Simple Blessings ~~~~~

Blackberries
Fresh Garden Tomatoes

Relaxing by the pool
Having coffee on the porch

Watching Jake play at the beach

Growing Bellies

Sunflowers


I'm grateful for these simple blessings!

** Count Your Blessings Monday **

Last Monday I visited Peggy's blog and read that Marci had started " Count Your Blessings Monday " and I thought this was a wonderful idea. So this Monday I count my blessings.

My biggest Blessing is my family. I am blessed with a wonderful husband , two beautiful daughters , my grandson Jake and two more grandchildren on the way.
My Mom , sister , brother and my husband's family.

I'm blessed with the rain we received last week , my garden is growing.
It's a blessing to be able to preserve our garden goods and share it with friends and family.

Another blessing in my life is altered art. This is my latest creation and she was perfect for this post.Click on pic to enlarge.

Remember ~~~ Each New Day is a Blessing ~~~ Be grateful !

~~ Garden Time ~~

I haven't had much computer time , the garden is bearing and I've been busy.
I'm trying to make sweet pickles for the first time. They look pretty good so far.
It's an 8 day process , so you have to be patient.
We've cut all the broccoli and cabbage and got the onions out this week. Will be awhile before we dig the potatoes.
Cucumbers , peppers and Squash are bearing like crazy , you have to pick everyday.
We are going to freeze some of the squash and pickle the peppers. Some of the peppers will be chopped and froze to use in spaghetti or recipes calling for peppers. We did this last year and it really saved alot of money during the winter months , when bell peppers were .99 each.
The tomatoes will start turning in July. I'm planning to make salsa when they come in , fresh and canned.

So if I don't post much in the coming weeks , you'll know I'm in the garden or the kitchen.

Although I didn't know Daisy very well , I feel great sadness for her family , friends and all the Glitter Power Sisters who are feeling a great loss. May each one of you be blessed with some comfort at this time. Take some time to reflect and know that she will always be with you in spirit.

~ CAW ~ CAW ~ CAW ~

Went to the P.O. today and my crow package had arrived . CAW ! I so impressed with this swap , they're each so special in their own way. I hope to find time to put my book together this weekend.
Pam , Thanks for hosting this swap. Although it was alot of work , I'm ready for another altered chunky book swap.
Hope everyone has a magiCAWL weekend !!

Take Time to Smell the Butterfly Roses

I finally took sometime to create this little Garden Fairy. She's an altered creation titled " Take Time to Smell the Butterfly Roses". It felt good to make something , its been awhile since I've had time to do any art. I've listed her on e-bay and hope she sells. If you enjoy making altered art , checkout e-bay. Altered art seems to do well on e-bay , I've sold an altered Garden book and another piece on e-bay. I just need to get busy and create more items to sell.

No Lounging for Me !

Didn't get to lounge by the pool this past weekend , don't know what I was thinking. Saturday , I spent most of the morning packing and shipping some stuff I sold on e-bay. Saturday was like grand central station here , company all day and my youngest daughter's boyfriend wanted to take us out for dinner.I was planning to go to wal-mart after dinner , needed to pickup some items for the baby shower , I was helping host Sunday. My sister , Aunt and her boyfriend came over and I didn't get to wal-mart , so I had to go Sunday morning.

We had my SIL's baby shower Sunday . She received so many clothes , seems everyone wanted to buy those cute girl clothes. Last week , her doctor said they were going to induce labor a couple of weeks early , she has gestational diabetes and they don't want the baby to get large. Glad we decided to have the shower this month , we didn't want to have it in July because of vacations.

We finally got the much needed rain Saturday night.The garden will keep me busy now.

Monday I went with my oldest daughter for an ultrasound. We thought we would find out the sex of the baby , but it was to early to tell. They sent her for a ultrasound because they thought she might be further along than we first thought. Turns out she isn't and they projected her due to be Nov 23 instead of the 28th. So I guess we might be at the hospital for Thanksgiving.

My youngest daughter went to the doctor Wed. , her projected due date is Dec. 15th.

I started this post Tuesday and was going to start over , but I decided I would just add to it.

Hope everyone has a great weekend !!

~~~***~~~ Winner ~~~***~~~

And the winner is .............. Angela !

I had my little sidekick draw the name out of a bowl. Curious Jake drew your name , Angela. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for your wonderful comment you left yesterday.

Well the weekend is here and I finally got the pool ready. We've had a chilly and very dry May , so I didn't rush with getting the pool ready.But it's ready now and I'll be lounging by the pool this weekend. I think I'm due a good mixed drink and I may read one of those steamy , corny romances. Sometimes they're fun to read for an escape of everyday reality and they always have a fairy tale ending. (lol)

I cut all the broccoli this week and have been busy steaming and freezing it. If we don't get some rain soon , everything in the garden is going to die. It's been really dry and the rain we have got was just sprinkles. Anyway at this point , not much to do in the garden but pray for rain.

Hope everyone has a GREAT weekend !

Blogiversary Giveaway ~~~~ True Magic of the Garden

As I walked out the door this morning , I was blessed with some garden magic , the wonderful scent of magnolias that are blooming. The smell was pleasant and touched my senses , put me in a better mood and reminded me to be thankful for the simple pleasures in life.
I think the smells , color and beauty are the magic in gardens.This is the collage I created for my blogiversary giveaway. I will announce the winner tommorrow , so please leave a comment for a chance to win.

Strawberry Jam & First Harvest of Broccoli

Yippee ! Gathered the first harvest of broccoli yesterday. Last night I made chicken and broccoli , served over rice. I also made a strawberry cobbler with fresh berries.
It was delicious ! My oldest daughter has been craving chicken and broccoli , so she was very happy.

Last week I made the strawberry jam that is pictured above. The first batch I made with the fruit jell pectin , it setup good.
The jar on top is made the old fashioned way , just strawberries and sugar. It's a little darker because you cook it longer. This batch didn't setup good but I'll use it as ice cream topping.

Angela my daughter isn't having triplets. I have 2 daughters and they are both pregnant. My sister -in- law is pregnant and I consider her like a daughter too.

Judie , Jake doesn't want to talk about it (LOL). Maybe , all the other babies will prepare him for his sister or brother.

Lisa , I e-mailed you the recipe and some other info about making the strawberry jam.

Hope everyone is having a good week !

Baby , Baby , Baby

Nana , Nana , Nana ~ My youngest daughter told me Friday that Jake's going to be a big brother. Can you believe it , 3 babies on the way. I'm so happy for all of them.
We don't have a due date yet , will let you know after she sees a doctor.My SIL is due in July and my oldest daughter is due in Nov.

The picture above features a panel from the comforter set my SIL is decorating the nursery with. I'm planning to do a canvas painting of this sun for her.

Happy Day to You !!

>>> My Farm <<<

Well , it's not quite a farm yet. Although I hope to have a small farm soon.
I love the idea of self-sufficiency , fresh veggies , eggs and meats. My Paternal Grandparents were farmers and I loved the farm , except for one mean old rooster.
My Uncle took care of that rooster one day after he jumped me , twist of the neck and off to the chopping block , chicken for supper.

I would love to take credit for all the work , but I must confess it's a family community garden. My Mom , daughters , sister , brother , hubby , son-in-law all help with plowing , planting , weeding , gathering in two gardens. We have one at my house and one at my Mom's. So that's way it looks like a small farm , we grow enough for several families.

The photo above is Curious Jake and his mom , planting pumpkins. We dug holes for the seed but he decided to pour them out all over the ground and just give them some water (LOL).

My oldest daughter and I picked strawberries this week. I've been been busy making strawberry jam and freezing some.

Hope your weekend is Great !!

~How Does My Garden Grow ~

My garden is looking pretty good. The cabbage and broccoli are starting to head , we should be harvesting them toward the end of this month.
The potatoes and onions are looking real good but it will be a while before they are ready.

I planted 3 types of tomatoes. The grape tomatoes are starting to bloom , so hopefully we'll be eating some of those soon. It will be July before the others are bearing.

The corn is trying to come up , we need a good soaking rain so the seeds can sprout.

I planted okra , but it hasn't sprouted yet. I'm planning to plant greenbeans and squash between the corn as soon as it grows about a foot tall.

So this is How my Garden Grows !

The scarecrow women and twine fence with the plastic bags and foil pans , seems to be keeping the critters away.Wish they would keep the weeds away (LOL).

***** Happy Mother's Day *****

May your day be Blessed with Hope ~ Happiness ~ Hugs !!

BeLieve * ChaNge * DreAm

I was the winner of this wonderful collage , created by Groggy Froggy. It's so colorful and has inspiring quotes. Thank-you Lisa , I'm so happy I won it. It will hang in my studio and inspire me , when I find a beautiful frame for it.

I HoPe EveryOne has a CrEatiVe WeeKenD !!!

Frogs , Snakes and a Painted Turtle !

In the last week or two , Jake and I have been exploring nature.

We saved a painted turtle that was headed for the highway. We took him to the branch and released him there.

Where's the bullfrogs ? I kept pointing to the frogs , but I don't think Jake saw them until I downloaded this photo. They do camouflage well on the creek bank.

And speaking of camouflage , checkout Mr. Green Snake , my cat was trying to catch him.

The weather here has been very cool for May , I'll be glad when it warms up again.

I've been busy creating the collage for my Giveaway and working on the altered mermaid book. I haven't worked on the book in awhile , had to get my swaps finished and the garden started. The garden looks wonderful , will post some pictures of it later this week.

WOW ! One Year of Blogging !

Today I celebrate my blogiversary , it's been 1 year.


1 year ago today I wrote my 1st blog , it was titled Feather Blessing.
I wrote that Jake and I had been outside playing and I found a feather , hoped
it would bring a special blessing.

I believe that special blessing was the blogging community , I've met some
wonderful souls through this blogging adventure. So many unique , kind
and beautiful people willing to share your wonderful ideas , daily
happenings and adventures.

Looking back to last May , here's a little overview of what I was blogging about.

~~~ Remember ~~~

Creativity Train
Magnet Swap
Junk Mail Swap
Planting the Garden
Nature
101 Self Portraits Challenge

It's been a great adventure so far and I know the best is yet to come.

I want to tell everyone THANK-YOU for your comments and friendship. I was truly blessed by that Feather !

As a part of this celebration , I will be giving away a altered art collage. I haven't made it yet , will post when it is finished. Each comment left during the month of May will give you a chance to win.

I've posted a drawing of some feathers I did last year , although some look like
leaves , LOL.

Wishing everyone a Feather Blessing !!

Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival ~~~ Art and Music

Last weekend we went to our local Arts and Music Festival. We had a great time.
Curious J enjoyed the solar powered boats and some pizza.
DH and I enjoyed the music and art. We saw the Squirrel Nut Zippers and Atsiaktonkie and some other bands.
Atsiaktonkie is the lead singer for December Wind , a Native American band. We danced a couple of round dances . He sang a grief chant in memory of the VT students or for anyone who had lost a loved one. His music really touches the soul.


I've been very busy this week , tending the garden and Curious J. I meant to post this the first of the week but didn't get to it.

Hope you're having a Great Weekend !

Happy Earth Day !

I encourage everyone to spend sometime outdoors today. Enjoy what Mother Earth provides for each and everyone of us.

Take a walk , jog or run !

Pickup some litter along the way !

Take a stroll through the woods !

Sing , Pray or build some rock art !

Walk around your yard and just enjoy nature !

Take sometime to think about what you can do to help Mother Earth !

Enjoy this day ! CELEBRATE MOTHER EARTH !!!

Gloomy Day ~ Beautiful Art

We're having gloomy weather today , cloudy and cool. Good day for napping.

Thought I would share one of Curious J's creations. He's 2 1/2 and already learning how to use the computer. He loves to paint , he can use the mouse to pick his colors and tools. His mom taught him how to paint on the computer last Sunday and now I have to share computer time with him. Uh-oh !

I've been working on my crow pages and charms. I did make a soulcollage last night , see yesterday's post.

Hope everyone is having a creative week !