Happy New Year

Out with the old and in with the new.

Remember this: "You are never too old

to set another goal or dream a new dream."

~C.S. Lewis

Happy New Year, everyone! Dee Dee

December's Garden Roses

This December morning 

seemed unusually pretty.

The small 

Knockout Rose 

I cut completely back a 

month ago,  is once again in

 full bloom.

Winter blooms seem to have 

darker and richer colors.

You can see what I mean in

this photo of beautiful

cascading Roses.

Morning shadows across the pool

are made by long palm fronds....

Have a beautiful day, everyone.  Dee Dee

Tea At Downton

Well, now...get out your loveliest 

tea cup and saucer....

Use all your best tea pots and serving

dishes for lovely cakes and biscuits.

Imagine your seated at the table with

Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of 

Grantham.  She is pouring your tea....

You are nicely readied to begin 

watching season five of 

Downton Abbey....

beginning next Sunday, 

January 5, 20l4.

I do so wonder whatever will

be happening to Lady Mary and

that sweet child....and of course

each character has a special place

in all our hearts.

I can hardly wait!

A sweet way to begin the 

new year.....don't you think? 

More tea?  Dee Dee

Images Of That First Christmas

Mary visits Elizabeth....

Christ is born....

Mary and Joseph bring

Jesus to the temple to see

Simeon.....

Merry Christmas!

And may God bless you, everyone. Dee Dee

Jesus, Holy Child

Church of the nativity, in 

Bethlehem. 

 It is believed 

this was the place where

Jesus, the Savior of 

the world, 

was born.

Blessings for all, this 

Christmas eve.   Dee Dee

Christmas Week

Along about now, everyone is

finalizing all their preparations for

Christmas. 

My packages are all wrapped,

and I'm on the last few rows of

a scarf  I'm making for a young

grandson. Today I will be at the

grocery store, along with every 

other "lady of the house," looking

over my list for the grand ole'

traditional Christmas meal.  

We're hoping for a cold front 

to move in....today the temps

here in Florida

were in the low 80s.  Ugh!

It's beginning to look a lot like

Christmas, but it sure doesn't

feel like it.

Never-the-less, we have joy

in our hearts, as we recognize

the true meaning of this

blessed holy holiday.

Have a blessed day....Dee Dee

The Russian Village

A favorite by Chagall....

A Russian village on

 Christmas eve.

One can almost 

hear 

the quiet

disturbed

 by the ever so slight

 jingle of bells

 from

 Santa's sleigh.

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

Baking Day

Hot coffee and Christmas goodies.....

I'll be busy in the kitchen this weekend

making all the family favorites.  Once it's

all said and done, all the hustle and bustle

is over.....sigh, I'll have that good

feeling of well done contentment.

Have a sweet ole' day, everyone. Dee Dee

A Winter Morning

One of my favorite photos was

taken in upstate New York's

village of Cooperstown.

An early morning sun,

 is seen rising above the 

Adirondack mountains,

casting shadows over a 

fallen night-time snow.

Smoke from the fireplace 

chimneys is billowing over

the snow covered roofs,

 hanging heavy in the 

cold air.

There is nothing more 

magical than these 

first moments of a 

winter morning.

Christmas blessings.....Dee Dee

Clarence AS2

Clarence: I'm Clarence Oddbody, AS2

Angel Second Class

Clarence: Strange, isn't it? Each man's

life touches so many other lives. When

he isn't around he leaves an awful hole,

doesn't he?

Clarence: Remember George, no man is

a failure who has friends.

Clarence: Every time you hear a bell ring, 

it means that some angel has just gotten

his wings.

George Bailey: Atta' boy Clarence.

"It's A Wonderful Life"

Christmas blessings for all....Dee Dee

Adoration Of The Magi

One of my favorite paintings .....

Bassano-Francesco

Linger for a while and study

each face and detail......

so beautiful.

Have a blessed day....Dee Dee

First Camellia Bloom

My Camellia bush has hundreds of

buds on it.  In years past, they 

begin blooming around the first

part of December.  They're a

little late this year and I've been

concerned. The weather has been

warmer than usual, so that might

just be the reason for smaller buds

and late producing of my much

anticipated gorgeous 

Camellia blooms.

So....I was pleasantly surprised to

see the first Camellia bloom of the

season this morning.  

By Christmas day, 

we should have enough for

 a nice table arrangement, and a

few blooms to share with family

and friends.

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

Lots Of Red

The theme for Christmas this year

seems to be Poinsettias, bringing

in lots of red to our cottage decor.

I found gorgeous fabric for the

new pillows....the black background

makes the flowers pop.

I had these beautiful Poinsettias

in our family room for a while 

and they were not happy about

that at all........leaves were turning

yellow and berries were dropping

all over the floor.

I brought them out on the porch

to enjoy the cooler nights, watered

them more often  and now

they are thriving.  I'm very happy

that they are happy.

Lots to do today....

more gift wrapping,

a tiny baby girl dress to return 

and a trip to Baby Gap in

the mall.  I'm sure to find many

other shoppers.

 We'll be, shoulder to shoulder.....

but I will survive.

Sweet Christmas blessings......Dee Dee

Wrapping Gifts

I brought these photos from my

archive ...Christmases of yesteryear.

I managed to find beautiful 

wrapping papers 

this particular year.

I love the unusual or 

unexpected....the recipient is 

always pleased, judging from

well received compliments.

Today I will be wrapping gifts

with a very different kind of 

theme.....will post soon.

Christmas blessings for all....Dee Dee

Valuable Lessons

Christmas week my grandchildren watch

The Chronicles of Narnia series

with their parents.

Learning valuable lessons

taught by C. S. Lewis, is a 

good way for children to face

life experiences.

 It's a beautiful

thing to hear them recall the

characters with such familiarity.

Lucy Pevensie: Will you come and visit 

us in our world?  Aslan: I shall be watching

you always.  Lucy Pevensie: How?

Aslan:  In your world, I have another name.

You must learn to know me by it.  That was

the reason why you were brought to Narnia,

that by knowing me here for a little, you 

might know me better there.

Christmas blessings....Dee Dee

Road Map

Did you know that God has given

us an owner's manual....the Bible.

It's a road map for life......

Have a blessed day, everyone.  Dee Dee

Poinsettias

When I shopped for Poinsettias

this year, I wanted something a

little different.  So many colors

and varieties to choose from.....

These looked as though they had just

bloomed...so healthy and fresh.

The growers in Florida have 

done an amazing job this year.

I'm using lots of red and green

all over the cottage....

These poinsettias I have placed

in the family room.

They are, of course taking 

center stage.

It's beginning to look a lot like

Christmas, at least around my

place.  The weather is not 

cooperating in the least, however. 

The thermometer registers

81 degrees here today.

I'm thinking lots of Canadians

are at the beach, enjoying 

themselves tremendously.

Have a sweet ole' day.  Dee Dee

Winter's Small Animals

Ever wonder 

how it is 

that small animals 

seem

to cope during the

cold winter months?

While drawing 

and painting

these small creatures, 

last year,

 it occurred to me,

that they did so 

quite nicely.

Small field mouse....

Chipmunk....

Red Fox.......

This is the time of hustle

and bustle.....I am, as usual

sewing and creating many of

of my Christmas gifts.

Therefore, I thought it a

good time to pull out 

previous Blog post images.

Good Christmastime blessings.....Dee Dee

Paperwhites

It's that time of year again.

I'm gathering up containers

for a variety of bulb planting.

Hopefully they will be blooming

by Christmas.

The photo seen here was

taken a couple of years ago.

Bulbs need very little 

encouragement to grow.

Have a sweet ole' day!  Dee Dee

Thanksgiving Day

 Florida style.....

Good smells coming from the

 kitchen.....feeling blessed today.

.....Dee Dee

Happy Thanksgiving

Bowing heads and saying grace

to our Father in heaven.  So grateful

today for His blessings and his 

everlasting love.....

Have a beautiful time together....Dee Dee

Red and Gold

I lift up my eyes to Autumn hills

of flaming red and gold....

Something about that sun setting 

these days.  Have you noticed the 

changes?  We've brought the 

blankets and warmer clothing out

and gladly used them when the

 Florida temps dipped into the 60s.

Counting my blessings.....Dee Dee

Suggested Read

In my ladies Bible study this week, we

are reading from a book written by

Elizabeth George....

"The Heart Of A Woman Who Prays.."

It is a study in drawing nearer to the

God who loves you.

Chapter seven gives thought to 

life's hurts and how they can be 

bitter yet sweet at the same time.

Ms George encourages us ....

"When your heart hurts....Pray!

Have a blessed day.....Dee Dee

Saplings

I love nothing better than 

exploring

places left to

 nature.  

 It is there I 

find young saplings 

for this kind of 

arrangement during the 

Christmas holidays. 

 Afterwards, 

planting the

trees by small children

 can be a

whole beautiful

 lesson of how 

important trees are to our

very existence.

Thanking God for this beautiful 

day, and.....glad you stopped by...Dee Dee

Photo from google images

Think On This

Stop and think 

today,

 of the joys that

God has placed in 

our lives......life

is one continuous 

glorious experience

of discovering

 endless wonders......Dee Dee

Wild Turkey Hens

 

From the balcony

of our vacation log house

 in Tennessee,

 we watched a sweet family of 

wild turkey hens.

  They were busy about

turkey life, I suppose.  

We could hear them

 communicating with one another

as they scurried through

 the woodlands.

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

Photo google images

Remember The Birds

Made by 

Faith Baptist Academy

school children, 

this little bird

feeder hangs

 from a tree,

 year in

 and year 

out. 

 I've seen it piled

high with seed

and....... piled high

with snow.

Sweet mittens,

stuffed with

straw and shaped

 to hold food for the 

wild birds.

Winters a comin'

don't forget them.

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

Lasting Memories

Of course 

we are all

 photographers

these days.

  Our phones have

 cameras,

and most of our

 electronic gadgets

do as well.

All we do is 

point and shoot 

to have

lasting memories.

I remember 

this

 fall day 

well and

how each 

element 

in the 

composition

appealed to me.

The colors

 caught 

my attention

 in the

beginning.

The wind had blown

 leaves into

all the nooks

 and crannies

 along the sidewalk.

Yellow pumpkins

 and

purple mums 

are a

perfect 

combination 

and where could

I find a 

nicer place

 to sit.

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

Out My Window This Morning

Beginning November,

 we have what

some might call,

 perfect weather.

 I opened the curtains 

this morning and

was greeted with

 gorgeous sunshine,

noticeably

splashing all over

our gorgeous

 red Hibiscus.

With temps in the 70s, 

it is now time

for winter gardening. 

 Fresh pine straw

will be placed around

 our shrubs....I

love the orange and greens 

together.

The cooler weather 

contributes to a

little more energy for me,

....and

that of course 

will be needed for my

gardening endeavors. 

 A future post

will show my efforts.

I'm glad you stopped by.....

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

Fruit Ripening

The fruit growers in Florida

are welcoming the cooler weather.

When the temp drops below 60 degrees,

as was the case last night,

the ripe oranges will turn orange.  The

ripe grapefruit will turn yellow.

Happens each year and just in

time for the holidays.

Yum.....fresh squeezed juice....

Have a sweet ole' day!  Dee Dee

November Flowers

Our hibiscus seem to love the cooler

nights.....they are producing the 

prettiest blooms....

I'm thinking this pumpkin color

most appropriate for this time 

of year....

Have a blessed day, everyone.  Dee Dee

Veterans Day

God bless our veterans. 

We thank you for your service, 

we honor you and salute you.

Bittersweet

I look forward to 

"bittersweet"

each year.....

So beautiful in fall

table arrangements

and door wreaths.

When most of the 

leaves have

 changed color and

 dropped

 to the ground, 

the 

 tangled messes of

"bittersweet vine"

can be seen.

We see very little of

this in our flower shops

here in Florida.  It is

rare and costly, having

been transported

from the northern 

states.

Fortunate are you

if you can gather this

where you live.....sigh.

Have a sweet ole' day!  Dee Dee

Seasonal Art

Sweet little paintings taken from storage.

I remember these well.  Pumpkins by the 

door...painted last Thanksgiving.  In 20ll

I painted a young boy trying to lift a rather

large pumpkin.  Perhaps I'll bring out my

pencils, brushes and watercolors soon.

Have a beautiful day....Dee Dee

Autumn Thoughts

A single leaf  has morphed

into a mum.....or so it seems.

I loved autumn, the one season of 

the year that God seemed to have 

put there just for the beauty of it.

~Lee Maynard

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

click on image to enlarge