Been at it again!

One of these days I will learn to center my photos!

I wanted to take some pictures of my ever evolving flowers this morning. The white lilac was given to me by a mutual "horsey" friend about 10 years ago. I've almost killed it several times, but thank goodness, It has survived me and this is the most blooms I have had so far!!! Last year I think I had 2 small, wimpy ones. Since Harmon got into the picture, I thought I'd take one of Mel so he wouln't feel left out ;)

Please no one call animal police on me, my field is one big muddy mess and they love to roll.....I do take care of them, really I do!

Blast from the past!

I've been in a scrapbooking mood lately. It's about time, since I have countless photos waiting patiently to be put into albums and a life time (or more) of supplies to embellish them with!
This is a photo I came across the other night as I was looking for Daemyan's school picture taken this fall. The store has some really cute school themed papers and embellies, so I thought I'd make some displays.
Anyway, this picture was taken in front of Whitey's grandpa's house when we went back there the fall after we got married. My son said it looks like "Beauty and the Beast"!!! ha ha! Dang, I'd sure like to be that skinny again! I'm sure Whitey wishes he had that hair again!
So, I have been wanting to do a "Heritage" album for the kids and grand kids, not for now, but for when we're gone and they actually miss us, they'll be able to look through the album and hopefully find as much joy looking through our story in pictures as I did creating the layouts.
I loved looking at my dad's photos when I was young and I'm sure it had a huge influence on my love of photography and scrapbooking. The card designing part of me came from both my grandmothers who faithfully wrote me letters as well as my maternal aunts who were great letter writers. Nowadays, this is as close as I come to letter writing, but I try (really I do!) to send cards that I have created. Just a little part of me, as personal as a hand written letter.

Royal Ann cherry trees

More to come!

Time fly's

Can't believe it has been so long since I blogged. My intentions are always honorable, it's just that life has to be lived!

Last Sunday I enjoyed a wonderful day out with my brother, sister and my BIL. We went to a sushi restaurant (Blue C Sushi) in the Freemont district

of Seattle. How fun!!! We took a little stroll around the neighborhood after stuffing ourselves and ended up at the Farmer's Market where Syl found a beautiful ring, then visited PCC , a "health food" store much like Food Coop in Mt. Vernon. Then we ended up in Sammamish to "house gaze" like we always do when we get together. We saw some gorgeous homes that we will purchase as soon as our ships come in!!!

Signs of Spring!

My sister gave me some trees a few years back.

They were from her first home which had a very small backyard. I was thrilled when she asked me if I wanted them, especially since they were fruit trees! To my surprise, they bloomed and bore fruit the first year they were planted! I ended up with two trees full of apricots that first year (the cherry tree was a little slower to produce) and I must say that I have never had such good apricots in my life!!! Unfortunately, the deer and birds must have thought so too, since they now come back every year to eat them off the tree before they even ripen. :(

Last year the cherry tree produced tons of cherries but the birds ate them all before they were even the size if a very small blueberry. Every year I tell myself that I need to put up a net to keep those rascals out and every year time gets away from me and I don't get it done. Maybe this year?...............Sylvia also gifted me with 4 more cherry trees that she started from seedlings that I planted along the fence line between the garage and house. Last year, they produced fruit and the birds once again raided them before I had a chance to enjoy them.

Today I want to try and get some before and after pictures and scrapbook them, and maybe keep a yearly diary of their growth :)

A time to be born

and a time to die.

This verse came to me as I thought about the sudden loss of our shop kitty yesterday at the store where I work. Everyone loved Sammie. They would stop in just to say hi to Sammie as they went about their day. He loved them and all the atention he recieved. He was a very special cat. I am having a very hard time writing this. You see, he was a kitten from my now spayed female cat. He was one of 5 kittens that I brought to the store to find homes for.
Kandi, my awesome boss, fell in love with him and wanted him for a shop cat. She would never admit it, but she fell for him because he was small and his brothers picked on him. Kandi has 6 foster kids that she has adopted that would never have have a fighting chance in this world without her. She has the awesome ability to love people where they are at. She is always kind to people, no matter who they are or what they have done. She loved this kitty who was the underdog. Why did this have to happen to such a wonderful person? I think of all the a**wholes
out there abusing their animals for years and they get away with it. And this kind, wonderful, gentle hearted person looses her kitty for no apparent reason????

Which leads me to another verse...

The rain falls on the just and the unjust. Not too much of a comfort right now, but a reminder
of the realities of life.....and death.

R.I.P. Sammie, we love and miss you.

My new obsession ;)

I accidentally ran across a new blog the other night and ended up reading it past midnight, which for me is very unusual, since I am not a night owl! http://thethriftychicks.blogspot.com/

I have always been into the 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle' mindset, even before it became fashionable! We we raised to NOT WASTE. Period. I remember my dad cleaning out jars and using them for nuts, bolts and whatever. He turned ketchup and mustard bottles upside down to use everything up. (a practice that I inherited!) Toothpaste tubes were cut when they reached the bottom so that the toothpaste could be dug out. He even build our horse shelter from reclaimed wood and nails. Anyway, the author of the above mentioned blog put my thoughts perfectly into words, as I pondered the "Blur of Christmas". So, to make a long winded blog short, (you'll have to readThrifty Chicks!), I visited a Senior Center Thrift store yesterday. Even though I didn't find anything for gift giving, I did find some little treasures, dwindles, you could say, but for $6.25, I walked away with a weird giddiness that only a thrift store/garage sale shopper could relate to!
I ended up with a beautiful, very heavy oval shaped vase, made in the U.S.A., (how about that?)
a kitchy little ketchup holder, also made in the US, a heavy glass, square candle holder that flips over for use with round candles, a perfectly sized clear, heavy, glass mug with snowflakes on it (I love interesting mugs!), and last but not least, I fell in love with a beautiful hand painted soap dish (?) shell with a little pansy on top. Even though I don't know what I will use it for, it called out to me and for the total price that I spend for a little bit of happiness on a day that I desperately needed it, I really didn't really care!