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 !!