Summertime in Charleston, SC!

On By Barbara StroudIn Charleston, Favorite Things, flowers, gardening, HOME, Photograph, THOUGHTSLeave a comment

Sun, sun, sun, sun, sun… If you love a lot of sun, Charleston, SC is the place for you! I ran across this photo from a few years ago when we had our window box planted with Impatiens. Beautiful! We need to pull it out and replant the same thing. Over the years we’ve tried different plants – lighting has changed over the years as the Live Oak tree has grown so beautifully. More shade, less sun. Impatiens offer the beautiful color and can handle shade. They just can’t handle the hot afternoon sunshine.

Continue reading “Summertime in Charleston, SC!” →

Enjoy this 4th of July Weekend!

On By Barbara StroudIn Photograph, THOUGHTSLeave a comment

Live oak tree with Spanish moss. When there is a slight wind it’s the most beautiful sight in the world. You think to yourself “How am I lucky enough to live in such a beautiful place?” – This is the tree that our sunroom faces in our front yard. It blows me away every single day. Between the tree and the happy Cardinals going about their business in the nearby shrubs it makes the sunroom feel like a nature oasis, yet cool when viewed on this hot day from indoors.

Continue reading “Enjoy this 4th of July Weekend!” →

Red Ring Around the Moon!

On By Barbara StroudIn Charleston, HOME, Photograph, THOUGHTS1 Comment

The other night we were turning off lights and heading to bed when something caught my eye. The moon. Striking! I took a photo, looked to see if it was how I saw it. Red ring around the moon, let me try again. Took it again, same thing then I looked out of the window and there it was, a red ring around the moon! This is what it’s about…

Continue reading “Red Ring Around the Moon!” →

Book: Summer Light on Nantucket by Nancy Thayer!

On By Barbara StroudIn books, Fiction, THOUGHTSLeave a comment

The epitome of summer. Taking the time to sit back and read a book, drink an iced tea and soak up the outdoors (unless it’s really hot, then I’ll soak up the indoors looking outdoors, wink wink) – Looking for light reading that can hold up to distractions (boats, people, etc.) – this book fits the bill perfectly. Nancy Thayer is a wonderful author and I’ve read all of her books over the years.

Continue reading “Book: Summer Light on Nantucket by Nancy Thayer!” →

Alligator on the Runway – Took the Scenic Route Home!

On By Barbara StroudIn Photograph, THOUGHTSLeave a comment

Recently we spent a few days in Michigan. We were in the air and about to land when all of a sudden we headed for the sky ✈️. We went from a dark sky to a sunny sky, then turned around and headed back. The pilot came on the intercom and said there was severe winds at the DTW airport, and he had to delay landing for a little bit. Eventually we landed and people on the ground talked about how crazy it was. No alligator involved yet. That was on the way home…

Continue reading “Alligator on the Runway – Took the Scenic Route Home!” →

Happy Father’s Day to the coolest Dad ever!!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, Michigan, Photograph, THOUGHTSLeave a comment

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. There are dads of all kinds, the ones with children, the ones who wanted children, and the ones who chose to help mentor young kids of others. Whichever dad you may be, sending wishes for a happy Father’s day to you! I’m thankful to have grown up with such a cool dad, he’s the best and it was a treat to visit him recently.

Continue reading “Happy Father’s Day to the coolest Dad ever!!” →

Morning Walk: Ingenuity at its best!

On By Barbara StroudIn Charleston, flowers, Photograph, SC, THOUGHTSLeave a comment

FLOWER SALE $5! What a deal… I headed out on a morning walk via a different route. I ran across this sweet flower stand – what a brilliant idea for a flower sale! $5 – beautiful flowers, herbs and it was actually quite pretty to look at as we passed by. So smart, they have the flowers in glass jars, if you buy it you just leave the glass jar and use a plastic cup to get it home (of course you can recycle the cup or bring it back and they can reuse it).

Continue reading “Morning Walk: Ingenuity at its best!” →

Love it or hate it? The Mimosa Tree…

On By Barbara StroudIn Photograph, THOUGHTSLeave a comment

This is a Mimosa tree (Albizia julibrissin), also known as a Persian Silk Tree.They’re simply magnificent along a large public area in Charleston, SC. This tree features the fern like leaves with the fluffy pink flower, they’re blooming now, and are quite pretty. These trees can get rather large (20-40′ in height). Some people love them, others – not so much. Here’s why…

Continue reading “Love it or hate it? The Mimosa Tree…” →

Feeling fortunate to live in such a beautiful area!

On By Barbara StroudIn Design Inspiration, Favorite Things, HOME, Photograph, THOUGHTSLeave a comment

Do you love where you live? Some of us are fortunate to answer YES! The views from almost every window in our house looks onto trees or tall privacy shrubs. The ability to sit in this sunroom and take in nature on a hot (or stormy) day is such a blessing. The cardinals flying to and fro, the butterflies happily dancing from plant to plant. It’s a joy…

Continue reading “Feeling fortunate to live in such a beautiful area!” →

This puzzle was amazing – absolutely brilliant!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Favorite Things, THOUGHTS6 Comments

This is a brilliant jigsaw puzzle, bright and happy. It’s a wooden puzzle and the pieces fit together perfectly. This is a small one, and it was perfect, especially if you’ve never done a wooden puzzle before. There is a bit of a challenge without many clear border pieces. The shapes of the pieces are magical! This makes a great gift (link below)!

Continue reading “This puzzle was amazing – absolutely brilliant!” →

Have you read The Correspondent by Virginia Evans? #mustread

On By Barbara StroudIn books, THOUGHTSLeave a comment

Wow, wow, wow. I’ll start by saying this book lives up to the hype. It’s brilliantly written by author Virginia Evans. The Correspondent is a quick book to read – you won’t want to put it down. I absolutely loved it (blip about the book below) – and there is a movie in the works! Can’t wait!

Continue reading “Have you read The Correspondent by Virginia Evans? #mustread” →

View on Morning Walk… end of May.

On By Barbara StroudIn Charleston, Favorite Things, Photograph, THOUGHTSLeave a comment

Not a bad view to have on a morning walk! I love the wild palms and the gorgeous live oak trees. Each has a personality all their own. The palms add to the tropical feeling of Charleston (and boy, does it ever feel tropical right now, like being in a sauna at times). But it is beautiful!

Continue reading “View on Morning Walk… end of May.” →