Sunflowers

Amber and I both loved sunflowers.  I planted some last year but they were not as pretty and tall as the ones this year.

I love this picture with the beautiful blue sky.

They have really grown since we had rain last week.  I think they are just a beautiful flower!

They stand very tall in our backyard.  They have grown more since I took this picture the other day.  We had rain and high winds and the sunflowers were leaning.  We had to use rope to tie them to fence poles ... they are so large!

I cut a couple of the smaller sunflowers and  zinnias to make a simple flower arrangement.  Jennifer had purchased these cute jars in a set of three here in town for $6.97.  They can be hung ... they have a handle around the top of the jars.  Preserves is written on the front of the jars.   Very cute! 

Jennifer just wanted one jar so she gave me the other two ...love them!  They could actually be hung with votives in them for outside at night. So many uses for cute jars ... especially with handles!

Thanks for visiting!

Hugs,

Donna



It's Raining!!

As I type this I hear rain pouring down outside the windows and thunder in the distance ... just good old fashioned rain.  We have needed rain for weeks!  The heat and humidity has been about unbearable for me with pulmonary fibrosis.  I have kept my inhaler close by!  Thank the Lord for the much needed rain!  I have watered and watered our vegetable garden and tried to keep my flowers alive during the heat wave.

Here's Honey my little watering buddy!  I have to drag the hose around her!  Where we live in the country we are not lucky enough to have a sprinkler system :)  You know I am a country girl!

Here are some of the flowers I have tried to keep alive.

Love this lily ...

An old tea kettle filled with impatiens.  Hopefully it will be full of blooms with the rain.

A kitty sitting on a fence post in the backyard.  I love animals!  They can bring a smile to my face when nothing else can :)

Now that I don't have to water this evening I am going in my sewing room and hopefully do a little sewing.  I haven't touched my sewing machine in a couple of weeks!

Thanks for visiting!
Donna



Two Dollar Table

Another one of our neighbors passed away a few months ago and her daughters held an estate sale.  They had pulled a few items out from under her house.  A plastic wicker looking table that was white and dirty caught my attention.  I  looked it over and saw that it was well made just needed a good washing.  I asked how much they wanted for it and said $2.  After I paid for it one of the daughters asked me what I was going to do with the table.  I told them I was going to clean it up and paint it.  They said they wished they had thought of it.  I had been looking for something just like it.

Here is my little table with a couple of coats of blue paint.  My husband had already cleaned it up and spray painted it before I could take a before picture!  Sweet hubby I have :) 

This is why I wanted blue ... I placed it between my two red chairs with bright pots on top.  My back yard is where I spend my time when I am outside.  You can see my gardening angel in the background with sunflower stakes.

The weather has been just about unbearable here and we wish for rain. I am barely keeping my flowers and plants alive with lots of water. 

This little sunflower watering can is not hardly big enough for all the water I need for my flowers!

Thanks for visiting!

Donna

I am linking up to Linda at Coastal Charm for NTT.

Their One Year Anniversary ...

How time flies!  It will be one year this weekend ... June 12, that my baby girl was married.  At times it seems only yesterday her daddy walked her down the aisle.  Here are just a tiny bit of the pics that were taken.

One of my favorites ...

She has her daddy's dimples!

Notice the color of the bridesmaids dresses ... Amber's favorite color!

 Amber walked down in the aisle with us.  I had a charm on my bouquet too.  I made these special keepsakes.

Mr. and Mrs ...

Sewing Basket Turned Planter

When the neighbors had an estate sale last summer so many items were not purchased.  The lady who passed away had always sewn.  She had a room full of sewing supplies and a couple of baskets packed with sewing items.  This was one of them, nothing fancy, just a plain basket.

The lady's family knew I sewed and asked me if I wanted any of the items before they threw them away or gave them to a thrift store.  I brought this basket and a larger one filled with all kinds of sewing goodies home with me.  Made me happy :)

When I purchased the Flea Market Garden magazine (I posted about here) it had a basket filled with plants and flowers.  I remembered my free baskets from last summer.  I brought this one out of the basement last week and went to work.

My husband helped me line the basket to hold the soil.  This is what my free basket looks like.

I filled it with an assortment of plants I had purchased and had not yet planted. 

Small zinnias, creeping Jenny, Mexican heather, a small fern and other flowering plants.  I spaced the plants with room to grow and filled in with moss.

I love my basket now!

I like to garden and this can easily be moved from the backyard to the front porch or anywhere I want to place it!

I love taking old things and reusing them.  I still have a larger basket that I will eventually fill with flowers.

I am joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch and Linda at Coastal Charm for their weekly parties.

Thanks for visiting and God Bless!

Donna



Hummingbirds and Lilies

It has been so hot and humid here for May and the first few days of June.  I don't even want to think about the temps in July and August :( 

My aunt has hummingbirds that nest every year on top of a windchime on her front porch.  I am so jealous!  I love hummingbirds!  This little nest is about 1-1/2 inches in diameter ... just tiny.  I watched the eggs until they hatched and as they have grown.  Now they are about ready to fly!  Just look at those babies ... precious!!  I will be sad to see the nest empty.

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I took some pictures last evening of some lilies I just planted this Spring.  They are gorgeous! 

This morning I have yellow and orange ones blooming too.  I may pick me a bouquet this weekend and enjoy them in the house.  I love fresh flowers from the garden.  There is just something about growing them myself.

Gorgeous shade of pink ...

A deep crimson color ...

And a beautiful off white color.

I will have to keep them watered in this heat!

I have a busy weekend ahead ... a girlfriend of mine that I have known since 4th grade is getting married this evening.  Her first husband passed away from cancer several years ago.  I am happy that she has found someone to make her happy again.  I always love a wedding.

I am going tomorrow to a quilt show in Birmingham.  Going to quilt shows always makes me want to come home and sew away! 

Have a good weekend!

God Bless!

Donna

A Butterfly in the Ballpark ...

I couldn't get anywhere with blogger issues last week so I just gave up on posting.  Everything seems to be back up and running smoothly now ... thank goodness!

We spent Memorial Day at the ballpark and it was very hot!

Amber was a huge fan of the Atlanta Braves.  She began watching baseball as a teenager just to pass the time in the summer.  We have been to many games at Turner Field in Atlanta over the years, but it just isn't the same without Amber.

I came across a photo album the other day of Amber when she met some of her favorite players.  She was so excited that day in May when we went to the Braves Clubhouse where many people never get to go.  She had the biggest smile on her face when she met Chipper Jones ... her favorite player.  I will always cherish the memories.

The strangest thing happened while we were watching the ballgame.  Amber always loved butterflies.  (I try to keep a butterfly in her vase of flowers and she has one engraved in her headstone.)  I was thinking about her when out of the blue a butterfly flew right in front of us in the middle of this huge stadium with no flowers around.  I asked Jennifer if she saw the butterfly and of course she did too.  It was like Amber was sending us a message that she was there with us :)  I know she is always watching over us!  We miss that sassy gal!

Here's the two of us sitting in the huge adirondack chairs at the top of the stadium overlooking Atlanta.  We had room for a couple of more people ... huge chairs!  I look huge beside Jennifer a size 0!  We had a great time even though they lost. 

Actually that is something I have never shared with people who read my blog.  I always watch the Braves on television when they are playing.  It's just something Amber passed on to me :)

Have a good day!

Hugs,

Donna