How does your garden grow?

Well...

I take that back...

how does your garden look right now,

as it prepares itself for the long cold winter?

Today was a wonderful bright, cool day.

So..

out the door I went..

camera in hand.

Here is what I saw..... 

I love these two camellia bushes, a tender touch in an otherwise sparse growing season.

Even the buds are beautiful....they speak of hope...

I have always been drawn to Magnolia leaves too....great for decorating.

I know these are very dark, but I love them that way

this water fountain runs all year round and usually doesn't freeze. 

Love the look of droplets....

Contorted leaves...

The last of the lantana blossoms...

Dog-earred hostas...

White pine needles...

And my very favorite, Japanese maple...

But, oh those camellias....

Even the sage is slowing down...

My porch swing needs another coat of paint...

And my ferns are being eaten by 

who knows what...

How does your garden grow these days?

smiles....

I am a finalist!

Holy Cow!

I could hardly believe it....

such great competition....

But 

here it is

I am a finalist in the Ecouterre

contest.

Would you please consider going to this link

VOTE!

And voting for 

Not Yo Mommas Handbag??

It would be much appreciated....

smiles

Things we hold dear....

My grandmother died several years ago.

Even though we did not live in the same part of the country,

we corresponded through letters.

I practiced my writing skills on her.

Poor grandma....

I do not claim any ability to write interesting letters,

I only know that I can make them "newsy".

Bless her heart,

she probably spent hours trying to decipher my handwriting,

my train of thought,

or what all those little hearts and drawings

 along the side of the paper meant....

Well,

recently my Aunt, in charge of settling the estate,

let me know that she would like for me to have 

a desk that had belonged to grandma's family.

Whoa!

I really didn't expect that at all.

I was flattered and more than a little nervous

about what it would look like,

where it would go....

All apprehension vanished when I saw it.

 I loved it.

And then I started to explore the inside...

and found that the shelves hidden behind the curved glass door 

rested on pegs.....most of which were missing.

Yeah!! a trip to the hardware store

(a secret pleasure of mine)

Found the appropriate sized pegs,

and some wonderful polishing oils 

and then home for more exploring...

and once I was sure the shelves were 

conveniently spaced,

and the exterior wood was shiny,

I opened 

a drawer......

and found this...

old brasses..

very old scissors,

a sweet little Swingline "Tot 50",

a newspaper clipping with

 a photo of a very similar desk,

screws, bolts,

and two pieces of wood that appear 

to have been broken off of a piece of furniture.

I looked this desk over from top to bottom,

and do not see any missing pieces...

so, I am pleased to know that 

this desk was used regularly,

held onto bits that needed to be kept.

The best part of 

my exploring happened when I realized that

when I open the front 

in order to retrieve a letter,

or write one,

that it still retains a whiff or two of my 

grandmother's house.

Smiles...

Gratitude....again....

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.

 It turns what we have into enough,

 and more... 

It turns denial into acceptance, 

chaos to order, 

confusion to clarity. 

It can turn a meal into a feast, 

a house into a home, 

a stranger into a friend. 

Gratitude makes sense of our past, 

brings peace for today,

 and creates vision for tomorrow.

-Melody Beattie

I love this quote,

from one of my favorite authors.

I feel peaceful as I read the words.

Just reading these words

makes me feel as though 

everything is right with the world.

I hope that you feel the same way...

smiles..

Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen.....

I love this....

I can still recite the "talk"....

once memorized I am not sure you would ever

forget it.

I have been "retired" 

for over 15 years,

but there are still nights that I dream 

about being late to the airport.....

sheer terror.

It was not a job for the perpetually 

late......

or for those who need hours to dress.....

or for those with OCD.....

But it was (and is!) a fabulous job 

for the young person afflicted with wanderlust...

smiles.

"living right".....well, maybe....

That's what they say when blessed by some good fortune around here.....

"She must be livin' right...."

she's got a raise...

a boyfriend....

escaped a relationship...

found Jesus...

won the lottery....

got good grades....

made it home on bald tires...

made it to work on time....

got good hair...

good skin...

good kids...

Well, you get the picture....

Anyway, I don't know if I have been livin' right,

but I did run into a bit of good fortune.

while on one of my junkin trips,

I can across a bolt of fabric....

a very large bolt.

It was 54" wide,

and on a roll,

and weighed in over 10 pounds,

easily.

I sort of hmm'ed and haw'ed over it for a

few minutes....and then looked at the price.

$4.98

that's it.....

I wasn't sure if that meant per yard,

or what....

So, I took it up to the front of this store,

which by the way doesn't normally carry fabric,

and asked...

"That's it mam'"

"$4.98 is the price"

So, I bought it,

brought it home,

showed it to my sweetie,

who knows a thing or two about textiles...

and he just about 

"fell out"

(that's what they say around here when someone is 

going to faint)

He couldn't believe it.

He said that there must be 25 yards on the roll....

and then,

he looked closer,

(which he does with all fabric)

"It's cotton, and look at this!"

I look...

"It's Waverly!"

Holy Cow!

Now what to do with my find.....

I sat with it in my office for weeks....

I would think, 

ponder,

measure a bit,

and then,

I decided.

Curtains for the living room.

We have lived here for over 5 years,

and really had no need for curtains, as 

we look out to trees....lots of trees.

But curtains would be nice,

so that's what I did....

Here they are...

I must confess....

I cheated a bit...

I used a pair of curtain from IKEA

for the lining, and that gave the fabric some structure.

But I am pleased to have finished....
I must be livin right...
smiles

Coming off a "pink cloud".....

yep.....

slowly coming back down to earth.

The last couple of days have been

a whirlwind of excitement.

Here is why.

That is one of my 

Not Yo Mommas Handbags!

Several months ago,

a very sweet young lady contacted me and 

asked if I would be willing to have one of 

my photos appear in a Gap ad......

Yeah, right....I thought.

Well, as things developed, I realized that 

this was for real.

Yipes!

How excited was I to see this!

You can enter a cool contest

HERE...

smiles.