Backyard flicks from a car phone...

Isn't technology sweet? My Buddy took these pictures with his little ole' car phone of our backyard...This is his "haven" & he sits out here every night listening to the waterfall...

Buddy also takes a swim every night before turning in...

And only if you DARE go to my Mud Puddle Girl blog here to see what you DON'T want to visit your backyard...

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Sunset under the willow...

Sunset under our willow...

Our carriage house was built nestled underneath...
This picture was taken tonite. It was twenty-two years ago in that very spot that my husband & I would park our car (okay station wagon with wood paneling) on our empty lot & be in aww... of the view~ dreaming of building our home. That view was perhaps what sold us on this lot. In those years alot has changed, but it's nice knowing somethings will never change...

The sunsets Under the Willow are still magnificant.

Wedding Countdown...3 days...

They came and they are my heros...

Landscaping by Divine Landscaping! Take a look at the transformation...

Hey- Heather---here's my birch tree!

See you tomorrow. "Hope the weather for the wedding is nice."

Wedding Countdown...8 days...

Bit of rain, good day to work inside--but did tend to a few flowers on the porch...

Yellow is nice...& the color of the flower girl dresses...

The bottom picture is of my 5 dollar find at our local Home Depot garden center. They said it needs some TLC, but I love it the way it is... Even though I ADORE flowers, and can never have enough around... I think Ginger from Enchanting Cottage, and SuzieQ from Green Dreams would be giggling right now if I told you I didn't have a clue what the name of these flowers were. If you want to see some "stand-out" gardens, flowers, etc... you have to visit Ginger or SuzieQ. Trust me~ you'll love what you see... So for now---if it looks pretty in a pot, it may end up home with me :)

Wedding Countdown...10 days

Final (finally) ten day Wedding Day countdown...

Lots goin' on today....

My normally dedicated "Soap Kitchen" is filled with Wedding this...Wedding that...clean up/organizing begins tonite....What a mess!!! What's inside for the wedding???

Main house front door wreath made by a dear friend, Cindy....done.

Two carriage house door wreaths complete, again Cindy...done.

Fifty antique light blue and clear mason jars filled with sand, one tea light, with a tulle bow added for the tables...done. (Stole this idea from Pottery Barn 3 for 30.00)~ my parents had an antique business and gave me cases of these antique glass treasures (Yipee!)...

Rest of front porch cleaned, etc...except now my front side yard looks like a....

Yard Sale! I'm not surprised no one stopped by to "buy" something.... (smile)

An unexpected vistor came by and stayed with us on the porch...a frog~ perhaps a toad....

And in 10 days a large white tent will be placed, in our front yard, by that lonely tree you see in the middle... to celebrate the wedding that will take place on our front porch gazebo... Think~I hope the weather will be nice on the wedding day...

See you tomorrow...off the do some very needed cleaning...then take a soak with~ see here.

Thinking Organic...

Something about all this talk about organic goodness has certainly grabbed my attention... So-in between work, upcoming wedding plans, holidays, etc... I couldn't help but try my hand at some organic pillows & Billows (small pillows of comfort). The top small pillow is the Billow~ and will go to a Twinkle Pink girl...the bottom two are mine!!! After all, before I make them for anyone else- I better be sure they are exactly what I want in softness, durability, comfort...did I mention softness???? Luckily I have found the most butter rich soft certified organic flannel---mind you "Made in the USA." I thought it would be a great idea to start with pillows; after all, we sleep for hours (okay sometimes)---& what could be better than slumbering away on material that is pure, no-dyes, no chemicals...just pure 100 percent organic material... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Tonight Under the Willow...

Under the Willow carriage house at night...

All is calm--the night air is unseasonably warm--the fog from the morning has passed through. The Willow seems to be waiting for a fresh snow to blanket its bare branches...

Enchanting Northern Trip...

This weekend, the first thing I asked myself when I arrived home after visiting relatives in beautiful Bennington, Vermont was "Why did it take so long to make the trip back here?"

Nestled among some of the most breathtaking American scenery, filled with orange, red & yellow mountains, wildlife, fall foliage, maple syrup & a dog named Sasha...My sister had asked me a month ago..."Sis, do you want to make the trip to Vermont to visit some relatives?" Ummm... I first thought to myself "Nope, can't do it...family, the dogs, work, time away before the holidays..." but when I thought about the years that have slipped away, time that seems to be going by quicker than I can count... my next breathe I said, "Yes." And I'm glad I did....I would have missed all this....

Fifth generation farmhouse, that once was a tavern....

Front side view...

Side/back view...if you look closely there's a flag for practicing golf!

Next to the farmhouse is the historical wood workshop where my cousin makes custom golf clubs. The workshop is heated with several wood stoves...

Part of a family owned rock quarry...that was once craved out to supply stone for some local churches, & other buildings in Vermont...I climbed the mountain behind the farmhouse to see this...I'll admit I was on the watch for "bears"...but someone was there who was one step ahead of myself, my sister, & cousins. Someone who knows the land well, & takes a daily walk with my cousin among this beautiful land was....

Sasha!

Sasha, an adorable six year old Bernese Mountain dog was in true form. This beauty~bright & an incredible gentle giant for 92 lbs., was our escort for miles on the mountain, through trails of leaves & historical pathways. She stayed one step ahead of us, knowing the trails as if she had carved them out of the mountains herself! This was the only "little bear" I would see all weekend! Whew..... :)

Also, this weekend my cousin made my sister a custom set of golf clubs....to read her story, please visit... http://mudpuddlegirl.blogspot.com/

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

New Cottage in the Family...

A new home to one of our sons & soon to be daughter-in-law. But only "new" to them as this home is rich with history built in the 1940's, came with lots of bees, coats of wallpaper to take down, and rooms to come alive again...and a yard to clean up for nature to thrive...very charming indeed...

Look what was uncovered when a tree was trimmed up. Are those the marking of a woodpecker? These little indents can be seen all the way up the tree's bark.

If you would like to read more about the "who" in the family is making a splash~ doing this renovation go here:

http://mudpuddlegirl.blogspot.com

Hope you had a nice weekend!

If you have a minute... Something new...

http://mudpuddlegirl.blogspot.com/

Any comments would be most welcome....

Unusual Bird Nest Find...

I did find out what species of bird is nesting in my yard...okay-it took my 5 yo granddaughter about 2 seconds to tell me it was a ROBIN. And she was right! She also found another nest on our property that was not occupied~ and it actually was made out of something very unusual~ our Bella's golden hair. There weaved ever so delicately was wisps of our blonde lab's hair. What nature can do with something we try to vacuum away each day!

Bird Watching....Name that Bird!

Today is Sunday July 1st, the beginning of a new month and to my delight the beginning of a new life, in the making...Look what I found in a bush next to our porch...

...To make this find even sweeter, it is the nest of the Maryland State bird ~ the Oriole ~ well, so I thought, but after doing some research...I actually can not identify this beauty...

She was in her nest, but quickly flew off ~ a fence post away to stear me away from her baby...I can already see she is going to be a very good parent...

I quickly snapped a picture of the only egg I see...are there more?

I will quietly visit her again, and to try capture more pictures as the babies are born, etc...

If you can identify this bird, please drop me a line! I would love to know.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Day in the Life at the Pond...

Build a pond and...


...they will come...

...to read...

...they will come to laugh with good friends...

...they may even come to fish, even if a sign says...

...NO FISHING ~ But who cares...

...these friends will never tell!

Life is good in the pond above & below...

Enjoy your day!