Thursday, May 7, 2015

Flowers and a project

 

Good Thursday morning Folks ~ I do hope your week is off to a good start. Not working at a job right now, certainly has me getting mixed up on what day of the week it is. Also, time seems to be going more slowly, which is probably a good thing.

Below is my favorite hibiscus, ‘Hugs-n-kisses’, found and bought a couple of months after my DH left this planet. No two blooms are alike on this bush and each is beautiful.

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This is a bauhinia alba ~ dwarf white orchid tree.  The blooms have a light, lovely scent.

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Next we have begonia odorata ~ which has a sweet scent that fills the air. I have this in the two large planters I was ‘gifted’ recently.

05-06-begonia

No scent here but the color is gorgeous of this bougainvillea.

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Below is a white bougainvillea, from friends Nanci & John many years ago.

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This is a ‘found’ bromeliad.

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This is a member of the spiderwort family. I have three kinds of this plant. This one is Tradescantia fluminensis, the other two I have are Tradescantia pallida, and Tradescantia zebrina shown below this photo.

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05-07-purp-wand-jew

05-07-zebra-wand-jew

Below is a Ground orchid Spathoglottis plicata. This is also growing in those large planters with the white flowering begonia.

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This orchid was from a friend many years ago. She was moving to CA and didn’t want to take it with her on that long trip.

05-07-eva-orchid

Shrimp plant

05-07-shrimp-plant

Next photos are of ‘Kathleen’. I really love her so can’t stop taking her picture. Smile

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05-05-kathleen2

05-06-kathleen3

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Now that I’ve overloaded you with so many flower pics, I’ll show you my latest project.

I have these old but still very useful outdoor chair cushions. I don’t want to buy new ones right now, so got the idea to use my exterior house colors (watered down) on them. I just started yesterday so there’s still more to be done.

Getting started, decided to take a nap.

05-06-cushion

More done after nap. Flowers will be ‘purple/mauves’ of course. Still need to tweak the greens, but it looks better than all faded out. (I love the faux tiles that DH painted on the cement floor.)

05-06-cushion2

I’ve been watching a lot of you-tube videos about small house living, under 800 sq. ft.  This little cottage is 675 sq. ft. (We also have the workshop and two out buildings that we built and a shed that houses my washing machine.) We were in the small house ‘movement’ before it became into being. We moved into this place in 1973. After watching some videos the other day, I thanked God out loud, as tears streamed, for all that my dear husband did around our place to make it the little haven that it is. I miss him so much.

That’s it for now. Oh yea, I picked up my new elec. lawn mower yesterday, it’s still in the box in my van. Maybe I’ll put it together today. We had a couple of days of light rain and cooler temps which was really nice.

Enjoy the gift of each new day you are blessed with.

FlowerLady

****

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. 
It turns what we have into enough, and more.
It turns denial into acceptance,
chaos to order,
confusion to clarity. 
It can turn a meal into a feast,
a house into a home,
a stranger into a friend. 
Gratitude makes sense of our past,
brings peace for today,
and creates a vision for tomorrow."
Melody Beattie


"Enjoy the little things,
for one day you may look back
and realize they were the big things."
Robert Brault

25 comments:

Mama Mess said...

Your garden is so lovely and I want to say this, and hope I don't muck it up, but it is beautiful to me how much you still miss your DH. Testament to the love the two of you shared, and testament that while it's possible to go on (and what we are required to do as nothing and no one belongs to us as it's all on loan from God) going on doesn't mean forgetting. I think some folks feel as if they have to move on and almost try to erase every memory and that makes me sad. A beautiful marriage of decades should be celebrated even after the parting of death, not swept under the rug as if it never were!

I hope I didn't muck that up too badly with my words, and I hope you can feel what my heart is sending you! :)

M.K. said...

You are industrious as ever! Those cushions will work for years to come. I recall photos of "Kathleen" from before -- you do love her so :) Don't forget to take it EASY in the summer heat.

Nancy J said...

as I walk through your garden, with photos and words, I can see the plants, smell the blooms, and know your love for your dearest man will always be with you, HugsNKisses, the most gorgeous of all.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Love all the gorgeous flowers and seeing your creativity. Your Hubby would be proud of you,I'm sure.

Connie in Hartwood said...

Kathleen is one of my favorite roses, too!!!

Anonymous said...

Your blooms are all so beautiful Rainey . . . especially the Hugs & Kisses.

I think there's something extra special about a tiny home ~ and your cottage proves my point - warm, cozy, and so very inviting. I'm working on just the same for our little home as well. :-)

Hugs my dear friend,

eli

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

You have so many flowers already! I have..dandelions, ha ha.

I can't believe that is painted cement !!! What an amazing job and clever idea. I can only imagine how much you miss him. Enjoy fixing up your cushions! :)

Leslie Kimel said...

The begonia looks so pretty in your new planter. What a great combination. And the Hugs-n-Kisses hibiscus is amazing--it looks almost tie-dyed! I really admire your flower photography. These are gorgeous pictures.

Morning's Minion said...

I have known spiderwort as something of a wildling in both Vermont and Kentucky--the blue-flowered form.
Your home and garden are a tribute to what you and your husband accomplished together and also to the care you have given since being on your own.
I feel almost guilty sometimes that we didn't manage our little house space better than we did. I think we have kept too much 'stuff!'
Now, with a much larger home, I have no doubt we will expand to fill the space.

Darcie said...

I came over here because I knew you would brighten my day...you flowers, post, and love for your dear husband always do. The love you have for him never goes away that is for sure, that is why you will always think of him with joy and sorrow interwoven. Sending a special hug to you my friend. ((((hugs))))

Karen @ Beatrice Euphemie said...

I so enjoy seeing all your beautiful flowers. The orchids and shrimp plant are fascinating! I love the quote on gratitude and the 2nd one is a favorite :) What a great idea to repaint the flowers on the cushions. Your little home is just enough - cozy and comfortable and adorable. I hope the lawnmower is not too difficult to put together. Sending you hugs xo Karen

Jane said...

That was a very clever idea to paint those chairs! I'm smitten with Kathleen, also. Still waiting to see if any of our roses survived the second onslaught of an arctic winter. They are always the last thing to leaf out. Last year I had to cut them back to the ground and am hoping I won't need to this year again. That white orchid tree reminds me of a white poinsettia. I live in a tiny house (under 1000 square feet) too, and wouldn't trade it for all the castles in Europe.

Hugs
Jane

Stephanie said...

Hello lovely lady! Oh, how I enjoy seeing your pretty flowers...you have a special touch with plants :)

May you have a glorious weekend! Hugs!

Susan said...

My heart goes out to you on how much you still miss DH. So many people throw away love these days, and it makes me sad that you lost DH so early. Your flowers are all lovely and your cushions look like new. That was a clever idea. I do hope a new job prospect shows up soon for you.

Jillayne said...

It's amazing to me how no two flowers on that first plant are the same - nature is a wonderful, amazing artist.
When my husband and I were first married we lived in a small house on a lake 45 miles north of the nearest city. Our house was 750 sq ft, with no running water, no electricity, no phone. We had a tin bath tub you poured water into, wood heat, an outhouse and a wood cook-stove - we loved it and miss it every day.
You were lucky in your love Lorraine... I suppose that's why you miss him so much... warm hugs from me

jerilanders said...

That shrimp plant just makes me laugh! You do have the exotics down in Florida, for sure. Now I never thought of revitalizing cushions in that manner, but it really seems to work great.

CraveCute said...

I could look at your flowers all day! Love them! You can grow so many different plants than we can around here! Just lovely to see them!

One Woman's Journey - a journal being written from Woodhaven - her cottage in the woods. said...

Beautiful
Looking foreward to
seeing how my son furnithes hi
Thailand condo - 300 sf.
When I built this cottage
wanted something really small
but with 4 children and 5 grandchildren
it turned into 1200 ft
with a loft for when famiy visits
I love it at this time...

Deb J. in Utah said...

You have such a lovely, homey place - I know it was a "cottage of love" for you and your DH. I know you still miss him. Your flowers are beautiful, as always, and your yard is a delight!
Have a wonderful weekend!

klaraau01 said...

Beautiful blooms, love your orchid and the orchid tree flowers, thank you for sharing

organicgardendreams said...

Dear Lorraine, in this post you presented some extra beautiful flowers. I can't even name a favorite. The hibiscus is very special with its unusual colors. I love the dainty white begonia and that it is fragrant makes it even better. Of course, the white bougainvillea is right up to my alley, funny, that I just thought about getting one for myself a few days ago.
Last but certainly not least I share you fondness of the rose ‘Kathleen’. There is just something about her that I can't put my finger on, but that touches my heart.
Wishing you a lovely Sunday,
Christina

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Your flowers are so beautiful Lorraine!

June said...

Lorraine, that poem by Melody Beattie is a favorite of mine. Doesn't it say it all?
There are so many things in this post I want to comment on, and think I will start with your beautiful cottage. I think small home are special and the feeling I get when entering a cottage is warmth and sense of coziness that no large and vaulted ceiling home could give. You are blessed for sure.
I also love what you did with your chair cushion! It's lovely and I love that you are reviving it. I can't throw things away even when they are past the chic look and just plain shabby and I love it when others give new life to things and then share their ideas to inspire me.
And speaking of inspiring me......BEAUTIFUL BLOOMS. It must be such a joy to garden in FL!
Everything around you must bring such wonderful memories of your DH. You both created a heaven on earth.
good luck with your new lawnmower :)
sending hugs...

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi there, Just stopping by to say “Happy Mother’s Day” to you. I’m sure you are having a fabulous day. I celebrated yesterday when one of my sons and his beautiful wife came to see us….

As you probably know, we’ve been out-of-town this past week and I haven’t done any blogging much at all. I hope you enjoyed my two Tulip blog posts while we were gone——and be sure and tune in tomorrow morning to find out what we’ve been doing this past week….

Enjoyed your post today! Your Kathleen reminds me of one of our roses named About Face.. It's a different color on the inside from the outside... NEAT!

That may be the prettiest Hybiscus bloom I've ever seen...

Hugs,
Betsy

Janice said...

Hi Lorraine. Just wanted to say you have a beautiful Florida garden! I'm gardening north of you in Belleview, Fl. I repurpose everything, I think your chairs are great. Just started blogging about my garden, wow, I think gardening is easier than blogging. Good luck to you.

Janice