Flowers, paint color, pressure washer

Good morning Folks ~ In reading blogs, I see that ‘lots’ of you are having spring weather and that is great news indeed. I hope the rest of you will be seeing it soon.  Just had a very light shower here, showers are expected today through Friday. We need the liquid sunshine so I’m not complaining.

It means I may not be mowing, or doing laundry, so I’ll do some work indoors instead.

Here are some flower pics I took yesterday.

This is Dombeya burgessiae (Seminole) I bought this last year at the Mount’s Botanical Garden nursery. This will get to be about 7 ft. tall. It is sometimes called the ‘’'Tropical Hydrangea’. I am happy to have this in my little cottage gardens. The white little specks are pollen from the palm tree.

This is either Blue Mist flower or Ageratum, I’m not sure which. It’s been around in my gardens for years and years as it self-sows and grows wonderfully with little care.

Dahlberg daisies, such little sweeties.

Rose de Rescht, a gift from Deb & Charles.

Unknown rose I bought cheap at a local nursery, smells wonderful.

These are from the other day. I was having a rough time with blogger so they didn’t get put into the post where I showing this ‘Granada’ rose.

In photo below is all six house color samples.  I bought 2 the first time, and 4 yesterday and ‘yippee’ I found the color. It came down to a choice of two, Gypsy Magic or Purple Mauve, Purple Mauve won.  It is the bottom color in the middle row, Gypsy Magic is the color above, and it’s a little too brown.

Yellow color I ‘may’ use for the three doors. Trim will be white.

Purple Mauve top

Gypsy Magic bottom

Plum Swirl is on the top

Purple Mauve middle

Gypsy Magic bottom.

Here’s my new electric pressure washer. It took me 1/2 hour to put it together.  I then tried it by cleaning two patio pavers about 20” square. YAY!  What a great tool! I’m proud of myself for making this purchase, using Christmas bonus $ from this past Christmas.  I forgot to take a picture of it all together, will get that later.

Now I can clean the walls of cottage, then start painting one section at a time, after doing some caulking. This is going to be a lot of work, but oh so rewarding.  My right hand is bothering me either with arthritis or tendonitis. In a car wreck in 2000 which broke my right arm, wrenched my shoulder, and chipped my wrist bone. I always helped DH when we did painting and both of enjoyed this project. It will take me longer, but that’s ok.

Thank you for your prayers about my job situation, greatly appreciated. A few of you mentioned I should just retire. I would love to, but financially, it isn’t possible at this time.

***

Thank you all for prayers and wishes for Dear Balisha who found out she had ovarian cancer about three months ago. She went to be with Jesus Monday afternoon with her family all around her.  Her husband posted on her blog to let us all know.  Please keep him, Joe,  and their family in prayer at this time.

 An embroidered piece made in 2000 for a friend.

Holy Moly & YIKES

 

Good afternoon Folks ~ Well, I bought the little electric pressure washer this morning, and two samples of house paint. No way will either of these work. Seeing the colors online through our monitors is one thing, seeing it for real is another whole deal.

That’s the ‘Holy Moly.’

Exotic orchid that I liked online is awful for a house color. I went through other options I had liked, then went online to HD again and found another one, Peruvian Violet, which is nice but still ‘too much’. Exotic orchid on the top, Peruvian violet on the bottom. Peruvian Violet alone in the second photo.

I decided to paint the trellis in the main garden and like it. I’ll have to get a picture tomorrow morning with the sun shining on it.

Buddleia ~ smells like honey.  I love the silvery leaves.

New Guinea impatiens from friends Nanci & John

Sweet coloring on the buds.

These lilies bloom every spring all over the county. These bulbs are just in a pot with little soil at all and still they bloom. 

These crafty goodies are from Suzanne and I thank her for them.

This is a give away win that came in the mail today, from Sandra at Thistle Cove Farm. This lady is awesome. One hard worker taking care of a farm herself. She lost her dear husband a couple of years ago too. She inspires me.

I have read some of Alexandra Stoddard’s books before and been encouraged and inspired by her photos and writings. This book ‘Living Beautifully Together ~ How to Live Graciously in a Hectic World by Finding Time to Love Your Family, Your Friends, and Yourself’. I look forward to reading this especially at this time in my life.

***

The YIKES part of my post is that I will most likely will be out of a job May 1st.  I just heard this news, this afternoon and needless to say my heart started beating a little faster as the adrenaline pumped. The building that my boss and my friends Nanci and John own together, where their shops are, was put on the market just a few weeks ago and they had an offer over the weekend and accepted it.  If the inspection goes through, closing will be May 1st and that will be that.  I’ve been there 17 years, I don’t know what God has in store for me next, but I’m trying to stay focused on His taking care of me, just as He has in the past. I will be 66 on the first day of spring, and I’m not a ‘spring chicken’. Please keep me in your prayers. Thank you.

FlowerLady

***

As your faith is strengthened

you will find that

there is no longer the need to have a sense of control,

that things will flow as they will,

and that you will flow with them,

to your great delight and benefit.

Emmanuel

Light rain, roses, Trader Joe’s

Good morning Folks ~ Here it is a wet March Friday morning. We are having light rain right now, more rain is expected today, tomorrow and Sunday.  We need it, so I’m not complaining.

I ‘love’ it!!!!

 

Hi Folks ~ I picked up my bedding order at Walmart today.  Before I left the desk I asked the man if he would open the box for me so that I could see if they sent the right size before I walked out of the store. He did, it was a ‘full’. Relief!  I thanked him and left.

I got home and stripped the bed, put on clean sheets, then put the spread and shams on and I just love the look, the colors.  It’s made very well. Large enough so that it wraps up around top pillows under the sham covered pillows, hangs down about 25” all the way around.  I have a high bed, so it does not go to the floor.  I had already made a skirt with some nice material from my friend Nanci.

The bedroom is a work in progress. Faux beadboard paneling will be going up. The head and foot board were found in Spain when we lived there, we ‘curbside shopped’ there too. After we found these, the next time we took that road, there was a sign where they had been, saying ‘no pongas la basura’, which means ‘do not put trash’. These are light colored beech wood, with some turned wood, we decided to stain the wood dark because we like dark wood.  It is a double/full size.

This little cottage, about 25 ft x 25 ft with two bumpouts, is roughly 665 sq. ft. and had two tiny bedrooms when we moved in. We opened the two rooms up to each other making one larger room, I believe it is nine and half ft. by twenty-five ft.

In the photo below is the first wall covered by the faux bead board paneling, still have crown moulding to put up when the walls are all finished. This where I take care of bookwork east wall.

 

This is across the room, well you know 4 feet or so away from the desk on the east wall. When this is all done, I’ll show a pic  before and after. YIKES! We had been using this area as storage, were in the process of finishing up caravan so that we could sleep in there while we worked in this room, walls and flooring. Well, you know the rest of that story. DH became ill and our projects were not finished. I am doing the best I can. All in time.  Craft items, threads, yarn, finished pieces, stored in drawers and cabinets.

The photo below is what you see when you go from hall into bedroom. Craft office area to the right, sleeping area to the left.

Now I am looking south,  into the sleeping area. This sleeping space is ‘cozy’ and comforting. The road is out behind the window on the back wall where sun is shining in. The books add a sound barrier and it’s rather quiet in there. There’s about 14 inches between the bed and the book cases.

Here is my new bedding!

The two little pillows (below) my DH gave me for my bday one year. They accompanied him to the hospital, supporting his head on either side while in the ambulance, as they had wrapped him up in the sheets and carried him out of our little cottage that way.  They could NOT get that huge gurney with four big guys in and out of this place, so that way was how they did it.

Anyway, they are special to me and add to our eclectic, Bohemian, gypsyish, cottage style.

Here are some close-up shots of the squares.

Reverse side

Ok, that’s it from Plum Cottage for now. I just had to show and tell my new bedding. DH would have liked this. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny so I’ll wash these on the gentle cycle and line dry them. Aaaahhh!

Hope you all see less of winter and more of spring.

FlowerLady

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There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort. ~ Jane Austen