Flowers in our yard...

...Or why I love our home! The azaleas were out in full force. Sadly, they are done blooming for this year. But, OH MY, what a show they put on. Much to my surprise, the whole property line on the east is laced with azalea bushes.

"Scatter sunshine, forget self, think of others."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Norman Vincent Peale (The Power of Positive Thinking)

Spring in East Hill

I love my neighborhood. I know I've said that before. (But, if you have read my blog at all, you realize that I repeat myself often.) There is just so much to love. And now that it is spring, well, it is exploding with vibrant colors and heady sweet smells from the flowers of spring. This little exquisite beauty was on a tree in my front yard. (As a matter of fact, all the flowers in this particular post are from my yard!)

Being my first spring here, it was like Christmas each morning. I would stroll through my yard to see what had come up new, what was blooming, what looked promising. This tree was a mystery to me. I didn't know if it bloomed, or just offered shade and beauty. But, one morning I got up and there was such a sweet smell in the air...I soon saw these blooms covering this little tree!!

"look back upon the past through a rosy haze of forgetfulness"
¸.•*´¨`♥ W. Somerset Maugham (Of Human Bondage)

Bonsai's & Blue Ball Jars {Part 1 of 3}

The weather has not been great. It is pretty good in comparison to the rest of the country, but it is not warm enough for me to go about taking pictures. So these are mostly indoors. At my house.

This is my kitchen pot rack. And I hang all the pots I can. I love the function of having them handy. I love the way they look. I love the space it saves in my cabinets. It is a warm and cozy feeling for me.

"If you can organize your kitchen, you can organize your life." ¸.•*´¨`♥ Louis Parrish


"I don't like to say that my kitchen is a religious place, but I would say that if I were a voodoo priestess, I would conduct my rituals there." ¸.•*´¨`♥ Pearl Bailey, Pearl's Kitchen


I sometimes have to take a picture when I feel it. And I felt like this. I got this fantastic framed art from a yard sale for just $3! I was excited. At first I put it in my back entrance hallway. Didn't like it there, so moved it to the upstairs bathroom. It is like it was created for that spot. This image is a bit on the grungy side...but it really is a clean beautiful piece of art. But, I was feeling the iphone grunge when I snapped it.

Bathroom art my bathroom



Last Monday night we went to our favorite pizza place...a little neighborhood bar called OZones. This was taken as we were waiting for a seat by the front door. It had an unusual vantage point overlooking the bar.

At the bar OZones


Finally at the bar waiting for our pizza. This was the coaster by candle light.

Dinner at O'Zones the coaster



{Continue to part 2...}

Bonsai's & Blue Ball Jars {Part 2 of 3}

I had a birthday. And this is the beautiful (and I DO mean beautiful) birthday cake that my husband got for me from my most favorite bakery in the world...Jay's in P'Cola. But, I have a dilemma. It has to do with choices. And I totally suck at choices. This choice involves my present. Here are my choices:

1. A trip with hubby to South Dakota. (I know it sounds hokey...but South Dakota has a special place in my heart.) He has never been there and I could show him all the places I've only talked to him about over the years.

2. A trip to Bermuda to visit my daughter. This is a two-fer. I would get to visit my daughter (and do we ever have fun) and Bermuda is enchanting. Drawback is hubby would not go. Plus to this is I LOVE Bermuda, and the opportunity is now while my daughter is over there. And I think this may be her last year there. So after that I'll probably never go back.

3. I get a SCOOTER!!! OMG! Plus to this is...it is a scooter! I have wanted one since my first trip to Bermuda. A scooter will last much longer than a week or two. And it would continue to make memories.

Problems? I have a few. Bad problems? I think not. Like I said . I'm horrible at choices. So...HELP!!!!

"I've never worried about getting older...I've been too busy worrying about getting caught." ¸.•*´¨`♥ StoryPeople

This is a bowl of seaglass in a wooden bowl I have in our livingroom window. On the seaglass is a little coin that says "celebrate each day". The coin was a gift from my daughter. And the seaglass probably was too. She brings me seaglass each time she visits. And when I go, I collect it. So it may be a mix of both.

"I celebrate myself, and sing myself." ¸.•*´¨`♥ Walt Whitman

In that same window, next to the bowl of seaglass, is a little bonsai. I got it on a shopping trip with my daughter. It was on clearance at Lowe's. And it looked like it may not make it. But, I adored it's shape and took a chance. I gave it some attention, love, water and sunlight. And it is growing and bringing me such joy!

"...the ultimate challenge for the bonsai designer is to expose the essence of the tree." ¸.•*´¨`♥ Herb L. Gustafson

In another window in our living room sits these three blue ball canning jars with zinc lids. I LOVE blue ball glass jars. All sizes. All shapes.

"Blue color is everlastingly appointed by the Deity to be a source of delight" ¸.•*´¨`♥ John Ruskin

Usually laying in front of the glass jars, under the window on his bed is Petey. He is our little dog. But that hardly says what he is exactly. He is my clown. My bride. (Long story.) Our little companion when days are long and we need a little friendly face.

"taunting the neighbor's dog with meat-flavored tofu because he can't get anyone else to eat it." ¸.•*´¨`♥ StoryPeople


{Continue to part 3...}

Bonsai's & Blue Ball Jars {Part 3 of 3}

This is the same tulips from last weeks post. Opened up. On their last hurrah, but beautiful none the less. Did I tell you that they were a surprise from D? Yes. Isn't he sweet?

"Things are pretty, graceful, rich, elegant, handsome, but until they speak to the imagination, not yet beautiful." ¸.•*´¨`♥ Ralph Waldo Emerson


These hydrangeas have been blooming on my dining room table for a couple of weeks now. They don't get a great amount of light to speak of. But they look beautiful day in and day out. When the weather gets warmer, I'm going to plant them somewhere in my yard.

"The Nature of This Flower is to bloom." ¸.•*´¨`♥ Alice Walker