The Sweet Art of Jessie Wilcox Smith

 

When I think of the sweetest

illustrations of motherhood, I

think Jessie Wilcox Smith.

Here she captures so beautifully,

a mother's gentle soothing,

calming  soft pats,

lulling her baby to sleep.

 

Have a blessed day.....Dee Dee

 

Down By The Seashore......

 

.......where life is a

little easier.

Ocean treasures

left

on the shore,

natures gifts to

adore....

 

Have a sweet ole' late summer day.....Dee Dee

 

It's Been A While....

 

With all the sewing I've been doing

lately, my pencils and watercolors

have been gathering dust.

 

It was a real nice feeling

to pick up my "artist pen" today

and experience my

creative juices churning.......

 

 

My grandchildren are often

my subjects,

  Now and

then I capture a bit of their

personalities when I draw.

This is her serious look

before breaking into a big

smile and some adorable

giggles.

 

Blessings for all.....Dee Dee

 

Baby Crowns

They are handmade

by a sweet expectant

mother.

Made with love by her,

using sparkling lace threads......

 

 

and white cotton lace.....

They are so adorable, and will soon adorn

the precious head of her newborn

baby girl.....my granddaughter.

 

Have a blessed day!  Dee Dee

Rainy Day Sewing

I found green washable linen

in my nicer fabric stash

and made another decorative

tea towel.  This one will go

in my kitchen, for display only,

for now.

 

I know, it's  like no other

pear you've seen before. You

are seeing my humble efforts

in  making a pear applique.

Using scraps of fabric on hand,

I'm really pleased at how it

turned out.

 

Again, I doubled the fabric,

using green linen on one side,

and a beige/tan on the other side.

 

 

I had enough scrap fabric to add

a nice black and white trim.

 

 

A tropical storm Isaac in the

area,  the rains came  down

off and on all day.

I,  rather contentedly

sat at my beloved,

old but faithful, sewing

machine. 

 

Have a beautiful day!  Dee Dee

Oh What A Beautiful Morning!

In the sunlight of late summer.....

 

Beautiful Oleander

helps  us celebrate

the days of this

lavish season.

Exquisite renderings of

nature's splendor.

 

Have a blessed Lord's day!  Dee Dee

 

Tea Towel

 

One of my favorite places

to shop is Anthropologie.

I especially like things for

the kitchen and tableware.

Many of their items, much

desired by me,  are a

bit too pricey. Sometimes

I begin analyzing and

deciding if I can make it  myself.

 Such was my

reasoning on one recent occasion.

I love their tea towels with

appliques. They are fabulous!

 As you can see,

 I've made a fancy

"decorative" tea towel

 of my own,

beginning with one lone

bird applique.

 

 

Happily, it wasn't hard

to do....I can make more!

 Now, the sky's the limit

I'm thinking.

 

 

I've used a pretty yellow fabric....scraps

from pillows I made last summer.....this

little bird will brighten any  kitchen....

 

 

Never throw the scraps away,

I always say.....and I have plenty more.

 

  I've used a lovely washable linen

and doubled the fabric, hiding

 the bits of embroidery threads.

 

Looks like I'll be purchasing

more of that linen.  My mind is

brain-storming more

tea-towel design ideas.....

 

Have a sweet ole' day!  Dee Dee

 

Watching And Waiting

Ever wander where the

wildlife go to for shelter?

With a storm brewing

in the Caribbean and headed

up through the

Gulf of Mexico....all of us

natives to Florida

 

are watching and waiting.

This large Egret seems to

have a worried look.

Last tropical weather

report shows

the path of the storm still

uncertain.

So, we watch and wait

and pray.

Have a blessed day.   Dee Dee

Storm On The Way

Perhaps many of you are aware

that a very large storm,

named Isaac,  is headed

toward Tampa Florida.

Unfortunately,

Tampa  is very close to my home.

Having lived here for a number

of years, we've  become accustomed

to August's  hurricane season.

It is unpredictable, to say the least.

 

High winds and lots of rain will

be upon us soon.....and so we begin

preparing  for the worst, hoping for

the best.

Sadly, the garden will suffer

for we can only do so much.

Our large potted plants  will be

tucked beneath  tropical plants

shielding  them from the winds.

Lawn chairs, bistro table,

 and umbrellas

 will be brought onto the porch.

If the warnings are for a direct hit,

we will evacuate!

 The Crape Myrtles along

with other flowering shrubs,

will most likely receive storm damage.

 

Shown here, a potted Mandevilla,

beautifully blooming and at it's peak.

The blooms are in three different

shades of pink. My pride and joy, hopefully it survives

Isaac's wrath.

 

Thankfully in His care......Dee Dee

click on photo to enlarge 

I Spy Something Pink

I played that little game as a child

taught it to my children, and they

in turn taught it to their children.....

I spy Crape Myrtle blooms

peeking over the White

Bird of Paradise fronds......

Although late in in the season, it is

still quite lovely to see.

I spy the Crape Myrtle blooms

although I am distracted by the

pink Hibiscus winding it's way

all through my tropical plants....

Midday is not the best time to

take photos.  Today, however,

the skies were overcast and the

sun was covered over with clouds

periodically....it was then I snapped

the photos.  It is deceiving the size

of the plants.  The "Hibiscus

Fountain Tree" nestled amongst

large tropicals, is reaching over

ten feet high.

When first planted, it grew and

appeared as a floral fountain.

Years of Florida's sunshine and

rains and our allowing it to grow

at random......

it is, what it is now, reaching for

the heavens and in full bloom.

Have a blessed day!  Dee Dee

click twice on photos to enlarge

Summer Whites

Lovely white images captured

through  the years  in our

cottage garden....

"Summertime, and the liviing is easy

fish are jumpin' and the cotton is ripe......."

Have a sweet ole' day.... Dee Dee

Accessories

It just crept up on me.....the desk was

"out of control" with all sorts of

clutter. Things I wanted to read, things to do,

notes.....etc. Somehow, it was not a priority to organize

the desk area , until now.

Looking at the beautiful results,

I've asked myself.....why oh why until now? 

With everything in it's proper place,

I started with a clean slate to decorate.  I brought

out a few decorator magazines and have

created a thing of beauty....or so it seems to me

and the Mister.

  

We  couldn't be more pleased with the results.

 There is much more

space and everything needed,  has a designated location.

Funny, how one small group of accessories

gave a theme to the area.  In keeping with

a more masculine look......

I placed vintage writing tools on the desk.

I spy a bit of dust  on this

old bottle of writing ink.....not surprised

for they've been in storage a while.

Have a beautiful day, everyone!  Dee Dee

Promises

Do not be anxious about anything,

but in everything by prayer and 

petition, with thanksgiving, present

your request to God. And the peace

of God which transcends all

understanding, will guard your hearts

and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Phillipians 4:6-7

Do not conform any longer to the

pattern of this world, but be

transformed by the renewing of

your mind. Then you will be able to

test what God's will is,

His good and pleasing perfect will.

Romans l2:2

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

Before The Pool

Before the pool

our garden......

 We had a  patio

  surrounded with

all sorts of lovely flowers.

Large oak trees gave much

needed shade.

 On a lower limb of a tree,

 hung an old  shabby white

bird house with a copper roof.

With the help of Photoshop,

 my "Monet" like garden

 impression.

Have a beautiful weekend, everyone!  Dee Dee

click on paintings to enlarge

Tea At Downton

They're English, after all.....

So one might expect to see them

having tea 

at Downton Abbey.

Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham

is often seen pouring tea,

and often times enjoys a lovely tea

 outside.....What proper lady would

ever allow sun on her face?

On occasion she has the company of

Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham.

You've guessed by now that

I continue watching

Season 1 of Downton Abbey

on Netflix....taking my time.

I like the movie is shown in

episodes.

I suppose It's obvious

I'm influenced somewhat

by these Downton ladies.

While watching an episode tonight,

I began thinking of all the

niceties that go along with tea.

Elegant  tea dishes.....

And of course

delicious  scones and deserts.

And, I do so love

having tea ......it means sweet

 unhurried conversation

with the ones your with.

Talk a little, take a small bite,

 talk a little more,

sip tea.....

Ever notice how ladies are

totally engaged in tea party conversation?

Have a blessed day!  Dee Dee

The Calm Before The Storm

We rode out to the island

late this evening, hoping to

see one of Florida's beautiful sunsets.

The park ranger motioned us

through the gate, informing

us we'd just missed the show,

 the sun having set moments earlier.

We drove toward the

Gulf waters, all the while

looking upward at

beautiful and peaceful skies.

We had missed the

 "sun ball"

dropping into the waters,

but the atmospheric conditions

had made for a lovely sunset.

"Look behind us!"

 the Mister exclaimed.

He had seen the brilliant colors

reflecting in the car's  rear view mirror.

We had missed the

sun setting,

but  were now privileged

in seeing a developing

thunderous storm!

My first reaction 

to the spectacle,

 was one of complete

 amazement.

With my camera clicking off

one photo after another,

we watched

  brilliant lightening flashes

throughout

the massive formation of clouds.

  Beneath the

cloud mass, we could see bright

lightening  bolts

darting  toward the ground.

What we were

witnessing was stunning.

On our drive back home,

the Mister and I concluded

 it had been our good fortune

to have witnessed,

almost simultaneously,

 the calm before the storm.

Have a sweet ole' day!  Dee Dee

click on photos to enlarge

Dear Anna,

Only an Alcott girl would believe the cure

for sadness lies in reading a painstaking

recitation of the joys of others........

The day was incomplete without you,

though I think you are just where

you need to be now and speak with

pride of your good works. Your prime

place in Paradise has long been assured,

and now you are just fluffing the pillows.

If only I can work on earning my

 spot now.....

I intend to be there at your side.

Yours ever,

L.

So enjoying .....

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott

Have a beautiful day!  Dee Dee

For Fans Of Louisa May Alcott

Fist Novelist Kelly McNees

mixes fact and fiction,

imaging a love affair that would

threaten Louisa's writing career-

and inspire the story of Jo and

Laurie in Little Women.

Stuck in small town

New Hampshire in 1855, Louisa

finds herself torn between

a love that takes her by surprise

and her dreams as a writer in Boston.

I enjoyed Ms McNees' writing

and book-marked certain pages to reflect

back on words like these at

another time.....

She wondered if God had put

Fanny Kemble in her path at

this moment to remind her that

life held the promise of unlimited

and surprising joys, if only one

had the courage to pursue them.

"That is why we have laws.

Without them, the country

becomes the sum of its citizens

impulses. We must make sure

the law represents the best of us,

what we should always strive to be."

A think a lovely summer read.....Dee Dee

Cool and Refreshing?

I collected shells

back in the winter. 

Our beaches were covered with

tourist come our way

to escape the cold.

I placed the shells on the bistro table

 and there they've remained.

I wish I could say the pool

is cool and refreshing.....

It is not.

Temps remaining  in the high 90s

have given us bath tub warm

pool waters.

This is the

season for lying in peaceful places

and  it is here

I do my comfortable and carefree

day dreaming.

Have a sweet ole' day.......Dee Dee

Disappointed In The Movies These Days?

Have you been to the movies lately,

and have you been  disappointed?

A lovely scene from

How Green Was My Valley

with Maureen O'Hara and

young Roddy McDowell.

  No making fun

of,  or insulting

Christians in those days.

It was

an acceptable thing..... prayer

and worship.

I don't mind telling you how

I feel about the movies

produced now days.

They are so bad,

that 

they've made me a big fan of

Turner Classic Movies

and Netflix.

It is there I can find lovely movies

with great story lines,

and very fine actors and actresses.

(John Wayne-Maureen O'Hara

in The Quiet Man)

There are

no subliminal messages

in the dialogue,

 no political agendas,

no bad language

and no embarassing scenes

in any of my

movie selections.

I'm just thinkin'....... Dee Dee

I'm Just Thinkin'.....

"Come along inside....

We'll see if tea and buns can

make the world a better place."

~The Wind in the Willows

I'm just thinkin'......

Praying for our nation......Dee Dee

For Baby Girl Emalynn....

I love

baby girl

dresses

with tiny

embroidered

pink

flowers.

Precious little girl grandchild

is due soon, and I

have finished crocheting

her sweet pink and blue

blanket, in plenty of time.

Emalynn

She

knew that

she was formed

by God's hands

dreamed up

in His heart and

placed in

this world

for a purpose.

Hope your having a beautiful day!  Dee Dee

Summer's Fresh Fruit

A healthy idea and

a hot weather treat.

I seldom

 do baking

during the hot

 summer

 days.

Today I prepared 

fresh seasonal fruit

and splashed them

with sweetened cream....

Life is good these

lazy days of summer..... 

Have a sweet ole' day, everyone! Dee Dee

Violets

I wasn't familiar with this

type of Violet when my

sweet friend presented them

to me on my birthday

back in June.

I thought they might last

a week and that would be

the last of them.

So I placed them on the porch,

in filtered sunlight.....and

watered them once a week.

Let me just say,

they've  been blooming

up-a-storm!

As you can see, they've

come in from the porch for

a while and now sit proudly

on a table inside our cottage. 

"You are the only person who

loves me in the world," said Elizabeth.

"When you talk to me, I smell

Violets."

~L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Windy Poplars

Have a sweet ole' day, everyone!  Dee Dee