A truckload of daisies . . .

On the road again

I wanted to share some of the beauty of Big Bend National Park in Texas with you. 

My husband has wanted to go there for some time and I finally decided that it was not fair for me to always get to pick our destination for vacations!   If I could be dropped in the middle of the park, it would be a place I would want to go often.  It was really beautiful.  However, it is 650 miles from home so I don’t think we will be doing that again any time soon.  The distance is not the only problem – most of it is desolate, desert-like, without even a tree to get behind for “you-know-what”.

There is only one place in the park to stay (besides campgrounds) and you must make reservations well in advance.  There is no television., air conditioning, or telephones and forget cell phone service.  (But it really was pretty . . . .)

This is the view from our room.

They have not had rain here in a while, but our last day there, it rained for about 20 minutes, then hailed for a few minutes and then cleared up.  As the sun was going down, I was fascinated with the clouds.  I have never seen anything like this.

My sweet husband said I could plan the rest of the trip, but it didn’t go too well.  We headed to Fredericksburg (which I love), but arrived too late to shop.  There was only an hour left before the stores started closing and, the next day was Sunday and most of them don’t open.  I guess the good thing is that it saved me some money.   We did go to the Wildseed Farms which is a fabulous place and bought some plants and a pound of wildflower seeds to sow in our yard near the road for next spring.   1,500 miles later, home sweet home.   Tired but happy.

Now, where are we going next?   My pick!

My sentiment exactly . . .

 Got this cute sign today at a garage sale.  

That’s where I want to be – how about you?

My bottle tree in full “bloom”

Whew, now I can quit drinking!!

Just kidding, I had lots of “donations” from friends.  Thanks all – now you can quit drinking!

Beautiful day to garden

I’m working outside for a while today.  The weather is perfect and everything is blooming.

Here are some Johnny Jump Ups that I forget about every year – until they “jump up”.  They are planted around a potted rose bush.

This is a planter that sits on the deck rail.  Look what I spotted when I took this picture . . .  ladybug at the bottom.

Think I’ll sit a spell and look at the beauty around me.   Hope you have a wonderful day – I am!!

A little pile of junk . . .

My latest garage sale finds . . .

Galvanized display shelves, old metal laundry container, aluminum pitcher, (lopsided, large) camera, large locker basket, very heavy bird feeder and 10 vintage appetizer trays.  To put things in perspective, the aluminum pitcher is 9-1/2” tall.  The camera can be straightened and then would make a great display piece.   All for $10.   Now, what to do with it?!   I must quit shopping!

The original “hunt and peck”

Birds at the typewriter . . .

Oh, happy day . . .

I love it when my roses  all start blooming.  It just makes my day to walk around the yard and look at them!   The new bushes I bought in Tyler recently are planted and have lots of new flowers and buds on them, so I just had to cut some.   Love, love, love them!!!  Isn’t that dark purple one fantastic?!

A little road trip . . .

This week my husband and I decided to hit the road and see some of the pretty scenery in East Texas – just a couple of hours from home.   So, we went to the

We were waiting until we heard from a friend who lives in Tyler that the azaleas were finally opening.  Our unusual winter weather had them off schedule!  We saw some beautiful flowers, lovely gardens and gorgeous dogwood trees then shopped for a few rose bushes for my garden.  Here is some of what we saw.

And my roses – not on the same bush; I just propped them up together.  The purple one is named Ebb Tide and the apricot is Easy Does it.

I also got another one called Dolly Parton.    I’ll leave it up to your imagination as to why!   When it blooms, I’ll show you. . .

Wishing you

 

a Joyful and Happy

 

Hope you are spending it with those you love.

A New Look

Several months ago I asked my (welder) husband if he would fix one of my antique iron beds so that we could use it with our queen size mattress.  It is a bed that I bought at an estate sale years ago and used it in a guest room for a while.  You can see another one in my guest room here.  When I had a booth in an antique mall I sold lots of iron beds and my hubby would adjust the length of the rails. 

I had to eliminate my large Euro sham pillows because they covered too much of the pretty headboard.  Here is the result . . .  and I love it!

 

Thanksgiving??

My husband has been on a dessert kick lately and has polished off (by himself, I might add) a pecan pie, peach pie and apricot cake in the last three weeks. 

Yesterday he requested another pie – pumpkin.  I said “what?”   He thought it sounded good, so here it is.  (You know the recipe – the one from the Libby’s can.)

My house smells like Thanksgiving and that’s okay with me!   I always have lots to be thankful for so this a gentle reminder.   How about you?  I hope you are thankful too.

I have been “missing in action” lately, but that is another story.  I’ll fill you in some other time.

Ohhhhhhh . . .

I so w the blue sky and fluffy clouds!!   It feels like Spring may be  around the corner.  The purple martin house is ready for the little guys to fly in. 

Pillow Talk

Recently I found myself in a neighborhood where I don’t normally go – not that far from me, but just not my normal stompin’ ground.  I went in Pottery Barn <<drool>>.  I knew I wouldn’t come out without buying something.  Actually, as soon as I walked in the door, they were putting out these pillows that screamed at me.  Bird, embroidered, colorful – need I say more!  They have lots of bird-themed items now so I knew I better leave quickly!

I remembered that IKEA was nearby and I hadn’t been there in a long time – only once since they opened -- so I headed in that direction.  As many of you probably know, the store is huge, packed and very organized.  If you don’t know what you are doing though, you wind up walking the whole thing almost twice just to get out!  (I’m sure there is a method to their madness because in the process of trying to get out, look what I found . . .

Two more pillows – embroidered, colorful.  And, I didn’t even know I needed pillows.  Happy accidents for sure!

P.S.  I think I need another one in front of these. . .

Good morning sunshine . . .

It just warms my soul.  I can take any cold temperature if the sun is shining.  Looks like we might have several days of sunnier and a little warmer weather.   Praise God!

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY

Be sweet to your sweetie . . . and have a happy day!

Can’t do anything about it, so

What a difference a day makes!

I’m so sorry that I complained about the weather yesterday.   Look what we woke up to this morning!

And this is the garden that I showed you in my previous post where herbs and daffodils were coming up.

People in Texas say, “If you don’t like the weather here, just wait a minute.”   How true!

I must admit that it is pretty and really exciting for the kids, but I think I’ll just stay inside, look out my window and have another cup of hot chocolate!

The good news is that it will be gone in a day or two.   All I can say to all of you sweet people in the northeast is “Bless Your Hearts”!   I don’t know how you do it . . .

Please be true . . .

Could it be that Spring is near?   I hate to be cranky about the cold weather that we are having when so many people are covered in snow, but, really, this is Texas!  Today I noticed that some brave souls are peeking out in my garden.  Are they fed up with it too?

I have a frozen birdbath -- and daffodils and herbs nearby trying their best to ignore it.

 

I can’t wait to be able to join them in the garden!  Okay, now a little sunshine would help too.  Guess I just better go shopping – there is nothing to do here . . .

Rearrangement

My silhouettes were bugging me!   I just hung them as my collection grew and they were just too randomly scattered.  So today, it went from this. . .

to this. . .

and I feel much better.  This is much more "orderly". (They look a little crooked from this angle, but I promise they are not!)  The frames were garage sale finds – not too special, but I didn’t care -- I was really just going for size.  They both have a red border in them, but I think after I look at it a while that I will paint the frames black and maybe leave the red.  Better?