A Touch of Beauty

I just wanted to share a few pictures of the flowers that are blooming around our house right now. I'm enjoying the beautiful blooms, and thought you might as well. :-)

My first call lily blossomed about a week ago. These pictures make it look pink, but it actually has more of a purple hue to it, with a dark purple throat.

This cheery little African violet seems to enjoy my kitchen windowsill over the sink, and I enjoy its pop of color there just as much. :-)

I thought I had killed the beautiful orchid Matt bought me, because after he brought it home, all the buds it had on it dried up and fell off. Some of the leaves were starting to turn brown as well. Thankfully it seemed to pick up after it got established in our east bedroom window, grew more buds, and now we are enjoying the beauty of its blossoms.

Day Off

Matt has been working out straight all week trying to get the deck built for us. Even though he has been enjoying the change of work from selling cars, we really couldn't call this week off a vacation because he has been so busy. He decided that he would fix that by not working on the deck at all yesterday, and just having a relaxing day together.
 It was a warm summer day, and we had already decided the night before that we wanted to go on a picnic for lunch on Friday, so we headed out around 11:00 to Acadia National Park to have a picnic on the sand beach there. We stopped in Ellsworth on the way and picked up supplies for a clothesline as well as sandwiches for our picnic. As usual the park was gorgeous, and I enjoyed sinking my toes into the warm sand on the beach immensely. There is just something about a sand beach that is so much more appealing to me than a rocky one.

After we finished lunch, we headed down to the water and I stuck my toes in to rinse off the sand that had stuck to my feet and legs. The cool water felt so good on such a warm day!

We were both getting thirsty, so we headed back to the car to get our drinks that we had left, and we headed to downtown Bar Harbor to do some sightseeing/
window shopping. Matt took me to our favorite ice cream shop there, and bought a cup of creamy ice cream for both of us to enjoy while we wandered around. We ended up going down to the pier and just relaxing on a park bench to watch the boat activity in the harbor.

Somebody's private yacht was in port and we watched as two guys meticulously cleaned all of the chrome, dark wood, and such that the boat was trimmed with. I couldn't get over how HUGE this boat was or how much it must cost to own something like that!! I told Matt that someday we would have one to dock next to this one. *wink*

A cruise ship was also in. This picture doesn't do it justice to show how gigantic it really was!! We could actually see this boat when we were driving around Acadia National Park.
When we were done our ice cream, our adventures took us into many little shops looking at jewelry and whatever took our fancy until we had worked our way back to the car.

Bar Harbor was the perfect place to spend a relaxing day off. It is always so beautiful there, and I could spend days just wandering through all the quaint little shops. Having a whole afternoon to enjoy with Matt was amazing! I've gotten so spoiled with having him home all week that I already don't want him to go back to work on Monday!

Mothers Day Hanging Basket

Matt and little Brett completely surprised me and gave me a Mother's Day gift this year. I was not expecting to celebrate Mother's Day myself until our little boy is actually here to cuddle in our arms. But when I woke up Sunday morning, Matt presented me with a sweet card from little Brett and a gift certificate to Surry Gardens Nursery.
 I set aside some time today and went to see what I would find to use my certificate on. I kind of had in mind either buying a hanging basket of flowers already made up, or buying the flowers to put together a basket of my own. I also had seen a hanging basket at Home Depot spilling over with peach/salmon colored flowers that was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! I  wanted to see if I could find any flowers that might be close to that peach/salmon color.
 I enjoyed strolling through the greenhouses looking at all the beautiful flowers and plants     and came upon a cone shaped basket filled with a mixture of the exact color of flowers I was looking for. However I was not about to pay $40 for a hanging basket, so I resorted to plan B....replicate the basket with individual plants. After making several trips back and forth between greenhouses to compare the plants with what was in the basket, I was able to find everything I needed for a much more affordable price. They didn't have any cone-shaped baskets left, so I picked out my next favorite hanging pot and proceeded to the checkout. This is what I came home and planted.

I tried to get plants that weren't in full bloom yet, but looked healthy and had buds on them, so my pot isn't actually bursting with color yet. I'm hoping they will last through the summer better since I didn't get them in full bloom. Two little plants not in bloom yet will be a little white flower to add some contrast to the peach/salmon, and another plant not in bloom is a duplicate of the small peach/ salmon flower already in bloom.
This may get moved to our back deck when it gets built since we don't have a lot of room on our front porch as it is. We'll see when the time comes. For now I am so excited with how my hanging basket turned out and how cute it looks in the little stand we picked up for it at Home Depot. I have the sweetest husband and baby ever!!! I'm looking forward to enjoying my Mother's Day gift all summer. :-)

Round Garden

My little round garden at the edge of our driveway has been a challenge to reclaim from the fern and blackberry brambles that had overtaken it before we got the house. Matt said that when he bought the place he didn't even know there was a garden there because it was so grown up. The last few days I have been working on cleaning out all the leaves and dead growth from the winter, and digging out the blackberries and fern that have popped up in abundance this spring. I was finally able to finish it this afternoon! My battle with the brambles and fern is far from over, but I am enjoying the beauty of my cleaned out garden while it lasts. :-)

It's been awhile!!

Between bouts of morning sickness, and periods of internet, sketchy internet, no internet, and then internet again, my blog has been severely neglected. Thankfully the morning sickness has subsided and we are into our 26th week of pregnancy. The internet problem has also been fixed for the most part, and I am typing this post from my phone. I say "for the most part," because I can't get the laptop to connect to our WiFi this morning. I'll have to ask Matt about it when he gets home.

It's supposed to be spring in these parts!  I'm aching to see tulips and daffodils blooming, and feel the warm sun on my face, with a warm breeze playing at my hair. Instead, we woke up to a white dusting of snow on the ground and a cold drizzle dripping off everything. Not my idea of a spring morning!! I'm trying to console myself that spring has got to come soon whether it feels like it or not, and I may even sneak to town today and buy some bulbs to plant when spring actually does burst forth. :-)

In the meantime I'll watch my pepper seedlings push through the soil in their little tray on my living room window sill, and enjoy this beautiful bit of color that my darling man brought home for me the other day, just because he is THAT sweet!! 

Isn't it beautiful???

I'm hoping to post more frequently now that we've passed the morning sickness stage and we have reliable internet here at the house again. We have some home renovation projects coming up that I'll be sure to take pictures of, and many preparations for baby that I will want to share with you. :-)

Winter Wonderland

 

Our little part of the world got dumped with snow in a winter storm yesterday, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching every minute of it yesterday from my warm, cozy house. It was snowing when we woke up, and was still snowing when we went to bed last night! When Matt opened the door this morning to go brush off his vehicle and get it warmed up before he went to work, I couldn't believe how much snow we got! The snow was almost to his knees as he waded out to the Jeep!!!! After he left for work, I bundled up and went out to take some pics. It is absolutely GORGEOUS outside, because all of the trees are absolutely laden with snow. Even the trunks of the trees have snow sticking all the way up one side of them. I haven't quite figured out why, though, because it is not packy snow at all--very fine and powdery! The pictures don't really do it justice, but they are all my limited photography skills could handle! *wink*

Come take a walk with me through the winter wonderland at our house!

 

 

 

Our house is tucked back in off the road a little way making it feel very cozy on stormy, wintery days.

 

 

 

 

Looking both directions-up and down- our lane.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isn't it just beautiful???

I'm enjoying the snow from my windows today, after spending the morning out in it. The forecast is calling for more snow the next three days...I'm hoping they're right!! *smile*

We woke up to.....

......... a white world!!!!!!

 

 

It started snowing last night just after we got out of prayer meeting, and must have snowed into the night quite a bit. Our porch looked like it had maybe an inch on it this morning.

 

 

 

 

It's not the beautiful kind of snow that sticks on the trees and makes the world look all lacy, because it is very windy and any that might have stayed on the trees is blown off. But, I'm not complaining...it's snowy and white outside, and that makes me happy!! :-)

 

 

I'm sitting in front of my fireplace all cozy and warm with a cup of coffee, just enjoying looking out the windows. I'll probably soon add a new scented tart to my tart burner that may or may not have a hint of Christmas smell in it *wink*, and maybe light a candle or two. BUT.... the best part of all... the forecast is calling for more snow today!! I hope it is right!!! =)





A Walk In The Park

Special meetings, house/dog sitting, and my vegetable garden among other things jumped life into the fast lane the last couple of weeks and my blog got neglected! Although I did enjoy the week we spent in Castine house/dog sitting, it feels SO good to be home! Matt has also been busy at work, and is going to be putting in a couple of 14 hour days the end of this week going to fairs/concerts to advertise for Darlings. The best part is that I get to go with him, so we can spend some time together even though he does have to work extra long hours. If nothing else I'll be able to help him wash the dust off the cars at the fair. :-)
In the midst of our somewhat busy schedule we were able to take a relaxing little trip to Bangor Sunday afternoon. Matt's family was on vacation and needed us to deliver Pam's puppy to them, so we met up with them in a park for lunch. It was a beautiful summer day with lots of sunshine and a nice gentle breeze. We ate our lunch under a large tree that gave us just the right amount of shade, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the park. Matt's family had to head out right after lunch so that they would be able to get to the church they wanted to go to that night, but Matt and I stayed a bit longer and took a leisurely walk through the park.

 

 

Every time we have driven by this park, I have commented to Matt that I would love to stop sometime and just walk through it. The fountain there is so beautiful and I kept telling Matt that it would be a perfect place to have a photo shoot done. Imagine my surprise when we pulled into THIS very park to meet his family for lunch! A waterfall starts at the top of a hill and runs all the way down to a pond where the fountain shoots the water high into the air. This is the view from the top of the hill.

 

 

The little bridge leads you across the pond to the other side of the park where there are more paths to explore and a sweet little gazebo to rest in. (Another perfect place for a photo shoot) *smile*

 

 

The view from the fountain looking up the hill. It was so much fun to be able to just relax and wander through the park enjoying the beauty of it! 

 

Gardens and Flowers

This was the first year I have ever tried to garden. I had watched my Dad put in a garden several times, and I even helped him plant seeds a few times, but overall I only had a very general knowledge of how to plant and care for a garden. I dove in head first and planted several different rows of vegetables after Matt helped me prepare a spot for them, and anxiously waited to see how my garden would grow.  I have to admit that the results of our labors were not as fruitful as I hoped, but not too bad for a first time gardener who has no clue what she is doing. :-) Our plants are just beginning to produce vegetables, and Matt and I are excited!
Keep in mind that where we planted our garden was all woods earlier this spring. Matt tilled it up for me, and we had a load of topsoil hauled in to put on it. Even though we have been using fertilizers I don't think the ground has much nutrients yet so we are glad that even one plant has survived this far.

Our first picking of peas

Our peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers are flourishing, but sadly the other parts of our garden did not fare as well. Only about seven pea plants came up out of the whole package that I planted. These seven plants did give us peas, but only enough to enjoy a couple of handfuls of raw peas along with our supper. Out of a whole package of lettuce seeds only two plants came up. I guess that means there will be a plant for each of us to enjoy! :-) Our green beans came up very well and were flourishing until we got a whole week of rain. Some of them got flooded, and the ones that did survive I was skeptical about. Matt helped me give them a dose of Miracle Grow and they have made a comeback and now have blooms on them. But because of the setback, there will not be a bumper crop. I was excited to see that most of our carrots came up. It took them awhile, but they are definitely growing. I weeded the whole garden this past Saturday, and when I got done I was quite proud of my little garden, even if some of the seeds didn't come up. Hopefully in the years following our garden will just keep getting better and better!

Matt LOVES my Mom's dill pickle recipe, so I made sure I got the recipe to take with me when I left. We didn't quite have enough of our own cucumbers to make a whole batch of pickles, so Matt bought enough to make a batch and I made him pickles Friday night. He is getting SO excited to try them!!!

My flower gardens have fared much better than my veggie garden. It has been hot and dry for the past three weeks or so, but I watered them almost every day, and gave them some Miracle Grow, and the plants that were looking thirsty now look quite healthy. I enjoy the color the flowers add to our front lawn. Huge thanks to my Dad for getting the flower bed ready for me when they came to visit in April. Below is a pic of one of my favorite flowers in the garden.(Please note that the weeds in this picture have been removed along with the rest of them that were in my garden!)

 

This garden was already here from the previous owner. I have been enjoying the lilies that bloom every day. I do need to relieve it of the brambles and fern that have grown back from the first purge I gave it!

Matt's Mom gave me this double impatien in June. I didn't get it planted right away, and it almost died inside because of the air conditioner. I finally got it planted in this pot and set it out on the porch. I didn't realize that rain drips of the porch roof right where I set this pot, so quickly my plant pot was flooded, and the impatien almost died again. I rescued it from that spot, and after the soil dried out, and a bit of Miracle Grow, the plant revived and is now in full bloom. It is more beautiful to me than normal, because it is still alive after all of my neglect for it! :-)

Decorations

I found a really neat section in the Family Dollar store when I was looking for a birthday present a little bit ago -- good quality, beautiful framed pictures, and different wall hangings and candle decorations VERY cheaply priced. I had some extra spending money last week, so I stopped in and bought a few wall decorations to fill up some empty spaces in our house. I hope you enjoy looking at the pictures as much as I am enjoying having them on my walls!

HOME is where our story begins

HOME Plaque: $3.00
We hung this over the fireplace in the living room. The dark frame around it complements the dark wood of the fireplace.

Family- All because two people fell in love.

 Wall Decal:$3.00
I was SOOO excited when I found this!! I've been looking for one since before we got married! It was very easy to apply to the wall and adds a touch of modern elegance to the empty wall space I had by the piano.

 

Laughter is like music for the soul.

 Music Wall Hanging:$3.00
This picture is neat because you can display it just the way it is, or you can add a picture of your own in the little frame! We hung it near the piano so that there is some connection with the music theme! I was pretty impressed that I was able to buy all three of these for under $10.
There are more framed pictures and little decorations that I would love to get, but they will have to wait for another time when I have a little extra spending money! :-)
Many thanks to my darling man for hanging these for me after a long, tiring day at work! I love you!!

Matt bought me this tart burner at WalMart and I LOVE it!!!!! Just turn a switch and the light comes on and melts the tart on the top. The tarts that I have right now make the whole house smell SOOO good!!! :-) ( Just thought I'd add this pic since I'm enjoying it so much on this rainy day)

This and That

It's been over a week since I've been on here because most of my time was taken preparing and teaching lessons at Vacation Bible School last week. My husband was a COMPLETE sweetheart and helped me out with ideas and drawings for my lessons. Overall, the lessons were a success and everybody had a good week! :-)
Here are a few things that have been catching my attention lately!

I made this cake over the weekend and it is YUMMY!! The recipe was in one of the many emails I get from Betty Crocker, and it just looked so good that I had to try it! Here is the recipe if anyone is interested.

CHERRY LIMEADE POKE CAKE
1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist white cake mix
1 1/4 cups lemon- lime soda
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 egg whites
1 tablespoon grated lime peel
1 box (4 serving size)cherry-flavored gelatin
1 cup boiling water
FROSTING :
1 container Betty Crocker Whipped fluffy white frosting
1 teaspoon grated lime peel
Maraschino cherries (optional)
Lime peel twists (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 350F. Spray bottom of 9x13inch pan with baking spray and flour it.
In large bowl, beat cake mix, soda, oil, egg whites, and grated lime peel with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, then on medium speed for 2 minutes scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.
Bake as directed on box for 9x13inch pan. Cool 20 minutes.
Meanwhile stir gelatin into boiling water, stirring for 2 minutes to completely dissolve gelatin. Poke cake every inch with tines of meat fork or table knife. Pour cherry mixture slowly over cake, allowing mixture to fill holes in cake. Cool completely, about 1 hour longer.
In small bowl, mix frosting and 1 teaspoon grated lime peel. Spread evenly over cake. Top each serving with a cherry and a lime twist. Store loosely covered.
I adapted the recipe because I think using cake mixes is cheating.I just mixed up the batter for a white cake, and then added the soda and grated lime peel to the batter. It turned out absolutely fine. I also made my own frosting, and added some lime juice to it as well as the grated lime peel!

The day lilies in my garden are starting to bloom. It's a surprise every morning to see what color of lily I have that day, since the garden was already planted when I got here. These flowers give me incentive to take a stab at round two of weeding out the fern and brambles from this garden. :-)

It has been really hot and dry here the last week or so, which means I need to keep watering my gardens. I went out yesterday to give some Miracle Grow and water to the vegetable and flower gardens, and found this growing under one of the cucumber leaves! I was SO excited!!! I had just been telling Matt that I could see tiny cucumbers starting on some of the plants, when I came across this one. "Honey, we have a really BIG cucumber, come see!!" was the first thing out of my mouth when I saw it! :-) (Since we only planted pickling cucumbers, this is about the size they will grow). Our tomatoes and peppers have blooms on them as well, so it will soon be time to start making pickles, salsa, etc. :-)

This is just because Matt and I both got a kick out of this! We found it on Facebook and thought it was so neat! I just wish I knew somebody having a baby so that I could host a baby shower and make this for it! Haha

It is such a beautiful day and the gardens need watering and weeding, and I need to finish mowing the lawn, so I best get to it!
Enjoy your Monday! :-)