Forsysthia

Here in Virginia we were greeted with snow and sleet this Sunday morning! It is freezing cold outside, but thanks to the beautiful forsythia we can be reminded that Spring will soon be on it's way!

My Secret Garden

After reading the book, The Secret Garden, it was always my girlhood wish that one day I would have one of my very own. It fills my heart with joy that now I can say I do! Won't you come for a visit?

Enter through the arbor. If you look closely to the right you might spy a little fairy!

Yes, here she is and look what she is holding. Why, it's a key to the garden!

Now that you have the key you follow the path and you will see ..............

that butterflies are welcome

and so are ladybugs! Of course they would be,

they represent good luck.

Stately trees stand at attention

And hummingbirds visit to partake of some refreshing nectar

Along the path you will see my Grammy's old wash tub and oil can

And you can hear the trickling fountain beckoning birds to come for a drink

At the end of the path you will see this serene pond ~ if you look closely you can even see fish swimming!

Flowers blooming

Little jug boy from my Grammy

And of course you need a good place to sit and enjoy it all! It's even more special when you have somebody special to enjoy it with;)

And at night when the whole garden goes to sleep, the fairies come out from under their toadstools and dance around the fountain! How do I know? I saw them!

This post is dedicated to my dear Mr. P and my two wonderful children because they made my childhood dream become a reality!

Scenes From Our Valentine's Day

Beautiful peach colored roses from my dear Mr. P ~ I cut most of the stems off of each rose and then placed the roses in a shallow container. I like doing it this way because I think it makes for such a beautiful arrangement.

"Death by Chocolate" for dessert:o) There are no words, y'all!

As a surprise for Mr. P I made this heart banner and placed it at the head of our bed. The big heart in the middle says, "Happy Valentine's Day to my dear" and then I made an individual heart to spell out the word husband! On each heart I wrote something I loved about him that started with that letter:o)

Of all the special gestures from yesterday the thing that I loved the most isn't something that could be photographed. Being in a loving family ~ having the feeling of being loved and then having the privilege to return that love was and is the best thing, not only on Valentine's Day, but on EVERY DAY of the year! That's what it's really all about, isn't it?

Pretty In Pink!

I am a true "girly" girl ~ it shows not only in my choice of clothes, but also in my choice of flowers!

Pot of pink geraniums on my front porch ~

"Heavenly" hibiscus on my back porch ~

Fairy rose bush given to me by my dear Grammy ~

Porch Pleasures


Oh, how I love my back porch. Mr. P worked so hard last summer building it and this year we are certainly enjoying the fruits of his labor. This is where I spend my quiet time in the morning ~ what a joy it is to come out early with a cup of tea and listen to the birds chirping happily as they are readying for their day! We have also enjoyed many meals out here with family and friends and I'm sure there will be many more over the course of the summer. Yesterday I spent the morning "sprucing" the porch up a bit. Everything had a nice green coat of pollen on it (yuck) so with a little bit of "elbow grease" it looks as good as new!

I love wind chimes! Not the harsh loud ones ~ the ones that play a beautiful delicate melody. Such a lovely, peaceful sound.

Here is a shot of my favorite chair. All I need is a cold drink a good book!

This is my dragonfly begonia. I love the unusual quality of it ~ I think it is so lovely. The only problem I am having with it is that my kitty cats love it, too! Grrr.... They love to take the blossoms off of it:o( When I go outside and see the blossoms off and then look at them they give me this "innocent" look that says "who me, I didn't do it. I think it was the dog!"

If you look closely in the backyard you can see a raised platform. That is Mr. P's next big project ~ he is building himself a shed.

I love Boston ferns ~ I have always wanted to have them but never had a place to put them until now!

My variegated coleus

Thanks for visiting with me!

In Loving Memory

My beloved Grammy went home to be with the Lord this past week. She lived everyday of her 100 years of life in joyful celebration. She was a blessing and inspiration to all who knew her and was the finest example of what a Christian lady should be. Her funeral was a celebration of her life, and oh, what a life it was! Words could never properly express how grateful I am that God blessed me with Grammy. She was my teacher/mentor and my greatest inspiration.

As most of you know, my Grammy loved flowers. As friends and family were leaving the church, Miss Bonnie handed each one a beautiful long stem rose in loving memory of my Grammy. The following was poem attached:

The sweetest flower that grows
I give you as we part
To you it is a rose
To me it is my heart

One Perfect Blossom

While waiting to hear about news of the baby I was puttering about in the kitchen. While looking out my kitchen window I spotted something on one of our bushes in the distance. Everything in our yard was given to us by my dear Grammy and Grandaddy. Her yard was always the most beautiful in the neighborhood and she was always sharing flowers, bushes, and trees with family, friends, and neighbors! Every single Sunday she would go out in her backyard and gather up whatever was blooming and arrange in one of her many vases. She would hop in her car and bring these bouquets to residents of the nearby nursing home. Everyone loved her because she was so full of life, always willing to lend a helping hand and always there to give a smile and an encouraging word. She also made bouquets from her yard and took them to her church every Saturday where she would place them in the entrance foyer for all who entered to enjoy. Around town my Grammy was known as the "plant lady," and for good reason!

As much as she hoped and would have liked, I did not have a green thumb like she did. Most of the stuff is our yard is pretty pitiful looking and we were even talking about taking it all out and just doing grass. Now, back to the story! As I peered out the window I realized that what I was seeing was something on the Camellia bush that she had given us. Now mind you, this Carmellia bush has NEVER bloomed in the many years we have had it so I was most surprised. I put on my shoes and went out to investigate further. What I saw literally took my breath away. Sitting upon that bush was the most PERFECT blossom you would ever want to see! As I gazed upon it's beauty tears of joy welled up into my eyes and a song of thanksgiving was upon my lips. I gently cut the blossom off and brought it in the house. There was no doubt in my mind as to which vase I should put it in. I got Grammy's little blue vase out from the cupboard and lovingly put the blossom in. That beautiful blossom to me represented a celebration of new life as well as the celebration of lives past. We are all enter twined and connected, generation after generation. Coincidence? I think not! Grammy might not be with us in the physical sense but her legacy of love lives on and the celebration of life is represented in that ONE PERFECT BLOSSOM.

Spring Beauty Abounds!


Daffodils~ my favorite flower!

A picture of our Bradford Pear in all it's glory! So, so pretty!

A sweet pot of pansies graces our back steps. Can you spy the little bunny "peeking" out?

Welcome Spring, Glorious Spring!

I can't think of a better way to welcome in Spring than this. This is the beautiful view I got today when looking heavenward! Beautiful pear blossoms almost at their peak of beauty and as a perfect canvas, puffy white clouds dancing across a bright blue sky. God is truly the master artist! So, what are you waiting for? Go outside and "drink" in and enjoy His beautiful artwork!

The Loveliness Of Spring
"The splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of it's scent nor the daisy of it's simple charm. If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, Spring would lose it's loveliness!" Therese of Lisieux

Pictures courtesy of All Posters

Sweet Simplicity


I have found that most of the time it is the smallest things that bring me the greatest joy! Flowers picked from my backyard and placed inside my Grammy's vase puts a song in my heart~daffodils placed in an old milk bottle bring a big smile to my face! What can you find today that evokes that feeling in you? All you have to do it look around and see that there are so many sweet treasures that are just waiting to be discovered!

From Wedding Bouquet To Everyday Arrangement!
We had ONE busy weekend around our home place. My niece got married on Saturday and so the weekend was filled with festivities! Miss Bonnie was a bridesmaid and she got to carry a beautiful bouquet. She decided she didn't want to dry it so instead I decided to make an arrrangement from it. Since all the flowers were cut very short to make the arrangement I had to come up with something that could hold such short flowers. VOILA! I decided on our candy dish! We will now be able to enjoy these beautiful flowers throughout the week.

From Bridesmaid's Bouquet


To Everyday Flower Arrangement!

Celebrating The Harvest Inside!














Indian corn tied with a harvest bow greets our family and friends.



Pretty yellow mums in a rustic basket along with a seasonal cornucopia
make a sweet autumnal display.


A friendly scarecrow stands guard over mini pumpkins and Mums.