talented women, hanging terrariums and things that make me feel good

As most people know, I follow several blogs (listed on the right hand side of my front page) and from time to time I find wonderful treasures through their experiences.  I guess the ones I look at the most are the artist in Mexico, the artist in Southern France, and the two wonderful artists in Canada.  I also follow a few blogs of personal friends but find they don't write on their blogs very often.  Several friends have started blogs and then just stopped. I have a folder of other blogs I look at about once a month. I guess some find it easier to use Facebook and I do understand that. The four lovely women I mentioned first bring us into their lovely homes where we see they are wives and mothers and share their lives, their recipes and their ideas.   The best part is they share the things they create with each other and US - even letting us watch the process.  They let us celebrate the little high points and sometimes the low points of their every day lives.  And that people- is blogging.  I enjoy writing so I guess that is what I share with the few people who read my little blog.  I know- I'm not an artist - I don't have many talents - but I've always said my best talent is my deep appreciation of others who have real talents and I love to support them.  If following their blogs and commenting from time to time makes them feel good, then why would I not do that? There is a beautiful young woman in my congregation who is SO talented.  She can draw and paint anything. Her style is whimsical - she does lots of face painting at parties and other avenues from time to time. And then there is a sister who lives in the Northern part of town who creates lovely jewelry. I am in awe of both of them and wish them much success when they have a table at the Farmer's Market and any other endeavor they try.

The way I found the hanging terrariums is through one of the lovely, talented women I spoke about above.  She highlighted them on her blog and I fell totally in love with them. You can find them in a shop called crown flora but they are located in Canada.  They have a web site if you are interested. I am so hoping Jennifer will look at this and start making them so she can make me one. I have a perfect place to hang one or two - hint, hint.  There are more pictures on the blog on my front page called: resurrection fern . 

Darrell brought his granddaughter, Tilly, over with him when he came to look at my computer.  She is not only very cute, but she is also very smart and extremely social. She insisted I wear the other crown she found in the toy bag from the back. I really need to get some new things to go in there for kids to play with when the come over.    

Miya decided to watch her from a distance while sitting on one of her perches. She is pretty wary of little ones when they come over.  Poor baby, she almost covers the top of the cat scratcher doesn't she?  She hasn't gained any weight but sometimes, it looks like she has.  Weight - the bane of every woman's existence in one way or another.  

I received a package from Zandra and Mike today.  She sent me four of these cups - the other two look like these two.  I fell in love with hers when she was here with me and asked her to let me know how to buy one. She gave me hers when she left and promised she would try to find more of them.  I don't know how she did it but she texted me and told me she had found them.  I had no idea she had bought me four of them but I do love them.  I really like the bright colors and lids.  THANK YOU Z! 

I snatched this picture from Facebook. This is my dear friend Mimi's daughter Mimi and her dear hubby and beautiful son.  Her Dad was a famous painter, her mother was a dance teacher and she and her Mom came several years and participated in the American Dance Festival at Duke. That was many years ago but she is obviously very talented in many areas.

I have highlighted these two little Punky Pals that were made by Mimi on my blog before.  She sent me the yellow one many years ago and I purchased the white one when I bought two for Katarina's two little girls.  Not sure where the little monkey came from but I keep them out of the pink bag. I don't let just anyone play with them and they are not going home with anyone.  Her Punky Pals are sold in a nice little boutique there in Honolulu. She also showed a beautiful light colored wood light fixture made by one of her friends I think on one of her pages that I would LOVE to have.  Alas, I'm sure it is too pricey for this retired old lady. Hopefully it will stop raining eventually.  It has been dark and raining off and on all day but now it is pouring down and doesn't look like it will be letting up anytime soon.  I just looked on-line and the high today was 48.  They are calling for rain all night into the morning and then it is supposed to stop raining and the high is supposed to be 70 degrees! Welcome to the South ya'll. 

Time keeps marching onward regardless of what is going on.......

Here we are 9 days into the year 2014 and it seems like it was just yesterday that we were entering into the year of 2013.  Mama was so right - as we get older, time seems to move by much faster.  I hope I will handle that as gracefully as she did - and yes - I still miss her every day. A conversation on Facebook made me realize again just how blessed Dwight and I both were to have such wonderful mothers.  They were different in many ways except one - they loved their children - including the loved ones of their children. We were talking about our parents the other day and Dwight was saying how much he also misses his Daddy.  He was very close to his Dad and inherited his love of fishing.  He also developed his Dad's ability to "fix" things.  Everything from cars to hair dryers.

I snatched this picture from Facebook. This was when our precious Dorothy had grown so very tired.  Monica knew that Alice totally understood and felt her pain when it was time to finally let her go.  Theirs was a beautiful love story - one of those that don't come along too often.  She will be loved and remembered by so many of us who knew her. 

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I love this picture of Douglas playing around with his friend.  Except for the blonde hair, he looks SO much like Daddy. I know I have mentioned it before but I have a picture of Daddy when he was about 17 that looks so much like Douglas.  My beautiful baby boy.  I miss him.  I have been missing all of my children - especially since none of them came up this past month like they normally do.  I did get to see Page for a few hours when Carmen and Wally stopped by with her on their way down South for their big vacation trip.  Sadly, Carmen is still in the hospital but she is improving.  There are some things that have to take place before they let her come home.  I know she and Wally will be so glad when she feels better and they can be back in their own home.  At least they have family there to support them. 

Vera was in service and sent me this picture of a Cat Mailbox.  She knows how much I do love a sweet cat. It would only stand to reason that I would close today's post with a picture of my beautiful Princess Miya Chula Yum-Yum. 

Now I have to ask you, who could look at that beautiful face and not love it? She did not like it at all when the power went out night before last and the temperatures dropped into the low single digits. Dwight said he felt her crawl under the comforter and settle down close to his legs.  For once, he didn't kick her out.  By the time we woke up a second time, the power was back on.  It did take a little while for the house to warm up again but it could have been much worse. I felt so bad for the men and women whose jobs includes them having to be out in weather like that to make sure we have power and other utilities.   

New Chairs.....

Dwight bought a great Lazy Boy rocking chair a little over two years ago right before I came home from the hospital.  To say it was comfortable is putting it mildly.  I have literally lived in that chair since I came home that day.  Needless to say, there have been multiple accidents with me falling asleep with an opened Ensure in my lap.  Dwight has washed it several times but he said it has started smelling bad and we needed to get another chair. Long story short, we went to Lazy Boy and came home with not one, but two new dark green Lazy Boy rocking chairs.

This doesn't really show the fabric and color very well.  It a rougher texture than the other one and is a bit smaller. 

Needless to say, Princess Miya Chula Yum-Yum has made sure she has tested both of the chairs out.  The main problem she has had is the fact they are both rocking chairs. She has to do a little balancing dance whenever she jumps up on the back of this one to lay down.  Sadly, the dark green color really highlights her beautiful hair, including the hair she leaves behind. Poor Dwight isn't the easiest person to shop for something with. These were on sale and he liked them and kept saying I'm not going to stay in this store all day - so I said Okay - we will take them!  They loaded them into the back of Dwight's truck and we brought them home. I think he might have hurt himself insisting on moving them in on his own He really doesn't like to ask anyone for help but I did what I could to help him.  He took my old one down to the car wash in the back of his truck and washed and rinsed it with the pressure washer.  Debbie stopped by and offered to bring over her water vacuum cleaner and he said Nah - he didn't want to bother with it. So it is sitting on our porch and I am so hoping the fresh air will dry it out . If it does dry well and there is no longer a smell, we may bring it back in and use it.  I'm sorry, it truly is so comfortable  I spoke with Jessie today and she said there is still no official diagnoses.  Her mother is getting a little better - as long as she takes her meds, doesn't eat anything and doesn't try to walk anywhere on her own. So that is all the news from our abode - other than I got my hair cut today.