Disney World....A Birthday Celebration

Can you  imagine being six years old

and spending your birthday at Disney World?

At the crack of dawn we were up and ready

for the drive across the state to celebrate

our grandson Ethan's sixth birthday.

The day was perfect.  Seems small children

go right along at the same pace as  their

grandparents. 

We kinda liked  their choices of entertainment.......

Winnie The Pooh, Carousel Of  Progress, the parades,

and performances in front of Cinderella's Castle, and

many many other fantastic forms of entertainment.

We loved the characters, the music and dancing in the street.

We were thankful for the "Fast Pass" tickets.  No waiting

in line. 

We had lunch at a very nice place, selected by our

son-in-law....... the occasion called for good food

and cake for a special little boy.

If I said we were tired this evening, it would be an

understatement.  We are completely exhausted!

While looking over the photos, shown here are

just a few......we liked the expressions on

the children's faces most of all.

Disney World is the best, when your holding

the hand of a happy child.

Have a blessed week......Dee Dee
click on photos to enlarge

Meet Me For Tea

I'll have a blue hat on......

We'll have unhurried conversation.

Share book titles, talk girlie things  and laugh a little.

-

Laughter is the language of the young at heart.

And you know what?  You don't have to be

happy to laugh.  You become happy

because you laugh. ~Barbara Johnson

Have a blessed day......Dee Dee

I Love A Rainy Day......

It has rained all day long, and I love it!

It began during the night with loud  thunder,

 lightening, high winds and hard rain.

-

The best kind of rain, of course is a cozy rain.

This is the kind the anonymous medieval poet

makes me remember, the rain that falls on a day

when you'd  just as soon stay in bed a little longer,

write letters or read a good book by the fire,

take early tea with hot scones, and jam and look

out the streaked window with complacency.

~Susan Allen Toth....England For All Seasons

-

Hmmm.....maybe even dance in the rain.....

Blessings.....Dee Dee

Think On This

We all want progress,

but if you're on the wrong road,

progress means doing an about-turn

and walking back to the right road;

in that case, the man who turns back

soonest is the most progressive.

~C S Lewis

-

Seems a few in leadership positions might want 

to listen to these choice words of wisdom.

-

Praying for our world, knowing

who ultimately is in charge and being

thankful for that today......

Have a blessed week.......Dee Dee

The Mister's City Gardening

  Pretty nice, huh?

The Mister has the farming bug

 and this is gardening

"city style."

-

Seems like his circle of family and

friends have inspired him. They all

have "earth" boxes that are thriving

with all sorts of vegetables.

A few days back we enjoyed

garden fresh lettuce in our salad,

compliments of our son-in-law.

That got the Mister started.....

"If I could just grow a few nice tomatoes."

And so, as you can see, he is well

on his way.  Each morning I see

him in the garden inspecting the

tomato plants.

I'm keeping my hopes up that

they produce, for his sake and mine.

Have a blessed weekend.......Dee Dee

-

The best fertilizer is the gardeners shadow.

~author unknown

On My Desk To Read

My generation learned that

George Washington was a premier man of God.

History buff that I am....

I ordered this amazing book  from Amazon.

Not expecting it to weigh quite so much,

 I was shocked at the size of the

book when it arrived in the mail. 

It will take me a good while to read, 

never-the-less, that is my full intention.

-

Dr Lillback buries the myth that Washington

was an unbeliever....under an avalanche of facts.

~Robert P. George

Princeton University

-

Secular historians ignore George Washington's

ward Nelly Custis, who wrote that doubting

his Christian faith was as absurd as doubting

his patriotism.  But they cannot ignore the

mountain of evidence suggesting Washington's

religion was not Deism, but indeed it is proven

 he was  a man of deep religious convictions.

Washington's contemporaries clearly saw in him

his strong Christian faith and his appeal to, and

trust in, "Providence," to which "he regularly gave

thanks, publicly and privately."

-

George Washington's "sacred fire" led America's

path toward civil and religious liberty.

~A. McDougall, Pulitzer Prize Winning Author

-

Listen....to the words as you read.....

The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty

and the destiny of the republican model of government

are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally,

staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands

of the American people.

~George Washington

First Inaugural Address

April 30, 1789

-

I hope I've written enough to

encourage you to read along with me.

Blessings......Dee Dee

Be Encouraged

Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow;

the same everlasting Father who cares for you today

will take care of you tomorrow and every day.  Either

He will shield you from suffering, or He will give you

unfailing strength to bear it.  Be at peace, then

put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations, and

say continually: "The Lord is my strength and my shield;

my heart has trusted in Him and I am helped.

He is not only with me but in me and I in Him."

Father Tim~A New Song....JanKaron

-

Blessings.....Dee Dee

Suggested Great Read

The Country Bunny

and The Little Gold Shoes

The little girl Cottontail grew up to be a

young lady Cottontail.  And by and by

she had a husband and then one day,

much to her surprise there were twenty-one

Cottontail babies to take care of.

-

Way off there in the distant land, was old,

wise, kind Grandfather Bunny.

And he smiled at her and he said,

"You are not only wise, and kind, and swift,

but you are also the bravest of all the bunnies.

And I shall make you my very own

Gold Shoe Easter Bunny."

-

A delightful tale for young children, 

The Country Bunny

is a story beautifully written and

illustrated.  It teaches that those

with kind hearts, who work hard

and persevere will triumph.

-

Wrapped and ready for

the grandchildren, I can't wait to see

their little faces when I read it to them.

-

Blessings.....Dee Dee

-

*Encouragement for the day.....

You gain strength, courage and confidence

by every experience in which you really

stop to look fear in the face.

~Eleanor Roosevelt

Abigail

Painting....my impression of Abigail.

-

I joined a new Bible study recently.

Our pastor's wife Angie, leads in discussion

of  women in the Bible.  This week we

are in  the book of Samuel, chapter 25. I'm finding

it interesting  that Samuel was Israel's

last judge and that the book of Samuel is actually the

history of David.  The book of Samuel

describes the transition from judges to kings,

and that   Samuel was the last judge and

the first prophet. 

 Saul would become the first king of Israel.

In my study, I find there was a man named

Nabal. His wife Abigail, was a woman of good

understanding and beautiful countenance.

Her wisdom and good judgement,

 persuades David to not seek vengeance,

thereby preventing bloodshed. She eventually

becomes David's wife.

The rest of the story can be found in

the Holy Bible....a very good read.

-

Have a blessed day.....Dee Dee

Monday's Angel

I've been sitting at the computer all morning exploring

painting methods using various  photo programs.....

burning up way to many hours. I took my drawing and

played with Photoshop paints. It has been

revealing and interesting.....learning is fun, after all.

Have a blessed day......Dee Dee

Painting Angels.....

When the household chores are finished,

likely as not, I'm  up to my

elbows in drawing pencils and watercolors.

I  have in mind today,  the story from the

book of Matthew....Chap. 28 Verse 2.

And, behold there was a great earthquake; for the angel

of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and

rolled back the stone from the door and sat upon it.

His countenance was like lightening, and his rainment

white as snow....

-

I suppose I'll be painting more angels during the Easter season.

Enjoying the moments.....

Have a blessed weekend.....Dee Dee
-
Double click on angel....

Something Quite Beautiful

Our tropical garden is small, but nature is thriving

there.  Each day, or so it seems, something

new and exciting happens.  

 We've noticed the budding taking

place on the salmon colored Hibiscus plant,

and knew at any time to expect something really pretty.  

Our morning walk in the garden yielded

not something pretty.....but something quite beautiful.

-

As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe

will be simpler;  Solitude will not be solitude,

poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.

~Henry David Thoreau

-

Have a blessed day......Dee Dee
 click on photo to enlarge

Folk Art Angel

I have a good reason for drawing and painting angels these days,

one that makes my heart and someone else's very happy.

I give them away to precious men and women confined

to nursing homes. 

 I remind them that God sends angels to minister to us...and

this seems to give them a great deal of comfort.

-

The golden moments in the stream of life rush past us

and we see nothing but sand; the angels come to visit us,

and we only know them when they are gone.

~George Elliot

-

Have a blessed day.....Dee Dee



Roses In An Old Ball Jar

In the springtime, I begin using the lanai

as though it were another room in my home.

One would think Roses a bit

too fancy in this outdoor setting, so

I dressed them down by placing them

in an old turquoise Ball jar.

Hmmm....I love it when a plan comes together.

Have a blessed day.....Dee Dee  

A Frozen Horse

Appropriately white, the cast iron horse head,
hitching post,  has been sitting on our bistro table,
in the garden,  for a number of years.
 The mere fact that it's cast iron

 is a good thing considering our hurricane season,
here in Florida.

I remember, that  my intentions when I purchased

it, were to place it beside the fence gate.  The

bistro table was a "temporary"  holding place

that eventually became a " final"  resting place.

A frozen horse,
peering out over the garden, somehow has

seemed  a better idea to me, afterall.
And so it goes......

Blessings.....Dee Dee

Tiny Grapes

Last year, we planted one grapevine plant along

the fence,  in our garden.  It grew all summer

long, producing nice green leaves.  Fall came,

and  the leaves fell from the vine.

All through the winter months,

the vine remained bare, 

and we wondered at it's survival.

Two weeks ago, the Mister and I celebrated

one small  leaf discovery, very happy

that the grapevine was alive and well.

In no time at all, leaves began sprouting
and delicate vines began meandering in all
directions. 

Today....we found tiny little grapes!

Hmmm....I wonder if there just might be
 grape jelly in our future?

-

Enjoying the garden.... and
wishing you all a blessed week......Dee Dee

It's Little Things.....

It's spring alright and each day something new

and interesting develops  in the garden....

 like these pretty Nandina floral clusters. 

-

The Little Things Of Life

For life is more than just romance

or beauty, fame and grace;

it is the cares and tears we share,

the love that lights a face;

it is our joys, our prayers, our fears,

our faith, the songs we sing,

it is the total worth of each

important "little thing!"

~John C. Bonser

-

Have a blessed week....DeeDee

All The Best Elements....

"Frida's European Breakfast Pastries and European Cookies"

Cuppa  Eight O'clock Coffee

-

The alarm clock went off at seven AM....and I heard the

Mister groan.....  "Feels like we just went to bed...."

Hardly believing  Lily and Ethan, our grandchildren

were old enough to play basketball, we hurriedly

dressed for the occasion and sped off down the

highway....without breakfast.

We had good intentions of eating a nice brunch

later....that is,  until we spotted the

famous "Frida's Bakery."   Located in an area we're

not familiar with, and having read about this famous

bakery in the newspaper, we had to stop in and

see what all the fuss was about.

Well, I can say, Frida's was more than we could

have imagined. The beignets were every bit as good

as ones we've had at Cafe Du Monde, in New Orleans.

We feasted on some pretty amazing

goodies with our morning coffee....very unusual for us.

Hmmm....basketball, family and sweets....all the

best elements for a perfect day.

Wish you had been here......Dee Dee

Found Treasure

They're Magnolias, alright,

mock stained glass in an old window frame.

I had spotted this beauty  hanging on the wall

of my favorite antique shop, and made a

"bee line" in that direction. Why did I

have the feeling that someone else

might want it, and why was I hurrying so?

I wanted it bad, and was already

picturing it in my cottage living room.

It kinda had that cottage look, after all, and that

Laura Ashley shabby flavor, I thought to myself.

I hurriedly made my purchase and headed for home.

Placing it on an easel, close to the window,

I waited for the afternoon sun.

I wasn't disappointed, as you can see in the photo.

So enjoying these kind of moments....

Have a blessed weekend everyone.....Dee Dee

"A Rose Is A Rose Is A Rose"

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"

is a quotation by William Shakespeare from his

play Romeo and Juliet... meant to say that names of

things do not matter, only what they are.

Juliet:

So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd

Retain that dear perfection which he owes

Without that title.  Romeo, doff thy name,

And for that name which is no part of thee

Take all myself.

Romeo:

I take thee at thy word:

Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized

Hence forth I never will be Romeo.

-

The post title words came to mind

while taking photos of  this beautiful rose.

I wondered of the saying

"a rose is a rose is a rose"

and came across Shakespeare's

writings from Romeo and Juliet,

referencing a rose.

Albeit, the rose expression,

"a rose is a rose is a rose"

 I found  not Shakespeare's writings, afterall.

 Ah... but  I remember studying his plays

 in my youth and struggling so

to understand.  Perhaps 

our minds were too young to comprehend.

Taking another look at this masterful

english poet and playwright, just

might be a good thing for now.
Where shall I begin?

-

Blessings....Dee Dee

Sneak Preview

They're wooden eggs. I've been drawing and painting,

 making them uniquely special for children.

The fun continued  when I got out the camera,

took a few photos and began experimenting with the

three photo programs I have on my computer.

The eggs are painted all sorts of colors......

bunnies and chicks in various poses. 

To use on cards, I washed the color out completely and then

reapplied  lovely colors with Photoshop..all done with just

a few clicks. 

Expect to see them around Easter,

in baskets and on cards....

-

Blessings......DeeDee

Geico Gecko?

Seems someone  has taken up residence on our lanai,

and somehow he seems strangely familiar....hmmmm
Cute little fellow, don't you think?

Blessings.....Dee Dee
-
Double click on images to enlarge.

Mona Lisa Smile? Perhaps....

I brought out the watercolors and pencils today.

It's been awhile....  I suppose this pretty weather

just might have something to do with it.

Been getting outside,

 using the camera a lot, learning how to

use Photoshop. 

 I paint what I love.....

women from the Edwardian era, Victorian,

and the l940's.
Where did she come from?  I'm not really sure.

Lovin' her smile....kinda like the Mona Lisa.

Do you think?

-

Enjoying the moments..... Dee Dee



The Green Market

Found.... delicious pears  at the

 "green market,"

and all sorts of other good healthy things.

-

Lots going on in the village this weekend.

 The annual antique show,

and the "green market"  attracted lots of "snow birds"

and just regular folks that live around here.

Lots of nice ladies there with home made relish, salsa,

all sorts of baked goods....and Cuban bread.

My little basket was filled to the brim. 

I cooked fresh string beans with tiny white potatoes

tonight.  Sliced some of those pretty tomatoes,

and you can see I couldn't wait to try a red pear. 

 Now, I'll just say some of those

pastries we brought home with us might not

have fit into the healthy food category, but

they sure were good.  Oh my....hot coffee

with that sweet iced croissant was mighty tasty.

Enjoying the moments....Dee Dee

More Signs Of Spring....

We got the word last evening

that the grandchildren were setting

up a " lemonade stand"  first thing this morning.

Seems these young entrepreneurs 

had a booming business when

we finally arrived. 

Somehow, the lemonade even  tasted better today.

After settling up with the proprietors, I began to

focus on a beautiful white Azalea plant  in the yard.

It's growing  in a most unlikely place, beneath the children's

tree house,  yet somehow it seems to thrive. 

Hmmm....

More signs of spring.....Azaleas blooming, children playing

out doors and lemonade stands.

Enjoying the moments.....Dee Dee

On A Cool Spring Day.....

No ordinary day...enjoying the richness of life

in a pretty garden with an extra helping of pleasure.

Wishing you happy thoughts.....Dee Dee

Gorgeous Windy March Day

I can tell March has arrived and the winds

 now blowing with a gusto, have arrived right on time.
Note the tall palm tree fronds swaying in one direction....west.

Strong winds are coming from the east

feeling nice' n cool.

Have a blessed day....Dee Dee

Cousin Denny's Visit

I made a pitcher of iced tea, and

had a pot of coffee ready to brew.

We would talk for hours, so I

prepared a few things to nibble on,

nothing too fancy...these were home-folks.

Second cousin on my mother's side,

cousin  Denny, now in his eighties, and

his wife Marge,

visit our home once a year.

Today, we continued our annual tradition

of sitting around the table for

refreshments and great conversation.

Denny  is a born storyteller, and

I could sit and listen to him talk for hours

as he opens up a world of yesterdays,

about family members known only by name.

Their last name was Tabor, ten children

in the family, six of  them boys.

"They were rascals,  he would say.  Loved

to fight and rumor has it,  they could make

some real good moonshine."

With a smile on his face and a sort of

twinkle in his eye, Denny spoke with pride

of  family notoriety, saying they were well known,

just not in a good sort of  way.

We sat together and talked over four

hours this visit.  I think I've got enough

to ponder until the next time.

-

We all grow up with the weight of history on us.

Our ancestors dwell in the attics of our brains

as they do in the spiraling chains of knowledge

hidden in every cell of our bodies. ~Shirley Abbott

-

Blessings.....DeeDee

In The Garden

Another beautiful pot of Geraniums

in the garden.  Just a plain beige pot...

Looks like they would make them

more colorful, using one of my favorite

colors....a pale turquoise.  Then

it would look really nice in front

of the lattice back-drop.....

but then the lattice needs a bit

more color and so I took the

liberty with my photo program to

just add greens and teals.

I never tire of taking photos of

the garden flowers....and then again,

I never tire of tweaking them.

It's as though I have a magic wand.

A beautiful thing...nature.

Lovin' God's world more each day.

Blessings.....Dee Dee



A Spring Rain

I read this somewhere....

"One of nature's most precious gifts, flowers

never fail to delight the eye

and touch the soul."
I'm happy with a morning spring rain and

A new hanging basket in the garden,

with pretty  lavender colored

Geraniums.

Hope your having a good week,

making the moments the best.

-

Blessings....DeeDee