Before, After & After

Last weeks' post was a view into our backyard.

 

This tree always lets the leaves 'fall' so late. 

 

All of our other trees have been empty for almost 3 weeks.  But this huge mulberry tree loves to hang on to its' leaves until the middle of November.  We used to place a bet in the family, and whoever guessed closest to the 'release' date, won the pot!  But now since we are an empty nest....no bets!  The backyard looked like this on Monday, November 10, 2014. 

 

It was a nice fall day with temps in the mid 50s.

 

This is the backyard on Tuesday the 11th.  Over night and through most of the morning the tree just let it go...... and now it looked like this..... the temperature was dropping fast and it was only in the upper 20s that day.

 

We waited until this past weekend (Saturday) and mowed, mulched, raked and blew tons of leaves.  It took hours.... I was exhausted .... and I didn't get a photo.... until Sunday morning when the yard looked like this.....

 

Good thing we had a very small window to clean up the majority of the leaves!!!  Fall and winter in less than 7 days.  The lovely mid-west.

 

I still love this view.... every day!!!  Before and after!

 

 

Make Like a Tree... and Leave

I see a mess outside my kitchen window. This is the view into our backyard.

 

However, when I saw this picture I took, it doesn't look that bad.  (Have I ever mentioned that I love having my camera on my iphone.... instant pictures.... so cool)

But believe me, wet, soggy leaves from this huge mulberry tree and the huge hostas that scatter around the base .... looks like a lot of work to me!!! The tree in psychological terms is ... still half full!!! Eight years now, this tree always decides to let go into almost mid-November.

The temperature is dropping from the high 50s yesterday to the low 30s tomorrow.  Frozen leaves anyone???

I am always grateful to sit at my kitchen table and type my blog.... while I get to see first hand all that nature IS, just outside my very own window.  I am truly blessed.

How can I Brighten Someones Day .... today! :0)

How Does Your Garden Grow?

 

I think it's peak season for blooms in my garden.  I thought I'd show you a few gorgeous flowers that brighten my day.

 

I've been having a tough few seasons with my hydrangeas.... above.  I believe the previous owners planted some beautiful hybrid kind.  But every year it has been hit or miss for these gorgeous blooms.  Only 2 of the 5 plants have blooms.  And they have an amazing pink and purple and blue color to them.  I've read it depends on how much iron you have in the soil.

 

In the years past we've had 4 blooms, and in a creamy white. So strange.  But this past fall, I didn't cut the 'bushes' down throughout the winter and did it in the spring when it was just beginning to grow.  Every year, it's something new with these hydrangeas!  But they are beautiful on the east side of our house!

 

Roses .... white roses with a tinge of pink.  I have hundreds of blooms on these. I believe these are hedge roses.  They grow about 3 feet tall and have tons of blooms.  Every year they are different as well.  It's hard to say if they appreciated the very cold winter?  Or was it the wettish spring and the cool nights??  Every fall before the snow comes.... I cut them back to the ground, and every year for 7 years now.... they keep coming back on the south side of our house!

 

These are orange daylillies.  I think all lillies are beautiful!  But I have heard that some master gardener types think these are just awful weeds.  When we moved in, we had a huge patch of them.  They seemed to grow wild!!!  But then I changed out my garden burm and planted something different in that spot.  But a few of these pop up, year after year.  I like a few orange blooms here and there on the west side of our house!

 

Star gazer lily.  Smell wonderful!!!!!  I didn't get to see them bloom last year.  Either a huge gust of wind knocked off the blooms, or our friendly deer were brave enough to come all the way up to the back patio for a snack!! They are on the north side of the house and I have exactly two plants.

Every year I choose a color combo for my potted plants, and this year I liked the deep pink color for my geraniums.  I have three pots that I plant that are pretty much the same from year to year, with spikes and ivy.... they grow so well in the sun!

 

Forget-me-nots!  These are from seed and actually they are from seed of the FMN that I planted last year.  I love the little blue blooms.  And they have a special story behind them.  If you want to know, just ask me!!

 

Our Rose of Sharon are full of blooms.  We are about to rosed to death.  It's the peak of summer time and our five bushes on the west side of the house are about ready to explode!!! I can't wait.

 

And amongst all the flowers we have tons of huge green hostas that seem to get bigger and fuller.  We have a secret garden full of gnomes and garden rocks and other fun surprises.  And nature at times, is so abundant!  We have deer, bunnies, squirrels, chipmunks, hawks, owls and who knows what else that we haven't seen???!!?

 

I love to see my garden grow and change!

The Weekends Over

I must admit that I miss writing on my blog! 

There have been others who I have followed and they say the same thing. 

Sometimes life gets in the way!  A new project needs more attention!  Sometimes I don't feel I have anything to say! (That is amazing)

But when you get down to the nuts and bolts of it.... writing blog posts for almost 7 years has become habit forming, and when I don't do it for awhile... I feel a part of me is just not right!!!

This 'work' thing obviously is something that has gotten in the way.  It takes away a good chunk of the extra time I used to have.  Blah, blah.... you get it...

I've not lost ALL of my creative fun time!

It's POSSIBLE to find time... just a bit harder to fit it in and sleep as well! 

If you continue reading my next blog post, you'll see that I took a class on making up-cycled belts into cuff bracelets.  I made a few more over the weekend!!

 

I was able to make 4 cuff bracelets out of this one white belt.  (One painted strip not pictured hasn't been made into a cuff yet) 

 

I think I love them!!! 

 

Today is my day off, and I'm going to check out a few other hobby stores to see if I can find the appropriate supplies.  I want them to look more worn and shabby like.... too perfect and then I can see the mistakes. 

 

If not so perfect.... the 'mistakes' seem intentional.... get what I'm saying???

 

Still recovering from 8+ yards of mulch we laid in our flowerbeds on Saturday.

 

And finally, to end this updating type of post .... after getting more acquainted with how wine is made and the different ways wine tastes depending on the food .... we've decided to have a wine and cheese dinner every couple of weeks.  No cooking, just a lot of chopping, finger foods and trying new cheeses, sausages and of course different wines!!!!  

 

This is what our dinner looked like on Sunday ... it was very yummy!

 

Here's to a bright new week!!!

Shine on!

 

 

What Empty Nest?

My post almost looks the same as one I posted a few weeks ago, but it's different.

Now there are two birds' nests in my Boston Ferns hanging from my front porch. 

Not only am I trying my green thumb at growing 3 Boston Ferns, now I'm having to be careful around 7 eggs, 2 momma birds and a few other things....The house sparrow is strongly associated with human habitations, and can live in urban or rural settings.

 

So, the nest above is the newest one. It's in the hanging basket closest to our front door.   Looks like only 4 eggs.

 

 

And here is the other nest, the original one I posted about.  It is hanging in the center of our porch.  It had 9 eggs at one point.  Having the plants out in the rain and wind, one egg fell out (Jeff touched it when he put it back) we found another one on the porch floor.  In open nesting sites, breeding success tends to be lower, since breeding begins late and the nest can easily be destroyed or damaged by storms .  Awe, and poor thing... one has hatched but doesn't look alive.

 

Clutches usually comprise four or five eggs, though numbers from one to ten have been recorded. At least two clutches are usually laid, and up to seven a year may be laid in the tropics or four a year in temperate latitudes.

 

I haven't found anything yet in the last hanging basket furtherest from the front door.  It has been fun watching Mother Nature work in our own front yard.  It will be interesting to see the survival rate of the little birdies..... and my Boston Ferns!!! Stay Tuned!

Splish Splash

Well, I've been at it again!

Creating!

Last month I saw a really neat PIN on Pinterest and I thought.... I can do that.... so, here is what it was....

 

Using three similar shaped but different sized Terra cotta planter pots and a large drainage saucer, I made a really. really cute bird bath for my secret garden.

 

It's about 20" tall.  It's small and compact, and I'm so excited to be finished painting it.  I could doodle all day, trying to make each flower bud look almost real.... or adding wings and antennas to the bugs, or getting the shading just right.  I used acrylic paint, blue painters' tape, a sharpie marker and a Hi-SHINE finishing gloss. 

 

I'm not sure how much water it will hold, or even if a little bird will take a bath in it.... but it is a Pinterest Success!!!!

 

 

On the top saucer I painted a sun SHINE mosaic.  Some day (it is POSSIBLE), I will work outside my comfort zone and make another mosaic tile sculpture. 

 

Meanwhile, look how that baby SHINES!

A Bird in the Hand

Did you know that I love my front porch?

I have painted there in the shade.

I've sat on a comfy Martha Stewart wicker chair and read books and sipped lemonade on a hot afternoon.

I've watched lightning shows.

I've even people watched.

But most of all, I have been thankful for such a beautiful spot to sit and relax.

I'm also trying to grow some hanging plants this Summer.  This time it's Boston Ferns.  I'm not quite the green thumb I may seem to be in some of my fantastic yard pics.  Most all of those perennials were planted before we moved here, I just minimally maintain them.  Trying to keep a potted plant in the surviving mode, is something I haven't quite mastered.

 

This year instead of hanging Fuscias or a basket hanging off the railing, we decided on some beautiful Boston Ferns.  Our front faces the south, but with the overhang, it gets partial sun and not really direct sun.  They look so southern sweet on my porch.  I love them.  Then the other day I discovered this.... in one of the plants when I was watering.....

 

 

I thought I heard some activity the other day.  Each time I'd go past the plant a bird would fly out.... scaring the crap out of me.  At first I thought it was a robin, but now I think it's a house finch.  Then the other day I went to water the plant and I discovered this....

 

Eight speckled eggs!! 

 

She's been busy!!

 

I haven't looked inside the plant for a few days.  We had a rather crazy rain storm the other day and I put the plants on the ground to be watered.  Yikes, the wind blew them over and one of the eggs had fallen out.... at that time we counted 9. 

 

It's just a beautiful and intricate little nest.  I'm not sure I want 7 or 8 little chirping birdies and a big ole protective momma bird dive bombing me if I get too close.

 

Stay tuned to see that our nest isn't so empty at the moment!!!!

Happy Memorial Day

Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.

Mark Twain

Jeff and I took a picnic lunch and we went for a treasure hunt on a beautiful and gorgeous sunny day.  Our geocache took us to the Union Cemetery here in Crystal Lake. We've been to this local cemetery a few times looking for *'cache'.  Each time I come here I just seem to take it all in and calm my soul for a bit.  There is so much history in our own back yard.  (I mean the town we live in.) 

This cemetery is even more special on a sunny day when the entrance drive is lined with American flags.

 

Thanks to all the men and women who serve(d) in our armed forces. 

 

They truly make this the land of the free and the home of the brave.

 

*geocaching:  is an outdoor recreational activity, in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", anywhere in the world.

Lazy Day or Just LIFE?

I give myself permission to have a lazy day!

Do you ever do that?  Or is LIFE too busy to take a wellness check day?

I am ever so lucky and fortunate.  I am truly blessed, and I know it! 

But I think there is much for me to do.  The POSSIBILITIES are endless.  I can't accomplish it ALL in just one day.  However, I can find more opportunities and not worry so much ... I am doing enough!

It's so exciting just to have sunSHINE and warmer temperatures. 

 

Today on my day off .... I think I'm going to do some more practicing.  Practice working in my new little garden and weed, practice cleaning out a closet and purging things I no longer use, practice doodling to make some more unique creative greetings. 

 

Do you think I was just made this way?  It takes a lot of practice to be me!!

I Still Do

.... After 24 years I still do take Jeff to be my husband.  It's not that I didn't believe we'd make it 24 years of marriage, I just never thought on day one, what year 24 and a day would mean.  But here we are .... 2 kids and 3 dogs and 4 moves to 3 different states later....

Happy Anniversary Honey!!!

And, I still do make greeting cards ... if you were wondering!!  Were you???

 

Business is slow. 

 

I still like creating and playing with paper and ink and punches and doodles ... but ... I'm not getting any repeat business.  Some day.... maybe... it's possible... that I will actually work in a creative field and find people locally who are like minded in the arts.

 

Meanwhile ...

 

 

I still do make cards with Cooper the wonder dog doodles!!!!  Although Cooper  is going to be 9 this year, he can still go on a lot of adventures ... on paper!

 

And, I still do copy cat some of my doodles ... or I should say the ideas and then of course add my own whimsical twist to them! 

 

It's quite 'possible' that my faux business will pick up.  2014 is my year of Possibilities. I'm still on the search for that right niche!

 

By the way ... if you follow along on my blog ... on my last post (just scroll down if you didn't happen to see it)  I showed you some pictures from the window to my world.... my backyard!!! 

 

I posed a question.... did you think the picture outside was from a day that it was 88 degrees out and the air conditioning was on, or was it 48 degrees and the heat was on?????  

 

Wait for it..... The pictures were taken Thursday last week when it was 48 degrees out.  However, earlier in the week ... on Monday, it was actually 88 degrees and then....

 

Friday, May 16, 2014 it was snowing!!!!  In the same week we had a high of 88 degrees with humidity and then we had huge snow flurries and high of 32 degrees.  All I can say is wtf? 

 

I guess anything is, actually 'possible'!!!!!

 

How are you going to SHINE this week?

 

I plan to Brighten Someone's Day .... could it be yours?????

I Miss my Mouse

I miss one of my most favorite spots!

What do you think? 

 

My window to the world!

 

This is one of my piles.  I have at least 5 different journals going on at once.  Here in this pile next to my laptop ... are my cheaters, an inspirational quotes (notes) journal, one of the books for the study material for my online class, my every day SHINE journal and my whole hearted journal.  Plus there are scattered notes and ideas in-between the notebooks.

 

I can't help myself. 

 

I love to learn.

 

I'm a visual learner.

 

There are so many beautiful words out there.  There are so many fun doodles to doodle.  There are so many new things to look up on the Internet.  There are interesting things to take pictures of.  And there are so many things to see out in my back yard.

 

 

I laugh every time I read it on Pinterest.  If only someone would pay me to do 'this', I'm so good at it!

 

I'm just so very grateful, after a six and a half hour shift standing on my feet and pounding the pavement at Goodwill... I can come home to this and pick up where I left off!

 

It's very interesting, this window to my world. 

 

Just from this picture can you tell?  Is it 88 degrees out and the air conditioning is running.  Or is it 48 degrees out and the furnace is on!!! The difference in temperature was less than 24 hours.  That's the kind of week we have living here in the Midwest .... the week of May 11.

 

Hello Mouse, what kind of things can we create today????

Big Deal!! I'm a Mom!

I didn't know that being a mom was such a big deal (well, it is an amazing thing to be)... I guess I mean to be a big holiday.  I can't even count on my fingers ... (because it was way over 10) the number of times someone wished me to have a Happy Mother's Day!!

Honestly, I'll admit it's kinda nice to be recognized ... but other than my own Mother.... I guess I didn't wish anyone else a 'happy mother's day'.... is that rude of me???

I do whole heartedly admit that I had a beautiful weekend! 

Our first in a very, very, VERY long time.  I mean we had sunshine and warm temperatures on Saturday (and mostly on Sunday, in between the hail pellets) ... it felt wonderful!!!!

I could be sad that I didn't go visit my mom or mother-in-law, (but just so you know... I did visit both in the past two weeks.... to Wisconsin and Indiana)  and I'm a little sentimental that neither of my children came home to be with me (Iowa and Missouri)... but that's all okay.  I don't need one day to celebrate 'me' or the mom's in my life ... I think it's important to do that any day.... and every day.

How wonderful it was to have a great weekend to do things I love with the man I love! 

And, technology is great.... everyone got a phone call or was 'seen in person' on Skype .... how blessed we all are!

This is what the back of my car looked like on Saturday. 

 

Full of blooming flowers and lush green plants.  It was so nice to finally get my finger nails dirty and add some color to our yard.  I hope that my thumb will turn a bit green.  I'm learning to be a 'gardener'.

 

You might not understand this in your neck of the woods.... but here in the Midwest.... we've had a really long, cold and ugly winter and spring.  It took until May 10th for our yard to be 'happy' to be alive!!!!

My backyard did not look this green a mere two weeks ago.  

 

However, I'm loving ♥ it now!!! 

 

I always love my window to the world (that's what I call my big kitchen windows out to our backyard), but I feel more complete when I can actually be outside in all it's glory!!

 

 

I am enjoying things that bring meaning to my life. 

I'm finding where my strengths are. 

 

I'm taking an online course with Brene Brown and have been practicing and practicing.  I'm trying to live a whole hearted LIFE.  It's not complicated to explain, but it's not the right time to do it here on my blog.  Because I am still a work in progress.

 

I am finding that every day in a way is 'me' day.... sometimes it's a mother's day, or a birth -day, or a Satur - day... and it's most important for 'me' to find...

new ways to .... 

 

Brighten Someone's Day!!!

 

Here's to more days along side of Mother's Day, that SHINE!

Choose to SHINE

Who can turn a nothing day,
and suddenly make it seem worthwhile...

 

As our winter here in the Midwest seemed to drag on for months and months ... almost 6 months to be exact!!!!  I really learned to embrace phrases like ...

 

Wherever you go, no matter the weather, always bring your own sunSHINE.

 

It's true!

 

Some days you just have to create your own sunSHINE.

 

Then you really have to ....

 

Do more of what makes you happy

 

.... and finally

 

Be so happy that when others look at you, they become happy too!

 

It really is easy to spread SHINE!!

 

I love the theme song to the old Mary Tyler Moore show ... we all have the choice to take a nothing day.... bring our own SHINE to it ... and make it worthwhile!

Rover is in da House!

I think my blog posts have become  a little heavy and deep lately. 

Although not a chore to post something cute and whimsical .... LIFE as I know it has changed and I don't have the 30+ hours a week to play like I used to!

Without further adieu, I would like to introduce our new addition to the house .... his name is Rover!

Isn't he cute???

 

On Pinterest and other places I've seen a lot of metal art for the garden. 

 

I saw this 'rivoting' doggie at Hobby Lobby last week, and thought we'd make a perfect fit!!! He was the last one on the shelf, even the sales associate commented that I got the last one!!!

 

There were dogs and cats and frogs and chickens and owls..... but having another doggie for the yard was something I knew I really wanted.

 

He's tiny.  Only about 12" tall.  Almost eye to eye with Tucker, the wonder dog!!!!

I was hoping to post him basking in the sunlight, but alas.....Spring has not completely sprung here in the Midwest .... so you get what you get!!!!  He still SHINES!

What kind of trouble can our new doggie get in to?????  Two things I know for sure.... he wont be bringing me any baby bunnies to 'play' with.... and he wont be wondering into the neighbors yard!!!

Bed of Roses

You've made your bed, now lie in it.

Week #43 LIFE'S simple pleasures - my/your bed

I chose to focus 2013 on LIFE'S simple pleasures as part of the House of Shine's Year of Project and to put a twist on it, here is another way to define my year:

L - learning
I - Inspiring
F - Feeling
E - Evolving
S - Shining

...looking at every day things, little things, and free or inexpensive things that bring me joy and happiness. 

What a better way to share that by writing my experiences here on my blog.  It's a way for me to incorporate my love for writing and my enthusiasm to show off my photography, paper crafting, cooking and in general, creating!

Things I do every day:
1 Get up
2 Survive
3 Go back to bed

 

Earlier this week, I asked if you make your bed.  Strange question, right?  I am often validated in my writing by some sort of sign.  And yes!  Sometimes I really have to search for a 'sign'... but this week it was obvious. 

 

Part of my journey for 2013 is seeking out happy things, simple things etc... I have the book The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin and I was inspired to follow her blog and Facebook sites. Right before I began writing this post she posed a question on Facebook (she does this most days, is she writing another book?) but her question was: Do you make your bed?

 

So far she has 249 responses before 9am central time.  Here are a few:

Every day. Makes the room look instantly better - D

No, whats the point - T

Yes, it makes me feel I got one thing done today - B

Absolutely.  Takes two minutes - P

Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

 

Now, in the BIG picture of LIFE, what does it matter if you make your bed or not?  But the principle of the question is part of the root to writing my blog....I need to make the time to enjoy LIFE'S simple pleasures.  Having a comfortable bed is one of them.  And for week #43, anything that relates to the bed is something that I want to learn more about...

 

Sometimes the dreams that come true in LIFE are the dreams you never knew you had...

 

I am into Week #43 of this year and what an adventure it has been discovering the simple things in LIFE. Maybe I found my bed of roses and am leading and easy and peaceful LIFE.  But I do think every now and then....

 

 LIFE is short.... jump on the BED.

 

Gnome Sweet Gnome

Say hello to my little friend!

Week #28 LIFE'S simple pleasures - collections

 

I have a small collection of garden gnomes.  They are cute humanoid creatures with pointy hats.  They often have a beard, carry a pipe and sometimes are captured napping.

 

They are 'fun sized' garden ornaments that protect a garden or lawn from evil sorcery.

 

Small collection means: about 7

 

Little garden gnomes are kidnapped and travel around the world.  Have you seen the Travelocity gnome? Oh the adventures they get to go on.

 

My very first blog postings were about our gnome, appropriately named Gname.   (He's the middle gnome in the 3 pack picture above.) I had no idea what I would write about, so I was going to take the gnome with us to different places in our new home town and share pictures and his experiences.  Seven years later, I have found plenty to talk about on my blog.  But I have brought Gname back, full circle.

Just so you know, there is a difference between a small collection and a hoard.  Hoarding items (it could be gnomes) is a special condition that carries extreme symptoms that limit a persons ability to function successfully in life.  It is an equal opportunity illness... affecting people of all ages and backgrounds.

 

Now that we are straight on collecting vs. hoarding...... this weeks simple pleasures.... a few of my collections.  What are special things you look for when you go to a souvenir shop?  What do friends and family members get you when it's your special day? What do you like to collect?

Porch Posts

Porch Rules

Sit a spell * visit

sip sweet tea

smell the magnolias

read a book * nap

Relax * put your feet up

It's a Southern Tradition

Have I caught your attention? 

 

Are you laughing yet? 

 

What on earth am I posting about this week... a southern tradition?  prdesigns.... you keep talking about living in the middle of your block in your Midwest town outside Chicago.... can't get any more Midwest than that!

 

Just because you live one place doesn't mean you can't adapt or adopt traditions and lifestyles of other places.

 

Week # 24 - LIFE'S simple pleasures - the Front Porch

 

One of the things I loved about our house (by the way, we just celebrated our 7th anniversary living here in Illinois just over this past weekend!) was the front porch.

 

I just spray painted the white wicker furniture for the first time a few weeks ago. I missed a few spots! And I keep thinking I need to buy new cushions, but when I sit down and look around I say to myself... these still work!!

 

I remember finding this set, Martha Stewart at Kmart, putting it on lay-a-way until the moving truck came to our house in Wisconsin. It was the first time I ever put anything on lay-a-way and the only reason was because, they could 'store' it in there warehouse until we were ready to move.

 

I love my front porch! I love reading on my porch.  I love talking on my porch. I love drawing and painting on my porch. I love hiding in my own thoughts on my front porch. I love feeling like I am at a very special secret spot on my front porch. I love putting my feet up and day dreaming on my front porch.

 

We have a great porch and we have done everything the porch rules state above... except smell the magnolias... I will have to replace that line with ... Smell the lilacs!

 

Do you have a front porch?