Roses from my Garden

 

A trip to Krause Berry Farm

A beautiful day, and in need of some raspberries to freeze.  So off to the farm we go...

We strolled to the petting zoo.....Cole was so excited...he touched every animal he could get his hands on!  And Jay was pleased to get outta there without touching anything yucky....ha ha ha  

 

Making memories...one moment at a time....priceless

Straw-be-be's

 Here's Scooter and Cole waiting for dinner

We are blessed to live in the Fraser Valley where berries are grown abundantly....so every year we have a strawberry feed for dinner.

Since strawberries are usually ready at the end of June, our dinner would often coordinate with the last day of school....a good reason to celebrate.

All things strawberry.....strawberry waffles with whipped cream, strawberry pancakes, strawberry shortcake, strawberries and ice cream, and more strawberries....what a wonderful way to celebrate God's delicious provision.
And the kids can't believe there good fortune....berries and ice cream for dinner!

We traipsed over to the Island and brought the berry bounty with us.....Christy added a yummy chocolate chip loaf to the feast....sooo good!

 

Try side-stepping normal for a Berry Dinner....it's wonderful!
Thank you Lord for our delicious berry crops!

Robin's Nest

We have been hosts to a robin's family for the second year in a row....I love that they thought it a good enough housing arrangement to return to it again this year.
I love God's creation.
God is good.  All the time.

September has arrived

And with it a cool weather front.....we woke up to rain this morning, and it just felt like a day to spend hunkered down.  On days like this I just get the urge to bake, read a book, turn the fire on.  I love the change in seasons...even though I don't want to say goodbye to sunshine and long summer days....there is something warm and cozy about rainy days.  (Spoken as a true born n' bred Vancouverite)

We spent the weekend at a lovely family wedding....more of that to come shortly.
Hope you had a great long weekend, dear friends!

God's handiwork

I'd like to lay claim to these roses....like I did something amazing to have them grow in my garden.....but I must give credit where credit is due. If it weren't for God's creative hand these poor roses would not have survived under mine.

What a showy example of His work, I consider myself blessed to be the caretaker of such pure, rich beauty.

Look for God's hand in your garden today....it is not hard to find.

Be blessed, dear friends

Couldn't resist....

taking a photo of my dear hubby....mowing the lawn last week.

Sorry to all of my colder climate friends.....and yes, I will admit....I am gloating.....just a bit.

Now watch....we'll get two feet of snow in March!!

May your heart be kept warm by loved ones around you....
Be blessed, my friends

Laundry

I think I have finally got a handle on the laundry~it's taken over 30 years~but I think it's under control!

I have had friends who put me to shame~and you know who you are! The one who LOVES to iron. Or the one who every morning gets up at some un-Godly hour and the first thing she does is put on the coffee and put a load of laundry in~her laundry is folded and put away before I've had a chance to brush my teeth!

But I still LOVE fresh laundry~all folded and clean.

And I LOVE to bleach my whites. I have always, every so often collected all the whites in the house~clean or dirty~and done a bleach day. Towels, facecloths (I buy the big package of white ones at costco~they're great!), socks, teatowels and dishcloths. I soak them in a HOT, STRONG solution of bleach water for a few hours, then I do a regular hot wash.

Then I take some of my colored stuff that's looking dingy and carefully bleach them, too. I have yet to find a product that works like bleach~and for me, I can't live a bleachless life.

Somehow it makes me feel like I have accomplished much if my towels and Bob's socks are really white.

Do you have any great laundry tips?

Well, if I don't win a prize for the "Most Random Post" I'll be mighty disappointed!

~Blessings to you and may all your laundry be clean and folded~

Stand off

It was a bit of a Mexican stand off in the backyard the other day....eventually the 'Possum meandered off...Tucker stood his ground and seemed proud that he had circumvented a breech in the perimeter of the compound.

That's all I have for today....

I found the perfect spot to hang a trio of loveable G-kidlets...I think it just finished off the space.

Well, I'm off to Honolulu tomorrow....I'll try and post from there when I need a rest from the beach (like that's gonna happen!)

Be blessed where ever you are, my friends.

Kitchen tour

Just for fun, I've joined a kitchen tour over at Kelly's.....hope you enjoy the tour!

Our house is 18 years old, but we have updated bit by bit...a new light fixture here, added knobs there....new appliances and granite counter tops were the last addition.

It isn't the largest of kitchens, but I had a hand in designing it, and it works very well for me. I had a hard time convincing the cabinet maker to step down the end of the island....but it is a fabulous space for me....since I'm only 5' 1" tall, it makes the perfect place to bake from. The drawers underneath hold all my baking utensils, bowls, flour and sugar bins....everything is right where I need it. Just talking about it makes me thankful for my wee kitchen.

I even placed the dishwasher in just the right spot so that I can unload it and place almost all the dishes and cutlery in their spots while standing in one spot (lazy or what?!)

At one time we had a table with benches to accommodate our family of three growing kids....now the smaller round table does us just fine.

I love the way the sun comes into our eating area all day long....it's cheery on even the dull days.

The only thing that is a challenge for me (and I'm sure you would agree) is the telephone desk and the junk it seems to attract....where does it all come from?!

Apparently, Tucker is a bit of a photo hound! LOL

Shawna has me hooked on white china pieces....I especially like milk jugs. The Hummel was made by my Mom....so I guess you could call it a Mummel....Oh, the bad humour is just pouring out of me....someone please stop me!!

The high chair has been in our family for over 50 years now....we painted and recovered it to match our kitchen. One of my favorite aspects of my kitchen is the view. We had the window specially made and for almost everyone else the crossbar is right in their sight line....but not for me! I get a clear view of the trees and beyond to the Serpentine Valley.

Thanks for stoppin' by....have a wonderful day!

Out of the past

While in Victoria, we decided to drive by our homes from when we lived there. We moved to Victoria after just a year of marriage...we owned a house in Surrey, so we rented at first until we decided whether our transfer to the Island would work out. We had Binkie, our doggie, and had a hard time finding a good placed to rent.

This was the place we found to rent in Esquimalt....it wasn't quite as run down as it is now...but still not a very good home. Okay, it was a dump....I cried the day we moved in. We actually had a 'red light' neighbour upstairs...and there was a horrific murder at the corner store across the street. Thank you, Lord for your protective hand over a young couple.

Thankfully, we moved into a nicer apartment a few months later....I didn't take a photo of it, but it was just as we had left it...plain but comfortable.

We eventually sold our Surrey home and bought this one in Sidney....it was an Engineered Home...remember, the one with the three Mediterranean arches in the front?

Fast forward to today....we were excited to see a young family is now living there, and turning the dated exterior into a gorgeous craftsman style. It is somehow comforting to see others enjoying a home you once owned.

It was fun to walk down memory lane...for a day. But living today and looking forward toward the bright future is even better.

My office after...

Check out the cloth in the photo....reality check....(I had just finished mopping up the desk) And we won't talk about the stack of paperwork that I dropped on the floor behind me for the photo shoot.

My office was an aside from the actual powder room reno....( again, the classic dominos effect). We added the hardwood, ripped off the wallpaper border, painted and added a Cranberry Creek table...I have ordered a smaller one that will suit the small room better, but this one works fine for now. A bit of shopping....yeah for HomeSense!...and my old office has a new face.

Oh, favorite buy....the area carpet....Walmart....$29....yippee!!

One of my favorite before and afters....the old antique table that we've had forever (passed down from my Mom). I have always wanted to refinish it...but never got around to it, so I just slapped a coat of paint on it.....wow....I am very pleased at how good it looks.

Sorry faithful table....I should have painted you years ago!

I am thankful for a husband that is a handyman, too. I have the ideas, and he brings them to reality. I am blessed. We both enjoy the before and after of a project, but I also think that we both could fast-track past the in-between.

It's time to catch up on yardwork, and some fun stuff like bike rides in the sun, and walks on the beach.

Be blessed, my friends....enjoy the summer....the days are getting shorter!

Almost complete...

We are nearing the end of our home improvements :)

....I am going shopping for some decor stuff, and will post photos real soon.

Enjoy the day, my friends...be blessed

Hey, I think I could be my mother!

I remember growing up at 13th and Larch, and the rose garden my Mom grew there. She had roses the size of cabbages! I didn't realize at the time how much care she took to tend that garden....but I do now!

Although my roses are not quite as spectacular as hers....at least my garden is healthy enough this year to cut some terrific bouquets. I have tried for years to grow a rose with little success. I think I finally found the right placement for my roses to bloom....in full sun and beside the house where the heat radiates into the rose garden.

Gardening is definitely not a before and after show but a journey for me....and it has taken years to realize that fact. Now I am not as hard on myself or my garden for any blunders or mistakes. I have a friend, Marilyn, with a terrific green thumb...her garden is AMAZING and she once shared this rule with me....."I give a plant about two years....if it doesn't do well, I may transplant to a different spot, but after that.....it's out you go!" Over the years I have tried to grow spindley, struggling plant, and wondered why someone like Marilyn could have such a successful, marvelous garden....well....there you have it!

(I assume that her true dedication to her garden has something to do with it, too)

So just give that struggling plant to someone else....they may have the perfect spot for it to thrive in....don't beat yourself up over a few trial and errors. I hope this will encourage you to go out and play in your garden this weekend.

Be blesssed, my friends.

PS: Did you know that hosta leaves are great for cutting for bouquets? They look gorgeous and last forever inside...you don't even have to add anything to them...they are great on their own.

All by myself.....

Bob has been away on our friend's boat for the last few days...these pictures are from other/sunnier times. So while he was away, it gave me time to just 'do my own thing'. Although, I would not like a steady diet of it, I quite enjoyed my time with just me. I found I talked with the Lord often, and seemed to have more time to spend in prayer. I need to take more time out, time to allow God to speak, time filled with nothing....no radio, tv, people.....seems like a plan....just don't know how I will execute it.

Life is terrific...but sometimes I just make it too busy. Speaking of busy....

We are starting to reno our powder room tomorrow. We are going to replace the vanity, mirrors, lights and run hardwood into it, as well as into my office.....then we are re-staining the hall hardwood and the new in a darker stain. We have been here for 18 years now, and the bleached oak...well, what can I say?....it's just time for it to be kicked into this century!

I am looking forward to the changes....I'm all about the before and after.....just not much about the in between stuff! I'm not sure what color to paint...any suggestions? The floors will be a medium brown (no red) and the vanity is a darker wood with brown/tan granite, the fixtures will remain white. The hall is a vellum yellow.

Let me know what you think....

Sunny day

There is just something about dappled sunlight on my garden...I just love it. God is good, the sun is shining.....enjoy the day....be blessed

Glorious Day

It's not very often that we get gorgeous sunshine along with the snow....I just love this kind of snow day!! Thank you, Lord, for winter

Home from sunny Mexico

We arrived home just in time for a terrific snow storm....It was the perfect kind of snow....the kind that stays pretty for a few days.....gotta love it!

Don't ya just love....

how the house looks after all the Christmas is packed away. It is inspiring....makes me want to clean out closets, sort thru stuff, rearrange the furniture....but then, I sit for a while until the feeling passes.....:)