~~ Seashells ~~

I picked up many seashells , while at the beach. I love their colors , different textures and natural beauty. I have a huge collection.

While we were browsing the antique store , I spotted a planter that had been tiled with broken china pieces , marbles and old jewelry , it was beautiful.
It inspired me ..... I decided that I would try one with shells , driftwood , sea glass and other items I've collected over the years.
But when I got home , I realized there was something else I wanted to do with the shells. I have an old wooden counter , that we've been using as a bar outside on the patio and I decided to tile it with the shells.

I had planned to redo the outdoor furniture this past spring , but never got to it. I'm hoping this project will give me the kick start I need. I have started gluing the shells in place , then I will grout it and seal it. I will show you some photos as I go along with this project.

Hope your day is great , full of creativity and love !!

Count Your Blessings Monday

On this Monday I'm counting my blessings. Check out Marci .......................at http://amazinggrazefarm.blogspot.com/ for more info on Count Your Blessings Monday. I wish I knew how to make the link clickable , feel free to tell me if you know. I'm thankful for the herb Echinacea also known as purple cone flower featured in the photo above. We had a birthday party for my grandson on August 5th and something flew down my swimsuit and stung me on the breast. I never saw what it was. I'm not allergic to bee stings , but for some reason I developed an infection. I started taking my echinacea about two weeks ago and it is finally healing. Last year I bought the herbal plant , echinacea and planted it. It didn't grow very well in the spot I planted it , so I moved it in the spring and it has did better. You need to wait 2 years , before harvesting. Next year I plan to make my own tincture from my plant. I'm so thankful for this special herb the creator has blessed us with.
We were blessed with some much needed rain last night also. Thank-You to the creator for these wonderful blessings !!!

** ~ Oak Island Adventures ~ **

I'm back from a much needed vacation. We left last Friday for Oak Island. My SIL , her BF , Ayla , Jake , hubby and myself , arrived Friday night , turned the a.c. on and went out to eat chinese for dinner.

Saturday we rode to Holden Beach to visit my brother , spent the afternoon by the pool and went to Joe's Barbecue for dinner. I had catfish and shrimp , it was delicious. Jake loves buttons (shrimp) , we don't know why , but for some reason he calls shrimp , buttons (LOL).

Sunday , I babysit Ayla for my SIL , so they could go to the beach for awhile. She's a very good baby. My SIL and her BF left for home that afternoon.
My youngest daughter and her BF came down Sunday evening . Jake was excited to see Mom and Dad. We went to the beach and enjoyed watching Jake explore the ocean and the beautiful sunset.

On Monday we took Jake to visit the Oak Island Nature Center. It is built near the marshes , so we explored some and went inside to see the animals. They take injured wildlife and pets that are no longer wanted.
After we left the nature center , we stopped for homemade ice cream. It was a gift shop , but outside they served ice cream from a small trailer. They had it decorated tropically and Jimmy Buffet playing all the time.
They called this little paradise * The Leaky Tiki *. Jake wanted pink ice cream (strawberry) and ate the whole scoop , then announced he was ready for chocolate (LOL).

My brother grilled a feast for us on Monday night , hamburgers , hotdogs for Curious Jake , ribs , garlic bread , peppers and onions , red potatoes all cooked on the grill. He's a great cook and it was all delicious , I bet I gained a pound or two.
We where going to go fishing Monday morning , but the ocean was rough from the storm.

Tuesday we decided to checkout the antique shops and thrift stores. We also took Jake to the small airport to watch the planes take off and land. Jake was fascinated with the airplanes.
Jake wasn't thrilled about shopping , but the antique store had a shop cat and she held his attention. He loves cats , I have two cats and he chases them and tries to torture them when he can. But they love him , when he was sick , they stayed near him , even napping with him. Most of the time they keep their distance.
I bought a 50's chicken motif bill/letter holder , my kitchen is decorated with chickens and vintage 50's items.
We took Jake for that chocolate ice cream he wanted the day before and to the beach that afternoon . I picked up some driftwood and shells.
Later that evening we went to play putt-putt , this was Jake's first time playing putt-putt. He was so cute , he would take the ball and sit it next to the hole and knock it in. Hole in one everytime (LOL).

Wednesday morning , my daughter and I went to the beach early and picked up shells. I will share more about what I plan to do with the shells this week.

It was wonderful to get away and enjoy some new scenery. I enjoyed the quiet mornings , when everyone else was sleeping. I did some sketching and reading. I started reading The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron w/ Mark Bryan , great book to help with that inner critic. Some of the glitter girls have spoke about this book and recommended it. I found it a couple of weeks ago at a thrift store , a great book at a great price.

Will share more about the trip and art this week.
Hope everyone is doing well and THANK-YOU for the wonderful birthday wishes.

**** Happy Hugs ****

*~* My Birthday *~*

Yesterday I celebrated another year of living. My hubby treated me to lunch at our favorite mexican restaurant.
My daughters and mom cooked dinner for me. My oldest daughter made me a chocolate cake and put glitter candles on it.
I went with my youngest daughter for her ultrasound yesterday. Curious Jake is going to have a little brother to boss around (LOL).
It was a beautiful day !
I'm so thankful for my family.

We're taking a trip to the beach , for a few days. Time for some R&R !

~*~ Learning about Herbs ~*~

I'm doing a online study course about herbs , this course is free. If you would like to learn more about herbs , here are some links.

http://www.susunweed.com/An_Article_Weed_Self-help1.htm

http://prodigalgardens.info/index.htm

After reading the Prodigal Gardens site , I found the wild herb purslane growing in my garden , see photo above. I added some to my salad this week , it tastes good and makes the salad look pretty. Purslane is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids , which is healthy for you.

I made a soul collage about herbs last night. Maybe it will get my creativity flowing.

Well , I'm heading to the kitchen , need to make another batch of salsa. I've been blessed with tomatoes this year but they're small , due to the lack of rain.

~~~~ Hope your day is Blessed ~~~~

Herbs

I have been interested in herbs for many years. I've read alot about them and use some regularly. I buy mine at the GNC store. But a couple of weeks ago I decided that I would like to learn more and do an apprenticeship with a herbalist.
I've been making some herbal vinegars this week. I'm using local wild herbs to make these vinegars. I've made plantain , dandelion and red clover. All of these herbs can be used as a calcium supplement , 2 to 4 tbsps daily can reverse and counter osteoporosis. My youngest daughter will be taking the dandelion vinegar , it is good for liver problems. When she was pregnant with Jake , she had a condition called ICP. The liver doesn't function properly and bile starts building up and causes intense itching. We're hoping and praying this will not happen this time , but there is a 50% chance it will. I hope the dandelion will keep the liver cleansed and working properly.

Well , it's about time for Curious Jake to wakeup from his nap. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

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 !!