Late February

As I've been saying all week, the weather pattern here at the beach is kind of wonky - we have had high's in the upper 70's, then the next thing you know, the weather folks are tellin' us to bring in the pets and cover the plants! In fact, today and tomorrow are supposed to be very spring-like, high's in the mid-70's, but then Sunday nite, a stormfront is expected, and they say temps will dip back down to 38*. Anyway, this was taken last Sunday (on one of the warm days!) on our way to the 'mainland', going over the intracoastal waterway; I just thought the clouds-in-the-clouds was an interesting natural effect...

"Late February days; and now, at last,
Might you have thought that Winter's woe was past;
So fair the sky was and so soft the air."
- William Morris

To see other sky watchers, or to play along yourself, visit Crazy Working Mom

This week's favorites

a place to come on Friday's and think back over your week and just post about 5 favorite things from your week. It can be anything that tickled your fancy over the week. Favorite quotes, posts, happenings, scriptures, recipes, pictures, etc., etc

Let's see...what *are* my Fave Five for this week?! well...

1. We went to the littlest niece's baptism this past Sunday. As this was my first time in attendance (again, other than my own, which I don't remember at all), I found the entire ceremony very interesting. Besides, it was a good excuse to see the kids! (S -the eldest niece - looks beautiful, as always, and, my nephews looked SOOO handsome in their dress clothes & ties!) And little A was so cute; and I don't think she cried once during the entire ceremony.

2. It's payday again! I know I mentioned this two weeks ago, but since I'm still getting used to the biweekly checks (instead of weekly), payday *is* one of those five favorite things!!

3. Febreze Air effects (spring & renewal scent) 2 spoiled hounds & an indoor cat. 'Nuff said.

4. This cute, fuchsia ...chenille(?) sweater that I picked up on clearance at JCPenneys (and, am wearing now). I'm not usually a 'pink' kinda gal, but I just luv this sweater! It's so soft, and comfy; it's one of those shirts you can throw on to beat-around in, but still look "presentable" if you have to actually interact with society! LoL...

5. And, finally, I was given this wonderful little Friendship Award from Holly @ Homebody; She always has such crafty (and frugal!) ideas on her site, and because I started stalking following her, she awarded me with this:
And, because I'm supposed to pass it along, I'd like to take this opportunity to award it to Susan @ Living to Tell the Tale, for hosting *this* wonderful project every week. Thank you, Susan!

So...what were YOUR five favorite things from this past week?? If you haven't already, head on over to Susan's blog, grab the little icon, and play along!!

~May you ALL have a wonderful weekend ahead~

Garden Talk in February

Well, here we are at the end of another month, and I have yet to turn a bed, nor transplant a bush this year! To be fair, we have had some very unseasonably cold weather here at the beach this winter, and it is just now starting to warm up enough to want to be outside (or, to feel safe in leaving the tropicals there without protection!).

It's too late, I think, to transplant my camellias (they suggest we do that here no later than mid-Feb.), but they seem to like it where they are, anyway. The problem is that we have an Elephant's Ear and a patch of ginger in that same location, and when spring finally does arrive, I'm afraid they get crowded. *Something* has to be moved, that's certain. Now's the time to prune all the leafless trees and shrubs, and to plant any fruit trees you have planned for the landscape, as well.

Now's also the time to rake the yard, and till the gardens, and all that wicked wonderful prep work I so hate abhor can't wait until it's finished!

Annuals we can plant now include baby's breath, cone flowers, dusty miller, daisies, hollyhocks, petunias, and snapdragons. Plant regional bulbs like amaryllis and calla lilies.
Veggies that can go in the garden this month: broccoli, cabbage, kale, lettuce, onions, potatoes, radishes and turnips.

I guess I really DO need to get busy, huh?!

The orange and the green

Well, today's "blooms" are not in fact, blooms at all, really, but the seed pods that are left after this thing blooms!


I'm not quite sure of the plant variety, other than to say it is a bromeliad of some sort; its leaves are spikey along the edges, and when blooming (small pink/white flowerettes), the center turns bright orange, and these sort of orange-yellow berries last for several months. Currently, it's the only other "color" in my garden, besides my camillias...

To freely bloom - that is my definition of success. ~ Gerry Spence

To find more beautiful blooms, or to post an entry of your own, visit Today's Flowers

Monday, Monday

FOR TODAY (Monday, February 23)...

Outside my window...the sun is shining; it's still a bit nip in the air, but spring IS coming!

I am thinking...about all the tasks I need to accomplish today; I just brewed my second pot of coffee this morning, and I'm thinking about getting up and grabbing another cup.

I am thankful for...my B&SIL, and my beautiful nieces and handsome nephews!

From the learning rooms...I attended my first Catholic Baptism (well, other than my own, which I don't remember) this weekend for my niece. Very interesting stuff.

From the kitchen...I haven't made up a menu for this week yet, but it will prob'ly include spaghetti & meatballs, and a new recipe I found for spinach & swiss stuffed chicken (yumm!)

I am wearing... jeans, a white ribbed long-sleeve tee and a black & white hoodie.

I am creating...a digital photo album of the snapshots we took over the weekend

I am going....next door, as my neighbor just called and asked to borrow some milk for her coffee

I am reading... "It Wasn't Always Easy but I Sure Had Fun" by Lewis Grizzard

I am hoping...that it warms up throughout the day

I am hearing...the TV in the living room and the BOOM-BOOM of a car stereo going passed my house

Around the house...is where I plan to spend the day

One of my favorite things...laughter

A few plans for the rest of the week: getting some chores done around here, perhaps preparing my veggie bed for spring plantings

Here is picture thought I am sharing...



If you would like to take part in your own weekly daybook, visit The Simple Woman's Daybook for all the details..

Aim for the Sky

Well, the temperatures are getting to be a bit more spring-like lately, altho today's high isn't expected to top 55 degrees, the weekend temps look pretty promising, in the upper sixties. This is another sunset photo, looking out off our front patio.

Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy. ~ Anne Frank

To see other sky watchers, or to play along yourself, visit Crazy Working Mom

It's Friday!

I gotta say, I am LOVIN" this little meme! All the friendly folks who play along - it's wonderful to be a part of the group; and the "idea" of it is just fabulous ...I get up every Friday now, and the first thing I do is prepare my Friday Five...

a place to come on Friday's and think back over your week and just post about 5 favorite things from your week. It can be anything that tickled your fancy over the week. Favorite quotes, posts, happenings, scriptures, recipes, pictures, etc., etc


1. So, this week I will start my list off with dinner last Friday night at The Fish Company. We met up with another couple - two of our nearest and dearest friends - for a few drinks, some really good food, and some great conversation. Lots of fun and lots of laughs...just how I like to start the weekends!

2. And, it seems we are right on track with our weekly 'allowance' spending; I gotta say, I do believe that has a bit to do with our new weekly menu planning. (Okay, so I'm a big enough person - I can admit it when I'm wrong...)

3. Oh! I won a book from GoodReads, and it arrived here this Wednesday (that reminds me, I gotta go post there, and tell them I have it...) It's a debut novel by Phillip Meyer's entitled "American Rust". I'm very excited to read it, as it takes place in a dying Pennsylvania steel town, and as *that* is my 'childhood home' I'm very interested to see if he captures the feel of it all...

4. Well, if that cold snap we had was good for ANYTHING, it was that it prompted my camillias to bloom! I thought perhaps we wouldn't get any off those bushes this year, as we just transplanted them last spring, but this week I had pretty pink flowers out there to greet me...(altho, I'm mad at myself that I missed May's Garden Bloggers Bloom Day for February, but I'll be there NEXT month, you can count on that!)

5. And, the ducks are back! We don't see the little guys much in the colder months, but we know spring is just around the corner when these fellas start hangin' out in the garden!

Now, head on over to Living to tell the Story, and share *your* Friday Fave's with Susanne and all the rest....

~ Enjoy the Weekend ~

February's Bloomin'

well, if there's anything good about the cold snap we recently experienced at the beach it's that it prompted the camellias to bloom and blossom! Camellias are evergreen shrubs that bloom anywhere from November to March around here, and they belong to the Tea family of plants. As you can see in the photo above, my white bush hasn't flowered yet, but my pink ones have!

(I believe both my bushes are of the 'simple' semi-double classification, meaning that all stamens are central, and there are 7 or more petals)

Whenever evil befalls us, we ought to ask ourselves, after the first suffering, how we can turn it into good. So shall we take occasion, from one bitter root, to raise perhaps many flowers. ~ Leigh Hunt

To find more beautiful blooms, or to post an entry of your own, visit Today's Flowers

Another week ahead

FOR TODAY (Monday, February 16)...

Outside my window...it's still before sunrise, so its rather dark outside my window..

I am thinking...I have a ton of housework to get done today.

I am thankful for...the relationship I have had throughout my life with my mother...so many women seem to have "issues" with theirs (jealousy, competition, anger...whatever), and my mom and I have always been tight and right...for that, I'm grateful.

From the learning rooms...well, I learned this week that Abraham Lincoln, prior to signing the Emancipation Proclamation tried to "buy off" the slaves of the southern states and proposed that they be made to leave the country entirely. (I, personally, had NO IDEA)

From the kitchen...This week's menu includes Italian sausage sandwiches, Mediterranean chicken, smothered pork chops, steak & sloppy joes

I am wearing... my pj's and bathrobe...it's only 6:30 am.

I am creating...a "to-do" list for the week

I am going....to get myself a cup of coffee! (No plans for any outings this week)

I am reading..."Backstabber" by Tim Cockey (the final installment of his Hitchcock Sewell series)and "It Wasn't Always Easy but I Sure Had Fun" by Lewis Grizzard

I am hoping...that this lingering cough will soon go away completely!

I am hearing...the coffee brewing and the computer humming.

Around the house...I have tons of housework to do; dishes need put away, the bed needs made, the bathroom needs cleanin', I have laundry piling up (but, that won't get done until tomorrow)...

One of my favorite things...a good, strong cuppa joe!

A few plans for the rest of the week: can't say that I really have any...laundry will have to be done tomorrow...I told my neighbor I would help her set up her computer...

Here is picture thought I am sharing...



If you would like to take part in your own weekly daybook, visit The Simple Woman's Daybook for all the details..

Looking Up

Okay! So the temps are finally getting back to normal here at the beach; we expect a high of 75* today, and its only supposed to drop to 58*...not swimsuits-and-shorts weather, but a WHOLE lot better than those 17* nights, for certain! This pic was taken just at sunset last night, just standin' out on the front patio...

May I never miss a sunset or a rainbow because I am looking down.
~ Sara June Parker

To see other sky watchers, or to play along yourself, visit Crazy Working Mom

This week's fave's

Wow! It's Friday again, already. And, ya know what that means?? Time for

a place to come on Friday's and think back over your week and just post about 5 favorite things from your week. It can be anything that tickled your fancy over the week. Favorite quotes, posts, happenings, scriptures, recipes, pictures, etc., etc


So, I'm still trying to overcome this head cold I seem to have acquired, but the good news is that 1. The temps are finally climbing back up into the (high) 70's, which means I was able to take all my potted plants BACK outside onto the patio and porches where they belong. (the added bonus, is that the hounds will stop eating them, and promptly puking them back up, all over my hardwood floors!) 2. And, today is also the 'every other' Friday, known affectionately around here as PAYDAY!! Plus, I think the mister actually has a two-day weekend ahead (he often has to work Saturday's), so we can hang out and enjoy the warm weather.
3. Netflix; I just LUV these guys!! Really. I just mailed off two movies on Tuesday, and got two movies in the mail YESTERDAY...that's Tues. to Thurs....I couldn't have mailed something to my next door neighbor and have it arrive that promptly. (Plus, I get to watch 'Hancock' this weekend!)
4. Coffee. I do LUVs me some coffee, now. And, ever since I posted this, I think I luv it all the more!
5. And, finally, I just LUV this pic of my hounds; I think it's just adorable how Dolby's big 'ol' ear covers her sister's (Murphy) entire head!




Don't forget to stop in at Living to tell the Story, and share *your* Friday Fave's!

I hope you ALL have a Fabulous Friday, a Wonderful Weekend and a Marvelous Week ahead!

Picturing Spring

Nothing is blooming in my yard today, but these pretty purple snapdragons were in full color on my birthday last year (May), and so I'm daydreamin' of warmer temps - and big, pretty blooms!

Flowers are words even a baby can understand. ~Quentin Crisp

To find more beautiful blooms, or to post an entry of your own, visit Today's Flowers

Mo's Monday report

FOR TODAY (Monday, February 9)...

Outside my window...the sun is shining brightly.

I am thinking...I wish I felt better, because I have a ton of housework to accomplish, and absolutely NO energy to do it!

I am thankful for...over-the-counter cold meds

From the learning rooms...30 mummies found in newly discovered tomb in Egypt

From the kitchen...I haven't thought much about this, yet; the mister made beef stew yesterday, and I feel so crappy this morning that we may just have THAT for dinner again, tonite.

I am wearing... my pj's and bathrobe...I feel like crap.

I am creating...a nest of blankets on my couch, in front of the television

I am going...to spend the entire day on the couch.

I am reading...still reading "The House of Mirth". Don't feel like reading much - that alone tells ya, I feel like crap.

I am hoping...these Nyquil cold & sinus pills will work, and I feel better before the day is through.

I am hearing...myself breathing and sniffling.

Around the house...looks like a bomb went off! And, ya know what?! I don't care....

One of my favorite things...breathing (easily)....I sure do miss that.

A few plans for the rest of the week: getting over this sickness.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...



If you would like to take part in your own weekly daybook, visit The Simple Woman's Daybook for all the details..

Sunset Silhouettes

As I said, we have been experiencing record low temperatures here at the beach all week long; we've see everything from 71 degree high's down to 17 degree low's - too cold for me to venture far for pictures, or any other thing! These are shots of the sun going down in my backyard on Imbolc (Tuesday).

There's a certain Slant of light, Winter Afternoons--
That oppresses, like the Heft Of Cathedral Tunes--
~Emily Dickinson

To see other sky watchers, or to play along yourself,
visit Crazy Working Mom


You can visit even MORE skywatchers, HERE

My week in review

It's time once again for



a place to come on Friday's and think back over your week and just post about 5 favorite things from your week. It can be anything that tickled your fancy over the week. Favorite quotes, posts, happenings, scriptures, recipes, pictures, etc., etc.

So, this week has been long and cold, and I've been feelin' under the weather, so this was a challenge for me this round...

1. The Steelers won the Superbowl last Sunday, to gain their 6th Championship in franchise history - more than ANY OTHER team in the NFL. (Them's my boyz!!)

2. I just paid the mortgage this week - the first in the new booklet - and realized that our house payment has dropped $25/month. Not earth-changing, but $300/yr. is alright with me!

3. The Mister got himself walk-on-water evals at work (way to go, sweetie!), and got a raise in pay! Not a life-style changin' raise, but every little bit helps.

4. My big, fuzzy, pink bathrobe; we've been having record low temp's here (swings from 17 all the way up to 71) at the beach all week long, and my robe has kept me toasty through the worst of it!

5. I got a book-box in the mail yesterday (Like I *need* more books!) and I found four books to swap out in it! That's a pretty 'average' take for me from these things, so I was happy! (Plus, that means four already-read books get to move along to another reader....and *that* is good to me!)

So...there is my Friday Fave Five...what's yours?! Be sure to head over to Living to tell the Story, grab a button from Susanne, and share your wonderful week with all the other participants....go on, you know you want to!

Pretty Paper

Not the *best* photograph, but the only one I have of my 'paper white' Narcissus in bloom; a gift from my BIL at Christmas...they smell very nice.

Flowers never emit so sweet and strong a fragrance as before a storm. When a storm approaches thee, be as fragrant as a sweet-smelling flower. ~ Jean Paul Richter

To find more beautiful blooms, or to post an entry of your own, visit Today's Flowers

A Simple Start to February

FOR TODAY (Monday, February 2, 2009)...Groundhog's Day

Outside my window...all is quiet; the sun is just starting to shine and the streets are deserted.

I am thinking...I have a lot to get done around here today, and since I've yet to even have my first cup of coffee...I don't feel like doin' any of it!

I am thankful for...FastBoys Wings, who provided us with our dinner last night, so that I could watch my beloved Steelers win their 6th Superbowl Championship!!

From the learning rooms...tomorrow is Imbolc; one of the eight Sabbats on the Wheel of the Year. Imbolc means "in the belly" and is the celebration of the "quickening of Spring"; It is a time for renewal, healing, and complete transformations. (time to get that Spring cleaning underway...)

From the kitchen...this week's menu will look like this: (Mon) chicken fingers & onion rings; (Tues) Polynesian pork chops over rice; (Wed) Swiss steak, mashed potatoes and fresh asparagus; (Thur) Pork roast; (Fri)'The Works' Pasta and (Sat)pork quesadillas & refried beans

I am wearing... l.e.i. jeans, a gray, long-sleeved tee & a pink chenille pullover.

I am creating...nothing currently...

I am going...to finish up this post, get myself a cuppa, and give my mom a call so we can talk about how totally AWESOME that game was last nite!!

I am reading...Still working thru "The House of Mirth" by Edith Wharton, and "The Edible Woman" by Margaret Atwood

I am hoping...that it warms up today; I am ready for spring, already!

I am hearing...the coffee pot, telling me it's ready for me to have a big, 'ol cup!

Around the house...it's just a typical Monday - the mister is back to work, I have an entire house that needs restored to normal living condition, the hounds are playin' in the other room, and here I sit, behind this computer screen!

One of my favorite things...NFL football ; I am going to miss it (until August).

A few plans for the rest of the week: Nothing much, really. This week seems to be wide open to possibilities!

Here is picture thought I am sharing...



If you would like to take part in your own weekly daybook, visit The Simple Woman's Daybook for all the details..