  I think grandmas are looking younger than

ever!

 

And, so are great-grandmothers!  These two gracious ladies have welcomed many little
ones into their arms over the years.

The smiles, the laughter, the conversations that were taking place throughout the home,
helped to make this event, one that will not soon be forgotten.

The baby will be so blessed to have aunts like this to care for and love them.

The gifts, the food, and the fellowship left the dear mother-to-be

with a feeling of joy and thankfulness in her heart, as she

faces the days ahead.

So much attention to detail was found everywhere. 

What fun to discover that I got to take a small gift along home with me. 

 

Another touch of "wow" to the garden party.

 

As I walked out the front door and said my goodbyes, it seemed like even the pansies
were smiling:)

Thank you for stopping by today.  Maybe this will renew some of memories you may
have from your days of reading about Mr. McGregor's garden, leaving you with a smile
too.