To Bee or Not to Bee...

I'm so happy that these fellows are back this year.. the past few years we really haven't had many bees around. We couldn't get near the blackberries behind our house, they were swamped with bumbles, yellow jackets and white tipped wasps (none of which I'd like to get too up close and personal with).

xoxo~
Abbie

Yellow.

I love yellow rubber boots, especially when they are tending to our lillies.

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend!
xoxo~
Abbie

Robin's Egg Blues Just For You

A neighborhood Robin decided that a nest with a view was the most desired home on the block. He chose one of our hanging baskets on the front porch. Oh, she couldn't resist! The yellow blooms were so pretty!

Hung safely out of the reach of predators, the only thing that annoyed them was the crazy lady with the camera!

Protected from the rains, and wow! have we had rain here in NH lately.. most nests would not have survived the storm..

But their sweet home is flourishing, except the yellow blossoms, they are not fairing so well.

It's just too difficult to water a hanging basket with such precious cargo!

I hope you are finding shelter from the storm!

xoxo~

Abbie

Ha-pea-ness...

It is the simplest of tasks that are bringing the most joy to me.

Planting, weeding, and dead heading the pea-tunias.. it is in these tasks that I am finding ha-pea-ness.

There are pea-ctures and stories to share, perhaps with the coming of summer I'll find some pea-ce and quiet to post here more often.

Right now, family is visiting from a far, the sun is shining, and I have to pick up my son from summer camp.

You never know what will make you ha-pea. For me, today, it was poppin' peas with my little girls.

In a nutshell..

I was outside with the kids the other day and despite my complete lack of creativity, I grabbed my camera on the way out the door. Above is a shot of the blackberry brambles that wrap around our backyard. They are nasty, but have supplied us with many blackberry treats and jellies.

This is a micro shot of the moss and tiny seedlings sprouting on our stonewall. It amazes me to no end how complex and precarious life is.

I spent a few days in Ottawa during the beginning of the month visiting my father. It was the Tulip Festival so I had to throw in a tulip photo.

Our apple trees are in blossom as well. This lovely sits outside my kitchen window.. the spring breeze carries it's fragrance all over our yard.

I had to drag the pots I had on the deck into the 3 season porch the other evening. It got down to 30 degrees and the frost would not have tread kindly on my tomatoes.

Last fall I made the tiny pillow sitting in the little chair. It makes me happy. We also have chickens now! They are so fabulous! They make me happy too.. I'll get some pics up for you when time allows..

Hope everyone is out, enjoying the world!

xoxo~

Abbie

The lee of the stone..

One of my most favorite movies as a child was The Secret of NIHM. In the movie the momma mouse needed to move her home to the 'lee of the stone' to protect her sick child. I have not heard that word before or since - 'lee'.

This morning my children and I built our first (but most definitely not our last) fairy house. We put it on the lee side of a stone that resides on the edge of our vegetable garden. It was determined that the fairies would like that best, and they would be protected from the rain and wind.

My son padded the back with cut grass clippings, to help keep out the wind. Also tucked in there is a laundry line, (everyone has dirty laundry) bed and cradle.

The acorn cap is filled with 'salad'. Basil and radishes from our garden were diced so very tiny and carefully. The half a sunflower seed found in the lawn made the cradle. Such huge wonders in a tiny world.
xoxo~
Abbie

Pink

Here are some pink images for Sara's Shades of Inspiration. All of these are older images that I found shuffling through my files.. hope you like!

Blooms from my SIL's garden last summer.

Blooms from last fall.

My daughter's closet shelf. I used to sell the lace paper in my shop, if you would like some for yourself, here is the LINK to my source. the vintage kitty was mine as a child.

A birthday present from my mother two years ago (the tea cup and flowers).

Bits and pieces I sold in my shop last year.

Have a lovely, pink day!

a flower garden of antique blooms just for you!

Just right click to enlarge each individual blossom and save it to your hard drive. For more fabulous free art click the 'clipart' link below.

Growth and RAK gifts..

Our seeds are sprouting! In front you can see the start of mammoth sunflowers and behind, the red wispy sprouts are radishes.. We also planted pilgrim tomatoes and pumpkins. None of those seeds have germinated, perhaps they are too old. Isn't the red of the radish stems fantastic? Speaking of fantastic, I received the most fabulous gift in the mail on Tuesday!!

The above creamer was a gift from Mary at the Little Red House. You have no idea how excited I was.. I was tearing at the tape that held the box closed in the van.. my son kept asking questions (One, because mom was VERY excited about something and, two, he was very curious about this 'stranger' who sending gifts) It made my day, week, month!! I finally go the box open (note to self.. keep scissors in the glove box) to discover that the package was wrapped with more tape and bubble wrap! Aaahh! The anticipation nearly killed me! I wanted to take some pics, honest. To show you the process one takes when opening gifts from internet friends. Nope, couldn't do it! I ripped into that sucker like I was child in a candy store! It is lovely! A beautiful pitcher with.. cherries!! Just perfect for my kitchen! Thank you, Mary! It was a thoughtful and wonderful surprise that just took my breathe away..

So, I was RAK attacked.. (hit with a random act of kindness). I think it is time to pass along the love!

Planting Seeds...

Yesterday T and I planted some seeds. I would have used the fabulous newspaper seed pockets, but I had these left over and we are still trying to 'reuse' and 'recycle'. So, I am using plastic because we have it. Although, we didn't plant nearly enough, so once we start more, I will make the newspaper cups. T is almost three, and she did such a nice job. There is a reverence in small children for delicate things. There is also a complete lack of respect and ability to listen! So the two combined into a very even balance and we were able to get the job done together. It will be nice to some green sprouts start to shoot up, and I know T will just think it's amazing!

Today I am on the hunt. There was a pair of Simple Eco Sneaks in the current catalog from Eddie Bauer. I just think they are neatest thing! I am really making an attempt at buying organic, green or made in the USA. A combination of all three is the ultimate find. These are not made in the USA, but they are about as earth friendly as you can get in a pair of sneakers. The Eddie Bauer catalog had a 20% off coupon, but if I buy through the catalog, the entire discount gets eaten up in the shipping charges! ($7.95 for a pair of sneakers!!) We have an outlet store not too far from here so I am going to check them out. The coupon is good there too.

Above is a high res scan I made from a 1887 book on etiquette for you. The forms are fun to use in collage work or for scrapbooking backgrounds.. (jsut right click and save it..)

I don't think Blogger comments are working very well.. I have found on other blogs I have to click on the time of the post, then click to leave a comment.. is anyone else having a problem?

xoxo~
Abbie