Found......New Role Model

Our pastor's wife has been leading

 studies of women of the Bible.

-

This past Tuesday, we learned of

Dorcas, known also as Tabitha.

Find her story here:

~Acts 9:36-43

She was,

a woman who thought of everyone but herself. 

Her time spent serving others, built her a

reputation for being compassionate,

resourceful and generous.

Dorcas, a deciple of the Lord

was always doing good. 

A seamstress, she helped the poor, by sewing clothes,

and that's where I fall in line behind her,

being moved to use my talent,

developing even yet,

from my love of stichery.

- 

Why a role model?

A quiet servant,

she made an impact on those she met

and ministered to, she acted on the needs

she saw and  willingly did what she

could with the gifts she had.

-

Could it be, that all the boxes and baskets 

of lovely fabrics I've accumulated,

will actually become necessary items that

will bless others?

I think so.... 

Loving these kinds of  moments......Dee Dee

Worth Another Look

AMAZING GRACE

"Let everyone regulate his conduct....

by the golden rule of doing

to others as in similar circumstances

 we would have them do to us,

then  the path will be clear before him."

~ William Wilberforce

-

A thoughtful Wednesday......

Blessings.....Dee Dee

I Adore Yarn

Call me kind of quirky, but I'll confess

to the whole wide world....I love yarn!!

I was in Joann's Fabric store this past

week, and  found myself surrounded

by lovely, gorgeous and luxurious yarns.

No longer our grandmother's plain yarn,

 today's yarns come in every color and texture

imaginable. 

Cotton, fleece, afghan, pom pom novelty yarn,

....I love cotton yarn, natural organic yarn,

sweet baby yarns, mohair and

I'm terribly fond of  alpaca yarn.

Ah, such  lovely yarns.

I fought hard  the impulse 

 to toss several skeins into my shopping

cart.   They were all so lovely.

Why not add more  to my

collection?  Call me old fashioned and you would

be correct.  There's something  pleasing

 about  yarn stitches

accumulating in a woman's lap.

 Perhaps this stitchery yearning is genetic,

passed down from generation to generation.

Hmmm........Dee Dee

......Born Free

"Under the law of nature, all men are born free,

 every one comes into the world with a right

to his own person, which includes the liberty

of moving and using it at his own will.

This is what is called personal liberty, and

is given him by the Author."

~Thomas Jefferson

-

Very soon we'll be celebrating our

country's independence. That's been on

my mind these past few days, thus the

theme of my paintings, and,  my choice

reading material.  It has occurred to me, that

we Americans have been taking this

 liberty/freedom we have for granted.

Seems we've forgotten as a nation how

to be thankful

 and who it is we need to be  thanking.

-

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

Sweet Vacation Memories

I love this painting by Steven Danohos......

 reminds me of summer vacations

 when the children were younger.

Our in-laws had a beach house not too far

from Charleston, South Carolina. 

Although in ramshacked condition, it afforded some

 of the best times of our lives.

We knew what fun was, and we found it in all

sorts of entertaining ways.

We had  no fear in those days,  as we

water skied  in the inland waters, wooden slats

likely skimming over shallow and dangerous  oyster beds.

Late afternoons, low tide, in the same areas,

we threw nets to capture shrimp.

An old turkey neck tied to a string, we used

for  bait to attract crabs.

Salt water fishing, the Mister's attempt at

catching Cobia in the Atlantic spring waters,

congers up sea-sickness memories.

-

I walked down this memory lane with our

daughter a few weeks back. 

"We walked that path to the beach so many times  Mom,

I think I could walk it blind-folded.

Remember the sand spurs?"

"I sure do Honey......"

-

Have a blessed day.....Dee Dee

Lots Of Color In The Garden

The red and orange Hibiscus plants have come

along quite nicely this

summer. Standing a little over three  feet tall now,

 they continue to produce lovely blooms.

Things are getting a little crowded now

in this portion of the garden.  I kinda like it that way.

 Come fall,the Mexican Sage will die down,

 and some of the other

plants will  thin out a bit and go dormant.

-

Once upon a time a lovely

 Bougainvillea

grew in our garden.

Sadly it was attacked by dreaded

worm- like critters and

one day, it ceased to exist.

This week, we planted a small 

Bougainvillea plant, 

 mid garden, for all to see and enjoy.

I think Mr Cardinal will be pleased

 with the color......

-

I planted the Four O'clock seeds

 a few short weeks ago....

late this afternoon they bloomed

 for the first time.

I'm glad you stopped by...

I hope you enjoyed your stroll

 in the garden.

Did you notice the ground's

 a bit wet still?   

The past two days we've

been blessed with some

 most welcomed rain. .

-

Have a sweet ole weekend,

look for His blessings......Dee Dee

click twice on photos to enlarge

Audio Books For Our Listening Entertainment

As of late, we've become completely disinterested

in television programming.  Let's just say, it

leaves a lot to be desired,  and, the Mister and  I

can no longer be bothered with random selections. 

Not such a bad thing, for the house, in the evening, is much

quieter and more condusive to lovely conversation,

 interesting reads and..... our new found interest 

"audio book listening."

Borrowed from our public library, and they

have hundreds on the shelves,

tonight's selection for our entertainment, 

is Persuasion, Jane Austen's last

completed novel, and one of my favorites.

I plan to eventually listen to all of Austen's novels.

I'm quite sure the Mister's next choice,  will  likely be

a mystery of some sort, perhaps Sherlock Holmes.

Audio listening entertainment reminds me of the old

radio drama programs of long ago. I like it that we

have a choice in what we are seeing and hearing.

Sweet blessings......Dee Dee

Looking For A Home?

"Oh Honey.....pink is my favorite color,

can we live here?"

"Oh I don't know, I've always been kinda

partial to red, myself."

"Please, please, the Crape Myrtle tree will be

a perfect place to raise the children."

"Oh, alright....looks like we're first here. 

Seems like a  nice shady place, not too far

from a birdbath. 

Overheard in the garden this morning,

conversation between

Mr and Mrs Cardinal,

or, so it would seem.....

-

Those little nimble musicians of the air,

that warble forth their curious ditties,

with which nature hath furnished them

to the shame of art.~ Izaak LWalton

-

Sweet Blessings for all......Dee Dee

click twice on photos to enlarge

Growing Taller.....In Spite Of The Heat

I stand amazed that certain plants

 in the garden

grow taller and taller  in incredibly

 hot summer temps,

even  with little or no rain.

The thermostat registered

 over 100 degrees today. In the waters

of the pool we found restoration.... 

-

Ah, summer, what power you have

to make us suffer and like it.

~Russel Baker

-

Blessings.....Dee Dee

click on photos to enlarge

What Lies Between The Book Covers?

With the temps in the upper 90s, I think staying inside

with a stack of good books, a great idea.

The door to the library opens,

and that all too familiar feeling comes over me.

The  good smells of books conjer up

memories of writers, stories,

 new and strange places

and all sorts of characters stored

for years in my subconcience. 

I glance at the young reader section,

 half expecting

 a dear old rabbit named

Uncle Wiggily

to peek from behind

the bookshelf.  I was four years

old when he came rushing off the pages and into my imagination.

Since that time, 

 what lies between the book covers,

has remained a constant curiosity to me.

While book treasure hunting at my local library today,

I discovered  two writers, new to me.

On my desk to read are books

by Tony Earley....Jim The Boy and Here We Are In Paradise.

Also,  Peace Like A River by Leif Enger......

Reading today.....a priority!

-

Enjoying all the sweet moments.....Dee Dee

Daylilies In A Carolina Garden

*Think on This.....

"Don't ask the good Lord to guide your footsteps

unless your willing to move your feet."~ Jan Karon

Delicate tendrils......of the Day Lilies

 are fully defined......

Growing in the front garden, for all to see

.....the Day lilies.

I had a glorious time walking  in the garden, loved and nurtured

by another gardener. It is true, gardeners share a common bond,

 and such is the case with my sister-in-law.

 Some of the flowers I knew by name, others

not  familiar, she told  lovely and interesting growing facts.  

These  pale salmon colored lilies were her favorite....

"Ah....give me a warm summer day to walk in a garden,

and I shall be contented."

Have a blessed week.....Dee Dee

click photos to enlarge

"Come!" says the silver bell....

PRAYERS IN CHURCH

Hark! the church bell's pleasant sound;

Let us go, my child,

There, where every Sunday morn

Rings the summons mild.

Through the lofty windows there

Rainbow light is streaming fair;

From the doors, wide-open thrown,

Peals the organ's solemn tone.

" Come!" says the silver bell,

"Come!" where the voices tell

Of the God, that dwells above,

Of the God, whose name is love.~Laura Richards

-

Sweet Blessings this Lord's day.....Dee Dee

Beautiful Garden and Potted Plants

A Knockout Rose is loving the  South Carolina red clay soil.

We visited family this week, and greatly enjoyed a stroll in their

 beautiful garden. I stood amazed at what has developed over

the past six years.  It has been,  and continues to be a true

"labor of love" for these two hard working gardeners. 

Long an admirer of this garden,

I  asked  about the  pots and how they stayed  so

healthy and lovely. I learned the  secret.....

 "a combination of potting soils....

beginning with pebbles in the bottom of the pot, a layer

of potting soil/garden soil....

then a layer of peat moss (middle layer) and another

top layer of potting/garden soil."

The peat moss, an important part of the combination, 

makes for a deeper root system as the plants

reach for the peat moss  moisture.

-

I've taken many photos of this charming little garden,

and will post more soon. 

-

"Thank you "sweet folks" for a lovely time.

.... still keeping you in prayer.

Blessings for all.......Dee Dee

click twice on photos to enlarge

Summer Is For Bare Footing

Photo: play at the beach.....my grandchildren

The last day of school, our shoes came off

and we went bare- footed the whole summer.

.......these first first days of summer's freedom,

running through clover flowers  in our valley, 

 my fondest memories from childhood.

Never mind that we had  occasional stumped

toes, in no time at all our tender feet adapted

 to the ground's surface.

While taking this photo,

I was  reminded of those 

long ago days of childhood innocence.

-

Kids: they dance before they learn there is

 anything that isn't music. ~Wm Stafford

-

Children are the living messages we send to

a time we will not see.~ N Postman

-

Blessings this day.....Dee Dee

A Grateful Heart

  Pool care for the Mister,

has of late become laborious in some ways.

Monitoring  the chemicals, skimming

 occasional leaves and  flower petals from the water,

all have become annoying to him.  I've  been

hearing more than occasional groaning

sounds,  as he goes through these dreaded daily chores.

Yesterday, all his cares had seemingly gone by the

wayside, as he leisurely relaxed in cool pool waters,

finding luxurious relief from the summer's heat.

-

O Thou Who has given us so much, mercifully

grant us one more thing: a grateful heart.

~George Herbert

Sweet Blessings .....Dee Dee

A Privilege To Serve......

A gracious woman is one who is willing to give of herself without

considering the cost that is required. She is one who has a desire

to be used of  God in a great way and willingly expresses that

desire in her attitude and actions.

Ladies, we have an awesome privilege given to us to serve the God

of all gods and live our lives through the grace and mercy He so freely

extends.  Let's embrace each other as sisters in Christ...He had a plan

for us long before time actually began.

-

As I began working with my pencils and watercolors,

 faces of young women began appearing on my paper. 

 I thought of  Christian women I know,

young and old, all in different stages of their walk with

the Lord.  There seems to be a sense of urgency in

all of them to reach a lost world with the

Gospel of Jesus Christ.  No time to waste, for it is

now that we must serve and labor together.

-

Sweet Blessings for all......Dee Dee

click image to enlarge

A Place Of Solace

.....guarding the path to the birdbath

We try to keep the birdbath filled with water for the birds and squirrels....in no time at all the

water is hot....temps in the 90s ...

(Seen here......a little patch of Four O'Clocks, coming up from seed....soon to bloom)

-

It is true, good things sometimes come in small packages,

such is said of our small cottage garden.

We have lovely Snow Bushes, Mexican Sage, Periwinkle,

Crotons and  variegated Schoefflera.  Not seen in these images

are newly planted Hibiscus.

Tolerating the

extremes of Florida's weather,

 the birds and squirrels,

the Mister and I......

 seem to find solace

here in this place.

-

Sweet blessings this week for all........Dee Dee

click twice on photos to enlarge

Gifts For All Mankind

The more time I spend with a camera in my hand,

the more likely I am to learn something new.

I've found that the evening light, right around

sunset, makes for some very pretty pictures.

Our potted yellow Hibiscus seems to be struggling

a little this summer, however, it still produces a

 beautiful bloom now and then.  When this happens,

I am quick to take a few photos for lasting

memories.  When I sat down at the computer

to review the images, I was completely amazed

at the composition, the lighting and colorful details.

The pink Crape Myrtle in the background added

just the right touch of softness.

I'm thinking, that truly .....

lovely flowers were put on this earth

as  gifts for all mankind,

from our dear heavenly Father...Creator.

Have a blessed Lord's day.....Dee Dee

click twice  on photos to enjoy details...

Studying Ruth.....

This weeks Bible study, Ruth.

Events recorded  were part of God's

preparations for the birth of David

 and Jesus,

the promised Messiah.

A lovely story, and yet important that

we understand the larger picture.

-

Think on this.....

Most of us are not aware of the larger purpose for our lives.

We will not know the full purpose and importance of

our lives until we are able to look back from the perspective

of eternity....making our choices with God's eternal values

in mind.

-

Taking moral shortcuts and living for short range pleasures

are not good for us to move ahead.

-

Live in faithfulness to God,

 knowing that the

significance

 of your life

 will extend beyond your lifetime.

-

Sweet Blessings for all......Dee Dee

Sunset....Then Twilight Time

Yesterday evening's sky looked pretty amazing.

Photos here....my view from the cottage garden.

 Directly overhead,

we had lovely pinkish orange and blue colors, the

last of another pretty Florida sunset. 

Hmmm....feelings of being watched,

I became aware of a

 curious, cooing Mourning Dove.

  Later, I would  realize

I had captured the dove's perfect silhouette during

the twilight hour......when the sun has set, but the sky

is not yet dark.

-

Sweet Blessing for each of you......Dee Dee

**click on photos to enlarge....quite lovely to see

Portulaca.....New To The Garden

We drive a little ways, but it's worth it.

Our favorite garden nursery, located outside the city limits,

 never disappoints us.  It's one of those places where

you want to buy one of each, and

they always have a large variety of beautiful healthy plants.

You can see why we were attracted to this

lovely  hanging basket of Portulaca....oh yes,   

they were showing off a whole lot and really got my attention.

I did a little research on the plant and learned

that not only is it one of the "cheeriest" flowers

in the garden, it is happiest and most productive

in hot and dry climates.

That would be here, where I live,

 on the Gulf Coast of Florida,

where we are now into full blown summer weather patterns.

"The high today will be 95 degrees,

with  no showers in the forecast." 

The Mister and I awaken to the radio each morning,

and we've been hearing that  same weather  message over

and over again.  Not to worry, we've adapted to

these weather conditions long ago, and I suppose

"it is, what it is."  The sun shines most every day and it is hot

in this part of the country!

.

Think on this.....

The, sun, with all those planets revolving around it and

dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if

it had nothing else in the universe to do.~Galileo

-

Enjoying the moments.....Sweet blessings to all.....Dee Dee

click twice on photos to enlarge

Still In The Sewing Mood....

Still in the sewing mood and for now,

and that means a few more pillows.  I have

my new Victoria magazine,  and loving

the outdoor fabrics of blue and white strips.

Pillows for the porch and pool area  in these

colors?  I think might be fun to make.

Loving how the pillows I've made for

the white sofa in the living room....

come along nicely with the colors in the  

Hydrangea.

Methinks it is a token of healthy and gentle characteristics,

when women of high thoughts and accomplishments

love to sew; especially as they are never more at home

with their hearts than while so occupied.

~Nathaniel Hawthorne

-

Here hear, well said, Mr. Hawthorne.

Methinks the same.

Sweet blessings to all.....Dee Dee

Winds From The East

You can tell  by watching the palm trees,

the direction of the wind. 

We had clear skies earlier today,

and then the clouds

rolled in....

An afternoon read in order, I believe.

~

" 'We are, finally, all wanderers in search of knowledge.  Most of us

hold the dream of becoming something better than we are, something

larger, richer, in some way more important to the world and

ourselves.  Too often, the way taken is the wrong way, with too much

emphasis on what we want to have, rather than  what we wish to become........'"

"A New Song" by Jan Karon

-

Sweet blessings  all....Dee Dee

Sunday Evening Sunset~Honeymoon Island

We were captivated by another beautiful sunset.....

a perfect ending to our day.

~

"Sit in reverie and watch the changing color of the waves

that break upon the idle seashore of the mind."

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

-

Wishing you the sweetest  blessings this week.........

Dee Dee

Pink Crape Myrtle.....A Thing Of Beauty

Each summer I have most of the same expectations for the garden.

When the calendar says June, I know the Crape Myrtles

will be blooming.  My favorite is the pink one shown in

the photos....you can understand why. When the first

blooms appear, I hover over  them like some 

crazy obsessed photographer.  With my digital camera, I

try to capture each amazing detail of these glorious pink clusters.

 They will  continue blooming most of the summer, barring no

hurricanes come along.

~

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever;

Its loveliness increases; it can never

Pass into nothingness." ~Keats

-

Lovely blessings for you this Lord's day......Dee Dee

Strike A Pose

She had taken the bus along with other

photography enthusiast.

A cold day,

mid winter,

  photo shoot .....

New York City. 

 A favorite winter accessory,

she had worn the pale green scarf

I had made for her.

It had kept her warm.

"Strike A Pose"

 and so she had, 

 waiting in the subway.

~

Painting of  first daughter,

two winters ago.

She's a lovely sweet thing.

Blessings for you this day.....Dee Dee

Bird Watching

This past weekend we visited friends that just

happen to live on one of Florida's natural lakes.

The lake is home to a variety of beautful and

unusual bird life.  I have learned to recognize a

few of the more common tropical birds. Seen here in the

grasses and plants that surround the lake, are Herons. 

Quite possibly the younger birds are

Blue Herons.  Never-the-less, they are quite

beautifully made and a pleasure to photograph.

Bird-watching takes on a whole new meaning

in this part of the country.

Have a blessed Friday.....Dee Dee

click twice on photos to enlarge