Bloom Where You Are Planted ~ Mary Engelbreit

Yesterday, June 21st was the first official day of summer....I awakened at my normal time of around  6:30

and put on the flavor of the week...Starbucks French Roast. This was on sale at Publix about 10 days ago and I should have bought 2 bags because I really love, love, love! Anyway, went outside and sat in the rocking chair and I waited for the sun to surface...I began the watering ritual as really summer temps have been here in south GA for about 3 or 4 good weeks. I read this yesterday in "Simple Abundance" and wanted to pass along since I guess I would fall into the class of "middle age".

"Gardening is one of the rewards of middle age, when one is ready for an impersonal passion, a passion that demands patience, acute awareness of a world outside oneself, and the power to keep on growing through all the times of drought, through the cold snows, towards those moments of pure joy when all failures are forgotten and the plum tree flowers". ~ May Sarton

While in my garden this morning, this is what I found...

                                             

Sunny, our cat and a friend that he is showing to me.

.

Blooms and more Blooms

Last but not least...my sweet Bronnie Petunia.

Lori's Holiday News: Blessings in Disguise.

Lori's Holiday News: Blessings in Disguise.

The Day After...

Picture that Daddy watched me paint as I stayed with him during his illnes in August '08. Named it Henry's Chevy.

Today is the day after Father's Day... I lost my father Feb. 14th 2009 after a six month bout with cancer...see blog above...Anyway, it was an okay day as Billy received phone calls  and texts from the kids.I was reading a book entitled "Broken Open" by Elizabeth Lesser. Really a good book but a little heavy for me at times but like the stories..Anyway, I was reading about her recollections on Death and her father passing and so that led me to thinking about Daddy and then that led to sadness and then that led to a few tears that probably needed to be shed. I went through Father's Day last year and don't remember the sadness but know he was in my thoughts so this year I took a little more time and "sat with the grief" as Lesser says is good to do. I don't like to do that as is my nature to travel  at a high rate of speed. This season is really giving me some things to think about along with her book...I'm smelling the roses and having a lot of faith as the world faces some serious challenges. Whatever the case may be, I am grateful for the Daddy that we had. All the crazy antics and funny ways he entertained himself and others will not be forgotten. Henry lives on in our hearts Forever and that makes me feel adoration and gratitude. We are always remembering something about him that makes us smile. Our family is settling into Life without him... but never forgetting Him.

Blackberry Fields

I am headed over this morning to pick the last of the hybrid blackberries from my mother-in-laws bush. We made black berry preserves about three weeks ago and so I'm going to make cobbler this morning. We went to Ray's IGA last night in Columbia, AL  and got our necessary ingredients with the main staple of Breyer's Vanilla ice cream. Which brings me to another topic; I love, love, love all the exoctic flavors of ice cream and i spend several minutes when I finally make  my mind up to splurge in the moment to buy, I look and try to decide what it is I really want to spend my calories on. Billy (husband) ususally always chooses VANILLA! Or if we're really splurging he has a Vanilla Milkshake or sometimes he may go out on a limb and get a chocolate milkshake..Anyway, that's the way he's wired but I truly love all of the different new flavors. Some I like are birthday cake by Blue Bell and then of course cookies and cream (a favorite)....Strawberry cheesecake is good but I usually gravitate to a flavor with chocolate in the title or in the description...Gotta Go and pick! pick! pick!

The Finished Product

Blessings!

Art anyone?

New day

The temperature in south Georgia is already tipping the 90's at 10 am this morning. I am headed out to The Bus Station, our retail store in Colquitt to set us up a new blog page so that we can bring to you unique items and tips for deorating. We are somewhat on a different wave as your typical, everyday "gift store" so hopefully through our new blogging page, we will be able to convey the message to the "Blog World". It's all about the journey, right? A few photo's to get you aquainted to
Our World at The Bus Station....

New Beginning

Parent's with Teenagers Prayer and Anniversary Blessing



The Hunter's Prayer.....First of Many



Okay, I'm prepared to do better. My blogs have been few and far between but I am promising myself after a class last night on blogging, to kick it up a notch..So here goes...I continue to create art...I will post a few pictures to show some things that I have done lately. My biggest thrust lately have been my blessings and prayers that I started writing back in 2007. I pick them up and put them down but now have been decoupaging them on wood which makes for a nice change. All different themes..The first I ever wrote was the Hunter's Prayer when Billy was leaving to go Quail Hunting. Then more followed depending on what was going on around me and even friends would request a prayer, say for their parent's 50th Wedding Anniversary or one of my favorites is "For Parent's with Teenagers Prayer." My girls are now out of the house which makes us empty nesters but they still are within a cell phone's reach. Back to the prayers, I enjoy writing them and then love to add my artwork to add personality. Someone once advise me to create the artwork so that when the customer sees the art, they will want to read the words on the page.
So I'll continue to blog and continue to create, not necessarily in that order.
Blessings and Peace!