Scullery View on a foggy morning

Where we love is home - home that our feet may leave,

but not our hearts.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

Foggy Morning Flowers

Good morning everyone. It is a foggy morning, something we don't get very often. I grabbed the camera and headed outdoors. What I noticed while walking around is all the leaves on the ground and fried on plants. We had some really cold weather down here a week or so ago, and even though we did not get frost or freezing temps, with the wind chill factor it did a number on some things. Plus, we really need rain, which we are supposed to get some of in the next three days. I sure hope so. We are on water restrictions, so it's kind of tough keeping on top of what all needs watering.

We are expecting another bit of cold weather, with it supposed to be feeling like it's 28, so I'm sure there will be more leaves falling and plants striving to survive.

Azaleas

La Marne rose

Mother-of-Millions blooms

This is my favorite picture from this morning. It is of Old Blush climbing rose.

May your day be a good one.

FlowerLady

"Winter, a lingering season,

is a time to gather golden moments,

embark upon a sentimental journey,

and enjoy every idle hour."

John Boswell

More of our Cottage Scullery

Our cottage scullery January 2009, early in the morning with sunlight flooding in.

Here are some more pictures taken soon after we finished the scullery project in 2003. Things have changed since then, lace curtains, a new red microwave and other little things. We used a lot of curbside shopped pieces in this project and bargain priced items also. One curbside piece is the little one drawer, one door cabinet under the left side of the sink.

The hutch we found 'curb side' many, many years ago. Homes were being demolished and these were being put out. We have another one like this and a bead board one also, from the same area, they are both in DH's workshop. I'll have to take a picture of what's inside as I've changed that around also.

To the left of that hutch, you see one drawer, that came from across the street when they did a kitchen remodel. DH partially stripped it, to let colors show through, we like that look, and we put a found old enameled top on it and that's where my bread machine is. Underneath is a little area where some things are stored. Next to that is an old enamel topped metal cupboard, also found curbside many years ago. The sink is a double, older, enameled cast iron sink that we bought from a salvage yard for around $40, I think. The window over the sink we bought from a junk/tool shop, not sure what we paid for it.

Here's the breadmachine, with my spice rack that DH made for me when we were newlyweds living in Spain. He made this out of African Mahogony in the Navy base's woodworking hobby shop.

This is a Spanish water jug, made from clay, the handle was broken on the top, we found it on the beach near our apt. there in Spain, painted it the yellow of our cabinets there. The little cement chicks we bought at a local flea market many years ago here.

This is the north east corner. You can see some of my bird collection, ruby ware, and some of our many paintings that we've collected over the years. The aqua glass vase, is a beautiful piece or art glass with a huge crack in it, that we paid $1 for.

I love this painting of geraniums in a cup.

This is another favorite.
The birds and flowers are a raised material then painted.

This is the northwest corner. The small grandfather clock was DH's gift to me for our first anniversary. It is a wind up clock and he got it in the little town we lived in in Spain.

This is a watercolor of a flower covered cottage.

These next two pictures are of the shelves just next to the northwest corner. This is a sidelight that DH put into the wall for light, and he made the shelves to fit and of course I proceeded to fill them with colored glass. Top three shelves and then bottom two shelves. They no longer look the same as I've changed things around since these pictures were taken.

The next picture shows another cupboard curbside shopped from across the street when renters moved out as we were doing the project. Then next is the fridge space, bumped out into the pumphouse area. Just to the right of the fridge is enough space to store my ironing board. DH made the pull out shelf that is over the fridge.

Here are a collection of teapots that are over the entry into the scullery, on scullery side. A plate collection is on the kitchen side, which you can see in the first picture.

I will close this little session with the cross stitch needlework I made for my late MIL when we lived in Spain. This was one of her favorite prayers. When she passed away I got this from the estate.

Have a great day.

FlowerLady

Our Cottage Scullery

Our cottage scullery was a dream for years. We didn't quite know how it was going to come out until we did it. Calling it 'the scullery' came from DH's 4 yr stint in the US Navy, where he had to work in the scullery when he was first starting out.

"In United States military facilities and most commercial restaurants, a "scullery" refers to the section of a dining facility where pots and pans are scrubbed and rinsed (in an assembly line style). It is usually near the kitchen and the serving line." Wikipedia

I found the above definition this morning when looking up the word scullery to post with today's blog entry. Thought I would start with that since that's where our scullery started, many years ago.

A scullery again according to Wikipedia is this:

A Scullery is a [room] in a house used for domestic tasks, especially those not involving the handling of food. A scullery is a form of "back-up" kitchen and is usually located adjacent to the main kitchen, frequently to the rear of the house. Kitchen-related uses might include cleaning dishes and cooking utensils (or storing them), or for doing particularly messy kitchen work. A scullery may also be used for tasks unrelated to cooking, e.g. ironing or washing clothes. The term "scullery", in a modern domestic context, appears to be somewhat archaic, the room being more commonly referred to (at least in North America) as a utility room.

Our scullery was our utility room. We opened up our kitchen to the utility room and what a difference. I love it. It has made dish washing so enjoyable, as now I look out into our secret garden where there are flowers, butterflies and birds, and yes, Tork, looking in the window. I also iron in this light filled room. The ironing board is stored in it's own little space next to the refrigerator. Below is a picture of our kitchen before:

The next picture was taken yesterday morning with the sun shining in the window. I love this room. You can see Tork sitting on the little roof over the recycle bin/garbage can area outside on the back side of scullery. Actually, she's sitting on a rock that we brought back from vacation a couple of years ago. It's her perch for viewing into our world.

I will post more pictures later when I have more time. This little space changed dramatically from an unused utility room. It is truly a dream come true. We have several 'curb-side' shopped pieces and I will tell about them later. Plus bargain prices on other things.

I visited several cottage blogs yesterday after I had taken this picture and was really inspired, and encouraged and very thankful for our humble Plum Cottage in these uncertain times.

Thanks for looking, thanks for the joy and inspiration all of your blogs bring to lives who visit them.

Have a great day ~ FlowerLady

He is the happiest,

be he king or peasant,

who finds peace in his home.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

This is the day ...

This is the day which the LORD hath made;

we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalms 118:24



May we all feel grateful for this new day
that we have been blessed with.

May we go about our business graciously and with strength.

May we see the beauty that surrounds us
in among the niggling things that make up our day.

FlowerLady

Loving where I live

Good morning everyone. Hope you are all doing well. It has warmed up here again, is right around 50 right now and it's close to 6:30 a.m. It is supposed to get up into the mid 70's today and that's great! For the most part my gardens survived our few nights of temps in the low 30's with a wind that made it feel like it was in the low 20's. We aren't used to that kind of weather, so it feels good to be warming up again.

I was inspired by a blog I read, I don't remember where as I've been reading a lot of them, if I find it I will add the blog addy later. The blog posting is Love Where You Live. The story isn't the same of course, but the end result, of loving where you live is.

In 2004 and 2005, we went through 3 hurricanes, Frances, Jeanne and Wilma. With Francis and Jeanne we were right on the edge of the eye with both of them, trees down, fencing down, without power not long with one, and around 11 hours with the other. Then at the 'end' of hurricane season in 2005 along comes Wilma who we thought we were going to miss, then she makes a right turn and heads straight for us. She was horrible! Of course, she was nothing like what the people went through with Rita and Katrina, but she was still a horrible storm, that people haven't recovered from yet. People lost homes, businesses, we were without power for 13 days. I was horrified during the storm as the winds roared over, we even had a little tornado go over and it is true what they say about it sounding like the roar of a train. It was different from the winds of the hurricane, in sound and feeling.

We did survive, we cleaned up the messes, and I started looking at real estate out of this state, especially after my boss treated my DH and I to a cabin in NC for my working for him for 10 years. I would browse through country homes and properties and saw some we might like. We aren't ready to move yet, as something would have to happen to make it so, but it's fun to look and see what's out there. It made me start appreciating what we already have. Recently I found a place and got in touch with the owner for more pics and info. We emailed back and forth, and they were even willing to trade, and wanted to come look right now. Whoa, wait a minute. We aren't ready to move just yet. Trading wasn't quite right, because our home would be worth more if we sold it. We emailed back and forth and then politely just told them we weren't ready to do that. (They had already had 50 or so responses and didn't take anyone's offers, etc.) After the flurry of activity and adrenaline flowing, we started to calm down.

Our little place may not be much in today's standards of living, but it is ours. It is paid for. We are close to grocery, bank, gas stations, home depot, p.o. etc. We've worked on our place, making it our haven. When we bought this place it was an open big lot with our small cottage sitting on it. We've fenced it in, built with permits a workshop, a storage building, and a small barn. We also have two small sheds. We have gardens. We have much to be thankful for and this little episode really brought it home to me.

Yes, other homes are larger, (which we could use as ours is only a little over 700 sq ft), yes the area is nicer with country and views, but this is where we are, what we have been blessed with. Just seeing places online, doesn't give one the whole picture either. We do not want to get into debt, we're out of debt.

We are getting older, people retire and move here, and here we are thinking of moving away. Not just because of hurricanes either, add over population of the area also. If we moved to a quieter area, smaller town in the country, we wouldn't be able to get all the ethnic cooking ingredients that I enjoy using. There would be other things we miss also, being able to drive 10 minutes away and see the ocean. I would miss gardening 365 days a year. We would have to learn about taking care of things for 'winter', so that pipes wouldn't freeze etc. Yikes!

DH's workshop is really nice. The remodeling we've done to our house has made it nicer too and we've still more little projects in mind. I haven't looked at property again since communicating with the owners of the other property. I feel more relaxed, more content with what we have and want to continue to work on our little compound with love and happiness.

~ Home is where your heart is.
Bloom where you are planted.
Be it ever so humble, there is no place like home. ~

In today's uncertain world, we are doing well, with what we have. We are working on decluttering, rearranging, it's a continual work in progress. It is our haven from the crazy world that we live in.

I will close with the following from the book 'Simple Abundance ~ Daybook of Comfort and Joy' by Sarah Ban Breathnach.

"Today, no matter where or how you live,
look upon your home through the eyes of Love.
Walk around the rooms and offer thanks
for the walls and roof that safely enclose you and yours.
Pause for a moment to consider
all the women who have lost their homes
through death, divorce, debt, or disaster.
Be grateful for the home you have,
know that,
at this moment,
all you have is all you truly need."

Sincerely ~ FlowerLady

Awards

Awards are nice to receive.
Everyone would like an award.
I made an award to give out myself.


But, I've been thinking,
who am I to say who should get one,
over anyone else.


Everyone has something of beauty
that they create and share on their blogs,
everyone deserves an award.


So, my award is given freely to all.
No strings attached.
It is yours for the taking.


Thank you for visiting my blog,
and for sharing the beauty
you create in your lives.


FlowerLady

It is COLD here in our part of the country.

Good afternoon Friends ~ We woke up this morning to 38 degrees outdoors feeling like it was 22, while inside it was 68. It dropped another two degrees before it started warming up. We have blue skies with bright sunshine, and a brisk breeze. Tonight it is supposed to get down to 34. I did cover some plants last evening with DH's help, the rest had to hack it. My little collection of orchids were brought in Monday.

Things didn't look bad in the gardens this morning, but I've read it takes 10 days before you really know how bad things suffered. Hopefully no real damages, and fortunately for us this kind of weather doesn't last long.

******

"Winter is the time for comfort,

for good food and warmth,

for the touch of a friendly hand

and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home."

Edith Sitwell

Enjoy your homes wherever you are.

FlowerLady

Watered Garden

And the LORD shall guide thee continually,

and satisfy thy soul in drought,

and make fat thy bones:

and thou shalt be like a watered garden,

and like a spring of water,

whose waters fail not.

Isa 58:11 KJV

Creating & Sharing Beauty Award

Hello everyone.

Since I was blessed with awards,
I decided to create one that I could send to others myself.

The first recipient will be Rachel Anne of Home Sanctuary.

Visit her wonderful blog.

You will be inspired to lovingly create
your home into a sanctuary,
for you and those you love.

FlowerLady

******


Everybody needs beauty as well as bread,

places to play in and pray in,

where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.

John Muir

Awards recieved

I want to say a heart felt thank you to the following blog friends.



Nell of Secrets of a Seed Scatterer

ASundayGirl at Live, Love and Be Free

Sharon from The Old Oak Swing

for the following awards.

These mean a lot to me
and I thank you all for choosing my blog for these awards.

FlowerLady

Salvia leucantha ~ Velvet Sage, Mexican Bush Sage

Good morning everyone. Hope you are warm and healthy wherever you are.

Last year I bought Salvia leucantha and just love it. I hope to get more plants from this main plant to spread around our property. The color is beautiful and I love the velvety feel and look of the blooms. The silvery green leaves are really pretty also. After reading the info from Floridata I now know that my cultivar is Purple Velvet. As the flowers are the same color as the purple calyces.

Yesterday I took pictures, and I sure love the macro capabilities of my camera.

If this wonderful plant will grow in your zone, get it, you won't be disappointed.

The info below is from: Mexican Bush Sage

• Evergreen Perennial
• Drought tolerant
• Mature Size: 4 feet x 4 feet
• Full Sun
• Purple/White Flowers
• Blooms Summer through Winter
• Attracts Butterflies
• Attracts Hummingbirds
• Deer Resistant

For more information go to this link. Floridata

Click on the pictures for a larger view.

FlowerLady

Feed the soul

Bread feeds the body indeed,

but the flowers also feed the soul.

The Koran



Old Blush climbing rose

Old Blush

Vincent Godsiff

Vincent Godsiff

May Your Life ...

"May your life be like a wildflower,
growing freely in the beauty and joy of each day."

~ a Native American proverb ~

It's Not What We Accomplish

~ Eliminate the question, "What did you accomplish today?"
Instead, I hope that somewhere you hear the voice,
"Look at me. You are loved and you are held." ~
Terry Hershey

******

I read the above in The Sabbath Moment's newsletter
that came in my mailbox this morning
and it got me to thinking.
Every day we rush around thinking and sometimes worrying
about the things that beckon to us to be done.
Then at the end of the day, we ask ourselves
What did we accomplish today?

May we take a deep breath,
and rest in God's care and strength with each new day,
knowing that we are not alone.
He has promised to never leave nor forsake us.
He is with us through everything that happens
or doesn't happen in our day.
He is with us through all of our chores, our joys, our sorrows.


Come unto me, all ye labouring and burdened ones,
and I will give you rest
Matthew 11:28

******

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits
Psalms 68:19

But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion,
and gracious, longsuffering,
and plenteous in mercy and truth.
Psalms 86:15

How precious also are thy thoughts unto me,
O God! how great is the sum of them!
If I should count them,
they are more in number than the sand
Psalms 139:18 & 19

Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning;
for in thee do I trust:
cause me to know the way wherein I should walk;
for I lift up my soul unto thee.
Psalms 143:8


******

With each new day that we are blessed with,
May we rest in the love of the great Creator God.

It is not what we do,
our accomplishments that are important,
it is trusting in the One who loves us deeply.
Trusting and resting in Him for all that we need.
He is our strength, He gives us His peace,
and
we are surrounded by His love.

FlowerLady

******


The picture above was written in the sky south of our home
June 3, 2001.

Blue Bouquet

Good afternoon everyone. After helping DH this morning with some lumber hauling, and tree trimming, I did a fun project. We had collected these bottles, had found the cable material that I used for the stems, and the terra cotta pipe was also a found piece.

I know this isn't the type of thing some would want in their gardens, but when I put it together I laughed right out loud and felt good. I came inside and asked DH to look out the bedroom window at my latest project. When he saw it he laughed too. We both couldn't quit smiling. He said, "You haven't taken a picture of it yet?" It is fun when we recyle things. This adds a bit of whimsy and color to my main garden.

Thanks for looking and hope you all have a wonderful day.

FlowerLady

Gardens are Healing

Have you ever noticed how you feel when you are in a garden?

You start to relax,
you breathe more deeply,
you look,
really look at the beauty that surrounds you.

You sigh.
The cares of the world seem to evaporate.

Gardens are healing.
The first garden was created by the Almighty Creator,
and we humans have been
creating and planting our own gardens ever since.
After all, we are made in the Creator's image.

Healing is something we all need each and every day.
Healing of our spirits, minds, bodies and souls.

Whether your garden is just one plant or a few
growing in a window,
Several on a balcony, or stoop, or patio
Or a plot of land big or small,
There is healing.

If you have not planted a garden yet,
Think about it.
Think about colors, scents, textures,
herbs, fruits and vegetables.
What would you like in your own healing garden.

Plant things to attract birds and butterflies.
Place a bench or two
so that you have a place to rest and enjoy.
Have a water feature,
whether a bird bath, fountain, stream or waterfall.

If your garden is indoors,
Place a comfortable chair nearby,
Buy a small desktop fountain.
Hang some artwork of the beautiful world outside.
Listen to some nature with music CD's.

It is your garden.
Create it with love.
Love will surround you,
Love is healing.

FlowerLady

A few years back we bought this rose
in celebration of our love and marriage.

It is a wonderful rose with a lovely scent.

Red ~ Love, respect

White ~ Reverence, humility

******

The information below was found at Help Me Find Roses.
The rose was voted Excellent by Help Me Find members.

ARS: Red blend Grandiflora. Registration name: JACtwin.

Exhibition name: Love.


Origin: Bred in United States (1980) by William A. Warriner.

Introduced in United States by Jackson & Perkins Co.

Class: Grandiflora.

Bloom: Red blend, white reverse. Strong fragrance. 30 to 35 petals.
Average diameter 4".

High-centered bloom form.
Blooms in flushes throughout the season.

Habit:
Armed with thorns.

Growing: USDA zone 6b through 9b .
Disease susceptibility: very disease resistant.

Spring Pruning:
Remove old canes and dead or diseased wood and cut back canes that cross.
In warmer climates,
cut back the remaining canes by about one-third.
In colder areas,
you'll probably find you'll have to prune a little more than that.

******

******

The cure for all the ills and wrongs,
the cares, the sorrows,
and the crimes of humanity,
all lie in that one word
"love."

It is the divine vitality that
everywhere produces and restores life.

To each and every one of us,
it gives the power of working miracles
if we will.

Mrs. L.M. Child

Taken from the book
The New Dictionary of Thoughts
A Collection of Twenty Thousand Thoughts