SHARE/GARDEN & PROJ365...MAMA'S HERE & PLANTING FUN

DOUBLE-DUTY POST...

JOINING

COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES

AND

SARAH ...join us so we can see your pictures, too!!

This past week DD and I met my great-niece, sister and mother in a close-by city for lunch...then had an afternoon visit.

We enjoyed our time together...little Katie is getting SO BIG...she's really a handful of energy. You'd never guess she's a congenital heart patient, would you?!!

(CLICK ON EACH PICTURE FOR A MUCH-LARGER VIEW)

Her little personality is anything but LITTLE...it's rather BIG...and she loves to hear herself laugh. Can you tell? She is so alert and is very much watching everything that is going on around her. Quite often she is in her own world of discovery and doesn't really want to pay you much attention while she investigates, pokes, giggles, or dances. (Her next heart surgery is July 7, so please keep her in your prayers as she undergoes this FONTAN heart surgery)

We went back to Katie's house to spend the afternoon catching up with one another...little bit is usually the center of attention and is NEVER a stranger to the camera. However, she wasn't into having her picture made with us and she didn't care too much for being picked up by her MawMaw either :)
Earlier in the week I had visited the garden center at Home Depot and picked up several new plants, annuals and perennials as well as some herbs for my back porch.

I decided Friday was the day to get it all moved from the nursery containers into my containers and into my island.

Starting with the containers for the back porch first, I was pleased with the herb garden. Now, if I can remember to keep it 'watered'... maybe I'll have some really fresh herbs to use while cooking...and some mint for my peach tea!
Next came working on my three-pot trellis. It is small but looks nice in the corner of the deck...the portulaca should do well in the hot, southern sun and later give me lots of pinks and oranges ... I'll take more pictures later as it begins to produce more color. It was SO HOT while I was digging in the dirt and scooping up the potting soil...I had to stop three different times to go inside for a 'cool down' and 'water break'. It was well over 100* and it didn't take long for me to get 'overdone'.

In addition to the back porch, there are two cement urns on our front porch and a cement basket by the garage door...I always struggle with the flowers in them...the cement soaks up the moisture and I have a hard time keeping the plants watered. So, this year I found 'drought-tolerant' plants and 'moisture-secure' potting soil...we'll see how it does. Hoping I have better luck this time...anyway, I should soon have oranges and yellows sprouting from these little osteopermum.
In the front island, the recent heatwave has caused my colored flowers to draw up and slow down on the producing...so I got some new color. Two new rudebeckias...Black-eyed Susans is their best-known name...I want them to get really big and spread their little seeds all over the front area of the island so come next year I won't have to buy them again. My angel trumpet bush is holding up so far and later in the summer I should have big, yellow trumpets sprouting again!

My side-yard sprouted a new hosta that came up on its own...and she is now blooming with some beautiful, purple pride. I love the color they put out this time of year...I just wish they had a longer lifespan.

What have you got growing in your yard this summer??

THANKFUL THURSDAY...blueberry breezy?

JOINING SONYA FOR THANKFUL THURSDAY...

THANKFUL FOR "BREEZY BLUEBERRY"...SOUNDS SO LITE AND AIRY, DOESN'T IT??!!

or, IT SOUNDS LIKE "EASY BREEZY BEAUTIFUL 'CUVVA GIRL' MAKEUP"...I'M THANKFUL FOR IT COVERING UP MY SOMETIME-BLOTCHY SKIN AND DARKENING MY ABSOLUTELY BLONDE EYELASHES...I'VE USED 'CUVVA GIRL' THROUGHOUT MANY OF THEIR YEARS, THROUGHOUT MANY OF THEIR MODELS...EXCEPT, I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THEIR RECENT MODEL SELECTIONS

ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAVORITES...A BREEZY BLUEBERRY FRUIT SMOOTHIE--NICE AND COLD, WITH A LITTLE BITE OF BLUEBERRY FRESHNESS--I'M DEFINITELY THANKFUL FOR THOSE.

A FAMILY LIKE MINE ENJOYS AND IS GRATEFUL FOR WONDERFULLY LUSCIOUS BLUEBERRY MUFFINS OR BULGING BLUEBERRY PIES, EVEN IF YOU DO HAVE TO LINE THE BOTTOM OF YOUR OVEN TO ENSURE THE BLUEBERRY JUICE DOESN'T BECOME CEMENT AS IT COOKS. YES, I LOVE A BLUEBERRY PIE!

ARE YOU THANKFUL WHEN YOU GET TO PUT FRESH, BIG, JUICY BLUEBERRIES ON YOUR HIGH-FIBER CEREAL? I AM--IT BOOSTS MY ANTI-OXIDANTS WITH EVERY BITE!

WELL, I'VE GONE ALL THIS WAY DESCRIBING MY MOST-THANKFUL WAYS TO WORK BLUEBERRIES INTO MY DIET

...NEITHER OF THESE WERE SATISFIED WHEN DH BROUGHT HOME SOME GOODIES FROM HIS 10-DAY BUSINESS EXCURSION TO CHINA.

HE TRAVELLED HALF WAY AROUND THE WORLD, SO NATURALLY, WE WERE VERY CURIOUS TO HEAR WHAT HE ATE, WHERE HE WENT, WHAT HE SAW, WHO HE MET...

AND WHAT DID HE BRING HOME?... (click on the pic for a much-larger view)

YEP, WHO KNEW LAY'S HAD BLUEBERRY-FLAVORED POTATO CHIPS?!!

THEY ALSO HAVE CUCUMBER

HIS TASTE BUDS DIDN'T LIKE THOSE AT ALL, SO HE DIDN'T EVEN BRING THOSE FOR US TO TASTE.

THESE TRULY WERE BREEZY...THEY ACTUALLY MAKE YOUR MOUTH FEEL COOLER INSIDE AS YOU EAT THEM...I DON'T THINK I WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S IN THEM.

WHAT'S THE STRANGEST SNACK YOU'VE TASTED IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY OR BROUGHT HOME FOR YOUR FAMILY TO TRY?

Psalm 147:18 He sends his word and melts them; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.

STRADDLING...NO, WALKING DOWN MEMORY LANE

joining Erica at Scottsville for "A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE"
Have you ever found your daughter straddling the side of a city dumpster?Yes, the one on the dumpster is mine...getting ready to walk around on the boxes and plastic bags to find the 'one' bag she knew had her RETAINER in it...yes, the $250 retainer that would have to go back in her mouth after she found it. (I was at this retreat; however, I didn't know about this while it was occurring and it was God's providence that guarded me so I didn't know it) She and her girlfriend both climbed in while one of her favorite counselors kept watch and was in charge...should anything HORRIBLE happen...i.e. rats, falling through a box or a bag, oh gross...I don't even want to speculate what COULD HAVE happened. God blessed them...they found the 'right bag' without much trouble because she realized what she had done before too many other bags had made it up and over the side and into the dumpster. (And we were even lucky enough to have a dental hygienist available to give pointers on cleaning it as best as possible before it went back on her teeth...the thought still makes me tremble.) This will definitely be a memory of that spring break trip that I will never forget and I'm sure dd won't forget it...and pray with me He will continue to watch over her. I'm praying she'll NEVER have to go 'dumpster diving' for ANY REASON ever again. Come for a walk with us down Memory Lane!
And if you have a "Memory Lane" post, head on over to Scottsville to join in on the fun!

OUTDOOR WED #24..."out visitin'...."

Participating in OUTDOOR WED. WITH SUSAN

A once sleepy, little Southern town...Winder is growing leaps and bounds.

DD and I had an appointment to view 'senior pic' proofs...DD brought along a girlfriend and I couldn't pass up the opp to get some shots around 'town'.

Their architecture still has some of its roots showing still...the corner shot of windows is one of their banks. And the Barrow County Court House is pretty with it's white dome tower...and I had to get a shot of the old railroad station which is now home to the Chamber of Commerce.

These are some quick shots I captured while sitting at various stop lights...

PROJECT 365...senior year begins \0/

adding some more moments to my Project 365, hosted by Sarah

WELL...

senior year officially began once the kids got out of school; however, it made a bigger impact on me when the reality set in with the "senior things" you must do with your "almost-grown" offspring....like senior formal pictures....draped shoulders, pearls, coiffed hair, half tuxedos, black bow ties.

We've had many pictures done throughout the years of childhood, yet this one has such a different feel. I'm beginning to see the end of my being her catalyst for getting things done during school, at home, or even going to church. She will be making those decisions on her own very soon.

Meanwhile, we are taking little steps one at a time, confirming her "senior-hood"down the normal path where millions have already traveled. What did they feel as they were beginning to accept the reality? It is unknown territory for me and dd, but it is something she has been looking forward to with each passing year. However, as we were walking from the SUV..."I can't believe you're a senior", I said then was immediately followed by her saying, "I don't want to be a senior, that means the year is going to go by too quickly!"

HHHHmmmmmm....maybe I could pull her off to the side and say, "OK, we can go back and repeat junior year to give us a little more time together before you leave my nest".

But I know the impossibility of that longing swirling around in my head. She so loves her classmates and the time they've had together while growing up in church, in the neighborhood and at too-many-to count sporting events and chorus shows. There's 'no way' she would want to put the brakes on and pass on being in every moment of this up-coming senior year.

Being the "senior Mom" that I am, my fresh, new batteries had been loaded into my new camera, which will not be leaving my pocketbook this entire year. Something might happen at one of those unknown moments and I have to be able to capture it for the "senior file". So, as we opened the door to the school, I was already beginning to think of the "impromptu" photos I was going to make (without my flash) while the photographer was doing his job posing senior girl.

There was no line and we walked right in after signing in with the host table. She got to take a couple of 'casual' poses with an "over-sized" 2010 pillar...as she wore her letter jacket. "My

goodness, this is REALLY happening," I was thinking in between my positioning her long strands of hair before each shot. Once those were done, we scurried off to the women's room to prepare her drape and pin it in place around her shoulders.

As we returned to the 'formal' shots, one of her best friends from her entire childhood was having his formal shot made right next to her area...there he sat, dapper in his 'half tuxedo-ed' upper half with his sockless, well-worn tennis shoes and ragged bluejeans on the lower

half...too funny! So, being the sweet, Senior Mom that I am, I took pics of him too!

I'm eager to see the proofs and pick the one for the annual, or yearbook as they call it now.

This past week, the next small step we decided to make was "more casual" shots with a professional photographer that many of our friends have used over the years. He is absolutely delightful as he works with the client, making her feel so 'at home' and 'less nervous'. He mentioned he had a daughter who had just graduated and that he was very aware of those 'nerves' that kick in before these photo shoots.

During the myriad of locations, backdrops and outfits changes, he was always explaining what he was trying to accomplish and giving her very good direction for her hair, arms, smile, etc. That 'senior mom' in me kicked in here, too...so, out came my camera and I quickly shot a couple of 'remember-this-moment' shots for my blog and the senior file.

Just so you know, I was standing in the doorway of the photo studio taking these impromptu snaps and didn't want to get in the way of the photographer as he was doing his thing. They were standing about 50 yards away from me, across a beautifully sculpted Southern garden...lilies, oak trees, hosta, boxwood shrubs and magnolia trees every where you looked. Between the doorway I was standing in and the location of their shoot, was a swing. They were positioned perfectly so I took my shot...when I got home I was excited to 'crop' it down to bring more emphasis to the swing.

Swinging was one of her 'favorite' past times when she attended after-school daycare.

A swing brings me back to memories of lying across the swing on her belly when she was 2 then sliding off the front of it face first into the sandy playground and coming up with a face full of sand, tears streaming down her face as she toddled to the babysitter.

A tire swing was her main activity during 'outside time'...spinning around and around...that would have made me so sick but she adored it, wanting to go faster and faster.

Oh, the many ways this could send me off on a writing spree!

Swinging into the future...

Swinging from my heart out into the world...

Swinging is behind her now, she's off to bigger things...

Thanks for letting me go on and on...it's just the 'senior mom' in me needing to vent her excitement and fears...then, maybe these steps will get a little easier to take.

CLOCHE PARTY...I <3 FACES(FIX IT #17)...have a taste!

Let's have fun today and see how creative everyone has been with their "cloche" collections...join us at A Stroll Thru Life

My cloche is not as decorative as many of the others but is certainly doing its job for my "turtle brownies"...and I think it's pretty sitting on my kitchen counter...luring those walking by to take a quick nibble out from under the glass. Won't you have some?!!

(click on the picture for a larger, yummier, view :)

Hebrews 6:5

"...'taste' the goodness of the word of God..."

FIXIT #17

...speaking of tasting the goodness...

this little cutey is tasting her sweet thumb on this week's challenge.

After downloading the original shot, I touched it up with KodakEasyShare's fun effects spotlight...then went into Picasa3 and performed a center-faced soft focus, wanting to highlight eyes, nose and thumb. What a cutey, she is!!

From Drop Box

PRAYERS FOR THE PILOT

A BANNER JUST ROLLED ACROSS MY SCREEN...

A PILOT HAS DIED WHILE FLYING A CONTINENTAL AIRLINES FLIGHT FROM BRUSSELS TO NEWARK...

PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS SITUATION; FOR THE PILOT, THE FAMILIES INVOLVED; THE CO-PILOT WHO IS CONTINUING TO FLY AND SHOULD BE LANDING IN NEWARK IN AN HOUR...

DEAR JESUS,

my heart is hurting for this situation

please put your hand of protection over the crew members, the passengers and give them a peace of knowing You are in control. Give the co-pilot the Your Presence to guide that airplane in the midst of this shocking turn on events. Give your Peace that will pass all understanding.

Amen & Amen

T-O-M TUESDAY...thrifty goodies

Joining this week's THREE OR MORE TUESDAY... with Tam.

My 3-OR-MORE are treasures found at a local thrift shop yesterday...calling to me from the abyss of many other things, silently yet loudly calling my name.

(I did put a few things back on the shelf, deciding I really didn't need to bring them home with me 'cause then I'd have to "find" a place for them, doggoneit!)

Three items will be going to my upstairs closet and two items will find a new home in my dining-room sideboard. Two blouses and purse were run through the gentle cycle of the washing machine and the other two previously-black tarnished serving pieces had to be sprayed with silver cleaner and briskly shined with a cotton cloth.

I always like finding new tops and purses at the thrift store...these tops still had the original tags on them...and the purse had barely been used (just some smudgy on the side--which came out in the wash).

The serving pieces will be nice to use during the holidays and on special occasions...the casserole dish is the perfect size for a small gathering and the try will do wonderfully with little doilies for appetizers.

Five items--$22...a good deal, I believe!

PROJECT 365/Wk24 & MON. MOSAICS...SMILING SMILES

TRYING TO PICK UP THE PIECES

OF WHAT'S LEFT OF MY PARTICIPATING

IN PROJECT 365...Will be joining Sarawhen she gets her site up for this week...

and JOINING MARY FOR Monday Mosaics...WON'T YOU JOIN US?!!!

EARLY LAST WEEK , (Jun7-13)

DD AND I GOT TO PLAY WITH..

THE CUTEST LITTLE TOES

THE CUTEST LITTLE FINGERS AND

THE CUTEST LITTLE NOSE

AND THAT SAME DAY WE GOT TO PLAY WITH:

THE COLDEST WET NOSE,

JUMPING-EST LITTLE PAWS

WE BEEN "BATCHIN" IT ALL WEEK DUE TO HUBBY'S BUSINESS TRIP

SO I'VE COOKED VERY LITTLE...AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

AND TODAY A SURPRISE CAME...

(be humming, AND THE GREEN GRASS GREW ALL AROUND ALL AROUND...)

This reminded me of...the following video from when I was as a kid...what about you?

Some other fun...Mrs. Petrie @ Casa Petrie is having her 100th-blog giveaway!

STORY TAG...doncha, doncha want 2...?

Previously pondering cleaning my house,you know like Sweet Cottage Dreams that entice you to make things look better--the thoughts vanished--remembering hubby was still out of town.

(There is some guilt being Just A Southern Girl…my mama taught me to keep a picked-up house.)

As quickly as pondering began...it ended--I told myself I could log-in and do a quick blog update while sipping my 2^nd Cup of Coffee.

(Now mind you, I should have decided to go downstairs and have an encounter with my "enticing elliptical machine" or gone Dancing with the Daffodils while pulling a few of the tall weeds creeping up into my front-yard island)

Either one would have helped fulfill my Phase4 goal of the day and helped me have a chance to one day make my yard look like Marsha’s Garden...but today I didn't choose to do either of those.

It’s fun to 'log on' with my ever-excited expectations of a “new idea”...a new “meme”... and puffs of perfection seem to come out of nowhere. How do ya'll come up with these ideas? They sprout up out of your blogging-fed, richly-soiled brains...sprouting up, like new-born mandrakes out of your brain-bulbed pots...but mine don’t come so easily.

…it would be neat if I could go shopping for a better blogging brain...there are local stores here but none as creative as Greg’s General Store (but I believe he carries plants...and watermelon sometimes). His blog does always challenge me to think about what it would be like to have a booth somewhere...what a great way to meet people.

Just keep blogging, blogging, bloggin...back on track.

So, I wasn’t disappointed when I logged on a couple of different places, and one caught my eye…causing me to Be Still and Know this might be my answer to “challenging” me “above and beyond” one of my some-what normal posts. Using the titles of others’ blogs as my “jumping off” point would help me write something totally unexpected…and possibly challenge my “commenters” to join in on the challenge.

I was originally seeking Peace for the Journey while blogging today but I was in the midst of enduring a Hot-Flashed Funk that wouldn't leave no matter how much soy milk I drank or how many times I turned down that thermostat. I continued to impatiently bounce back and forth between posts and comments, then stumbled on the right post and comment.

Mary, a friend of Kim’s, had done this and sent it to Kim…The “tagging in the post” caught my eye…you’re probably not too happy with my having TAGGED you in this post

…if you’d like to play, leave your link

…or ignore it, no harm no foul...just wanted to challenge myself to see how I could work several of your blog names into my post…’cause ya’ll are the best bloggin’ buds! J

You don't have to link to anyone, or go to anyone else's page. But leave a comment if you write a bloglist short-story…It was fun using your blogs’ names in the body of the story. Thanks Kim

WHAT'S YOUR ANWER?

GROWING WITH IT, Linda, is hosting her WHAT's YOUR ANSWER WEDNESDAY carnival...some fun questions and even funnier answers...come join us...OR AT LEAST LEAVE YOUR ANSWERS

MY QUESTIONS:

1. What candy do you sneak into the movies?
2. Who was your "celebrity crush" as a child?
3. What life-long habit do you have?

MY ANSWERS:

1. My daughter loves to "pull apart" Twizzlers...I like GOOBERS :)

2. Having my teens in the "70's", can you say, "BOBBY SHERMAN" ?

3. Twisting my hair ...even though I don't have much "to twist"...I pull up a strand and tap it with my finger tip.

OK, it's YOUR TURN!!

MONDAY MOSAIC...

JOINING MARY FOR MOSAIC MONDAY...WON'T YOU JOIN US?!!!

burgundy "volunteer" day lily...my surprise this Spring
angel trumpet bush sprouting new leaves daily
two small flags expand colors and attract each eye
hosta blooms soon to beckon bees
a "breeze-shared" shasta daisy feeling the full sun's shining
weeding awaiting beneath the foot of my bench
humble home peeking through the hues of green
bright yellow daylillies delightfully show off
butterfly bushes welcoming future fluttery feeding frenzies

(double click picuture for bigger view)

Luscious greens of spring...
Summer's sweltering heat soon
...but, today we bloom!

THANKFUL THURS., FAVE 5 FRI. & JESUS in my Sneakers!

WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR TODAY?

JOIN IN WITH SONYA...

AND SUSANNE

(CLICK ON EACH NAME)

TO LIFT THANKFUL PRAYERS, FAVES O' THE Week, AND STEPS IN OUR FAITH walk

ALONG WITH US...

• PRAISING JESUS: My family and I were able to begin our week together in worship and dd gave her heart-felt testimony of what the three days volunteering during the assistance project had meant to her....i have pictures on my phone but haven't been able to download them yet ...but will as soon as I figure out which thingy to put the eentsy little card into that will then fit into the tiny SD card holder that will then fit into the slot on the computer. Interfaces can sometimes be such a pain. :( (have you ever done this?)

• PRAISING JESUS: The summer vegetables are here...and on Monday as I was coming home from the "chiro-cracker"...don't tell my doctor I called it that, he doesn't like it when I say the work "crack" in relations to his expertise while adjusting my spine.) Anyway, just keep swimming, swimming, ... oh yeah, I bought the BEST tomatoes I've had all year :p and we've been licking our lips each time we eat 'em! (Do you have a favorite summer vegetable or recipe?)

  
  
• PRAISING JESUS: My Mother is 77 and still getting around like she did when I was a teenager...kinda, anyway. (She moves more than I do...and yes, Liddie, I'm still doing 30x5/Phase IV, just had a blip on the screen during my literal "pain-in-the-neck" days this past week and a half.) Just keep swimming, swimming...anyway, Mother knew I wasn't feeling good--she left multiple messages on my phone this past week...I love how she loves me. One day I know there will be a time when she won't be here to leave me messages. She's my best friend, EVER!!

• PRAISING JESUS: Today's treadmill test was a test for dealing with "white-coat" anxiety...had to keep repeating, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."... The extra pounds I'm hauling gave much concern about taking this test...yes, I've been working hard since March and gradually it is melting away. Prayers were answered as I made it to the "level" "Doc Ray" had determined for my "age group" (no comments from the peanut gallery or snickers from the back, I know I'm old).

  My heart was pounding and even double-skipped a couple of times--but this good 'ole heart, blood pressure and oxygen did as required (at 165 heartbeats per minute. It's an understatement to say I'm glad it didn't throw me into full cardiac arrest like a couple of people I've known in the past. Yep, I got to a full incline-3 minute-run. (Whew!!!) coining verbal liberty from "Ms. Underwood's" hit song: JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL, ...yes, Jesus took the "sneakers" :)

  ...He took care of me as the walls were starting to wobble, my calves began melting away from each tibia and Doc Ray saved me from the machine's throwing me back into the wall like a wet washrag.) What "out-of-the-

  ordinary" medical test has brought on anxiety, sweaty palms, the inability to swallow, or shaking knees for you?

• COME JOIN IN ON THE THANKFULNESS, FAVES, and STEPS OF FAITH...I'D LOVE TO READ YOURS, TOO

OUTDOOR WED. #21...more colleges

Come join me...AND all the others

Susan's hosting OUTDOOR WEDNESDAY #21 @

A SOUTHERN DAYDREAMER

SO, Chuckles/dh and Skoot/dd went on "more college tours"...the weather was beautiful as were the campuses...some great outdoor shots!!

Patch Adams was filmed at the UNC library (below)

the old well @ Duke

Duke Chapel What beautiful places...thankful for them and their getting home safely.

:)

I'm eager to come see your outdoor shots.

THREE OR MORE TUESDAYS...blessings

Joining Gypsy Tam for THREE OR MORE TUESDAY...

YESTERDAY BROUGHT

THREE OR MORE BLESSINGS...

1. GOLD-SHIRTED DD, ENDURING AND RECUPERATING, VERY-PAINFUL SCOLIOSIS SURGERY
   
2. PUPPY "BUSTER"...SOMETIMES A PAIN--MOST TIMES A COMFORT
3. UMBRELLA-COVERED PATIO, VIEWING SPRING'S NEWEST BLOOMING COLORS IN AREAS ONCE BARE

THREE OR MORE FRIENDS ENJOYED LUNCH...

1. SUB SANDWICHES, FRESHLY STACKED AND CUT
2. BAKED CHIPS & PEACH TEA, CRUNCHY AND SWEET
3. "QUEEN VICTORIA SPONGE CAKE"--strawberries and creme DOLLOPED on top (THANKS MENNONITE GIRLS CAN COOK)
   

THREE OR MORE TIMES I GAVE THANKS FOR THIS TIME :)