A Garden of Roses

My little cottage in the roses

2011-05-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share a picture of my little cottage in the roses. Since my husband's illness there has been absolutely no money for landscaping. And when we bought our little cottage, the backyard consisted of a pool a small patch of lawn and a whole lot of weeds! I so wanted a pretty garden of my own, so I did a bit of research, and then volunteered to prune anyone's roses that would let me. I saved the pruned rose clippings and would bring them home and put them in the ground. With a little patience, my little rose collection quickly grew to over 400 bushes! (Yes, we still have the pool and we still have the weeds... ) This is truly near zero cost landscaping.

This little path eventually would like to be a brick or cobblestone I think...

Happy Saturday!

Hearlding Spring!

2011-04-07T16:57:00.000-07:00

After a very long winter, the Spring flowers are such a welcome.

Today I'm sharing a few pictures from my garden.

All of God's creation proclaims the glory of the Lord!

Completed Dollhouse

2010-09-14T20:35:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I've had this house completed for about 2 weeks, with the intention of posting pictures here. :) Sometimes I wonder where the hours in my days go.
Of course with the new school year, and homeschooling, we are all still adjusting to the new schedule and routine of our days, which in an of itself is a challenge :).

Somehow, the older my boys get, the harder it is to find time to do "projects"... That said, I suspect that this will be the very last dollhouse I make for a long, long time! :) It was a fun house to make however... I did enjoy it. Hope you enjoy the tour!

The sun was streaming in one morning and I thought it was pretty the effect it made on the dollhouse...

Blessedness~
Linda

Linking up to White Wednesday at Faded Charm :)

How I Spent My Summer...

2010-08-17T15:50:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe that summer is nearly over! Seems like just yesterday we were celebrating our last days of school and here we are next week getting ready to start school up again! But it was a great summer, however brief it seems now. We spent a lot of time together as a family, swimming, fishing, playing, working. We got to spend precious time with family and friends from long ago and in between all that, I worked on this.

A Barbie doll house.

I'm happy to say that this is almost completed. I've got a little more work to do on the interior and I have to finish up the exterior trim work. This house ended up taking me a little more time than they normally take to build. Partly because of the "demands" of summer, and partly because I did a little more to this house than I normally do to the houses. Scrolling fretwork, fretwork and more fretwork! Every house I build I try to make unique from all the others. And since I've decided that this is more than likely the very last house I will build of this size, I wanted to go all out. What do you think?

This is the dining room.

The living room and the front entry door.

The kitchen.

Another view of the kitchen. I made a little refrigerator that sits in there next to the sink, but the paint is drying today on it, so it is not in the photos. I also have a little valance that matches the sink.

The tiny Bath

A white bedroom with a pretty "french door" that opens up to Barbie's balcony.

And another little bedroom.

Hope you enjoyed the tour... I'll have the exterior photos up soon!

Blessedness~
Linda

I'm linking up with Get your Craft on Thursday, White Wednesday and Show and Tell Friday! Thank you ladies!!

Barbie's New Home Update

2010-07-12T05:30:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share a few more pictures of the dollhouse in process today. With summer activities, it's a little harder to find the time to work on the house, but I'm making progress... steady but slow :)

This is the living room ceiling. I had a better picture, but for some reason this morning my computer doesn't want to cooperate, so I'm not able to upload it. Hmm... maybe it's too early. Come to think of it, it very well could be that it's just too early for me and not the computer after all... ! :)

A "Hotpoint" range for Barbie, complete with a wire baking rack inside :).
I remember as a child we had an old Hotpoint electric range circa about 1926 or so. It didn't look like this. Ours had the tall cabriole legs. When my folks remodeled the very outdated kitchen, they moved the range out on the covered deck we had so that we could use it to play "house". A LOT of mud pies were cooked in that oven! When my folks sold the house 20 years later, they left the range. I wish that I'd been able to keep it. But I'm not sure what I would have done with it at college :). I've never run across another one quite like the one we had, although I see picture online of ones similar to ours.

I'll be putting the finishing touches on the little sink and refrigerator today. And then the downstairs level of the house should be completed. I have three rooms to complete on the top floor a few doors to hang and the exterior to finish up as well.

Blessedness,
Linda

Refreshment on a Hot summer day!

2010-07-07T18:25:00.000-07:00

Summer it seems is officially here! Hot weather is not unusual for our part of our state. Most years in fact the hot temps begin as early as April and continue on through September... day after day we enjoy nothing but blue sunny skies! This year our spring was exceptionally cool and it actually rained all the way through May. June was blue skies, and very mild temps... again very unusual for our part of the state. But then July rolled around and with it, the extreme triple digit temps that are so typical here. Thankfully we don't have the humidity that many of you experience, but still, triple digits is still triple digits, and that is just HOT!!

I thought I'd share a few pictures today that are cool and refreshing!
These were actually taken by my brother who was visiting from out of state this past May. This is Burney Falls. Burney is a small quaint mountain town very near where we live, here in beautiful N. California.

Ah... I feel cooler already!!

Blessedness~
Linda

Happy Independence Day Weekend!!

2010-07-03T07:02:00.000-07:00

Good morning and Happy 4th of July weekend to all! I hope you all are enjoying a fun filled, sun soaked, gorgeous holiday weekend. I'm so very thankful for those who have sacrificially fought so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we do.
I wanted to take a minute to share with you about a giveaway happening over at SaraNorris' blogsite. For those that aren't familiar with Sara and her blog, Sara is a lover of heirloom sewing and she does the MOST beautiful work! She recently created two new children's patterns for heirloom clothing. And you can see and read all about it on her blog here
Hope you all can hop over and say hello to Sara and see her new exquisite designs!
Great job Sara!

Happy 4th everyone!!

Blessedness--
Linda

A dollhouse in process...

2010-06-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share a few pictures of the current barbie dollhouse that I am building to sell.
This house is about half way finished. It's a 2 story house with Kitchen, dining room and living rooms on the bottom floor, 2 bedrooms and a bath on the top floor.
The pics today are of the bottom floor. I still have a lot of little details to finish up and paint touch up of course, but I think it's turning out pretty well.
This first photo is of the ceiling in the kitchen. I created a raised ceiling in here. I wanted it to look similar to the old tin ceilings that were so popular during the Victorian era.

Here's another of the kitchen. I was inspired by the come back of the board and batten wainscot. This was actually a popular wall treatment during early century house design. I personally love the way it looks, and think I have just about convinced my sweet Mr A Garden of Roses that we need to install this in OUR little cottage home! :)

This is actually the living room ceiling in the works! I am going to add a bit more trim and then give it a fresh coat of white paint!

And finally the dining room ceiling. I had too much fun making these raised designs! Who knew regular wall mud could be so much fun!! :) Wouldn't this idea be cute on a child's dresser front? Or to dress up a plain cabinet door face?

I'm thinking I'm going to have to try to make some pretty chandeliers for these rooms. My boys love electronics and are more than eager to "help" me wire this house...

That's all for now... I've got lots of exterior fancy trim pieces that I've been busy making patterns for and cutting out. But I'll share those later :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessedness--
Linda

A Peek Inside...

2010-06-17T23:12:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for you nice comments on my last post. This is actually one of several barbie houses that I've made over the years. And for those that wanted to see the inside, I can only show you pre-furnished, as I have since sold the house. You can see interior pictures, more exterior details and a few of the other houses I've made by clicking HERE

Although I never intended this blog to be about Barbie houses per se... Actually I'm still trying to figure out what EXACTLY my blog is about :). For now it's eclectic some of this and some of that, and whatever else happens to strike my fancy on any particular day!!

But since I am on the subject of dollhouses, I am currently about half way done with another that I intend to sell. This one is loaded with fancy trim work!! Am I nuts... probably. But it's worth the aching back after hours of scroll saw cutting to see the finished product on these pretty houses. Or at least I think that is what makes them truly special. Come for a visit tomorrow and I'll share a few sneak peaks at my latest work in process.
Thanks for stopping by!
Blessedness~
Linda

My First White Wednesday

2010-06-15T10:26:00.000-07:00

Today I thought I'd join in the fun of White Wednesday over at Faded Charm

I'm sharing a white Barbie dollhouse that I made a few years ago, all from scratch. This is my own design.

Maybe this is more of a Barbie mansion ;)

Details... and a LOT of scroll saw work!!

Even white flowers for the plant shelves!

Details of the lower floor's bay window.

And look at this cutie!! Who is this peeking through the bay window??? I think he's actually after the throw pillows on the window seat inside ;).

I'm also linking to Get your Craft on Thursday and Funky Junk's Saturday Nite! Thank you ladies!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Blessedness--
Linda

Kitchen Makeover Part 2

2010-06-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

I'm going to share the second part of my ongoing kitchen makeover today. As I mentioned in my last post, for Mother's Day this year, my sweet husband announced that he was taking me to one of my most favorite places to shop!!
Lowes!! Whoo Hoo!!
Does my hubby know what makes this gal happy or what??!! I knew exactly what I wanted, so it was a very fun quick little trip!!

My Mother's Day gifts... a new LONGER hose for my air compressor!! The old one was had a leak and so my air compressor wasn't holding air :( Not good!
A tube of liquid nails... I've decided this is a MUST HAVE in all remodel projects! And 4 packages of beadboard!! How fun is this??!!

It took me two days to prime, paint and install the beadboard (of course not without help from three little people).
Here's my Mother's Day gift now!

What a difference. As you may have noticed in my "before" picture in my last post, the walls were all textured and painted over drywall. No matter how hard I tried, I could never seem to get the walls really clean. The dirt and grease and grim would get embedded in that wall texture and was impossible to wipe completely out... especially behind the stove! I had read a lot of the pros and cons of having a beadboard backsplash, and I finally decided that the pros out weighed the cons. I used a semi gloss paint on the backsplash, and I love how easy it is to wipe the beadboard clean!

I decided to wrap my beadboard into my window, and I added a cute little shelf molding at the top. I love how it looks!

Price so far for my kitchen makeover:
Beadboard on base cabinets $20
Beadboard backsplash $40
Liquid nails $2
1 Gallon Behr Semi Gloss paint $25
Electrical box extenders $5
Total cost thus far $92!!
I love that for little money my kitchen has been given such a dramatic new look!

Blessedness~
Linda

Kitchen Makeover Part 1

2010-06-13T06:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, so a LOT of things have been going on in my household as of late! Springtime is always a busy time of year, with new projects, spring cleaning and of course oodles of yard work! A few months ago I started on what I thought was going to be a quick little kitchen makeover project... I admit, with three little boys in tow, no project is ever "quick" nor easy. So I'm sure I was being overly optimistic when I began this "quick" project.
My kitchen is on the small side, but it does face East, and I have a lot of windows on that side of the house, so in the morning I get a lot of very nice natural light. But by mid day my small kitchen was so dark it was cave-like. Seriously! Cooking dinner, for me, is depressing enough without the environment being dark and gloomy to boot! I had originally wanted to do some major renovations, but seeing that we didn't have the budget for much, I had to find other means of making over my kitchen. Here is the before shot...

I know... nothing special, builder grade cabinets, hollow core wood veneer cabinet doors and drawers, laminate countertops... ugh!
I had some primer and white paint left over from my little bathroom makeover so I set to work on painting the cabinets. Boy, what a job that was!! Don't let anyone fool you, painting kitchen cabinets is A LOT OF WORK!!!! After about 4 weeks I think I finally got the majority of my cabinets painted and primed!

This was midway through the painting, even at this stage, it was amazing how much brighter and lighter the kitchen became!
Did I mention my cabinets were base grade builder cabinets??? And did I also mention that when they laid out the kitchen cabinets they put cabinets that were meant to run up against other cabinets or walls and used them as end cabinets?? So I had plain 1/8" wood finishing off my end cabinets. Unbelievable! Not only did it look odd, but one chair falling against it, pushed by one little boy, was enough to break a nice 2 inch section of the thin wood. It was harder to notice the break in the wood when the cabinets were dark, but once they were nice and bright and white, the break was very obvious!
I had a few pieces of bead board left over from my bathroom project and so I decided that I'd install beadboard on the sides of my cabinets. I'm SO GLAD I did! What a difference!

I think the cabinets actually look finished now. And the best part... it was cheap! $20 to install beadboard to the sides and back of 3 cabinets!
Stay tuned!! Tomorrow I'll share my Mother's Day present and the rest of the kitchen makeover!!
Blessedness!
Linda

A New Perspective

2010-06-01T09:05:00.000-07:00

Four years ago today my husband received a life saving kidney transplant. It was his second transplant in 9 months. The first of which only lasted about 24 hours before his body rejected it and it had to be removed 5 days later. So much has happened in these past four years. A lot of ups and downs, and struggles as we adjusted to life post-transplant. Somedays I find it hard to believe that it's really been four years! God in His mercy and kindness has proven His sovereignty over and over again in and through our circumstance. There was a time that I considered my husband's kidney failure and kidney disease to be the worse thing that could ever happen to our young family. Today I see it as possibly the biggest blessing of our lives. God is good, and He has shown us undeserved mercy and grace. Whether we are blessed with another four years, or forty, each day is a gift, that grows sweeter with time. It was God in His sovereignty that has placed me upon this earth at this time, in this marriage to my Mr. A Garden of Roses, and I know that my life is a tool in the hand of the Redeemer for the glory of Christ and His gospel.
Blessings to you on this day which the Lord has made!
Linda

New Fabrics have arrived!!

2010-05-29T17:32:00.000-07:00

And are they ever gorgeous!! I had a very pleasant surprise yesterday morning when UPS knocked on my door and delivered two GIANT boxes full of beautiful new Durham Fabrics... fresh from Japan!! The fabrics were not actually supposed to arrive for a few weeks yet, so you can imagine my joy when I opened the boxes.
I love Durham fabrics... they are softly colored, laden with roses and are simple GORGEOUS!! I could hardly wait to get them photographed so I could share with everyone! Needless to say, all else I had planned for Friday was put on hold and my fabric took center stage!
I'm slowly but surely getting them uploaded to my stores onetsy and ebay. I thought I'd post a few quick sneak peaks of the lovely new line!
Enjoy your weekend!!
Linda

New Fabrics On the Way!!

2010-05-14T12:46:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share a sneak peak of a few of the beautiful fabrics that are coming soon to my store!
Durham Anew is coming from Japan and should be available for purchase mid June 2010. The new line I think is simply gorgeous! Also coming is the new Mary Rose line called "Marianne", also being introduced this summer/fall is Mary Rose Premiere "Garden". These lovely prints are printed on jacquard fabric and are simply stunning! The french style toile from the Mary Rose Paris collection will also be back in production due to the overwhelming popularity of that print. So, for those that have been asking about that print, it will be here soon! :)
I also have a lot of new patterns that I will be listing in the next week or so. So many new things are coming in and I'm so excited about them all! Every time the Fed Ex or UPS comes to the door I'm tellin' ya... it feels like Christmas!! I feel very blessed to be able to do what I do. I've met some of the nicest ladies from all around the world! Sewers/quilters are just some of the NICEST people!!! :) Thank you to you all!!

Happy Monday

2010-05-03T15:18:00.001-07:00

I just learned how to make these nifty collages, so I thought I'd share a few photos I took the other day as I wandered through my garden. We had very strong winds, heavy rain and even hail just a couple of days ago. My roses and iris were not too happy about the hail, and you can see the effects of the storm still on some of the blooms. Beautiful sun today however, so I shall enjoy my beautiful Monday! Hope you are enjoying yours as well!

Beautiful Boy...

2010-04-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

The other morning we were busy getting ready to go out for the day. My two youngest sat by our vanity and watched as I fixed my hair. When I was finished, my little boys asked if they could fix their own hair. Of course, I said, "sure!" And I left them to gather shoes and socks and to begin preparing their breakfast. After about 10 minutes, my littlest who is 2 came running into the kitchen. In an excited little voice he yelled, "Mommy, I done!!" ~~~Wowzers! ~~~
He has beautiful hair with lots of natural curls and body. I'm still amazed how he managed to achieve this new "look" without any hair products... He certainly was pleased with himself. In between giggles, I heartily praised his efforts.
Little squirt! ;). May your day be blessed with sweet surprises!

New Durham Fabrics!!

2010-03-18T11:10:00.001-07:00

I was so very happy to secure the last of the last of the Durham line of fabrics!! For those who may not have heard, the Durham fabric line is being completely retired, and in a few weeks a brand new Durham line will be announced. The president of Lecien assures me that it is a gorgeous new look, the prettiest ever... I am eager to see it!! But I do still love the softness, the romance of the old line, so I am a bit saddened to see it go. I am listing the last of the last of this line of fabrics in my stores on etsy and ebay. Blessing to you this day which the Lord has made!
-Linda

First things first....

2010-03-13T07:33:00.000-08:00

This is the before and after of my bathroom cabinet. Our house is only about 8 years old. It was built as a spec house. Although it's nice, it has a nice layout, the builder went as cheap as possible with everything! No upgrades in this house!! The cabinets are no exception. Although they look like wood, the doors are actually thick and hollow and are an imitation wood substance. I mentioned my boys' love of water and the fact that they seem to get water EVERYWHERE!! They were water stained and just looked bad. So I decided they needed a fresh coat of creamy white paint! First step was to wash them thoroughly with TSP to remove any dirt and grease. Then I primed them. It took about two coats of primer to cover the dark wood and to help fill in the deep grain of the faux wood. After that, it was two coats of creamy white paint by BEHR. I used a semi gloss paint, due to the fact that this is my boys' bathroom and the cabinets will take some abuse :). (As does the mirror!! I had no idea when I took this photo that the mirror was as dirty as it appears in the photo!! Golly, it looks like I've never cleaned it!! But if you look close, you can just make out the "J O..." Hmm... that would be my kindergartener practicing his letters on the bathroom mirror!) All in all, I was pleased with the finished results. Having the cabinets a light color really made the small space seem larger and brighter. This was the most time consuming part of the whole bathroom project. Total cost was $0! I had the TSP from a previous project, and the paint also was from a previous project. Don't you just love when projects work out that way??!! Blessing to you on this gorgeous daylight savings weekend!!

Bathroom Makeover

2010-03-12T09:46:00.000-08:00

I've been busy the past week giving my boys' bathroom a much needed makeover. Actually this project was a result of more of a necessity than a whim. My little boys take a lot of baths!! And of course, as with everything, they are rough and tumble and more water ends up out of the tub than in the tub. Well, as hard as I try to mop it up, I was noticing that the drywall was starting to look funny in the corners by the tub, and I noticed the starts of mold under the baseboards. Uh oh!! This was a problem! Unfortunately the builder for whatever reason didn't use the moisture resistant drywall, sometimes referred to as "greenboard", anywhere in the bathroom! Nor was the drywall properly caulked and sealed to prevent water from getting back behind the drywall to the wall boards. The thought of gutting the entire bathroom was daunting, not to mention a bit beyond the small budget we had set. In the end we decided to just replace the lower walls with greenboard. Our walls all have a sprayed texture and rather than deal with the hassle of trying to match the texture, we decided to install beadboard wainscot over the new greenboard. I think it actually turned out pretty cute! And the best part... it was a super easy project and was fairly inexpensive! :) .

Is there such a thing as "too many roses"??

2010-02-09T09:27:00.000-08:00

After weeks and weeks of steady rain, I was so excited to wake up to warm beautiful sun spilling into our bedroom on Sunday morning. We enjoyed a wonderful morning of fellowship with fellow believers at our local church. Afterwards, my boys were begging to take a walk through the neighborhood, so that's just what we did. We had a lovely walk, stopping to pet curious kitties, chatting with neighbors as they worked in their yards and enjoying the beauty of the day!
When we got home, I decided Superbowl or not, the day was too pretty to spend it inside! Instead, the boys and I changed into work clothes and out we went to spend the afternoon working and playing in the yard.
A few years ago I discovered how simple it was to start roses. So every year after I prune my roses, I take the clippings and put them in the ground. Within a few months, my efforts are rewarded with tiny leaves all over the once bare sticks! It's always so exciting! By summer I even have blooms on many of my new plants. I keep them in their little bedding area, a special place in the yard that I've designated as my new plant "nursery". I leave them in the "nursery" for one year, then I transplant them in the yard, in order to make room for new clippings. I transplanted 136 new rose bushes on Sunday. Oh my aching back!!
I realized that with this new addition of bushes, I now have 298 bushes... um... okay, so the thought did cross my mind that perhaps there really is such a thing as "too many roses"... how depressing!!! I even came in and asked my husband if maybe I shouldn't start anymore new bushes this year... but I knew even as I asked him that I would indeed be starting a whole new generation of rose bushes, as I can't bring myself to toss any of my rose clippings into the "green" recycle bin. It was in realizing this that it occured to me that perhaps I have an addiction... are there others out there with the same addiction? Do they have support groups for people such as myself?? Rose Growers Anonymous perhaps?? And the terrible part in all of this, the more roses I grow, the more I have to prune, the more clippings I get, the more roses I grow... HELP!!
I told my husband that maybe I should at the very least learn to propagate other things, so that we'd have a little bit of diversity in our yard. Happily, he actually encourages my strange rose addiction. I think he is thinking one of these days when there is no more space to keep them, they will end up at the farmer's market. =) Until then... happy clipping!!

First Rain...

2009-10-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

( I love the way the raindrops look on this rose bud)

I've been MIA for awhile now. I started home schooling two of my boys this year. That along with all the other responsibilities of being a full time mommy and homemaker, running a business, and my endless 'projects' are all keeping me very busy!
The last few days we've had the first rains of the season. First rains are always the best! They signal and end to the long hot summer days, and the beginnings of cozy fires in the fireplace, homemade soups and stews, fresh baked breads, the gorgeous colors of Autumn and the eager anticipation of family gatherings and holiday celebrations!
I thought I'd share a few pictures that I took today in between the showers of rain...
Psalm 118:1 "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting."
Blessings to you on this beautiful, rainy Autumn day!

New Fabric has arrived!!

2009-09-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to see the UPS man yesterday! We've all been anticipating for quite awhile, the newest release of the Mary Rose Collection. So I was so thrilled to get my new shipment from Japan. This latest collection is softly faded and oh so shabby! I spent the day yesterday taking pictures and uploading the lovely new fabrics to my ebay and etsy stores. If you get a chance, you may want to take a quick peek! :) More pretty fabric is on the way! How exciting is that? Wishing everyone a beautiful day!

The Boys Club

2009-09-03T05:58:00.000-07:00

We've had a very busy summer! I think not a day went by that my three boys were not outside as soon as the sun came up! They would spend nearly all the day playing in water. Of course, where there is water, there is a LOT of mud!! And of course a LOT of laundry and mopping for me!! :) But they always have such a good time, and seeing their happy faces makes it worthwhile. My heart swells with love for them. I think I grow to love them more deeply everyday... is that possible? I remember being in a panic when I was expecting our first and the ultra sound technician proudly announced that we were having a boy. What??!! A boy? One look at my husband's face and I knew he couldn't be happier or prouder. I on the other hand... what in the world was I going to do with a boy? I was sure I wouldn't know how to be a mother to a boy. I like girly feminine things. I was the little girl that loved my dolls and delicate tea parties and fancy dresses, ribbons and bows. A boy?? I spent the remaining days of my pregnancy in and out of denial. When the day arrived and I met my little boy face to face for the first time, I was so thrilled... still worried about the days to come, but so overwhelmed with love for my little miracle. The years passed and God has blessed us with two more boys! :) And these boys of mine are 100% boys! They love mud and dirt, tractors, tools and cars. They are seldom quiet and can't stay clean. Some days they try my patience to the utter end, but when they clamour to sit beside me, to hold my hand, to give me hugs and kisses, when their sweet little voices say "I love you mommy!", seeing them change and mature... seeing glimpses of the men they will one day be, well, there's just nothing that can compare in this world! And it's interesting, I find that whenever I'm out with my 3 boys, invariably a woman will walk up and say, "I am the mother of all boys! or I raised three boys also!" I almost feel like I'm a part of a special club... the "all boys club". Do moms of all girls get the same? Do strangers come up and announce that they raised all girls? Or is it just something about boys? Perhaps it's meant to be an encouragement to a young mother... that others have gone before and have survived "boyhood"...?
The bible says in Psalm 127:3 ,"Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them..." Indeed... I am so blessed!

My Easter Rose Tree

2009-06-26T13:12:00.001-07:00

I've been away for awhile. Life can get pretty busy managing three very active little boys!
Today my boys and I planted a rose tree that my husband gave to me a few years ago for Easter. He had wanted to surprise me that year with two beautiful pink rose trees. A few days before Easter, he became ill and was admitted to the hospital. That was back before his kidney transplant, he was on dialysis and was having a lot of medical complications due to his kidney failure. There have been so many times that it was 'touch and go' with him. And it was only by the grace of God that he survived. (Obviously God wasn't ready to call him home!) This was one of those "iffy" situations, as he was in pretty bad shape... I'll never forget him telling me that if he never made it home, that he had placed my Easter present in the garage... and I had to promise that I would go and look for it in there... Our garage is not for parking cars... we use it as a woodshop, and for storage, but never for parking cars!! :)
I choked back tears and told him that I knew he was going to be alright, and that he could give me whatever it was when we got him home... but again he made me promise that if he didn't come home, I wouldn't forget to go and get his gift. So I did. I cried all the way home that night, I prayed, I waited and trusted in God. Well, long story short, he did make it home, and on Easter morning, there were two beautiful rose trees sitting on my front walk. I cried. they were beautiful! I picked out a special place for them, one on each side of my front bay window, so that they were the first thing I saw when I looked outside. Over the years, they have grown and flourished! Imagine my deep sadness when I discovered last summer that a gopher had eaten the roots completely off of one of my beloved trees... I was determined to try to re-root it. I placed it in a pot of soil and have been diligently watering a bare tree for the past 9 months. Imagine my delight this spring when I discovered the first tiny green leaves sprouting all over the barren branches! I continued nurturing it along in the pot, waiting for the day when the tender roots would be established enough to be planted once again in the ground... Well, today was that day! Blessings to you today as you discover joy in simple things.

Spring Flowers

2009-04-26T21:34:00.000-07:00

I love Spring.It's one of my favorite times of the year.I especially like seeing all the beautiful blossoms spring forth after being dormant for so long.Aren't these pretty??!!

A new adventure...

2009-04-25T21:14:00.000-07:00

Hi! Welcome to my blog. I finally have it up and running (I think). I am never without interruptions, so learning new things, especially technical things, always seems to take me just a bit longer than perhaps it could. I'm looking forward to blogging! Thanks for coming along on this journey with me!
Linda