This is one eye-catching geranium in it’s hot coral splendor! Just look at the dramatic shadow. I have a thing with shadows, they always catch my eye, it’s like a work of art!
Have a wonderful Sunday and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!
Category: THOUGHTS
Happy Day!
Do you know how to keep cut lily’s fresh for a longer period of time? It’s easy!
I will often buy these at the grocery store just because they smell amazing – they’re beautiful to look at too! I usually buy them closed (and not open as you see here), it doesn’t take them long to open (especially here in Charleston)! Once you get them home, be sure to give them a fresh cut, at an angle, under running, cool water. Then snip the pollen off of the stamens. The central pistil (dark “thing” in the center, is surrounded by pistils that have a rust colored pollen attached. Simply snip the pollen off, leaving the rest of the stamen. (As shown). Now the pollen won’t land on the petals (or furniture!), which means the bloom will be beautiful!
Cut lily’s do best OUT OF THE SUN, they like it nice and cool!
A fresh flower = a Happy Day! Catch you back here tomorrow!
Monhegan Island, Maine at Sunset
This photo was taken early fall last year. Almost every night there was a beautiful sunset. These breathtaking scenes just happened to be at the time of our dinner reservation each night. Thankfully Fred is understanding while I run out and snap “a few” photos. I think we need to make a reservation after sunset, because when there is a sunset like this it is so awe inspiring you can’t help but to be captivated by it and to feel so utterly blessed to be in such a magnificent place, especially when you can share your love of this place with those you love.
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Reaching for the Heavens…
I took this photo a month or so ago, I love the light and the way the oak branches seem to be reaching for the heavens.
These old oak trees never fail to impress me, day after day. We feel fortunate to have such beauty right in front of us!
Back to normal posting 5/16!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Thinking carefully about the plan of attack…
At night about an hour after dinner, Charlie gets 1/2 of a VeggieDent (cleans teeth). It’s the highlight of his day. Once we give it to him, he runs off with it. Then stares at it… no doubt considering the best way to “take this chewy down”. A minute or two later he’ll have it flying all over the living room, tossing it around, then he goes in for the kill (he eats his chewy, truly nothing gruesome going on, ha ha).
The life of Charlie! ❤️
Back to normal posting 5/16!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Happy Mother’s Day!
Happy Mother’s Day to all you mom’s out there. This is a special day for you…
While writing this I read through my older Mother’s Day posts, and I’ve got to say. I love every one of them! I’m repeating one this year, since it seems to cover everything just as I would like it to:
Happy Mother’s Day! But wait… before you say, “I’m not a mother”… this wish is for all of you who…
–ARE a mom: I’m sure the joy is overwhelming, as well as the worry and stress, but the love… ahhh, that beats all, right? Know you are blessed!
–WANT to be a mom: so it’s not your time yet, that’s OK. Enjoy your life, get out and do things so that once you do have children you don’t feel like you’re missing out!
–TRIED to be: for all of you who have felt the heartbreak of wanting to be a parent, but having it not work out for one reason or another, I feel for you. I understand. I’m in the same boat. Find what brings you joy and move on with your life. You can spend forever on “what if’s” but you will be much happier if you move on… (such as) help out a friend with children, teach them something special, something important like being nice to others, volunteering, there are other options, not the ones you probably dreamed about, but life does get good again…
–DON’T want to be: hey, everyone has a reason. If having children isn’t your deal, that’s fine. Help a friend with their child once in a while, or teach a child how to bake cookies, some cool, fun, important (cookie baking!) life skill!
To my mom, I would like to say that you are the absolute coolest mom and I love you to pieces… I wish we lived closer! AHHH… I’ve learned a lot from you, even though I don’t think you realized it. Like… the importance of saying no instead of being overwhelmed and miserable. My note taking surely I got from you, and that lead to my writing… I love to talk about cooking and recipes, food and health, books and so much more with you. I love knowing you’re on the other end of the phone when I call! Thank you for being my mom! I love you mom!!
To Fred’s mom, I would like to say that you are such a great role model, someone who is truly caring and shows it by helping others every chance you get. You are always there whenever we need you. We’re very fortunate to live close although we don’t see each other every day, its a nice feeling knowing that we can be there in a moments notice! It’s fun comparing our Dr. Oz notes and trying to keep up with what’s good for you and bad for you since it changes constantly! Thank you for being Fred’s mom! We love you!!
Ok, get out and do something good for someone. Make someone smile today.
MAKE. SOMEONE. SMILE. TODAY…
Repeat tomorrow… and the next day… and the next day… and the next day… etc.
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Heaven on Earth!
Ahhh, Monhegan Island, Maine. Gorgeous. Stunning. Simple beauty everywhere you look. Nighttime skies that cannot be matched. Morning sunrises that will make you open your eye, grab your camera and dash down three flights of stairs in your PJ’s… this place is Heaven.
Posting a photo each day for the next few weeks – time for me to have a break. Back to normal posting 5/16!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
What did I do?
HI! My name is Charlie and I love to eat dirt, rocks, grass, ferns, paper and pretty much anything else I can get…
Ugh. Our last dog was a picky eater. We were so happy when we found out that Charlie will eat anything. Until, he eats everything, sigh…
Have a great Sunday and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!
In A Hurry? Newman’s Own Pizza with Arugula – Delicious!
What a delight! Newman’s Own Four Cheese (frozen) Pizza (Multigrain crust with flaxseed) is a fabulous option when you’re in a hurry. Just pull it out of the freezer, put it into the oven to bake (10 minutes), then pull it out, top it with baby arugula, a light drizzle of olive oil and a dusting of parmesan.
The arugula adds the nicest flavor!
Newman’s Own pizza does not taste like frozen. I never bought frozen pizza until a friend (thank you Heather!) suggested this one. WOW! Was she ever right! Our local Harris Teeter carried the (uncured) pepperoni, which is tasty, but we just wanted plain cheese, so they have started to carry (thank you Harris Teeter!).
For a thin crust, this one is perfect, not too thin, but not thick and doughy… A fabulous treat!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
There’s a lizzie in my chair…
Who spends their days trying to save Lizzie’s? I do. Sad but true. I find them fascinating, so does Charlie, but in an entirely different manor. He loves the way they dart around. They’re everywhere, and he will stick his nose deep into dirt to find them.
Lovely.
This one likes my chair 😳, but only when it’s in the sun. Move over Lizzie!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
If you use a gas grill, then THIS will make your day!
We ran to Costco last weekend, as we walked in we spotted this sign.
Do you see these prices? WOW! We pay so much more than that this is hard to believe! A (regular) gas grill propane tank is 20#. So the max cost would be $7.49 (+ tax). If you took it in to have it filled and it wasn’t quite empty it would be even cheaper!
We pay more than twice that right now!
NOTE:
Tanks are not refilled inside the store, so do not take your empty propane cylinder into the store. The Charleston store refills propane near the Tire department (I think that’s what I read). Definitely not inside the store (for obvious reasons).
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Charlie (Jack Russell Terrier) Before (the hair) and After
When Charlie came into our lives he didn’t have “big” hair. They said it would get fuzzy in time, boy were they ever right! Look at the difference!
When this dog gets a bath you see how he’s not so big, but with all this hair he sure looks big! I wish I had his curls, ha ha. It’s fun looking back through old photos.
Enjoy your Sunday and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!
Easter Lily Idea…
Such a pretty photo of the sunlight beating down on the Easter Lily!
Do you still have an Easter Lily and aren’t quite sure what to do with it? We always plant them outside (Zone 9 – Charleston, SC). They appear each year so beautifully. This time I moved the plant outside and cut the flowers and put them in a glass jar. They were beautiful for 4-5 days. When I Googled it, the directions said to keep about 1/2 of the plant, so I couldn’t put it in a tall vase, which was fine. When I have cut lilies, I do remove the stamen (see inside of lily where there is yellow, I just snip them off).
I will put the plant into the ground and see what happens next year! The lilies from years past mulitply!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
A healthier version of a cheese toast – so wonderful!
I could eat this Every. Single. Day. I always keep baby arugula in the fridge, I love it in omelets, on sandwiches, pizza and all by itself!
This looks very decadent, but these pieces of bread are small (wonderful bread from a local bakery. Very rustic, bread with substance).
I lightly toast the bread first, then add some grated sharp cheddar, put it on a baking pan and put it under the broiler for just a minute or two (HAVE TO WATCH IT – Don’t walk away!) Once the cheese starts to bubble, pull it out, cut it in half and put a heaping bunch of arugula dressed in olive oil & balsamic (you can even add to the dressing a tiny bit of honey, but not much). Then eat the rest of the arugula on the side.
This is a FABULOUS LUNCH!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Have you tried these? Wonderful!!
Since many of you are away visiting friends or family, I will be posting photos this week – enjoy!
You know how sometimes you just crave a wonderful cinnamon roll? Just once in a while, like Christmas or Easter or a day off? I found a brand without many of those ingredients that we try to avoid. Of course this is an indulgence nonetheless and not considered health food in any way, but I probably didn’t have to tell you that, did I?
Another use… If you have your house on the market, and someone is coming to see it. Bake some cinnamon rolls! Seriously! SOLD!
Read about these wonderful cinnamon rolls:
Catch you back here tomorrow!
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