TUESDAY BLOG HOP

I decided to join the Tuesday Blog Hop!



A proud capture! Grandson Cooper holding his prey.

Here is my grandson Ian who took this self-portrait while we were on vacation last year. Look at those eyes!

BEST WEDDING ENTRANCE EVER

I found this on youtube. This is the best wedding entrance ever. Enjoy!!!! ( Make sure your speakers on for the full effect of this video.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0&feature=player_embedded

MY CRAFT PROJECT

Here is the tray I made after following Cindy's directions on My Romantic Home. I put a vintage doily under the glass. It is supposed to look "distressed", but I didn't have the right color to do it with. But I think it looks pretty good considering I am certainly not "crafty." I think I will make another one and put old black and white photos under the glass.

Always,

MOSAIC MONDAY

I found this great idea at Mary's Mosaic Monday. She gives great directions for doing this. It was fun and creative.

Always,

HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?

ONE thing I am not is a gardener. But a lot of years I do try a few tomato plants and maybe some herbs. Even still, my tomatoes look like they spent some time on Mars. This year I am truly excited, though. Last year I put our Halloween pumpkin in a sunny spot and waited. I have done this before because I heard that if you let your pumpkin rot away on the ground, you may get pumpkins the following year. I have tried it before without any luck. But this year, VOILA! I hadn't looked at the plant for awhile and suddenly there was a long vine traveling rather menacingly towards my neighbor's yard.

I researched pumpkins on the internet and learned that a pumpkin plant contains both male and female flowers. Each flower blooms only for a day. The female flower is fertilized by the male flower by way of our wonderful friends the bees who are gathering pollen. I learned how to identify the female blossoms by the bump that appears at the base of the flower. I immediately checked out my pumpkin plant and at first thought I had no female flowers, only male. As I looked under the giant leaves, however, I was thrilled to see that I have two little green pumpkins growing. I am a very proud mother!


The tomatoes are another story. This one is the only one turning red, but I do have a few green ones. Generally, the three plants are pretty scraggly looking.

This is my mint. I had mint a few years ago in another spot and it was pretty prolific for awhile and then (through my neglect) it died off. Suddenly it appeared again this spring so I moved a little of it to another spot and it has taken off. I know mint can grow like a weed. I don't use it for anything, but maybe some iced tea once in awhile. But it does smell wonderful. I also have some lavender and oregano and basil that is doing so-so.

I know a lot of you out there are wonderful gardeners and I truly admire you. It is so thrilling to see something growing that you can eat or use and you know that you planted it. Obviously, it can be done even on a very small scale as I have done.

How does your garden grow?

Always,

A LITTLE PROJECT

I have been trying to keep from visiting our local thrift shops, but today I gave in. I was looking for a frame to use to make a tray like the one Cindy at My Romantic Home made. Stop by her blog to see her directions. (I tried to put a link directly to that post, but it didn't work. Just click on the highlighted words here and check out her post from Tuesday.) I also have a link in my sidebar to her because I visit her blog everyday. Cindy's blogging story is pretty amazing. She started like we all did, writing a little about what we like to do or our families and our hobbies and interests. But her blog really took off! She has had over a million visitors! She has decorated her rented apartment in a lovely, shabby chic style and it has even been featured on HGTV's "Rate My Space." She always has great ideas and the photographs are lovely.

So I have my frame. I need to put the little knobs on the bottom for feet, paint it and decide what I want to put under the glass. Maybe a few vintage hankies I have, or maybe postcards or photos. I will take a picture of it when I am finished. This might take a few weeks, though. I am not very crafty and I am certainly a procrastinator. But this project seems fairly simple, so I may be able to do it.

Oh, by the way, if you haven't already, would you "follow" my blog as it shows on my sidebar? It is a great way to keep track of everyone. Thank you!

Always,

A DAY AT WORK

Nothing much new to report here in coastal Delaware. I was on the Sunday schedule to work today from 10 to 4. (I am a Realtor.) Since this is a beach town there are lots and lots of vacationers here now and a lot of them stop in for information about properties for sale. Many people are here for only a day or two or a week and think, "Wouldn't it be fun to own a quaint cottage by the ocean?". The problem is that those quaint cottages run about a million dollars or more. I had a customer in today who swore that there were houses for sale for $400,000 just a few blocks to the beach. I pulled up our search screen on my computer and showed her that MAYBE she could get a small condo for that price, but not a house. She had her husband waiting outside the office with their bicycles and only had a few minutes to get information (that certainly takes more than a few minutes to get together and discuss) or he would get mad. I suggested that I get a package of listings together for her and that she stop back in a little while for it. So I prepared a very nice package, pertinent things highlighted, a highlighted map, etc. She never returned. Sometimes that is the world of real estate sales.

I must admit, however, that when I vacation in a charming location, I often think, "Wouldn't it be fun to live here?"

Always,

GRAMMY TRAVELS

I spent a week visiting with my daughter and her husband and my two grandsons in Massachusetts. Unfortunately, the weather was generally awful -- raining almost every day, but two. Nonetheless, it is always good to spend time with them. Beth and I visited our favorite consignment shop and, of course, I ended up lugging an extra bag home with me on the plane.

We spent an afternoon in Rockport, Mass. which is a wonderful historic seaport town. Here are some photos.

Always,

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!

HAVE A SAFE, HAPPY AND FUN DAY TODAY!!!!!

Always,