SOMEONE'S PEEKING OVER THE PETUNIAS

Our little cat, Wickett, seems to find the most curious places to relax. This time, she chose to sit in my old wheel barrow, behind a box of petunias. After I came out with my camera, she only stayed long enough to have her picture taken. My yard is a mess. We are having new windows installed this week and I haven't been able to plant anything in the front of the house yet. It's killing me!!! I am so afraid that all of the green houses will be out of flowers and shrubs. Last year, I removed all the rhododendrons and transplanted them in the back yard which left me with a very bare front yard. It looks so plain, but I was able to put a bunch of wave petunias in an old wooden box and then place them in the wheel barrow. Just a little "punch" of color!

A NEW LITTLE DANDY!

My new little treasure is pictured above. A toy Singer Sewing Machine. I don't know why I had to have one, but I just think they are the neatest little piece of the past! This one actually still works. Judging from its appearance, it doesn't look like it has ever been used. The box has seen better days, and the instructions inside are a little worn, but the machine itself is in really good condition. My dear, sweet husband found it in an antique mall in the southern part of beautiful Ohio, but I can't remember the name of the town. It was the one and only antique mall I had been to on our vacation.....so I was pretty proud of myself! Now I just have to clean my sewing room and find a place for it to rest. Have a great night everyone!

BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS

This spring, my mom found out that she will probably have to face the fact that she will be forced to move from her beautiful home before summers end. I won't go into detail...because it is a long story, but somethings in life are very, very unfair. It doesn't matter how good a person or family is. There is always someone lurking in the shadows, waiting to take advantage of someone who may be a little meeker, a little softer, a little easy to intimidate. It has been a very stressful 4 weeks for her and my 98 year old grandma. They both live together in this wonderful place they have called home for the past 10 years. My mother has worked so hard both inside and outside....too hard.

So...in the interim, Mom is preparing to have the biggest garage sale in history! She has been sorting, pricing, and trying to organize. Last evening, I was over helping and spotted the little "Instant Coffee" jar pictured above. It was my grandma's, sitting on her counter in her home long, long ago. I remember it when I was just a young child back in the late 50's. She used it right up until the time she moved in with my mom in 2002. Probably something she had purchased at the "Five & Dime". I asked her if I could take this little piece of "memory" and she seemed to be quite pleased that I would want such a simple treasure. I brought it home, washed it, shined it up a bit, and now it will sit on my counter....and of course everytime I look at it...it will bring back happy memories of a young girl with her precious grandma.

HELLO FROM FLORIDA!!

It's been way too long since I last posted on my blog, but life has been very, very busy. We are in the process of getting new windows, painting, doing yard work, but first we needed to take a vacation. So, we went to Orlando, as we do every two years. It is wonderful down here....I don't know if I could live here year round, but it is a very nice and welcomed change. Being on a vacation, is much like a fairy tale...no work, only play. Get up when you want, shop when you want, cook or not cook when you want and most importantly, enjoy the company of friends and family at a more leisurely pace.

This morning, my husband decided he would like to go to the War Plane Museum in Kissimmee, FL. So off we went. We figured we would see a few World War II planes, but never did my husband imagine he would actually get to fly in one! With a little coaxing from me, he bought his ticket to ride in a two-seater Texas Trainer from the 1940's. This plane was used to train fighter pilots in WWII, over the magnificent Florida landscape. It was a 15 minute flight, but one he will not soon forget. He enjoyed it so much and I was so happy for him, because, all he ever does when he comes down here is go to Epcot and take me shopping! So this day was all about him!