Cottage Under the Sun

The Cottage is Celebrating Celeste!

2012-01-20T13:08:00.000-05:00

Celebrating Celeste. She is my "big" sister. She's actually quite petite. Common Goals. Maybe it's because we're sisters, but we've got the same desire to learn to surf. Celeste is turning 50. She's in great shape and she looks 30, so why not surf? Florida Cottage. Since this is the place to be in March, we expecting a group of women to fly in from all over the USA and shack up here at our shack. Surf Shack. It's going to be a surf camp kind of a weekend with lots of laughs, food, and God only knows what else.
Celebrating Celeste. What a great idea.

Organizing into the New Year

2012-01-19T22:16:00.000-05:00

Did you make a New Year's resolution? I didn't. I couldn't add one more goal! I've really been trying to just continue to move forward with my goals all year this year, so why not end December by de-cluttering? I have a confession. I had 20 years worth of odds and ends crafts spread throughout my house in bins, buckets and cabinets. We dug into the "stuff" and it took all of three days to find a home for what I decided to keep.
Before

Source: Uploaded by user via Yvonne on Pinterest

The end result was worth the effort. We use this room for a "mud room", office, craft room, and entry to our laundry room.
After

Source: Uploaded by user via Yvonne on Pinterest

How do you think it turned out?

Source: Uploaded by user via Yvonne on Pinterest

Ready for the Fourth of July Weekend

2012-01-19T21:57:00.001-05:00

Cravings

2011-04-21T20:32:00.000-04:00

I've been spending a lot of time of late with my adult children, especially our Emily who is pregnant with her first child, a boy names Terrance John like his father and grandfather. She definitely has cravings for foods like green olives, and cracked pepper chips but those cravings aren't what I'm having a hard time with, MY craving is driving me nuts! I recently saw Jimmy Fallon on The Martha Stewart Show. He was promoting his new Ben & Jerry's ice cream Late Night Snack. Described as fair trade certified vanilla ice cream, fudge covered potato chip clusters, and salty caramel swirl. But wouldn't you know it. I can't find it anywhere! Cravings continue...

Baking at the Cottage

2011-03-02T20:56:00.000-05:00

I'm a Story From The ShoeBox

2010-06-20T15:57:00.000-04:00

My friend, Adrienne, posted my recent accomplishment on her blog. It's not a huge accomplishment, but my husband is so proud, he's now on his own quest to save money! Check it out here

Happy Father's Day!

I need to be organized, but like it to be pretty

2010-05-24T08:51:00.000-04:00

I've been in a crafting and organizing mood lately. I carry a fairly organized purse and often carry a tote bag with some essentials that I can swap out as needed. There are some examples that I was able to "prettify" with a single quilt square of fabric and a little ribbon. Clockwise from the top: baby wipe case, 1/2 size binder from Target), embellished file folders, and coupon organizer.

My next goal is make a biby item organizer bag (before my second grandson is born) and to organize a weekday pocket, weekend pocket, and a travel pocket that I can interchange in the same tote.

I admit that the craft room/ home office/laundry/mud room is out of control. It's not been easy to design a space where I can craft in peace. That may be a good project for the hottest days of the summer when I'm stuck in the cool house.

I love my kids

2010-05-12T10:57:00.004-04:00

Mother's Day this year was bittersweet. You see, our son and his fiancee were both out of town and our youngest has just gotten married and left the nest. We are so blessed to have our two children and the their sweet loved ones now part of our family, but it sure was quiet around the house Mother's Day morning. I returned form church to a multitude of texts and had a nice lunch with family including my parents, daughter and new son-in-law. It was a very good day, just not the same as when they were little.

Time flies so fast.

To those of you with little ones I have this advice; love them with everything in you, teach them the way the should go, encourage their childhood dreams, let them make mistakes, pray that they learn from them, and let them go.

Our son, Tony, and daughter, Emily on her wedding day.

Loquat Jam

2010-05-09T21:46:00.023-04:00

My mother has two Loquat trees. She named them after the boy who lived next door and planted them between the houses. She calls the one closest to her house her "Jacob Tree". We've never done a thing with these fruits in the 4-5 years that they've grew there.

This year, determined not to let them go to waste, I decided to try to make jam for the first time.
The process wasn't hard at all!

Easily peel, seed, and dice 5 cups of the Loquats
While cutting, mix in the juice of a fresh juice of a lemon
I sterilized 8 six ounce jars and lids

Cook the fruit with about 1/8 cup water
Once softened, bring to a boil and add 1/2 tsp. of butter
When the fruit is at ta rolling boil, add the Sure-gel and continue to boil
Add 7 cups of sugar and bring it to a rolling boil for one full minute.
Ladle the jam in to the hot jars, cap them, and give the jars a simmering water bath for 10 minutes.
What a cool thing to hear the jars ping as they cool and seal!

This was a great way to spend a couple hours on Mother's day. i can't wait to share it with the people I love. I only wish I could carry it on the plane to Dallas next month to share it with my twin sis.

Bearing Fruit

2010-04-20T10:33:00.001-04:00

We've spied the very first fruit from our Lake Emerald grapes!

Our daughter & new son in law have a puppy

2010-04-20T10:30:00.000-04:00

She's a beauty and so smart. Her name is Cambria.

The Wedding Shower

2010-03-27T17:06:00.001-04:00

When a young woman gets married, it's so fun to shower her with gifts. My twin sister and her dauhter, Sasha, threw a chic and fun shower after just flying into town the day before. The beautiful bride is my daughter. She's moved into her first home with her new husband and the girl needed everything! She was tickled to death by all the gifts.

You'll have to guess which grandmother goosed the bride in this picture. Insanity is contagious in our family, we get it from our kids.

I'm back after Cuba and a Wedding!

2010-03-27T16:48:00.000-04:00

Life has been busy, but wonderful. so wonderful that it's been hard to find time to jot everything down. I recently got a fantastic opportunity to visit our sister church in Holguin Province, Cuba. I had been praying for this since last August when we applied for our visa. Many visa have been denied prior to and after my visit, but miraculously the doors were opened for our small caravan. I have so much to tell you about Cuba and the wonderful people. I will be posting a blog or two about the trip on my other blog, Letters for Posterity very soon.

A week ago, my husband walked our little girl, Emily, down the isle to her sweetheart of 4 years. They are both 21 and gorgeous. TJ, our new son, could hardly contain his emotion as she approached. Emily and I had been working diligently on all the details to make this day perfect. At that moment, none of that mattered any more. It appears that all the guys that stood up with TJ including his brothers and our son, Tony, were all moved to tears.

The day flew by, but the entire week held lots of laughs, dancing, and some wonderful moments that I'll cherish forever.

If you'd like to see more photos, the photographer has posted the engagement photos and a few teaser wedding photos on her blog.

Cuba!

2010-02-21T21:48:00.000-05:00

I have the awesome opportunity to visit Holguin, Cuba for a eight days. This plan has been in the making for four years. We apploe for our visa in August 2009.

I leave tomorrow. I'll be blogging about the trip when I return on my other blog Letters for Posterity

Until then, Adiós a mis amigos!

I'm a guest blogger on Little Steps of Faith

2010-02-21T21:27:00.001-05:00

My friend, Angie, asked my to be part of her 30 Days of Faith. Here's my guest blog. She's to kind and she's right; we do talk about everything that come to mind. She's a great listener, too.

I just love him a bushel and a peck

2010-02-05T15:42:00.000-05:00

I love you a bushel and peck
A bushel and peck and a hug around the neck
A hug around the neck and a barrel and a heap
A barrel and a heap and I'm talking in my sleep
About you, about you

Cause I love you a bushel and a peck
You bet your pretty neck, I do
Doodle, oodle, oodle, doodle, oodle, oodle, doodle, oodle, oodle oo
I love you a bushel and peck
A bushel and peck though you make my heart a wreck
Make my heart a wreck and you make my life a mess
Make my life a mess, yes
A mess of happiness
About you, about you

Cause I love you a bushel and a peck
You bet your pretty neck, I do
Doodle, oodle, oodle, doodle, oodle, oodle, doodle, oodle, oodle oo
I love you a bushel and peck
A bushel and peck and it beats me all to heck
Beats me all to heck and I'll never tend the farm
Never tend the farm when I wanna keep my arm
About you, about you
I love you a bushel and a peck
You bet your pretty neck, I do
Doodle, oodle, oodle, doodle, oodle, oodle, doodle, oodle, oodle oo

My dad used to sing this to us as kids and I know why now. I just love this little one so much!

Mother of the Bride

2010-01-21T00:18:00.000-05:00

As mother of the bride, I'm feeling the pressure of pulling all my daughter,s wishes and dream together within a budget. She has a wonderful sense of style and it's been fun seeing all of her ideas come together.

We have our first eggs!

2010-01-21T00:15:00.000-05:00

Wedding Preparations

2010-01-09T23:46:00.001-05:00

Today was the most productive wedding planning day so far. My Mom and I washed all of Emily's heirloom china to give it to the caterer for the head table. We "tea dyed" her bright white veil to ivory so will will match her dress. We shopped for more shower announcements and tested out the centerpiece plans.

I was doing great until I started writing out the registry cards. As I sat in the quiet writing her name over and over I felt as if I were sitting in my hospital bed on May 3, 1988, writing out her birth announcements again. That evening, I was so completely happy we had a little girl that I couldn't sleep. I wanted to announce it to the world. I looking forward to all the pink and sparkle. Emily didn't disappoint. She is the essence of pink and sparkle. My eyes well up every time I think about how quickly my tiny baby girl grew into a beautiful, compassionate, funny, self confident, woman.

My 2010 Resolution

2010-01-06T22:43:00.003-05:00

My twin sister is one of the greatest people I know, and as much as it may sound like I'm complimenting myself in some way, that can't be further from the truth. We may look alike, but we're very different. We love each other for our differences. She inspired me by her post.

So here is my 2010 resolution:

I resolve to be content not to have to figure everything out. I will be content not to have a reason for everything that happens or be too obsessed with why things don't happen the way I think it should.

It is a requirement of my faith that I meditate on things and learn, but that I do not lean on my own understanding, but instead have faith.

I have to give credit to the person who delivered this message to me today. She is a very smart lady, Joyce Meyer, I'm grateful for her insight and that I was able to grow past the fact that I have trouble listening to her accent and her voice.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Proverbs 3:5-8

I hope you've been inspired, also, to set a new goal for yourself. I recently heard Francis Chan call the new year a sort of "restart". Time to get off the starting line.

Learning to take the farm life on the chin

2009-12-23T13:55:00.000-05:00

There is a chicken in my small flock that I've become particularly fond of. This sweet chicken started as a tiny little yellow chick and has grown to be large and the most beautiful gentle bird. I've had a sneaking suspiscion that this was not the hen I hoped it was, but was woken by his crow just this morning. Since I live in the city and I'm not allowed to have chickens at all, he will surely give the rest of us away with his alarm clock voice. I'm so sad that he'll need to find a new home. I have a prospect or two, but no one who would consider this sweet gentleman for dinner.

The Cottage is Ready for Christmas

2009-12-14T09:48:00.007-05:00

Merry Blue and Red Christmas from Florida!

There's going to be a wedding!

2009-11-09T22:12:00.003-05:00

Our babygirl, 21 year old Emily and her long time boyfriend have committed to a wedding date. I have four months to help them pull this off! We're so excited. It seems that our son and his sweet lady will be married in 2011, so I'll need the practice. Life is good, days are too short, money is tight, and love is in the air!

Upcycled wood/recycled plastic composite raised beds

2009-10-04T22:34:00.010-04:00

What a cool turn of events that resulted in some great raised beds. My Frenchman noticed that some composite (trex type) decking had been sitting around his work. It was once part of what used to be a handicap ramp. He asked and was given the materials and began cleaning them and planning our new garden area. Last week, he installed two of the three new beds (we're waiting until the sweet potatoes are harvested before we add the third). I was so excited to get started on the beds that I started filling them and mulching around them until I found myself trying to finish in the dark!

We've been digging and planting and seating in this record hot weather with high humidity.

It's been a good week and I've somehow kept in a fall mood as we begin planting like it's spring.

The Littlest Helper - An afternoon in pictures & video

2009-09-24T20:25:00.012-04:00

Our grandson always brings excitement when he comes to visit, but last night he was ready to pitch in and help with some big projects. He always has time to pretend and dance, too!

Making his own pizza with Grammy

Helping Pepere wash cars

The fruits of his labor

Play time in Auntie's shoes

The Coop

2009-09-12T11:40:00.015-04:00

I laugh as I write this. "The Coop" was once a place where the Frenchman and I (and most of our families and friends) used to go to dance on Saturday nights when we were dating and living in Maine. It was a barn with picnic tables lining the inside and the house band was the Ritcher family who owned the place. Strictly BYOB. They played for our wedding reception. It was quite a party!

The coop that we are installing is not as fun, but it's definately as creative. The Frenchman has built this chicken tractor (movable coop) from recycled PVC pipe and recycled PVC fence material. The only thin we bought was the wire and a few latches. 1/2" wire is suggested to keep snakes and things out, so here we go.

Here it is!

I'm proud that this talented carpenter has always been interested in reusing every scrap and has made some beautiful furniture from it in the past. We rescued a side table today from the landfill. I'll post that project as we get it underway along with the raise beds, and maybe a salad growing table. (He's sucha good sport).

The Dogs approve, too!

Saturday Morning at the Cottage

2009-09-12T11:08:00.006-04:00

Ahh, to sleep in one day a week. It's such a guilty pleasure! The dogs and I puttered around all morning; I read and made sandwiches for the event, the dogs napped, and the Frenchman is in the yard working on the new chicken coop. Today I'm preparing to go to the bridal shower of a beautiful young woman, the bride of our young Director of Worship, Tom. The church will overflow with well wishes for them today and I'm excited to go.

Open Face Cucumber Sandwiches

3 small cucumbers (peeled if waxed) and sliced thin
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 package dry Italian dressing mix
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 sour cream
1 loaf rye cocktail bread (or regular loaf cut in half)
dill weed to garnish

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, and dressing mix together and refrigerate (overnight is best)
Spread each piece of bread with cream cheese mix, place a cucumber slice or two on top and garnish with dill.

Garden Update in Pictures

2009-08-29T21:49:00.006-04:00

The fastest growing animal on earth?

2009-08-29T21:05:00.007-04:00

Ok, I felt bad when my two children grew up right before my eyes, it's even more amazing to watch my baby grandson turn into a toddler, but I've never seen anything grow as fast as a chick! They are now 18 days old. These little buggers are changing daily. They obviously weigh more everyday and are more curious all the time, just like our grandson. They're starting to roost on nealy alnything and they are eating a ton! Here are a few pictures of "the girls"; Cocoa (Brown Easter Egger), Bella (Buff Orpington), and Daisy(soon to be a white Delaware).

By the way, our grandson has accidentally squeezed Daisy a couple of times, but she's still our most relaxed and friendly chick!

Today I got to spend time caring for my grandson after dinner which meant poop, came home and cleanned the chickens (more poop), and let the dogs out (you guessed it). The moral of this story is: the more people and pets you love, the more of thier poop you have to put up with.

Urban Farm Magazine

2009-08-21T14:56:00.004-04:00

I just picked up the inagrual issue of Urban Farm Magazine. I feels good to know that I'm not alone out here!

Urban Farmer: Raising Chicks

2009-08-21T14:05:00.002-04:00

A New Adventure in Urban Farming!

We've just received our shipment of three day old chicks. We requested hens to appease the neighbors, hopefully that's what we recieved. The are so sweet and seem very content in our homemade brooder. The cottage seems more homey already! The Grandbaby loves these little hens.

Late Summer in the Deep South

2009-08-12T23:04:00.017-04:00

It's mid August and the subtropical weather has been seasonably hot and humid. The heat on our shady back porch has been at 100 at 4:00pm two days in a row. The humidity is at 95-100% every morning and usually levels out to 35% by afternoon.

The Frenchman and I got way to the beach for a couple of days to celebrate our 27th wedding anniversary. We day dreamed about a little beach house, but we'd miss our veggie patch. The 30 miles that seperates up from the ocean is just fine, besides, if we lived there, where would we go to get away?

The early mornings and evenings are my favorite times now. On a cooler morning I find it hard to stay out of the garden when I'm supposed to be getting ready for work. I'm craving a cool Maine day and a cold night a the county fair. I'll settle for a cooling rain shower and our local hot county fair in early November. I suppose this is a perfect time of year to rear some baby chicks since they love the heat, so that's my next big adventure. They arrive in 7 days!

The Frenchman and I have begun to talk about our dream of building a small eco-friendly home with big front and back porches and a bit more room to expand and explore. We have a good amount of planning and even more financial buckling down to do if we want to accomplish this dream, but the planning is part of the fun.

Meanwhile, we're constantly puttering around our little cottage, especially in the back yard. Our anniversary present ot ourselves was a papaya tree. I'm so happy we enjoy the same things!

Late summer planting began last week & my zucchini already has it's first leaves. I've also sown some okra, chocolate mint coleus, Big Max pumpkin, summer squash, and cherry tomatoes. It's all an experiment at this oint, but my goal for fall/winter planting is a container garden full of herbs. I've have to wait for cooler weather and besides, I need to help build the "stealth" chicken coop first (city limits and chickens don't jell). The coop has a planting area on top, so maybe it will be my new herb garden!

The sedums have been loving the weather. I've just potted an Autumn Joy in honor of my grandson's mother (her namesake) and it's one of the few potted plants that are thriving in this weather.

The watermelon is being attacked by stink beetles, but it's hanging in there. I've just planted some sweet potato vines, but probably too early since they look very droopy, so I've been hand watering them daily along with my green peppers.

Some recent flops has been carrots that seemed to like the sandy soil, but looked terrible malnourished. My tomatoes have died off and I fear my Cecile Bruner rose is not responding well to the organic liquid fertilizer, so I think I'll try a teaspoon of Epsom salts. It's all a big experiment that I hope to learn from.

I sometimes feel like a mad scientist with my little assistant(19 month old Logan). He likes to throw rocks in the tiny pond, so it may be a rock garden soon - poor fish :(

Stay cool and enjoy what's left of the summer!

US Botanic Garden Washington, DC

2009-06-23T20:04:00.014-04:00

I just returned from DC where I visited (with my Mother, Sisters, and some friends) so many sites, I'm having difficulty recalling everything that I took in over our weekend. One of the highlights was the U.S. Botanic Garden, with the Conservatory full of diverse plant life and "rooms" like The Jungle, Children's Garden, World Desert, Southern Exposure, and the Orchid display, it was a vast collection of plants from all types of climates. I found it hard to take it all in, so I snaps some photos of my favorites. I also tried to capture some of beauty of the parks close by. I hope you enjoy this little photo tour.

My Sisters, Mom & I

My twin sister

Living Simply, Getting Organized, and Getting Free!

2009-06-06T21:03:00.009-04:00

I've been planning a weekend away and rethinking the way I dress every day. The weather has warmed up and I'm temped to wear flip flops and shorts all the time, but my work requires me to dress a bit more properly and besides, I feel better when I look presentable.

I've spent some time today cleaning out some things in my closet that I just don't wear. My closet is fairly simple already (with the occasional clearance rack Vera Wang and a new Dana Buhman tunic that I love), I've made up my mind that if it makes me feel ulgy or in pain when I wear it, it's got to go (to be recycled of course).

I found a neat little program that's going to help me organize those few practical, good looking pieces of clothes. It's called Victoria's Clothes Organizer; a database of sorts where I can lay out my clothing without getting dog hair all over it.

Some might find this kind of organizing a bit much, but it helps me stay balanced. I've found that if I can remember what I have, I buy less. If I buy less I'll get my debt paid sooner. If my debt is paid I won't be

a slave to debt any longer.

The bible says that the borrower is a slave to the lender (Proverbs 22:7). This girl's not going to be enslaved forever, so I'll budget carefully allow for some fun, pay with cash, and take good care of what I own. Some days, like today, I'll brave the dust bunnies as I think about packing.

A Perfect Weekend in Pictures

2009-05-31T21:18:00.009-04:00

I hope you had a nice weekend and that the joy extends into your week :)

Playing Indoors - Baby Baseball

2009-05-22T20:58:00.008-04:00

My Frendchman is the pitcher, our grandbaby's Mommy is the videographer. What fun!

When it Rains, it Pours

2009-05-19T13:51:00.006-04:00

It's been raining for about 50 hours with a few breaks in the rain. The garden is loving it. The dogs aren't, but they've bee heaving so well. My grand baby and I have sung quite a few chorus' of "Rain Rain Go Away" and "It's Raining, It's Pouring". My Frenchman mowed just before the rains and the yard is a nice view from inside. We sat our on the screen porch and enjoyed the rain and the solar lights last evening. I've only been out to the veggie garden to pick a few sweet 100 tomatoes. The extended family drama continues so our nice evening was interrupted. It didn't matter that it was Dad's (the Frenchman's) birthday. I'm trusting Jesus and like the apostles in the boat, I keeping my eyes fixed on Him waiting for the next storm, since when it rains, it pours.

Rain!

2009-05-12T08:12:00.002-04:00

After 10+ extremely dry days and heat in the mid 90's, last evening I had my whole family over for a dinner of their favorite french dip sandwiches. The only better thing than having happy family around is having rain during dinner. It's been so very dry. My corn that is just getting tassels was turning yellow. My lamb's ear was flat on the ground and I couldn't hand water fast enough. As we sat down to eat the sky opened and it rained, it poured!

Today the garden is lively and the marigolds from seed have bloomed. The lambs ear is standing up like a smile.

As I sit here typing on the love seat, I take a break to look out the window, I see something buzzing around the aloe flowers. It's a humming bird! Te first one I've ever seen in my garden in the 20 years I've lived here.

Today I'm thanking God for rain, for the possom my Aussie pulled out from under the gazebo yesterday (it played dead), for family, and for humming birds.

Ahhh, to sleep at the beach

2009-04-28T21:01:00.017-04:00

It's been a year of adult child drama, but I won't go there except to say that our daughter didn't get married as planned. That's not such a bad thing at all. It was a good decision for her, even though she didn't make it. Meanwhile, there was this huge deposit made at the wedding venue and an option to transfer it to the beach house owned by the same property. Soooo, we chose the beach and boy am I glad!

It was a great long weekend in a beatiful (much too big) home. It helped us know that:

Our dream home is still cottage-sized not super sized like "The Retreat" where we stayed

We want to live closer to the beach some day

Sushi tastes better on the beach

I feel guilty using a 5-gallon-a-minute-rain-shower-head even on vacation
We don't really use lights much and so appreciate natural light.

Our grand baby is so very happy at the beach
Coconut hand soap can enhance your good mood

Daytona's City Island Farmers Market has some great deals

Angell and Phelps Cafe and Chocolate Factory is a great place to indulge

It's REALLY good to get away to the beach!

Chickens?

2009-04-26T09:01:00.003-04:00

For years I've day dreamed about having a few laying hens. We do already have 1 1 3/4 jobs between the two fo us, a couple of tripical birds, a couple of spoiled dogs, a couple of sometimes-almost-grown adult children and a rambunctious 1 year old grandson who visits the garden daily. My Frenchman has always said that since we live within city limits, that the neighbors would complain (never stopped the neighbors who once has peacocks). Well, the landscape protects our home from all but one neighbor, a long empty foreclosed home. I suppose the next person buying it will make their purchase depending on if they can stand my curious dogs (only sometimes noisey)our backyard garden (chickens & all?).
I have to get past the fact that the very handy Frenchman would have to build a small coop. I'm working on researching my explaination of the permaculture benefits of chickens and the idea of a dozen fresh eggs a week for his breakfast. I'll let you know how far I get with my request :)
Happy Sunday!

Organizing a Busy Office

2009-04-24T16:12:00.008-04:00

I am the Administrative Assistant at my church and love it here. Not one of those churches that's only open on Sunday; one that is hopping with people day and evening. We're in such a great place - seated between a high school and a middle school with two elelmentary schools in walking distance. I love kids and enjoy seeing families worshiping together, so this is a perfect job for me. My boss is a great guy; the founder of this church 11 years ago. He's very drivien and is always trying to look at the work we do from new perspectives.

I sometimes begin to feel weighed down by my work, especially when I start to get unorganized. I get so much joy working in nice environment that I made it my goal to change my office envoronment; right down to the work on my desk.

I cleaned up the desk area and ask my dear hubby, the Frenchman, to build the tiny fountain that has been trapped in a box under my desk for at least a year.

I scanned all the paper that I needed to file (I admit - I hate paper) into my computer.

I created a binder. I admit that I hated binder and was a die hard folder girl for years. Binders seemed too large and hard ot manage. I imagine that the binder I made is a "comand central" type binder. I started to catagorize the tasks that come across my desk during a normal week. I even left room for weeks when there are more than a few events going on around here.

I got down to work with a new joy and thought I would share the new photos of my desk (as opposed to Monday's desk).

Next...I'm thinking about attacking my home office/craft room :)

Administrative Assistant's Day & Earth Day

2009-04-22T12:28:00.007-04:00

Yesterday was Earth Day and to my surprise, it was Administrative Professional's Day. What a great surprise with I arrived to my office to baloons, flowers, and chocolates. I have the most beautuful african violet to find a new home for. I had a little fun discovering the sprinklers with my grandbaby last evening. His mom and i almost got caught in a springkler storm :)

It was a good, green day!

My next blog..."Organizing Office Paper"

I need some cottage ideas

2009-04-21T19:33:00.010-04:00

I'm stuck about what else to do in my garden. I have sort of a clean but comfortable taste. My dining room might be a good example of my style. I love to see white in the garden, but right now it's so plain. I'm on a budget, but have a handy Frenchman who can build anything. I have some white flowers to plant int he area between the garden two windows (there's already a tree gardenia there). I, some day, would like to replace the window on the left with yet another french door to the patio. (As you can see, there's a new roof in our near future). I also have this great gas fire pit that I haven't been using in the screened room because the grandbaby and dogs get too close to it. I also have a very ugly little shed. The flower boxes rotted and fell off last year, so my Frenchman rebuilt he shed sans flower boxes. We've neglected the bromiliads to the right of the shed and also need some new shade loveing zone 9 plants.
Do you have any ideas? I'd love to hear them.

An Overnight Visit from the Easter Bunny

2009-04-14T19:39:00.001-04:00

See the bunny tracks?

Garden Update with photos

2009-04-14T18:49:00.000-04:00

Today is my tax day. I've finally finished sending my cash to my Uncle Sam. I can't complain though, at least we had income. I rewarded myself with a bowl of ice cream and stroll to look around the garden after high winds and rain. I was pleasantly surprised. We got our "first fruits" in the form of very hot radishes. The grand baby & dog were intrigued, but not impressed. Have a beautiful week!

Chilly Night

2009-04-07T23:58:00.000-04:00

I hope the scattered frost is a rumor, but I didin't take a chance with my first real garden. The tomatoes will sleep under flannel Pooh Bear and red & blue race car sheets, just like my little son did once upon a time. Stay warm my friends.

Dusk in the Garden

2009-04-06T20:42:00.000-04:00

It's dusk on a windy cool spring night. It's 69 degrees and I've been wandering under the moon. I'm just getting over a rough bout with influenza. Poor baby Logan is still feeling bad. We get texts from his Mommy updating us on his symptoms. I smelled the orange blossoms and jasmine as walked around the garden, I hung a few more solar string lights and checked on the solar uplights on the crepe myrtle then did my best to capture a photo of the garden at this wonderful hour.

I'm going to enjoy this evening with the doors open and the breeze blowing through my little house.

A Peaceful Place

2009-04-05T19:41:00.000-04:00

Ever wonder why it's so hard to get away from the hustle and bustle, the noise, the distractions? Are we afraid to miss something? Are we concerned about what small voices that we might hear if it's quiet? No, not the pshyco things we hear about on the news, but the little nudges we feel, some call it "concience", some instinct, but I believe it's more.

We leave the TV on as background noise, have ipods and cell phones ready to fill quiet times and deprive ourselves of peace. I've started to question why I feel so rushed and busy in my office and in my house and so peaceful outside and in the garden. It's not silent in the garden or outside at y work. It can even be loud with frogs singing and cranes squaking as they fly overhead. I've started becoming aware that I've even had profound thoughts in the shower; maybe that's because it's the only place peaceful enough to think or hear anything.

I'm now looking at the examples of Jesus. He went to beautiful peaceful places of solitude, for meditation and prayer (Matt. 28:16; Mark 6:45-46) like mountains and gardens. Meditation is not "new age", it's an ancient practice of calming the soul. Jesus was able to connect with God the Father most in a quiet place of solitude. He set this example, and I intend to follow it.

Yesterday I began to follow that example and found a peaceful place to pray and listen for that small voice.

Jesus and his followers went to a place called Gethsemane [a garden]. He said to them, "Sit here while I pray." - Mark 14:32

Garden Update

2009-03-30T19:37:00.002-04:00

The rain was much needed and left us with some surprises. The Clematis (H.F. Young) has a bloom. This is a first on a 3 year plant. I have planted clematis twice. Once here and once at our home in Maine. I moved from that home before I saw the first bloom.

We have our first blooms on the tomato plants. This is my first healthy looking tomato plant ever, so you can imagine how excited I am!

I have a few garden "helpers"; Missy the Aussie, Ella the Chihuahua, and our grand baby. I found Missy chewing on one of my corn plants today. Not sure if she thought she was helping me weed. She tends want to pull things when she sees me weeding. My biggest helper is our grandson. He points and gasps every time he sees a squirrel, a bird, or a new solar light. He's so much fun and he tries harder than an of us.

Our Earth Hour

2009-03-28T22:26:00.000-04:00

8:30-9:30 tonight we joined Earth Hour. We shut off the lights, cranked the air conditioning up so we were sure it wouldn't turn on and unplugged what we could. We took time for each other and sat out on our screened porch after looking over the neighborhood to see who else might be enjoying a quiet energy-free hour.

As we sat in the near dark (we couldn't shut off the streetlight that adds some light to our back yard), we looked over the new solar backyard lights and talked about more that we can do with solar. We desperately need a new roof so this is holding us back from adding a solar attic fan that will cost less than $300. We talked about our hopes that we can continue to add green energy and passive solar to our 20 year old house. We'd love solartube lighting for our dark bathrooms, a solar panel for our hot water heater, and we continue to talk about adding more solar lighting that extends to the indoors. We asked ourselves if we're the only middle class 40 something people who dream about these things.

The Good Life

2009-03-26T21:10:00.000-04:00

Often, I day dream about the life I hope to have, when the kids a grown (ok, they are grown), when the bills are paid off (God willing some day), when we have more time...

I'm working to live the life I love - right here and now.

These are some things that make my life one that I love; right now (my top 20 in no particular order):

Family (Especially my Frenchman, our grandbaby, my sisters - big sis & my twin sis)

Caffe Prego in Ogunquit, Maine

The little toad that lives in our vegetable garden
LL Bean Flannel PJs
Google - makes me look smarter than I am
My Palm Centro with bible reader, pocket tunes, and audible audio books.
Singing silly songs and laughing out loud
Our dogs
Flagler Ave Coffee & News in New Smyrna Beach, FL
Motorcycle rides with my Frenchman
Travel to new places and places I love to see again and again
A house full of friends
Dark Chocolate, skittles, real licorice, chocolate covered gummy bears, and snickers.
New - Water view from my back door
Early mornings alone with God

Camping at Disney, Mi-ti-jo in New Hampshire, almost anywhere
Lee's fried chicken livers (I know I lost you on that one!)
MAC lipstick
Ikea coffee
Tivo-like DVR - my new discovery and time saver

Solar Lighting Comes Indoors

2009-03-24T22:34:00.000-04:00

I wish I could remember the blog that I was reading last week as I was researching solar lights. I came across a post about Solig solar lights at Ikea. The handsome Frenchman and I started discussing solar indoor lighting. We live Florida and have a small home with lots of windows. Why not try it? So we debated the larger ($9.99) and smaller ($6.99) in the crowed isle at Ikea and decided on the smaller for this experiment. So excited that I couln't wait, I checked it out on the way home. Once home we sat it near a window and had family over for dinner on the screened porch. That night after eveyone went to bed, I used a velcro tabs to attach the domed ligh under the kitchen cabinet. I fully expected it never to shine again. To my suprise, it has come on at dusk and stayed on well after dawn for 3 days now! The little fixture is barely visable and casts a soft amber light across the counter that is enough light to get a glass of milk without clicking on a light. My only problem, I have a nearly unconrolable erge to shut it off when I go to bed! Looks like I'm taking another trip to Ikea.

Spring has Sprung in our corner of the world

2009-03-21T15:37:00.002-04:00

Today, after breakfast out with our son and his son, we mulched the garden, planted corn and watermelon starts and sunflowers, marigolds, impatiens, and carrots. My hubby and I are encouraged to see the growth of the tomato and okra plants. We added liquid organic fertilizer a week ago, so I'm sure that helped.

We added some solar lights. One set of string lights and 6 small lights on pasts. I've been impressed that the beautiful bluish string lights have stayed on from dusk to dawn. They add such whimsy that I'll be adding more.

From the screened porch this afternoon and watched a family of four cardinals play around our tiny pond. It's a beautiful day and I'm getting ready for a short nap to top off a great day.

Spring in the Garden

2009-03-10T19:36:00.000-04:00

Today is the first day of planting in the new organic garden. It's been many years since I slowed down and decided it was time to plant again. The fire ants had run me off for several years, but this year is different. I don't intend to let them stop me. I have a one year old grandson that I want to share the garden with. Thankfully we had a few hard frosts this winter and that will help control fire ants and mosquitoes this year. We're trying something new this year on the fire ants; grits. Yes, the grits that southern people eat for breakfast. Apparently fire ants eat them and can't digest them. I know it sounds cruel, but fire ants can really injure children and I'm not taking any chances with my grandson.

Today we uncovered the plot we'd be solarizing (covered with black plastic to kill of fungus and nematodes) to reveal the snow white sand that fills our back yard and we amended the soil with some organic loam. We planted pre-started tomatoes, okra, and lavender and some radish seeds in our first row. We'll eventually have three rows, but we're starting small.

We're beginning to enjoy our big backyard again. We have a pond in view these days, birds, and squirrels for the baby to watch. Hanging out in the back yard and family & friends on the back porch, I can't think of a better way to spend these beautiful days before it gets too hot to be outside.

The More People You Love...

2009-02-04T18:30:00.000-05:00

It's recently occured to me that most of my life I've had a small circle of loved ones; two sisters, my parents, my husband and kids and a few extended relatives and a few other select people that were really close to my heart. As I get older and have settled in a community 20 years now, I find that my circle of loved ones continues to grow. My family has grown by births, marriages, and friends and relationships with those that I consider family even though we have no relation. I have relatives that I've always loved who now live closer and are part of my life more often now. I have a big church family and serve along side some amazing people who I love dearly.

I recently had a conversation with my Mom about the pain we were feeling for the loved ones we've lost to death and the pain that we feel for some of the people we love who are sick or emotionally distressed.

We determined that the more people you love the more pain you'll feel. Don't get me wrong; I would never trade these relationships for an easier life. I'm happier than ever with a life full of great people who I love. These people also share in comforting me and praying for me when I am in pain. Sharing the life of my first grandchild was the greatest thing I could've ever imagined and has brought a tremendous amount of happiness along with the common fears and concerns, but life without him in retrospect was quite boring.

Given the choice, I would choose the a life full of lots of people to love and who love me; choosing to share thier pain and to be there to comfort them. That love has got the be the purpose of life.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Catalyst or Bust

2008-10-07T12:20:00.000-04:00

I'm very excited to go to Catalyst with the staff of PRF! We're taking a road trip to ATL. I hope to have some great pictures and stories when we return!

The Organic Garden Adventure Begins!

2008-08-04T10:23:00.001-04:00

Al and I have begun to dig the weeds and roots from our old garden patch. We're excited that the weather will begin to cool off next month and we'll be able to grow some veggies. It's been quite some time since we ventured into gardening. The last time was during a hectic time when we had young children and a dog in the same area with no fence. I was working outside the home and had a family of four to keep up with. The fire ants were taking over and I decided to give up. Now, It's just Al and I and we see Emily occasionally between her many social engagements. We have baby Logan visiting most early evenings after I get home form work, so it's a great time to be outside.
Last night I was clearing up some weeds around our tiny "pond" and was nearly eaten alive by mosquitos. I wore repelent, but they didn't care. A bat box is on my list of things for Al to build for our new garden. I'm hoping the bats that used to inhabit our neighborhood will come back and eat all the stinking mosquitos! So far, fire ants have not been as much of a problen, but now that we've moved the weeds out and exposed the sandy soil, they'll find us. I have an organic plan of attack this time, so we'll see if it works. Stay tuned. You may see some green from our patch of dirt. I'll keep you posted.

Angel Food Coop Trial Run

2008-07-26T11:59:00.001-04:00

Today I ventured out to pick up my very first Angel Food order. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Angel Food is a coop that allows anyone to buy units of food, starting with a basic box of food for $30. It's distributed through a non-profit organization and handed out by volunteers. here's what the order looked like when I recieved it. Everthing appears to be great quality. The people a the church where picked it up were really great, too.
I opted to add two optional boxes, one with meat and the other fresh vegetables.
All of this was just $66! http://www.angelfoodministries.com/
With some recipes from my favorite food site http://www.recipezaar.com/ and a few things like bread and cheese. This is really going to stretch my budget.

Thanks to the genuis behind the program an the folks at Christ Comunity Church in Deland.

I've already started planning for next month's order of the basic order, grill box, and vegetable/fruit box. I've collected some recipes together of recipezaar if you're interested. Here it is:
http://www.recipezaar.com/menu/19731

Do You Remember When

2008-07-24T11:44:00.000-04:00

My friend, Sandy, and I got talking about some of these great memories that we share. If you're older than 35, then you might remember some of these things, too.

Ray Steven's songs like "Spider & Snakes" and "The Streak"

The first solar calculator (it was the size of a laptop!)

Black & White TV (The Munsters, I love Lucy)

Playing outside until the street lights came on

Orange Crush in the bottle (sometimes from a machine where you had to pull the bottle out)

The Jackson Five cartoons

Our form of texting the neighborhood kids: Knocking on thier bedroom window.

Handwriting class

Using the oven for afternoon snacks (what microwave?)

Your first bag of microwave popcorn

American Bandstand on Saturday morning (until noon when you had to clean your room).

Walking the neighborhood to find friends.

Candy: Bottle Caps, dippers, licorice ropes, Razzles, Pop Rocks, Good & Plendies, Mike & Ikes, Zero bars, Laffy Taffy, Fruit Stipe Gum and Black Jack Gum, and Bubble Gum with a cartoon inside.

Cracker Jacks with a toy inside

Sunday drives with your family that usually ended at the icecream stand.

$1 movies

Tigerbeat Magazine

Aren't they times when you here "Blinded by the Light" or some other summer song and you're instantly brought back to a hot summer day.

I know some of this may sound like I'm very old to some of you - but to those who share my memories - Here's to YOU!

Cooperative Living

2008-07-24T10:50:00.000-04:00

How do people make it in this world without other people? I've been spending a lot of time lately being greatful for the people who are around me, helping me, supporting me through the good and the bad. I've had the chance to meet some people lately who have no one around them, either physically close or in thier lives to help them through.

I can't help but wonder if we all were willing to help our extended families, neighbors, and people who have needs wherever they are, if the world wouldn't become a better place to live for everyone. Not in a hippie-commune kind of sharing, but in a "putting someone else before self" sort of way.

I'm getting a glimpse of what this looks like. I've started participating in a local food coop called Angel Food www.angelfoodministries.com
This is my first chance to be involved in a food co-op and it's an exciting idea.
I've always been one to stick close to family;
relizing in my young adulthood how important that family support was. I've also been blessed with good friends that are there for me and a church that's made up of people that have serving hearts; hearts like Jesus.

I encourage you to begin to think how the way you live and the things you do may effect the people around you or the world you live in. Also imaging your life if everyone around you was willing to do what they could to make your life better.

I'm inspired by this scripture:

All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. Acts 4:32

I'm a tree hugger

2008-07-16T12:36:00.000-04:00

I've always been a little green - not the color, the attitude. When I was a young mother, I couldn't imagine giving my kids anything unhealthy. I was known for my "honey, molasses, bran, lecithin" type cookies. My family tells me that even the dog wouldn't eat them. I made this attempt too difficult - I planned to plant and can everything we ate. I didn't succeed. Hundreds of pounds of sugar later, my kids are still fine.

Recently, I've begun to simplify my life; cleaning out and giving away, palnning to own just what I need, planning to make the things I own last longer; appreciating what I have. Simplifying was a a natural progression for me since I got my spiritual life in order. I NEED LESS to be happy. I now recycle more and live a life that's more in balance with the world. The more I learn about our overconsumption and how it affects others and the earth we live in, the more intent I am to increase my awareness of our impact on the world.

A recent trip to Maine and the White Mountains of New Hampshire confirmed for me that now I am more and more my true self.

My inspiration today:
The Lord God put the man in the garden of Eden to care for it and work it. - Genesis 2:15

Travel Adventure 2008

My first blog post ever

2008-06-04T21:50:00.000-04:00

So I guess a blog is a public diary, somethig that we do to share our thoughts witht the world. That's a scary thought. I'd like to think that I concentrate on all good thoughts (Philipians 4:8), so my blog might sound a like I see life through rose colored glasses. I know from experience that if I concentrate on the negative, I get so down that I don't live a full life. I hope you'll be inspred to life a full life, too. I supose you;ll see me blogging about my interests:
God
Family (including two grown kids, thier best friends/future spouses and Baby Logan)
Simple Living
Travel
Fashion
Dogs

Peace!
Vonnie