First Roses of The Season...

As I was doing some outside watering this morning, I was happy to look across the yard to find these five pink roses blooming on my little rose topiary tree ....they were a nice surprise and made me smile.... I had to cut them and bring them inside....and just wanted to take a few minutes to share them here with you today!

I hope you have a beautiful day....and that you find some wonderful surprises in your life today....
Thanks for visiting me!

Spring Nature Walk....Ponce De Leon Springs Florida State Park

Yesterday, my husband and I spent the afternoon visiting one of our area springs, located here in Northwest Florida.... we love being outside in nature every chance we can!  I wanted to share some of the pictures from our day and take you along with us to enjoy some beauty out in nature....

 That's my sweet husband down there walking around in the shallow water with his net...I could tell, he loved every minute of it!  I didn't get in the water with him this time, but I told him, the next time I promise I will join him...who knows maybe we'll bring some tubes and float around in there....we'll see....

The water looked so pretty, but I am content, just to sit along the edge and listen to the little water fall...

You wouldn't know it from my photo here, but there were a lot of swimmers in the spring/pool. We were surprised to find it so busy, it being a weekday and school not out yet for summer. I did manage to get this one picture without any swimmers in it,.....I'm sure they were glad not to be included... they probably didn't want to end up on the internet anyway, ya know?

We walked a couple of nature trails that go through the woods and along the spring to a creek....

Eventually the spring water meets the creek and the crystal clear waters flow into it....

For more information on Ponce De Leon State Park in Ponce De Leon, Florida.... you can click HERE to visit the official website.

(Info. Below Was Taken from the Florida State Parks Website)

This beautiful spring is named for Juan Ponce de León, who led the first Spanish expedition to Florida in 1513-as legend has it-in search of the "fountain of youth." Visitors might well regain their youth by taking a dip in the cool, clear waters of Ponce de Leon Springs where the water temperature remains a constant 68 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. The main spring is a convergence of two underground water flows, and produces 14 million gallons of water daily. Visitors can take a leisurely walk along two self-guided nature trails through a lush, hardwood forest and learn about the local ecology and wildlife.

I hope you enjoyed coming along with us today!

Have a great weekend!
Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Easter Is Almost Here....

I've been getting ready this week, with some meal planning and decorating....I'm looking forward to Celebrating Easter! 

I try to change it up a little bit each year....I use mostly the things I already have in my Easter seasonal storage bin....but this bunny tray is a new addition, a thrift store find from back in the fall...

 I'm always loving the old antique early 1900's Easter Post Cards....so pretty...

My Bunny pillow is new to me this year too...

For me, Easter calls for some pinks, pastels and a touch of lace....

And a touch of playfulness....

an old faded basket stroller..... filled with bunnies, baby chick, and bear.... 

a chocolate bunny, and tiny baskets of colorful eggs...all of the animals are excited that spring is here and Easter has almost come....

I hope that you and your family have a Happy and Blessed Easter!
Thanks for stopping by!



"He (Jesus) is Risen" 
~Matthew 28:6

"I Know My Redeemer Lives"
~Job 19:25



Linking up with these inspiring places this week:
The Scoop
Wow Us Wednesday
Home Sweet Home
Foodie Friday and Everything Else

Decorating My Little Shabby White Shelf...

My little white shelf.... it changes frequently and usually with the seasons around here... I don't have many places to display things, so this shelf is a fun place for me to change up.  This time it's mostly filled with vintage finds... I've decorated it with some treasures that have special meaning to me.... 

~A Pretty Green Porcelain Musical Cottage with Kitty Waiting Outside The Door....
Represents All The Joys of Home...

It is where my heart's at, and where precious memories continue to be made....the little porcelain cottage is for the "homemaker" in me, who has always had a love for home and all that it stands for.... 
 (It was a gift from my husband in 1997, 20 years ago).

~A Pitcher of Dried Roses....(some from my rose topiary tree and some from my husband),

A reminder to me that true beauty never dies, it remains forever, even after it has become a little tattered, worn or withered.... it is still beautiful. 

~A Mother Bird & Her Eggs In A Nest....

Representing the years of mothering and caring for our two sons when they were little boys.... Our children are grown now, with careers and full lives, and one is married with two children.... both sons have soared on wings like eagles,  the way I'd always hoped they would be able to do.  I say this with a humble heart...Mama bird is so proud of them for all they have accomplished.  By the way, a Mama bird will always be nesting, even after the babies fly.... 

 

~Serving Platter with Pretty Roses....

Because the Lord has given me plenty... I have all that I need....he has served up many good things and taught me that the simple things in life are the best...

~The Old Black and White Antique Kitten Postcard & Porcelain Schnauzer Dog....

These bring back some precious memories for me ...of a time when our boys were little, and we had our dog, (a Schnauzer) named Colonel.... anyway, there was a time when a litter of kittens were born in his dog house. He was so excited. He acted like he was the proud father of all those kittens.  It was the cutest thing. He'd look inside his house, and then look at us,  so happy...he looked almost as if he was smiling. Oh, we so loved our furry sweet friend Colonel and all those kittens.  And I honestly don't know who loved those kittens more, Colonel or us and the boys. 

~Lastly, The Old Lace Doilies.... Hung From The Edge Of The Shelf....

They hang with such grace....a subtle reminder that aging is a thing of beauty, old is beautiful, and a gift.

 I hope that my little shelf with a few scenes from my life inspires you to get creative and to decorate your home with things that are especially meaningful to you, things that resonate with your heart..... and make "you" smile.   

Thanks for stopping by!

Rosey Tea Cookies....

 Last week, I made up a batch of these fake tea cookies for my little grand-daughter, who will be turning 3 years old at the end of the month...she can use these for her pretend play in her stove or with her tea set....

 I haven't had the chance to give them to her yet....I hope she likes them! 

 I'll tell you how I made these in case you'd like to make up a batch for the special little girl in your life or for the girl at heart "little girl" in you. They are not difficult to make. 

Quick Tutorial: 
These are made from felt material.  I purchased felt squares for this project, found in the craft section of  Wal-mart.  I cut the felt material into 10 circles (to make 5 cookies). I used a ball jar lid to trace my circles, and I traced around the lid using a pen, then I cut out my circles, (you need two circles for each cookie). I placed a little bit of poly-fill (or you can use cotton), in between each circle to puff the cookies up a little bit, then I used a blanket stitch to hand sew the edges closed, (you can find tutorials for how to do this type of stitch online), I added ribbon roses to the top of the cookies, you can hand sew the roses, but I just used hot glue to secure them on top....and that's it!

There are so many variations to making these, different colored felt, maybe pretty trim around the edges to cover up the sewn edges, and different types of embellishments for the tops can change these up too. 

If you decide to make any of these, I hope you have as much fun making them as I did! 

Have a great day....and thanks for stopping by!