The last Friday of 2011

Good morning Friends,

I hope you are gently unwinding from the Christmas holidays, and hope your new year celebrations will be nice ones.

I want to thank everyone who follows my blog, and all who leave comments.  I look forward to new year of visiting with you at your blogs and sharing what’s happening here in our little compound.

The ‘aromatherapy tree’ has turned brown, and will come down tomorrow.  It was a nice treat while it lasted.  Glad it wasn’t in our cottage dropping needles like crazy. Our little indoor decorated tree will come down on the 1st.  I left it up because I really love the lights and sparkle and sweetness of the ornaments.  It will be nice to get it all packed away again, and won’t take any time at all this year.

DH painted more floor tiles in the caravan yesterday. He took a break this past week. He also did some tree trimming yesterday and there’s more to do as this is all hanging over our driveway from the neighbor’s trees to the east of us and it is getting out of hand.  They are lovely, but they are a pain in the rear, and they just keep on growing and growing.

Today is my last day of work for this year.  I am so thankful for my job and that things are doing better there. Thank you for all of your prayers, they are much appreciated. We are hoping for a better 2012.

I’m crocheting, learning needle tatting, looking forward to being in the TAST project, am ready to embroider and bead again.  DH has helped me set up a spread sheet so that I can keep track of materials, etc. for my little Etsy shop.  I’ve got to take pictures, edit, upload, and list of items I’ll be selling in there and that’s going to take some time. Gardening is never done down here, so there is plenty for me to do outside.

Here are some pictures, which may be the last ones posted for this year. 

Enjoy.

This first few pictures are of Mm. Laurette Messimy.

Begonia blooms

Cape Honeysuckle

Blue Sage

I blew this up and loved the look.

May you all have a wonderful 2012 filled with many blessings.

Love and hugs ~ FlowerLady

Something sweet and blooms I forgot

Well, to me it is sweet anyway.

I was heading out to work one morning week before last and we saw a Christmas tree thrown out across the street. What the heck, a week or so before Christmas?  Well, when I got back home there was the tree sitting in a stand that we had found a while back, that holds water, right by the screened porch entry.  I could see ‘why’ they had thrown the tree out, it was dying and needles were falling, but it smelled!  I was thrilled.  All week long I’ve enjoyed this wonderful scent as I walked past or as I was working in my shed’s garden.  Aaaahhh!  DH knows how I love the smell of a good Christmas tree.  Every Christmas I walk up to the trees at the grocery store and stick my face in them to take in their scent, I can’t help it. (We’ve had a few real trees over the years, but they aren’t worth the expense or the hassle. I enjoy my fake trees, they just don’t have that wonderful scent.)

So, here’s a picture of my Christmas aromatherapy this year.  I might be saving some of the needles for potpourri, or for putting in sachets.  The rest will become mulch.

There are many ways to show love each and every day,

and DH setting up this tree just for me

was one of them.

I took a picture of the yellow dwarf poinciana yesterday morning, and edited and cropped it for some close ups.

Have a nice week.

FlowerLady

******

Words to ponder each and every day.

**

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not,

but rejoices for those which he has. 

Epictetus

***

Hope you’ve had a lovely day.

Good afternoon Folks ~ Hope you’ve all had a good Christmas, with little or no drama, lots of love, laughter, good food and good conversations.

We had a nice quiet day and since I had packets in the freezer for today’s meal (from Thanksgiving), all I had to do was make cranberry sauce this morning, and heat up the meal in the freezer. Turkey breast with sherry, green bean casserole, and sausage cornbread stuffing. We also had some homemade chunky applesauce and a glass of white wine.

Here are some blooms from Tuesday morning.

Morning glories

Tecomaria capensis or Cape Honeysuckle and morning glories.

Prosperity roses with morning glories in the background.

Tuesday evening we celebrated DH’s birthday.  We had Cedar Planked Atlantic Salmon with Orange and Ginger, delicious! Served it over rice with a side of broccoli and a couple of glasses of chardonnay. We started out with margaritas served with crackers spread with cream cheese and topped with a sliver of anchovy and a caper. For dessert we had Key Lime pie in a graham-coconut crust.  Yummy.

Wait, stop eating I want to get a picture.

Here are some pics of latest caravan work. After painting the floor with several coats of paint, DH drew the hexagonal tile shapes, then started painting the floor on his birthday.

Here the floor is as of the 22nd. He said he’s going to have to give it a second coat as it is thin in spots.  After that he will paint on a couple of coats of polyurethane. This is painstaking work, and he’s doing a great job. I wouldn’t be able to be on my knees doing that, hunched over.

He was sneaking around here the 22nd and 23rd working on something and I found out this morning what that something was.  We recently got a cell phone for me to use strictly for 911 calls or if I need to call him when I’m out on the road.  Neither of us likes using the phone and we are NOT giving this number out to anyone as there are limited minutes and it’s for our own use. We’re weird I know.  But anyway. He made me two boxes, one to store the info and charger in, and the other to hold the phone so it won’t get smashed in my bag that I carry to work.  He used oak laminate flooring, molding, and masonite. I love it and that he made it for me. The big box stays at home.

He made an opening in the bottom to keep dust from collecting.

Below are blooms from the 23rd.

Sea hibiscus or

Talipariti tiliaceum

I forgot to turn the flash off before taking the first picture below. This is our state butterfly, the Zebra Longwing.

I won’t add pictures about my tatting needles and first attempt.  You can see that blog post over at FlowerLady’s Creations.

Well, this is a long post, that’s what happens when I take a break from posting.

Enjoy this last week of 2011.

FlowerLady

Have a lovely Christmas

Dear Friends,

As Christmas day approaches

may you feel the Love and Light of Jesus/God

surrounding you and filling your lives with peace.

May 2012 be filled with many blessings. 

Love ~ FlowerLady

 

 

A drippy, gray, Saturday morning

Hello Friends,

I do hope you are all winding up shopping and are able to relax and reflect somewhat on Christmas. We can get so stressed out on things we ‘think’ need doing, that we forget to stop and enjoy the small things, forget to be thankful for our many blessings.

It is gray and drippy here this morning. A ‘mini’ cool front is moving down but it isn’t going to give us chilly weather, just cooler weather. Right now it is 70 at 7:40 a.m.  Christmas day it is predicted to be around 80. We like the holiday better when there is a chill in the air, but we don’t always get what we want.

Here are some pics to brighten the day hopefully, of those who now have barren and sleeping gardens.

The first three are of the red hibiscus, very tropical.

Next we have dear sweet Maggie, a found rose that could be a Bourbon rose.

Poinsettias and tropicals.

Latest caravan work for those of you who have asked recently. Now that the mud work is done, DH has started on the floor, painting the first coat on yesterday. There will be another coat of under color for grout, and then he’s going to paint on hexagonal shapes in terra cotta color and then a couple of coats of polyurethane for protection.  I went in there the other day, sitting on a little step ladder, just enjoying the work that DH has done, and envisioning how it will look when finished.  From trash to a treasure that is for sure.  A little 6’x8’ space filled with light.

I took the next two pictures yesterday morning. One looking into my little space, and you can see the little Christmas tree in the living room too and the other picture looking out onto the patio from my little space.

Some of my latest creations above and below.

Well, I better get a move on.  I’ll be heading off to work again today, looking forward to puttering around here starting tomorrow.  Don’t know yet what I’ll be working this next week, but I think I’ll take a break from blogging to relax and reflect in the holiday.

May you all have a lovely Christmas and a love and peace filled 2012. May you have good health, may your needs be met on a daily basis. Let us be thankful for our many blessings, no matter the size.

Love and hugs ~ FlowerLady