Unexpected Package

Turning 66 next week..

I have hardly thought about it 

as much of the year 

I have said I was 66 already.

But, yesterday, the postman

came to the bottom of our front deck

and literally slid a package across

the deck to the door.

I thought it might be some sandals 

I ordered from Belks...

Note to self..

Check on sandals tomorrow!

Instead, it was a birthday package

from Tennessee, from Suzanne.

I was flabbergasted!

Anyone that knows me, knows I 

do not like opening presents early.

When I taught elementary school

and would get presents from some

of the children, for Christmas,

it was even hard for me to open

them before Dec. 25th!

My friend, Bonnie, is the opposite.

Some of Miss Bonnie has rubbed off

on me. She says to celebrate all week!

Well, technically, my week does not begin until

tomorrow, so I guess I am celebrating 

for over a week.

I guess when one turns 66,

one deserves to celebrate a lot

more than when one was truly young.

Anyway, to continue.....

Suzanne will tell you, throughout the

years, my greetings from her have

more often than not, been past the 

event....which was just fine with me.

You see, I got to celebrate after...and

that was just fine!

Lately, however, she has surprised me.

This time, I was really surprised....

EARLY, Really EARLY.

I could not resist.

I opened it upon the spot.

I am not sure the mailman was

even out of the driveway.

I wrote a thank you note immediately, 

and it has gone to the post office

but I could not resist sharing this beautiful

package. Everything was matched

to perfection and oh my goodness, such sweetness!

 The handmade, adorable card..

 Just look at this beautiful bag and tag...

And people, this is the wrapping...

NoT the GiFt!!!

 This is what was hiding inside..

Love It...

We were together, I am pretty sure,

when we came upon this beauty,

in an antique mall, in Destin, Fl.

I have not a clue how she got it

without me knowing...

See the Bakelite across the top...

And There Is More

See that card tucked into this wrapping..

Isn't it darling and so coordinated.

The wrapping is a vintage tea towel.....

Can anyone guess what is inside the wrapping?

Oh Yes...Vintage Linen Book!

I will have many hours of pleasure looking

through this book.

I was thrilled with this special, unexpected surprise

yesterday!!!!!

If you happen to be reading this, Miss Suzanne, before

your mailed Thank You arrives...

THANK YOU !

One last look at all of the beauty!

Now I am off to work on a pretty big project!

More Bird Fun and A Fabulous Gift

 This is our itty, bitty, Hummingbird Feeder

 It has been getting quite a work out

the past few days.

We have a green one, and a yellow one 

and an orange one and just a plain brown

one. They have discovered our feeder

and I could not be happier about it. :)

They come and they go throughout the day.

We have almost had a hard time keeping the vials full.

They are quite noisy, too. If the doors are open or we are 

sitting on the deck, there is no doubt when one is coming around. Sometimes it is like they are waiting in line at the water fountain, like school children to get a drink!

The other wonderful thing that happened this weekend

is pictured below. Our friend, Verdis, has moved in with 

her daughter, Judy. ( also a friend! ) We were at Judy's

Sat. evening and Verdis asked Randy if he would like to

have the fabulous cast iron pot. Before Randy could even speak, I said,"I want it!"  It fits perfectly on my Bridge burner. I took this picture before I even cleaned it up. I was so excited to show Verdis how perfect it was on our 

stovetop! I had just read The Pioneer Woman's recipe 

for Sloppy Joes. My mom used to make Sloppy Joes and I 

loved them. I think I know what the first thing I am going to try in this wonderful gift will be, :)

Sweet

Look Closely...

Actually, in the above picture, 

it looks like one of the white petals

is pointing to the egg.

I bought this hanging basket for the deck.

As soon as it was hung, I saw a couple of sweet,

little birds, flying in and out of the container.

They made quite a mess, at the time, knocking

off lots of the plant's blooms. I wondered what

they were doing and they were such cute birds,

I didn't care about my plant getting demolished, 

sort of... :)

Well, I like to water it with rain water so I take it 

down and put it on the patio area when it is raining.

My husband discovered the tiny nest, which I know you 

cannot really see, and two little eggs.

The trouble is, he dropped the basket and the eggs

toppled out of the little nest...  :(

I got a glove for him and he placed them carefully

back inside the nest. 

I don't know if we have ruined the beauty or not.

Anyway, we are hopeful.

It has once again ( sort of tired of all the rain ) been raining most of the day, so we have not been watching to see if the sweet mom and dad have been flying back to the nest.

Fun Finds

 Oh, so many fun finds!

I took a little break last week end to go to a boutique

fair being held in the local high school parking lot.

I always seem to have a need to drive by my deceased

daughter's house, each time we come to our home here.

I had to pass the road to her former home on the way to

the boutique...

AND

there was a very large yard sale...

I

HAD

TO

STOP!

First up are two Ironstone dishes...

See the emblem on the back of them.

One had a little chip but I got them both for

five dollars.. Happy Face

These were what caught my attention first.

Six of them for a dollar each.

I don't know the pattern.

The back says, Warwick and has an emblem.

Below the emblem it says Made in U.S.A

I might have gotten this beauty for a quarter...

Another dollar...

See all the little bottles lining the sink..

Did I ever have fun sorting through all she had!

And what does this have to do with my finds, you

might ask?

My plant stand was too low, so I had to come up

with a solution...

I placed a stepping stone down and then put 

the one I mosaiced last year on top of it to hold the stand.

Now my plants show over the railing.

Close up of the stepping stone.

Those plates were added to the collection above 

and below.

See the little green medicine cabinet?

I plan to mosaic it on the top rounded part and the very

bottom part that is hard to see in this picture.

I plan to use it in the valley ( Gilbert, AZ ) home

when we remodel our bathroom.

I have not decided yet on a pattern.

I do most of my mosaic work on the deck.

We just had the tongue and groove planks added

to the ceiling. They are painted the same color as our ceiling

in the living area in Destin, Fl...

Sherwin Williams Window Pane.

I am sure it will be even more fun to play out there now.

And, last today, but not least,

the bench my husband painted and revived

for me.

Got it years ago on a cross country trip,

with girlfriend, Suzanne, when I still

had antique booths.

This sits in front of some roses that are

not blooming, for some reason. :(

Anyway, I have decided the back rails are

calling out to have me mosaic them, sometime in the future...

So, I still have an excuse to look for dishes...

if one really needs an excuse!

Happy Day!

Back in Pinetop

 We are back in Pinetop, our Summer home..

When we arrived, our little patch

of grass was dead..  :( I love having

a little patch of green! )

There now, isn't that much more inviting?

We went between having artificial grass

installed or trying the real thing one more

time...

We had the sprinkler system reworked

and decided on trying the real thing again..

Here is hoping it will last...

The lady that lived in the house before

us was named Helen.

She died in the home.

Her husband died of cancer

and 

I think she died of a broken heart,

along with a little alcohol

to help ease her pain.

This statue was left behind...

I named her Helen and she

watches over our home.

I always need some posies...

This year, I decided to plant mostly 

perennials instead of so many annuals.

I am hoping they make it through

the harsh winter.

Many Peonies plants and 

something called Balloon plants.

I had never seen them before.

I can't remember what these are called

but I know this particular variety is called

Watermelon. 

I put these on both sides of the deck, at the

top of the steps.

I don't know if you can see it in

the picture of the grass area

but there is one small, diamond shaped

flower bed.

My friend, Suzanne, in Tennessee,

has the most amazing rose bush. It is

a Knock Out variety.

I found one at a local nursery here and

made it's home in the diamond bed. It 

should get enough sun to do well. I am so 

hopeful it will grow to be as beautiful

as my friend and her rose bush.

And there is Helen, again, in front of a variety

of Hostas that I loved from the second I saw the variety.

There was only one, so I planted it close to Helen.

Last year, upon the advice of my friend, Janice, we planted

Hostas along the side area of our deck. We had not

been very lucky with getting anything to grow

there. It is a shady area. Janice suggested Hostas.

It took several to fill in the area and they were not the

cheapest of plants. Have I mentioned that I do not

have a green thumb?

When we returned this year, Randy and I were

shocked to see them. Not only had they survived

but they were thriving!

Wishing each of you an angel, as precious

as Helen, to watch over your life!