americana by candlelight

There Are all Kinds of Love....

2011-02-14T13:45:00.001-05:00

Valentine's Day

I woke up this morning thinking of my Valentine. We have known each other 35 years and been married 32. But my mind wandered to other loves in my life, such as family and friends. And while we think of February 14th as a romantic celebration, I think it is also a day to think about and celebrate all the things we love in our lives.

For me...

my husband, children, family, friends, music, food, sunsets, candlelight...can you guess what else I love?

Happy Love Day

All of You!

Sharing this on Mosaic Monday, click on the sidebar button to see what other Mosaics people have created...

Love is…. Happy Valentine’s Day!

2011-02-07T02:58:00.001-05:00

"Dogs truly are one of the greatest gifts that God ever gave us. They give us unconditional love just as God does and remind us daily that we too can love this way if we choose."

-Joseph Mazzell

I have had many dogs in my life. Hoppy was our first female Shih Tzu, we love the breed and her! Just recently my daughter bought a new Christmas puppy and named her Willow. I have had pictures of Hoppy on a previous post but I wanted to share pictures of Willow. She only weighed 2 lbs. when she came to our home for the first time. Her coat is light brown and will probably get lighter. It really is like having a new baby in the house. She just goes through the developmental stages faster.

I have included a video we took of Hoppy watching her favorite TV show, NCIS. She is especially attracted to Tony. She can be in another room and rush to the TV when she hears the familiar sounds of the show. This episode there was a dog barking but she typically watches when it is just the shows characters. This is not the only TV show she watches. Needless to say she loves Caesar and the Dog Whisperer too. I have never had a dog that paid attention to TV before. She is fun to watch and I wonder if Willow will pick up her TV habits. So far she is only interested in Hoppy’s reaction to TV.

Hoppy loves to watch TV!

I love the quote above and this is why I am honoring my puppies this Valentine’s Day. There are countless times when I have been sick or sad and my dogs are always there for me. They stay by my side, worried until I am better. It is comforting to cry into their soft coat as they lick the tears streaming down my cheeks. Love is truly having dogs that love you unconditionally!

Happy Valentine’s Day and thank you for visiting. Please leave a comment about any of your furry friends….

I will be sharing this post on Mosaic Monday. Click my sidebar button to see other Mosaic entries.

A Little Bit of Christmas...

2010-12-26T20:49:00.001-05:00

This year at Christmas I tried to decorate with more naturals and primitives. The Jim Shore Angel was a surprise from my Sweet Hubby. We were shopping and while I was in another store looking at primitives, he went to the collectible store down the street and bought this Angel. He knew I had to add it to my decorations so he gave it to me when we got home instead of waiting until Christmas!

I love elves and need lots of help to transform my home! This year we awoke, had our traditional Candy Cane Hot Chocolate and Cinnamon Rolls while we slowly went one at a time opening our gifts. It was just my husband, daughter, and I.

We enjoyed a leisurely morning with my daughters new puppy, Willow, and our other little shih Tzu, Hoppy.

I hope you all had yourselves a merry little Christmas!

Posting to Mosaic Monday and Tabletop Tuesday to share my little bit of Christmas.

Thank you ladies for hosting and thank all of you for strolling by...

A Year in Review of Facebook Thoughts

2010-12-10T09:18:00.001-05:00

A cool App in Facebook lets you make a collage of your Facebook statuses. It isn't all of them but you can definitely get a flavor of what was important to me this year. So for all of you not a Facebook Friend I thought I would share...

Some of My Thoughts

2010

A Decorating Frenzy

2010-12-06T08:44:00.001-05:00

This Mosaic I created for my desktop to motivate me. It is pictures of last year's decorations. Each year I change things depending on how I feel. This year I have decided to not do as much. And since I am enamored with primitive country , I tried to decorate along those lines this year.

I think I finished with most of what I want to do this year and will be taking pictures this week to post.

So here is the before:

Christmas 2009

No train or village this year.

A different look is coming of this area.

Dickens Village from Dept. 56

I hope you enjoyed a look at last year decorating frenzy.... look for Christmas 2010's frenzy in a later post.

Happy Decorating!

Posting to Mosaic Monday, the button for this meme is on my sidebar.

Stained Glass Lamps

2010-11-16T10:45:00.001-05:00

A few years ago I visited My Aunt and Uncle in New York and was bitten, it changed my life.

Well, I may be a bit dramatic with that sentence. The bite did not hurt me...except for my pocket book.

I am talking about a bite that created a fervent desire for stained glass lamps. When I entered their home I was greeted with one after another lamps of various sizes, colors, and patterns. Lamps that created a soft romantic ambience to each room I entered.

When I arrived home the madness began and I now own quite a few stained glass lamps. While I do not have many tables left to display them, I can usually find a pole lamp to buy.

Please take a look at most of my collection. Which do you think is my favorite?

I have not shared all of my pieces today. I'll save some for another post. Since I wanted to show you the shades, I did not picture the bases which are hefty and just as pretty. I can't wait to take a picture and share with you my new one. functional as well as pretty and low cost too!

Thanks for stopping by for a little bit of Americana.

Please leave a comment and tell me if you have any stained glass lamps in your home.

Joining:

Three or More Tuesday

Mosaic Monday

Tabletop Tuesday

Thank you to the wonderful blogs hosting these events, find them on my sidebar.

Thank You Dad....

2010-11-11T03:46:00.001-05:00

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. ~Cynthia Ozick

The last time my Dad visited me here in Virginia we were traveling home from Washington DC and I wanted to hear, again, what it was like when my he was in WWII. It was amazing, being 80, how much he could recall! He spoke of the places he was stationed, the ships he was on, and the unfortunate things that he witnessed. I'm not so sure I ever really appreciated his service to our country as much as I do now. He never saw the WWII Memorial because it was not yet built. I wish he was still with me so I could take him....

My Mom and Dad on their wedding day!

This nation will remain the land of the FREE only so long as it is the home of the BRAVE. ~Elmer Davis

Please

Remember to Thank

Veteran Today!

Craft Ideas for the Thanksgiving Table

2010-11-09T09:22:00.001-05:00

I don't know how many of you saw these craft creations from the A.C. Moore site, here is the link:

They look so easy to make with your hot glue gun, styro balls, and seeds! The instructions are at the above link. I thought these would be cool to share,especially if you do not have an A.C. Moore in your area. As you can see below they were all designed by the same person.

Happy Fall Crafting!

Triple Wreath Door Hanger

Cornucopia Collage

Seeds and Such Décor

All three designed by: Dondi Richardson

Thanks for stopping by, tell me what you think....

America's Worth Fighting For

2010-11-01T13:44:00.001-04:00

A couple of months ago Guitar Man said that we ought to write a Patriotic song. So one morning, since I now do not have long nails, I picked up the guitar and found a chord progression I liked. I showed it to my Guitar man, Alex. He liked it too and thus became the makings of our Patriotic song.

My daughter and I love to sing so we thought since we couldn't get Carrie Underwood that we would sing it for you. Please understand that this was recorded with one microphone hooked to the computer. I hope while listening, you will focus on the words, pictures, and meanings of the song.

It is our wish that you take part in the voting process and the Patriotic cause to return our great country of America to its Constitutional beginnings as intended by the Founding Men and Women of the United States.

The Country Worth Fighting For

   Lyrics and music by Joan and Alex Lopez
    Vocals: Joan and Autumn lopez
    Guitar: Alex Lopez

     On the road I have traveled
    Things that I have seen
    Patriots in all their glory
    America's worth fighting for

    Feel the breeze of the ocean
    Waves cast from the sea
    Stand high on a rock with your freedom
    America's worth fighting for

    Standing alone in the forest
    Giants fought to be heard
    Declaring their right to liberty
    America's worth fighting for

    Climbing to the crest of a mountain
    Challenges each breath you take
    Hold firm to yourself you will make it
    America's worth fighting for

    Friends meet in the city
    Cowboys raise dust on the plains
    The old bell anchors our nation
    America's worth fighting for

America,

Our America,
is worth fighting for....

(copyright protected)

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T10:12:00.000-04:00

This is a re-post from last year. Happy Halloween 2010!

Four days until Halloween— I love the fall and love to celebrate Halloween! Unfortunately Halloween through the years has became negative for some people, but not for me. I do not have any pictures of me dressed up for Halloween. When I was young my family did not take many pictures. The only memories I have are the limited ones in my head. I wish I had more but life was different in the 60’s. We, of course, were not as technologically absorbed as we are now. The technology wasn’t as readily available to families at a reasonable price. In my life now I have multiple digital cameras and computers and any other cool gadgets I can get my hands on. Creating visual memories now is so much easier, which will be wonderful for those of you that are living young today.

But back to Halloween. I remember my mom loved holidays. She liked to decorate our porch for trick or treaters. One year I remember an old trunk put on the porch. Inside was a monster type of creature and spider webs. It was awesome even though the picture is a bit blurred in my mind. My most favorite costume was walking around with my girlfriend as a pair of dice. I think my sister Deb might have painted the dice since she was such an artist. The costume was a bit cumbersome. We were afraid some boys would mischievously throw a firecracker in our box but we felt very clever.

When I was a kid we went out trick or treating without parents following along. That changed for my own children and even with adults attending a group of trick or treaters there were children who had their bags stolen. I loved coming up with costumes when my children were young. My son always wanted to be the latest super hero. My most ambitious costume was a ninja turtle, Raphael. Gosh for someone like me who is not a seamstress this costume took a long time to make! My daughter was easier and usually had the witch or princess thing going on. The most elaborate costumes we would see when my kids were little came from a pattern and home sewing machine. Moms put lots of love and time into their little ones costumes.

I have always decorated my homes at Halloween, inside and out. Each year I love scouring the stores for new items to add to my collection. One year I was able to persuade a local store to let me have the Energizer (I think this is right) cardboard haunted house. It broke down each year but it was pretty cool to have sit outside on Halloween night. I even once used it at the school Fall Festival. I scrunched down inside the house and dressed like a witch giving candy to the trick or treaters at the festival.

My friends would like me to come to their home and hand out candy Halloween night. They liked hearing my witches voice and cackle as the children left with their treats. I am not one of those homes in the neighborhood that add every new balloon decoration that comes out each year. My home has small touches of Halloween fright. Like now I have my 6 foot spider near the door. It is sad that I have never lived in a home that had many trick or treaters come. They like to go where they can get the most loot the fastest. This has been disappointing through the years but that doesn’t stop my love or me from celebrating Halloween. Some of the must things to do at this time of the year: find cool haunted houses and I have been through many, and drive around looking at other decorations. I also like to go to malls where costumes of treaters abound in a safe environment.

Four more days, I’ll be a witch and my hubby a wizard. If you listen carefully maybe you’ll hear my cackle….

We Need A Hero

2010-10-26T22:47:00.001-04:00

In America we need a Hero! Someone, man or woman, who will bring this country back to its Greatness! A Hero who loves God and respects America and is willing to be diligent in supporting the Constitution as our Founding Fathers and George Washington intended. Where will we find that Hero; You?

Thank you for visiting and watching my first video.

Listening to Lately

2010-10-21T08:51:00.001-04:00

Note: If you are reading this post on my blog site you will want to pause the music.

For some reason I cannot get enough of

Crosby, Stllls, Nash ... and Sometimes Young.

Their songs are stuck in my head and for whatever reason they are giving me comfort right now.

Do songs ever do that for you?

I love all kinds of music and if I could, I would have a theme song play as I performed my life duties. You know ... like in musicals. If you ever looked at my playlist on my blog you can see I have a lot of songs and I try to pick one for the posts, but then I will change back to my Patriotic favorites.

When I went to YouTube there were many versions of this song. I chose this one to post. I hope you will take a moment to listen. Information about this version is interesting.

Guinevere:

Country Girl

from the

Deja Vu

album

Both of these are in my head lately and I downloaded them to my Iphone from ITunes. Part of why I love Country Girl is that Guitar Man has sung and played this in his repertoire of songs since before we were married. No offense to the Crosby group but I like his version better. But since I have not recorded my Guitar Man yet, and I will someday, this will have to do.

Thanks for stopping by and letting me know what you think. What is your comfort song or what is playing in your head right now?

A Great Fall Dish

2010-10-20T09:47:00.001-04:00

I envy Rachel Ray. I wish I could have such ease while cooking! Her trademark is making those delicious and healthy meals in 30 minutes while talking. The talking and following a recipe hangs me up...

Anyways I do not watch her religiously but I did happen to watch her show as she was interviewing Ted Danson, the bartender from Cheers. Actually, I cannot find my cable remote for my bedroom TV, which means, I cannot delete DVR'd shows. And you know what that means...eventually the DVR fills up and TV watching is "kaput" till you delete. So yesterday I checked the TV and thus the watching of Rachel Ray.

She had a great Fall recipe and in case you missed it. I thought I would share it. The recipe is called:

Pork Chops or Chicken Breasts with "Blue" Butter and Sage

Click on the picture to go to the Rachel Ray site and get the recipe

Served with Sautéed Pears and Red Onions and Obsession-with-Sweet Potatoes Mash.

Doesn't it look scrumptious?!

I do not care for pears but she said you could substitute apples. AND at the last minute she tosses on some brown sugar. Hmm.. red onions, pears, and brown sugar...interesting.

She is in love with these Mashed Sweet Potatoes, an easy healthy side dish. I can't wait to try these!

On top of the chop is Roquefort, sage, and butter. It hadn't had time to melt at the end of the show but that chop will be yummy once it melts over the top.

She suggested making a lot, shaping it into a roll, and freezing it. Then you can cut a piece each time you cook a steak, portabella mushroom, or chicken and want to add some flavor.

Did you notice the size of the bone-in chop? It is gorgeous and she says it is Michel Nischan Pork. Organic and more expensive but it looked nicer than what you find in the meat section of your typical grocery store. I am not familiar with this chef so as I did some checking I found this site where you can find a retail store and/or purchase the meat online.

Do any of you order meat online?

I always worry that the dry ice will be gone and the meat will have spoiled since I did not know how long the ice had been gone.

Click on the picture for site

Fall-in-for-Pork tonight!

Bon appetite!

Thanks for stopping by for a yummy recipe suggestion!

United in Action

2010-09-29T10:02:00.001-04:00

"Unite in Action invites you to come join us as “We the People” gather from sea to shining sea and converge on our nation’s capital for 4 full days patriotic events and presentations culminating with a march and rally at the National Mall."

This was an awesome event. While there I took the "Making of America" class on the Constitution. In the evening I attended the Dinner Banquet with Lori from "As a Mom...A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots" serving as one of the emcees introducing women speakers like Ginni Thomas and Morgan Brittany (from the Dallas TV show). Unfortunately the lights were low and I wasn't able to get their pictures. The Patriotic Quilt was one of the items made by a group of mothers and it was part of a silent auction.

The next day on our way to the Rally we stopped to take a few interesting pictures in DC.

Scaffolding all over the Old Executive Building next to the White House.

Here come the

Constitutionalists

Founding Men and Women

Thomas Paine gave a rousing speech!

And in contrast,

Stephen Baldwin gave a modern day speech with the same conviction!

It was a day of Patriotic song and Americans with a conviction to uphold the United States Constitution. Thank you for joining me and allowing me to share my Patriotism with you. I am posting to Outdoor Wednesday today. I miss being part of this meme. It has been awhile...

Thank you Susan at A Southern Daydreamer.

So Many Events, Where Should I Stay?

2010-09-28T17:22:00.001-04:00

Well I sure have been attending many events in and around DC lately. It started with the Restoring Honor Rally, then there was the Unite in Action seminar, the 9-11 Memorial Event and the 9-12 Freedomworks Event. Then it was an all around the country event where people celebrated Constitution Day with the Reading of the Constitution. This event took place in a private home in a nearby community and it, too, was memorable. Since I have so many pictures...for this post I would like you to see where we stayed in DC for some of the events. Even though I am only 20 miles from our nation's capital, it was easier than fighting the traffic.

We stayed at the Omni Shoreham, a beautiful grand historic hotel in Washington DC, for the Unite in Action conference, 9-11, and 9-12 events.

We were greeted by beautiful bouquets of roses!

If only the walls of the Omni could talk...

The hotel dining room open to the lobby....

The most gorgeous crystal chandeliers and sconces I had ever seen.

Beautiful grounds that held an early evening wedding.

We tried to get these ghosts to talk as they completed their midnight stroll.....ooohhh...

The evening view...

A definite place I would recommend to stay if you ever come to DC.

Thanks for stopping by, come back to see some of the other pictures from the other Patriotic Events I attended.

32 Years ago today

2010-09-16T13:32:00.001-04:00

An anniversary is a time to celebrate the joys of today, the memories of yesterday, and the hopes of tomorrow.

~Author Unknown

My Mom

My Mother-in-Law

Mom and Dad

with

"A Lucky Penny in My Shoe"

The old-wives tale of putting a penny in the shoe of a woman on her wedding day comes courtesy of an old Victorian rhyme. "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a silver sixpence in your shoe." These were all superstitions that were requests for good luck for the bride. However, when using a silver sixpence became impossible to do, finding a penny was easier and so people made a substitution. Now the saying has changed to, "and a lucky penny in the shoe." The penny was intended to be worn in the shoe of the bride to ensure that the newly married couple would always have wealth.

I walked down the aisle to "Sunrise, Sunset" from "Fiddler on the Roof"

We were married in Santa Clara Church, Oxnard, California which is beautiful

I love and miss it....

"The Wedding Song, There is Love" was also sung by a good friend.

He has always taken good care of me.

Thank you for visiting today and allowing me to share my special day...

A wedding anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, partnership, tolerance and tenacity. The order varies for any given year. ~Paul Sweeney

Our wedding was many years ago. The celebration continues to this day. ~Gene Perret

Wow, where has the time gone....

2010-08-31T08:20:00.001-04:00

Apologizing, I haven't posted in quite awhile. While I have continued visiting my blog roll friends I have not posted to my own blog. I do not know why- Summer? Perhaps. I will say I have increased my participation in "Taking Back America". I am now volunteering in a Congressional Campaign, spent a week at the Leadership Institute Candidate School, and joined various groups to learn as much as I can about local/state politics. I am meeting some nice Patriotic new friends.

I have somewhat neglected my cooking/tablescapes this summer. It has been so hot and with mostly dinners for my husband and I we have been eating out too much again.

My favorite time of the year is arriving quickly...Fall. Although it is still in the 90's here! I have purchased some new dishes off and on so I will have to get busy again with some tablescapes. This is my first year to have grown herbs on my deck and so I tried my hand at Pesto which I love.

I love my Wolfgang Puck Food Processor from HSN, all the tools are in its drawer.

Hmmm pine nuts, love them.

Will be frozen and ready to use.

Had to have some immediately with toasted Asiago cheese bread and tomatoes.

Outdoor activities are difficult for me in this heat so I have not had a chance to take too many outdoor pictures. Looking forward to Fall weather to get out more.

I attended the Glenn Beck Restoring Honor Rally in Washington DC, August 28th. An amazing event and I met some nice people from the nation. I took some pictures. but the crowd was 500,000+, from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument. I dared not leave my seat after the crowds arrived as it was seriously wall to wall people! We stayed in DC for two nights even though we live close because we did not want to mess with the traffic. We arrived to the Mall at 5:30am and there were many people who had already picked the best seats by staying up all night.

As the sun began to rise, 6:30am, the stage was in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

Clouds in the sky so not a good sunrise. View if you were on stage.

Unfortunately they had these bright lights on the stage.

Here is the picture minus the lights. This was at 6:30 am and it began at 10:00 am.

The views from my seat.

I am now looking forward to more events around "9-12". I am glad my husband and I agree politically because we are sharing these events together. We both love our country, believe in the Constitution as envisioned by the Founding Fathers, and are concerned about the direction the current administration is taking America.

So a few pics and a thank you for not abandoning my blog.

My Summer Journal

2010-08-08T12:16:00.003-04:00

Digital collage customized with Smilebox

Happy 4th of July !

2010-07-04T14:48:00.001-04:00

When our children were young we loved doing the July 4th Pet Parades. Each year in bend, Oregon they had a different theme for their parade. I honestly cannot remember the theme for this year of pictures, but my guess is that it had to do with the American Revolution. Ryan was a drummer for the Sons of Liberty.

Like in this picture:

Autumn was, of course, Betsy Ross. If you notice she had to have her gun in her sewing basket to protect her as she did her sewing of the flag. They also had their faithful dog Remington. Who now resides, bless his heart, at the Rainbow Bridge.

It was always fun to think up an idea for the Pet Parade, but as usual I work best under pressure so at the last minute we would be tearing things apart trying to make something that would pull the kids and show up to the onlookers.

It was a fun family event. Although I am not sure my son enjoyed wearing the wig, dirtying up his face, and having a hat came from a large stuffed doll.

I still have the patriotic heart hanging around Remington's neck and the sewing basket. Two hand trucks did the trick to pull the Patriots through their journey downtown and it was handy to have a carpet remnant.

The look on Ryan and Autumn's face tells little about their excitement. They were tired because we would always go to bed rather late, after all, once we put everything together we had to test it out. And the Parade was always early, like 9 am. At the end of the Parade they would be happy to get a ribbon and a popsicle, then it was off to the park by the river for the July 4th festivities.

Ahhh...those were the days...when the children were little.

Now we, Guitar Man and I, spend our 4th waking up late to a quiet house, spend some time on the computer, have a leisurely breakfast, prepare a bar-b-que, attend a Potomac Nationals Farm team game, and watch the fireworks at the stadium. An all-American fourth, burgers, potato salad, chips, watermelon, ice cream, and baseball.

Oh I love this great country!

But I do kind of miss the Pet Parades with the kids and the creative hurriedness of it all...

Enjoy your celebration of America's Independence and share it with those you love...

It's Tablescape Thursday, Patriotic Style

2010-06-30T20:23:00.001-04:00

Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. Independence Day is the national day of the United States. (From Wikipedia)

Did you know?

July 2nd is the actual day the Continental Congress voted for independence.

Blue Charger: Target

Red Checkered Plate: Home Goods or TJ Maxx (oops, I forget)

Salad Plate/Bowl: Blue Danube China

Glasses: Arby's (years ago)

Mixture of two flatware sets: Home Goods and TJ Maxx

Did you know?:

John Adams had written to his wife Abigail:

"The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more. "

(From Wikipedia)

Did you know?:

In a remarkable series of coincidences, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, two founding fathers of the United States and the only two men who signed the Declaration of Independence and became presidents, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the United States' 50th anniversary.

(From Wikipedia)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_%28United_States%29

"— And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

I am thankful to be living in the United States of America.

My wish and prayer for America's Birthday is that

"We Stand United"

♥ To make this, once again, a great nation.

♥ To honor a, one of a kind, country.

♥ To hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

♥ To "Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty."

Thomas Jefferson

Happy Birthday

America!

glitter-graphics.com

Posting to Tablescape Thursday. Enjoy other tables by using the button on the sidebar.

my outdoor tribute to america

2010-06-30T14:18:00.001-04:00

We had a severe thunderstorm come through this week and brake my flag pole. It's not the first time. So it is resting on the porch now. The 2 bird planters were my husbands Father's Day presents. He loves "Birds and Blooms" magazine and we both enjoy planters and flowers. We thought the planters would look good welcoming visitors.

Here is my Mosaic of our front door and small porch.

The mat says:

Live...

Love...

Laugh...

Another Father's day present.

"Happiness is a Garden"

This is our back deck. In an earlier post I showed you some of our planters. My theme color represents my love for my country. Lobelia is about the only little accent blue flower, but I have used some blue salvia too. The salvia has not done well so we are moving the planters to other parts of the deck to vary the amount of sun. The flowers are a little beat up from the storm but they make my Patriotic heart beat red, white, and blue.

Our little pond trickle, trickles, all day long....frogs playing a never-ending game of checkers, and woodland creatures trying to beat the heat.

Places where we relax....

Thank you for dropping by the week before Independence Day!

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism. ~Erma Bombeck

I'll be sharing and participating this post with memes:

Outdoor Wednesday

and

Mosaic Monday

(The link button is on my sidebar.)

Tablescape Thursday...Found me Some new dishes!!

2010-06-16T23:43:00.001-04:00

Shhh...I have a secret. I found a new thrift store and it is not well known, so I am hoping that I might find some beauties before it gets discovered. On one of my recent trips...there it was...china with a service for eight, 41 pieces in all. A beauty with a delicate floral pattern. And as some of you know, because thrift store blogging tablescapers have had this experience, I wanted to do the "Found Me Some Treasure" dance! So come on in and take a peek at my find...

The color palette is very soft with blue, pink, and yellow flowers...a garden of happiness on pristine white. They look hardly used and I wondered about the owner. Did they really dislike this china or were they in an unfortunate circumstance? Well I would give them a good home and put some scrumptious meals on them to accentuate their beauty.

Along with the plates there was a sugar, creamer, and a large bowl. The coffee pot is one I already had.

A little Garden theme...

Dinnertime Candlelight...

Shhh...a casual dinner with those I love.

Tablescape Thursday is the place to be each week for table decorations that will make you too do the "Found Me Some Treasure" dance! Click the button on my sidebar.

You're A Grand Old Flag, Flag Day

2010-06-14T18:21:00.002-04:00

The whole inspiration of our life as a nation flows out from the waving folds of this banner.

~Author Unknown

Why would Betsy Ross be chosen to make the flag?

It was usual in that day for upholsterers to be flagmakers. As Betsy Ross prayed in the pew next to George Washington and had already sewn buttons for him, and she was a niece of George Ross, it is not exceptional that these members of the Flag Committee formed by the Continental Congress would call upon Betsy Ross to make the flag.

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/94507641

If Betsy sewed the flag, who designed it?

Betsy Ross's daughter, Rachel Fletcher, testified in 1870, the following: "[The committee] showed her [Betsy Ross] a drawing roughly executed, of the flag as it was proposed to be made by the committee, and that she saw in it some defects in its proportions and the arrangement and shape of the stars. That she said it was square and a flag should be one third longer than its width, that the stars were scattered promiscuously over the field, and she said they should be either in lines or in some adopted form as a circle, or a star, and that the stars were six-pointed in the drawing, and she said they should be five pointed."

The Birth of Old Glory [detail],
Percy Moran, artist, copyright 1917.
Prints and Photograph Online Catalog

There are many opportunities to take pictures of the Grand Old Flag so I just had to share some in a Mosaic.

If anyone, then, asks me the meaning of our flag, I say to him - it means just what Concord and Lexington meant; what Bunker Hill meant; which was, in short, the rising up of a valiant young people against an old tyranny to establish the most momentous doctrine that the world had ever known - the right of men to their own selves and to their liberties. ~Henry Ward Beecher

What do the red, white, and blue of the flag represent?

The Continental Congress left no record to show why it chose the colors. However, in 1782, the Congress of the Confederation chose these same colors for the Great Seal of the United States and listed their meaning as follows: white to mean purity and innocence, red for valor and hardiness, and blue for vigilance, perseverance, and justice. According to legend, George Washington interpreted the elements of the flag this way: the stars were taken from the sky, the red from the British colors, and the white stripes signified the secession from the home country. However, there is no official designation or meaning for the colors of the flag.

Historical information about "Old Glory"

I am posting late to Mosaic Monday. Please click the button to see other participants.

The internet was down and I lost my original draft and had to rewrite my post, but I just couldn't miss honoring the Flag today!

Keep your flag-a-wavin' !!!

Gardening Day

2010-06-09T12:07:00.001-04:00

A couple of weeks ago we began filling our pots with flowers. We have decided to do a red, white, and blue theme this year.

If you've been to my blog before, you might say, "No, duh!"

Flowers seem intended for the solace of ordinary humanity. ~John Ruskin

We put the hanging flower basket on the outside of the rail so we could see them from inside the house.

Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into. ~Henry Beecher, Life Thoughts, 1858

This is just a beginning of my deck plantings. I have done some other planters and will show you soon.

I am participating in Outdoor Wednesday.

Click the button on the sidebar.

Luminaries at Fredericksburg National Cemetery

2010-05-30T17:14:00.001-04:00

Each year the Boy and Girl Scouts participate in a Luminaria program, at Fredericksburg National Cemetery in Virginia, to honor American soldiers. In fact, they came up with the idea in 1995.

There are 15,300 American soldiers laid to rest in this cemetery, and since many of the plots contain more than one body, there are 2 luminaries for each stone. Most of the graves are of Union soldiers but there are some graves from World War I and II.

As you somberly walk throughout the cemetery everyone will stop and stand at attention, a quiet moment, as they hear the playing of Taps. It is performed every 30 minutes.Walking around, I pass by people and hear a small part of their conversations about the Civil War or stories of their own military history. It is a patriotic evening and I feel so honored to be on this hallowed ground.

When we had finished our cemetery visit, we stopped at the Visitors Center and watched a 22 minute movie describing the history of the Civil War in and around Fredericksburg. There was also a small museum of Civil War artifacts. It's always mesmerizing to see items of the period and wondering what their life must have been like...

Marye's Heights

About Marye"s Heights

One of the two major monuments

Facts about the cemetery

Various grave markers

Rounded headstones

Square headstone

The night is slowly descending upon us...

And when it finally comes...the lights, representing those brave spirits that gave the ultimate sacrifice for you and me, and for their country...the

United States

America

Across the street from the cemetery there is a restaurant and Civil War memoralbilia store.

The owners of these motorcycles were the crossing guards for the night.

This Memorial Day in remembrance of all the soldiers who gave their life in the servitude of their country...I thank you. I also promise to do my part to see that we remain a great country, upholding our Constitution, as the Founding Fathers intended.

Joining Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.

Click the button to light your way...

Memorial Day Song

2010-05-29T11:52:00.001-04:00

Please keep in your hearts and minds why we remember our fallen heroes on Memorial Day....

Foodie Friday, A roasted vegetable recipe

2010-05-28T14:14:00.001-04:00

I wanted to share a recipe I found in my pink Betty Crocker cookbook. Last weekend I roasted green peppers, onions, and mushrooms on the grill. When I do this I like to use this pan I bought for grilling veggies. I season with Lawry's Season Salt which adds to the flavor of the veggies. This skillet works beautifully so I made extra veggies to have during the week. When I saw this recipe in the book I thought it looked good and I could use my leftover veggies and make this for my lunch. I had to improvise...

Here is the recipe from the book:

Pesto Risotto with Roasted Vegetables

Prep:25 min. Roast: 2o min. Cook 20 min. Oven 425○F Makes: 4 servings

Nonstick cooking spray

1 small onion, cut into thin wedges

1 cup fresh mushrooms, halved

1 small red sweet pepper, cut into bite sized strips

8 fresh asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

3/4 cup uncooked instant brown rice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 3/4 cups water

1/3 cup dry white wine or chicken broth

2 tablespoons purchased basil pesto

2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese

1. Coat a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Place onion wedges, mushrooms, sweet pepper, and asparagus in prepared baking pan. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with salt and black pepper, tossing to coat. Arrange vegetables in a single layer in the pan. Roast, uncovered, in a 425○F oven about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender and lightly brown, stirring once or twice.

2. Coat a medium nonstick saucepan with cooking spray. Preheat over medium heat; add rice and garlic. Cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until rice begins to brown. Remove saucepan from heat.

3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan bring the water to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and keep water simmering. Carefully stir wine into the rice mixture. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until liquid is absorbed. Continue to cook, stirring constantly until liquid is absorbed. Add remaining simmering water 1/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly until the rice is tender and slightly creamy. (This should take 18 to 20 minutes total.)

4. Gently stir pesto and roasted vegetables into rice mixture; heat through. Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese.

Per 3/4 cup: 177 cal., 10 g total fat; 16 g carbo.

Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 1/2 starch, 2 fat

This is how I had to improvise:

First, I already had my roasted-like vegetables. I had not used asparagus in my grilled veggies and had used green peppers instead of red.

Second I did not have pesto, bummer...I know this would have made it even better.

Third I use an Italian 5 cheese pre-shredded bag of cheese instead of only parmesan cheese.

This is the rice I had in the pantry. When I browned the rice I used a little olive oil instead of cooking spray.

Here is my resulting dish and it was so yummy....I am looking forward to making it again using all the components in the recipe. There is a variety of things you can do with this recipe including adding meat.

I am joining Foodie Friday today because I think all my blogging friends will enjoy this recipe.

Make sure you check out all the other recipes at this event.

outdoor Wednesday, magnolia

2010-05-26T10:57:00.001-04:00

It begins like this....

And progresses to this....

variations of pink....

in all its glory....

....And at dusk as the pink

begins to soften on my

Magnolia tree, my mind

reflects on the busy day and

the colorful America and

its soil that helps to flourish

the pink radiance of each

flower.

Interesting facts:

"Magnolia is an ancient genus. Having evolved before bees appeared, the flowers developed to encourage pollination by beetles. As a result, the carpels of Magnolia flowers are tough, to avoid damage by eating and crawling beetles. Fossilised specimens of M. acuminata have been found dating to 20 million years ago, and of plants identifiably belonging to the Magnoliaceae dating to 95 million years ago." (From Wikipedia)

A place to visit:

Click the picture

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens

I am joining Outdoor Wednesday

Please visit other participants of this meme.

Thank you to the host :

A Southern Daydreamer

mosaic Monday, nasa space center

2010-05-24T10:49:00.001-04:00

We were fortunate to visit the Space Center in Florida a few years ago. I am sure many of you living in Florida know it well. I wanted to share some of my pictures with you all for Mosaic Monday. The United States space program makes me proud to be an American. God bless all of the men and women who have been part of the American exploration of space.

Thank you Blogging Friends ♥ for coming by and visiting Americana By Candlelight. I hope when you visit you are reminded of the beauty and specialness of America and that your Patriotism for the country you live in will be inspired.

Please visit some other Monday Mosaic participants by clicking the button on my sidebar.

The Simple Woman's daybook

2010-05-23T12:58:00.001-04:00

FOR TODAY, Sunday, May 23rdI will be posting on Tuesday to this new meme I have discovered I hope you will visit the other participants.

Outside my window...I see lovely droplets of water cleansing the Earth.
I am thinking...what a purposeful meme.
I am thankful for...my country.
From my learning room...I met with my Patriotic Sisters and we discussed what we learned from the book Liberty and Tyranny by Mark Levine.
From the kitchen...I am becoming more confident and knowledgeable in my cooking abilities.
I am wearing...my P.J.'s and I am sooo comfortable.
I am creating...many thoughts on what to create.
I am going...on a picnic luncheon talk and hopefully it will not be raining.
I am reading...about the Real George Washington.
I am hoping ...and praying for God's blessings on a family member.
I am hearing...the music playing on my blog.
Around the house...I need to catch up on laundry this week.
One of my favorite things...is to sing. Last night Guitar Man played his 12 string while I sang some old favorites: Diamonds and Rust by Joan Baez, Come Down in Time by Elton John. and Suzanne.

A few plans for the rest of the week:

Here is picture for thought, I am sharing ...

the book I am reading of the

Father of our Country.

A Birthday Dinner

2010-05-20T12:01:00.001-04:00

Happy 26th Birthday Ryan!

When my children were small we made a poster each year representing their interests at that time. My son was always into super heroes. On his Birthday I scanned some of the pictures of his youth that I miss so much. I also scanned one of his posters and changed it a little to represent his 26th birthday. I posted them on his FB page for his birthday... he tolerated my mushy sentiment that day and then I removed them so they wouldn't continually embarrass him.

Here is the sign and a couple of those pictures:

I miss this little guy...

He has always been a hard worker and is accomplished and self sufficient. I am proud of him.

I wanted to make him some of his favorites for dinner so this is his birthday dinner. Grilled rib eye, macaroni salad, fresh fruit, spinach salad, grilled asparagus, garlic cheese bread, and corn on the cob. We had Red Velvet cake but I forgot to take a photo. It was from Costco and delicious!!!

A Patriotic Tablescape

Below is my new Patriotic Polish Pottery Tureen that I won on Christine's eBay site. Most of you know Christine from her fabulous blog :

In here is my son's favorite macaroni salad...

Lady Liberty is protecting our Freedom to eat as much as we want.

Patriotic Plates from Home Goods...I wish I could find more.

Gosh this was yummy....

Happy Birthday Ryan, Love you...

Please visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday (see button on my sidebar for this meme), always fabulous tables can be found there...

Chicken enchiladas

2010-05-14T12:03:00.001-04:00

This week I made Chicken Enchiladas. I do not like canned enchilada sauce so I thought about the flavors I like and made my own very simplistic sauce.

A couple of posts ago I talked about the conveniences of whole chickens from the grocery store. It helps me to use them for the ease of having chicken to add to a meal. I have been guilty of eating out too much and I am trying and have been cooking more meals lately at home.

I wanted to use the chicken for enchiladas and so I sliced the meat off the carcass. I then boiled the carcass to make chicken broth. I added celery leaves, garlic, onions, and a bay leaf. When it was done I strained the pot so I just got the broth.

So I now have the chicken. I have part of my sauce. I have whole wheat flour tortillas from Whole Foods. They are made fresh daily, yumm! So here is what I did for the sauce.

Enchilada Sauce

2 mild taco (Mc Cormick) seasoning packets.

Chicken broth 2-3 cups (Save some broth for the flour tortillas.)

29 0z can of tomato sauce

I put a small amount of chicken broth in the pot and after it was hot, added flour to make a rue. I then added the rest of the broth, tomato sauce, and packets. I wanted the sauce to be a little thicker that is why I added the flour, I used only about a tablespoon or a little more of flour. It turned out to be the right consistency.

I did not need any other seasoning and there was plenty of flavoring.

I then shredded the chicken, off the bone, in the food processor, shredded some extra sharp cheddar cheese, laid out the tortillas and I was ready to go.

1. Ladle sauce first in the bottom of the rectangular casserole pan.

2. Heat broth in a skillet .

3. Put a flour tortilla in the skillet just until the tortilla is pliable. I used a tong for this because they get soft and can tear.

4. Lay out the tortilla, fill with shredded chicken, and cheese, roll it up, and place it in the casserole dish.

After they are laid in the dish pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the stuffed tortillas. Add cheese covering the top. I did not have black olives on hand but if I did I would have garnished the enchiladas with sliced black olives.

Use your own judgment on how much sauce to use but you do not want them to be too dry. The chicken broth helps to soften and flavor the tortillas too.

I cooked them for about 25-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Here is what they looked like. I actually made about 12 enchiladas with one whole chicken. I had a second casserole dish too. My family doesn't like chilies but of course you could add anything you would like to the enchilada. My family just likes meat and cheese or just plain cheese. We had refried beans and cottage cheese with ours. I add sour cream to mine. Also make some Mexican rice if you like it. It really was so easy and my husband enjoyed the leftovers for work.

I am joining Foodie Friday this week.

Please visit my other post and give me your thoughts on a new meme I would like to host. Thanks!

Click Here

Wisdom Wednesdays, what da ya think?

2010-05-12T12:59:00.001-04:00

One of the reasons I started to blog is wanting to share my thoughts and feelings with others. Some of my favorite posts to read are when bloggers share their feelings.

I am always learning from other people's experiences or perspectives. Do you find there is comfort in knowing that maybe there is someone who feels just like you? I know I do. I also think that some of us are better at writing rather than speaking our thoughts that we want to share.

So I was thinking of starting a new meme. A participatory post would be about anything you would like to share but it must be void of curse words. I think frustration is okay to share but the language should be clean. It could be a "what I know for sure" post or even what I have learned or am learning post. Maybe you will want to share dreams or wishes. My hope is that we would share uplifting, helpful information with each other. The information does not have to be profound just a kinda, "read and consider".

Since I enjoy participating in events I thought this might make an interesting and helpful meme. The name for this meme would be

" Wisdom Wednesdays"

What do you think?

If you know there is already a meme like this please let me know. I am interested in whether this is something people might be interested in and want to submit a post. Please leave a comment to let me know if I am way off base. I welcome any suggestions as well. Thanks blogging friends ♥

Catalina Island Eagles 2010

2010-04-30T23:11:00.001-04:00

I have had a USTREAM live video on my blog for awhile now. Each day I have loved watching the parent Bald Eagles, our National bird. They, 81 and 82, lovingly took turns brooding on the nest keeping the two eggs cozy and warm, night and day. It was so exciting when the first eaglet hatched and then a few days later the second one hatched. They have grown so much and you can still go to my blog to get a glimpse of them. I hope you enjoy the snippets I took of these wonderful moments in nature. While watching the USTREAM video you can even hear the sound of the ocean in the background and the Eagles calling to each other.

I'll be joining Memes Camera Critters and Mosaic Monday.

Click the buttons on my sidebar to see other participants.

Tablescape Thursday, an intimate dinner for two

2010-04-29T04:02:00.001-04:00

Tablescape Thursday is set for Guitar Man and me. Since it is most of the time just the two of us I like to bring out my big flower basket in the summer and set up a few Americana Delights around it.

At the other end of the table I have a couple of things I had from my Amish shopping days. I added a couple of magnet butterflies that I usually have on my refrigerator. Since my plates have butterflies I brought them in to join us.

The vase has a butterfly and both things helps to balance out the other end of the table. I always strive for a little balace in my tablescapes. I am one of those people where I cannot stand a crooked picture.

Lenox Plates, Crocheted Butterfly Napkin Rings, and Blue Handled Flatware

Lady Liberty is next to my Jefferson Memorial Plate with the cherry trees that I didn't get as close to as I wanted to this year.

Pulling back a little you can see my cloche with the Americana crow holding a star of peace.

The candle centerpiece is another Lancaster goodie. The bowl fillers I just ordered not too long ago from a fellow blogger.

You can see my button doll also sitting on top of some Americana Rag Balls I made.

Here is a little closer picture.

Don't forget to click on the Tablescape Thursday Button to visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch and see other table designs. Thanks for stopping by. I always appreciate your visits and comments my blogging friends!

Today is not a holiday,
It isn’t even your birthday,
But I still thought I’d like to send,
A special message to my friend.

You make me laugh and make me smile,
You ease my troubles for a while.
When clouds are thick and skies are gray,
You put some sunshine in my day.

You’re really thoughtful sweet and kind.
A friend like you is hard to find.
I know I’ve told you once or twice,
That I think you are very nice.

But someone who’s as great as you,
Should be told more often than I do.
And so I send these words with love,
Why did I send them?
Just because I appreciate you!

Submitted by: Marsa

Inspirational Quotes

Tea, and a little girl talk

2010-04-21T00:47:00.001-04:00

I find that time saving is a good thing. In my supermarket they sell cooked turkey breasts and roaster chickens. I find I can get a few lunches and dinners from them. It is especially nice in the summer months when I do not want to heat up the house. If you do not have a large freezer and buy whole chickens on sale I think the cost of the cooked whole chickens are not so bad. I love carved turkey off the breast yet I do not want to cook a whole turkey. Do any of you buy them too and find them convenient?

This week I bought the turkey breast and was able to use it for a sandwich, fettuccine and soup. The breast bone was boiled with vegetables and then I added corn and broke up some wheat capellini. We had it for dinner with a turkey burger. I finished it off for lunch today. Hmmm comfort food...

I am going to switch topics, since it is Tea Time Tuesday with Lady Katherine. I thought I would share two of my favorite things. I have been a QVC shopper for some time. Both of these items I found on QVC. This is my go -to pot for many things for a couple of reasons.

One is the pot itself has measuring marks inside it and the other is the lid has 2 separate strainers. Since it is mostly my husband and I for meals, it is a great size for smaller portions. I use it to boil water for my tea and that leads me to my second favorite item, my teapot.

I do not drink tea daily and I am the only one in my home that drinks hot tea. When I have a spot of tea, I like a big spot so this teapot is great for those extra large mugs.

The convenience of this teapot is that I can make the full 5 cups and then use the unfinished tea for fresh brewed ice tea. It has a mesh basket and it is better to brew your tea with loose leaves and not to steep it too long, 5 minutes. Instead of using tea bags, I cut them open and mix the teas. I also add Splenda to my mesh container so it is sweetened as well.

Did you know that you should not squeeze your tea bag because it releases a bitterness? I did not and just learned this recently.

Now many of you may be tea connoisseurs but I am not. So this is for those of us that enjoys a spot of tea now and then. Although I do like to pamper myself so I made my pot of tea and then indulged in an Asiago bagel from Panera's. Of course it was a nice moment to sit down and relax with a good book too.

Don't forget to pamper yourself too. You're worth it!

Thanks for sharing some girl talk today. I love it when you come over!

Stop by Tea Time Tuesday with Lady Katherine. Just click the button on my sidebar.

Me and My shadows,Shot #1

2010-04-17T13:18:00.001-04:00

This is my little girl Hoppy:

Even her shadow is cute...

Thanks for visiting "Me and My Shadows" today! Another new meme...I never think to look at the shadows. I love how blogging helps me to stop and look at the world in different ways.

Please visit:

Gorilla @Animal Kingdom, disney world

2010-04-17T11:23:00.001-04:00

I love Disney World! The African Safari ride is so realistic and Disney has made a wonderful place for the animals to live. Here is one of the gorillas.

I am participating in a new meme that I found. The participants love animals as do I. Please click on the picture for other camera critters.

I am posting my mosaic to Mosaic Monday as well. Please click the button on my sidebar to enjoy some other mosaics. Thank you Mary at Little Red House for posting this event each Monday.

A Fun Puzzle

2010-04-16T20:20:00.001-04:00

Here is a fun puzzle, try it out...

I had to treat myself...

2010-04-16T13:38:00.001-04:00

Today I had my mammography for 2010. I am thankful for the technology to detect for breast cancer, but it's always a scary test to have....

I then had to get my safety and emissions test for Virginia vehicles and got the new ugly sticker on my windshield so that the government can monitor that I have followed the law... another $44.00 to the government. Well, there goes my shopping money for today.

I looked forward to coming home and making myself a lunch. Last night I made tacos. My families favorite. They aren't anything special but I do fry my own corn tortilla shells and I undercook them and the flavor is undeniably better than hard Taco Bell shells.

When I had my second child my MIL came to the house to visit and help out and one day she made me the best salad. I look forward to repeating it whenever I make tacos. I guess it could be called a "Taco Salad". So below is my version:

Today I have leaf lettuce, celery, red cabbage, and cucumbers. I took 2 corn tortillas, cut them up, and fried them in a little canola oil. I did not have chips at home. When my MIL made me the salad, she used Fritos corn chips.

I added a some pre-shredded Mexican cheese from a bag.

I then used my taco meat from last night and added kidney beans. I like to make my own dressing which is the poor man's version of Thousand Island. Sometimes I have used this to dip french fries...anyways, it is light mayo and reduced sugar catsup. I then added Tostitos mild salsa which is a staple in my home and a large dollop of sour cream. I only had roasted tomatoes and I could have opened a can of chopped tomatoes but I left them off today. The combination of textures and flavors make a yummy Taco Salad.

Today this was my comfort food lunch and with the cantaloupe, homemade ice tea, and the IPod playing I took a deep breath and dug in...

Today I am posting to Foodie Friday at Designs By Gollum, check out the event. I like getting recipes from this event. Click on the picture below...

I also found a new event, The Grocery Cart Challenge, that I posted to and the link is on my sidebar. Don't you just love collecting recipes?

National Arboretum

2010-04-12T02:36:00.001-04:00

Today was a gorgeous day in our nations capitol. We went for the first time to the outside National Arboretum. We arrived only a couple hours before closing but we plan to make another trip back very soon. Below is my mosaic for Mosaic Monday. My daughter is in the mosaic with our little shitzu. I had fun taking pictures! Here is the website with a virtual tour of the grounds. Another nice place to visit. Click on the picture below:

There are 446 acres and they do have a tram ride. They have Asian, azalea, dogwood, and holly and magnolia collections just to name a few. Today they had a Camelia Show, many different types and blooms.

The herb garden was wonderful and I especially liked looking at the Colonial Herb Garden section.

They have posted signs giving some background about the herbs used by the colonists.

Taken from the National Arboretum website is this picture explaining the columns you will see in the picture I took at the Arboretum.

These are so huge! Above is one of the beautiful arbors near the herb garden.

Behind the visitor center there is seating for lunch and a koi pond.

If you are able to visit, arrive early. It is easy to make a day of it with a picnic lunch. if you are not able to visit, the website has a really good tour. It was such a relaxing place to visit and hard to believe the city is outside surrounding it.

Here are some of the Spring flowers on display.

I am participating in Mosaic Monday and Outdoor Wednesday with my trip to the Arboretum. Please link with the buttons on my sidebar to other participants.

America

is so

Beautiful....

Cherry Blossom festival take 2

2010-04-07T23:52:00.001-04:00

Well I went back to Washington DC on Tuesday. I didn’t encounter the traffic problems that I experienced on Saturday. I did get a parking place BUT the cherry blossoms were basically gone. I still enjoyed myself and just sat and enjoyed some of the last blooms. As promised here are my pictures from my second visit during the Washington DC Cherry Blossom Festival. Enjoy….

All around the Tidal Basin on Saturday was whitish-pink blooms, you can see all the blossoms are now gone. Well, there’s always next year…

Check out other posts for Outdoor Wednesday and enjoy the outdoors, button on my sidebar.

Cherry Blossom Festival... Take 1

2010-04-05T11:54:00.001-04:00

On, Friday April 2nd, the DC area had the most gorgeous weather. Perfect for attending the Cherry Blossom Festival. Some years it is so cold and windy. As you can guess, that because of the weather, the amount of people enjoying the cherry blossoms were unreal...

Here is my mosaic for Mosaic Monday. Please visit the other participants at Little Red House who have posted their blogs to this fun every Monday event. A click on my sidebar button sends you to the site.

A few things about my mosaic:

1. Why the speed limit sign?

2. Why aren't there any pictures of the Jefferson Memorial that the trees surround?

3. Where are the blossom close-ups?

If you noticed my title says "take1". The reason and the answers to these three questions have to do with what I said in my first paragraph. On Friday the traffic was slow getting to DC. It took 2 hours to get to DC which is about 20 miles from my home. Traffic at times was at a standstill. We finally arrived at 12:30.

This is how we should of seen the cherry blossoms...

What we saw when we finally got there...from the car.

Once we got to the street we needed to get to parking the speed limit sign says 25, the actual speed was 5 mph if we were lucky. We kept passing full parking lots and followed the sign to parking where you could then take a shuttle. BTW we never saw a shuttle and we followed the signs to the end which was not a big lot as you might expect but parallel parking along the street.

We did stop and for a long time...

We sat in traffic for hours and never were we one of the lucky ones to get a parking place. The crowd was as big as Disneyworld!

My only one...

We finally left DC at 3:30 and all my pictures were from the car. I know that some people made it in that day and the pictures they got were fabulous! The sky was sooo blue...

I wish this was me...

I am going to try again this week. I just want the sky to be as blue and the wind to stay gone...Wish me luck.

My best pictures of the day...

Easter tablescape

2010-04-03T18:29:00.001-04:00

How Blessed Is The Day

How blessed is this day, when earth and heaven are joined and humankind is reconciled to God!

May the light of Jesus shine continually to drive away all darkness. May Christ, the Morning Star who knows no setting, find his light ever burning in our hearts—he who gives his light to all creation, and who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

-- adapted from the Book of Common Prayer -1979, the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America.

I have been playing around with Photoscape and frames. It is awesome! Here is my Easterscape. I love this Mamabunny and when I found this little bunny protecting the deviled eggs I had no idea he matched with Mama so perfectly.

It is so funny...I forget where I find some of the things I use on my tablescapes. Do any of you do that too? You probably saw the carved Easter egg at TJ Maxx along with the paper machete bunnies in yellow and aqua.

I love these little salt and pepper shakers. I have two sets for each side of the table. I borrowed the idea to use clay pots as votive holders from one of you, blogging friends. I did put a glass holder in them to burn the votive.

Doesn't this little chocolate bunny look so cute framed? He looks good enough to eat but you might break a tooth so I'll have to warn my family. These bunnies were at Big Lots. Once again a shout out from one of you! I surely did not waste any time hopping out to get them. I like that they are a tiny accent piece.

My Guitar Man had a flower arrangement made for me with this vase and now it is my absolute favorite! So I put together this artificial arrangement. Don't they remind you of a summer's garden of perennials?

I think they are flowers Mamabunny would hide in and probably munch on but I will be watching her closely... I think this little bunny is so cute with his ears back.I

Here is one of the paper machete bunnies.

Gotta have Bunny Corn...

This is the day the Lord has made,

Alleluia.

Let us be glad and rejoice in it, Alleluia.

Happy Easter My Blogging Friends!

I am blessed to call you Friends...

I am joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for the Tablescapes Thursday event. Click on my sidebar button and hop over for some great tablescaping ideas...

Happy easter

2010-03-31T12:41:00.001-04:00

I do not decorate for Easter as I do other holidays but it is spring and the symbolism of renewing life is celebrated with blooms of flowers and birth.

My Little bench with my quick basket of craft supplies is kept cozy with this little bunny and baby.

White House Easter Egg

Reeses Peanut Butter Cups anyone?

Bunnies, Bunnies, and More Bunnies...

Bunny salt and pepper shakers

Ahhh more tulips...

One of my first figurine collections was Pandelfin's. I loved these wide eyed bunnies. I only wanted the baby and music figurines.

Don't you love the colors they are painted?

It's hard to sleep when the music is so loud!

Here comes Peter Cottontail hopping down the bunny trail hippity, hoppity,

Easter's on its way.

I am joining Table Top Tuesday. Please click on the picture to see some other posts that are sure to inspire you!

American Eagle

2010-03-30T11:45:00.001-04:00

"It is said the eagle was used as a national emblem because, at one of the first battles of the Revolution (which occurred early in the morning) the noise of the struggle awoke the sleeping eagles on the heights and they flew from their nests and circled about over the heads of the fighting men, all the while giving vent to their raucous cries. "They are shrieking for Freedom," said the patriots.
Thus the eagle, full of the boundless spirit of freedom, living above the valleys, strong and powerful in his might, has become the national emblem of a country that offers freedom in word and thought and an opportunity for a full and free expansion into the boundless space of the future."
--Maude M. Grant

For more information click on the picture and go to this website:

I have had an Eagle's Nest Ustreamed on my blog for awhile now, awaiting the birth of the 2 eggs that were laid. I have watched daily as the male and female took turns continuously sitting on the nest awaiting the birth of their babies. These majestic birds caring for their young as we do.

"This quote is fitting for this week:

"Christians adopted this symbolism, comparing the eagle looking into the sun to Christ looking at His Father, and the renewal of the eagle's youth through its plunge into the fountain to the renewal of the soul through baptism. Even today, an eagle may he spied on the baptismal fonts in some older churches."

This week the eagles have had their eaglets. They live on Catalina island off the California coast . I love that technology let's us view this part of an eagle's life. You may click the play button on my sidebar and you may get a chance to view the babies. The eagles still are brooding and keep the babies warm. They are so tiny...

There is another webcam in Southern Virginia where the eaglets are older and there are three of them.

Click on the picture for the site:

I will be sharing my Eagle post on 3 or More Tuesday and Outdoor Wednesday this week. The buttons to these events can be found on my sidebar. When you click to these sites you will get to see some other fun posts.

Check out this blog

2010-03-27T12:18:00.001-04:00

I follow many blogs and lately have been so busy getting unfinished things completed at home I have been neglecting reading and making comments. I am trying to catch up. As I know we all go through these moments because there is so much to do and so little time.

I like this quote:

" I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see." - John Burroughs

So much to do, here is just a few...

This delightful clip art comes from:

Well, I have digressed a little from my intended post. I want to share a blog that is informational, and shares homes from the movies. The blog if you have not found it yet is:

This is Julia from Hooked on Houses:

"I’m not a designer, and I’m not a “house snob.” For me, looking at houses is entertainment. I get a kick out of looking at houses of every shape, size, and style. I think they have personalities, and it’s fun to get to know them."

One of her recent posts is about the movie

Out of Africa

with Meryl Streep and Robert Redford

Karen Blixen’s (Meryl Streep) house is very beautiful. I had totally forgotten the house but it is fun to look at the houses and their decorations. I always focus on the story and character. I need to now watch this movie for the scene decorations.

Another post I liked was about this mobile home. It is pictured on the Country Living webpage and its decor is totally unexpected.

Here is a peak...now you will just have to check it out yourself.

Hooked on Houses takes you on a tour of many homes with various styles. I find her blog entertaining and I love the additional movie trivia she sometimes will have on the movie homes.

As I said when I started this post, I am behind and am trying to do my best to keep up with events and my blogging friends. I may not always comment on all your posts but I do eventually get around to all of them. My Google Reader is clear and then...all hell breaks loose again...

And that is because you all have such wonderful things to say;

I hate to miss any of you!

"If I could reach up and hold a star for every time you made me smile, the entire evening sky would be in the palm of my hand."
---Unknown

Please visit Mary at Little Red House. She is hosting this fun event. Go to my sidebar and click on the button. It will transport you to the Little Red House of mosaics.

Jet boat on the rogue river

2010-03-23T00:16:00.001-04:00

I’m sharing with you some pictures my daughter took while visiting Oregon last June. My niece was getting married but I missed out on the fun because I was a teacher and it was the end of the school year. I was not allowed to go which is a sore spot for me. My husband, son, and daughter went and road on a Jet Boat down the Rogue River in Southern Oregon.

Here is some of the picturesque scenery.

Here is some of the wildlife they saw from the boat. In the tree is an eagle’s nest.

I will be joining Mosaic Monday and Outdoor Wednesday with this post. Thank you ladies for hosting some fun events that allow us to show the beauty of America. Click the button on my sidebar to take you to both of these events.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

2010-03-17T21:16:00.005-04:00

Ryan my little Cherish Teddie thanks you for visiting because it is his favorite holiday.

Good morning to you! Did you find your pot of gold today? I kind of did in the form of a donut.

A little Irish celebration for me today. My Irish heritage comes from my father's side of the family. I am actually part English, German, and Dutch too. Yes, a mutt. But any reason is good when there is a donut involved .

Here is a close-up of my little tea set from TJ Maxx.

For lunch I just had to make me a grilled cornbeef, swiss, sandwich on “rye and pump” bread. My desert is a rainbow cake. It was yummy and had a fruit filler so it was kind of reminiscent of Fruit Loops only better.
Follow the rainbow …to the next fun fact.

Here is my spring birdcage I bought this year at TJ Maxx.

I am grateful to Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for hosting Tablescape Thursday. Click the button on my side bar and visit the event and list of participants. You will get some great ideas for your table.

I am also joining Lady Kathrine's Tea Time Tuesday event. She has a lovely blog and knows how to set a delightful tea part table. Please visit the other participants.

Another event I enjoy being part of is 3 or More Tuesday. I have many items in groups of three. Can you find them? Please head over to see some interesting posts at Gypsy Corner by clicking the button for the event.

a walk in the mall

2010-03-15T23:55:00.001-04:00

On Sunday the 7th of March we finally had some sunny weather so we decided go down to the Mall at Washington DC with our little Hoppy, take some pictures, and visit some of the memorials. While it was sunny I still needed a lightweight jacket but we walked for hours. When the weather is nice all the locals love to go to the mall so there are kites flying and many games being played on the lawn, touch football and such.

The flags flown by the War Memorials are the U.S. flag and the missing in action flag. The sun was majestically highlighting the flag at the Korean War Veteran Memorial. I love this picture with the contrails from the jets in the sky!

These life-like soldiers in their ponchos make you feel like you are there in the field with them. It is hard to describe the feeling.

The faces are lasered in the granite wall and you can see your reflection along with the reflection of the life-like soldiers.

As we walked I took pictures of the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial from a distance, looking across the Potomac Basin. The trees so bare now but with the promise of full pink cherry blossoms that in a month will surround the basin.

A bench where you can sit and meditate on the beauty of our National Monuments.

The trunks and branches of the cherry trees are knobby and look like tumor growths.

There is a column for each state. One tower says Pacific and one tower says Atlantic.

Hoppy and Guitar Man

I’m joining

Three or More Tuesday

and

Outdoor Wednesday

with this post.

Click the buttons on the sidebar to see other great posts for these events.

What we have to look forward to...

2010-03-14T12:02:00.001-04:00

A few years ago I went to Florida and enjoyed just laying on the warm beach in Melbourne. This was actually my first visit to the Florida coast. I had grown up playing in the water of the California coast and the water temperature in Florida is so warm. Many of you probably already know this and coastal Floridians are privileged to this but for us first timers it is such a treat.

I was a bit concerned with these little crabs that come out of the sand and surprise you. I am not sure what they are...my guess is sand crabs? Anyway I was concerned for my feet and at night walking along the shore we brought a flashlight. I didn't want to have my moonlit walk interrupted by a cracking sound.

I did get a picture of one of those clear looking creatures but it is not easy as they are quick in and out. I had to stalk them for awhile...

The sunrise was exceptional! We were there in August and as you can see the beach was not crowded at all! I grew up around Ventura, California and Melbourne reminded me of the area before Ventura's growth. I felt very comfortable there and wished we could move there. It would kind of be like going home...

This is what we have to look forward to.....

Warm days and for some of us leisurely days by the ocean; plan your trips now.

Please visit Mosaic Monday on my sidebar.

How to Make An American Quilt

2010-03-13T19:54:00.001-05:00

While cleaning and organizing my office/craft/guest room, I went to our Netflix account and looked for a movie to play on my computer. I have a big 24 inch screen and I like now and again to find a "Watch Instantly" movie as I work in my room.

I tell you I didn't get much done because the movie I watched was so good! I was amazed that I had never seen it. It came out in 1995, How to Make An American Quilt. The story revolves around a quilt being made for Finn, a character played by Winona Ryder. There are several women characters in the film and they are in a quilting bee together. The movie begins with Finn recalling her feelings as a little girl sitting under the quilt being stitched by her grandmother, great aunt, and friends.

The story then takes us to the present. Finn travels to stay with her grandmother and aunt for the summer to finish her Master's thesis and contemplate her future. All the women are working on Finn's Wedding Quilt and share at different moments their life stories throughout the movie. The blocks they add to the quilt reflect their lives and the theme "where love resides".

The women are played by some of the finest female actors: Maya Angelou, Anne Bancroft, Ellen Burstyn, Jean Simmons, and others. The home is very Americana and is surrounded by orchards. The lives of each of the women are engrossing and of course tug at the heart. If you have not seen this movie, as I had not, I highly recommend you curl up with a nice cup of tea and a box of tissues. I love quilts and especially do when they tell a story.

At the end of the movie I was very disturbed with the treatment of the finished quilt but you will have to watch the movie to see why...

Butterfly Mosaic Monday

2010-03-08T11:09:00.006-05:00

Make a picture slideshow

If you would like to see more pictures of my butterfly visit to the Butterfly Garden at the Natural History Museum click HERE.

Enjoy other mosaics by clicking the

Mosaic Monday

button on my sidebar.

Thanks for your visit!

May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun

And find your shoulder to light on,

To bring you luck, happiness and riches

Today, tomorrow and beyond.

~Irish Blessing

Butterflies

2010-03-05T11:12:00.001-05:00

Butterflies are Free

Did you ever see that movie with Goldie Hawn and Eddie Albert Jr.? They live in a New York apartment and Eddie Albert Jr. is blind. It is an oldie but I have always liked that movie so I titled my post about butterflies from the title of that movie. If you're ever looking for an oldie to rent, this is one I think you will like.

A Smithsonian Museum we like to go see often in Washington DC is the Natural History Museum. Last year we went to the butterfly exhibit.

Before you enter the Butterfly house there are separate entrance and exit chambers to catch any butterflies trying to escape. They like hiding on you as you walk out so each person has to be inspected before they leave and you must be careful while in their house not to step on them. As you enter they hand you these posters showing the various butterflies you might see.

There is a wait and a nominal charge to see the exhibit because it is popular. There is not a fee to see the Nation's Museums but sometimes there is a charge for special exhibits that are temporary, such as this one. While you are in line they keep you occupied with various butterfly displays and information.

How Many Can You find?

Believe me it is not easy to take pictures of butterflies and in the Butterfly House the temperatures are tropical! My Guitar Man persevered and took some amazing photos! I waited patiently outside in the air conditioned room, aahh....but on my computer I have sure enjoyed them and I hope you do too.

I appreciate your visit today.

May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun
And find your shoulder to light on,
To bring you luck, happiness and riches
Today, tomorrow and beyond.
~Irish Blessing

Thank you to Cindy at My Romantic Home for hosting Show and Tell Friday. Please click on the button of pink roses and sip the nectar of some other interesting posts from blogging friends.

I will also be posting on Outdoor Wednesday hosted by A Southern Daydreamer. You can click the button on my sidebar to attend that event too.

A Bee of A Lunch

2010-03-04T18:54:00.003-05:00

Our snow is almost gone and we did see some sunlight today. Still in the low 40's but I appreciate the sunlight.

I've been Busy As a Bee" with this tablescape.

I am going to wait until the weekend and have lunch with my honey.

After all....

The plates are designed by Jim Shore. I have many of his figurines like the scarecrow on my tablescape. I am sure most of you are familiar with his wood carvings. I was excited when I saw TJ Maxx or Marshall's had these plates but very few of them. I have wanted to add to the three I bought but I have not found any more. I am still buzzed to find them and bring them back to my hive.

I love these honeycomb votives!

The glasses we have had since our wedding.

I really love the color and texture.

The flatware I bought from Big Lots, perfect color blue!

The napkin rings are candle taper rings.

My throw blanket fit the theme

and made a wonderful table covering.

It's not a special celebration but as I was collecting some nectar from our hive I thought I would add this picture of Guitar Man and I when we were dating over 30 years ago.

I am always late to the party but it takes awhile to collect nectar for my tablescape.

Thank you for visiting.

You know I'm all abuzz when you leave comments!

Buzz over to

Between Naps on the Porch

to see more

"Bee-utiful"

tablescapes!

The link is on my sidebar.

living room

2010-03-01T02:28:00.002-05:00

“It’s time to rearrange the furniture",

she said in a come hither voice.

”Oh! No!, not again !”, he replied.

My "Guitar Man" knows when I get all the containers out after the holidays that it's going to be trouble. So this past week after packing up the snowmen in the hopes of spring I started to rearrange.

The only before picture I could find that showed the whole living room is a Halloween picture. Basically the room stayed like this for the Christmas holidays. I left up my snowman tree for as long as I could stand it.

Well, I wanted to try bringing up our game table from the basement TV Room and put it in the living room. This way I could use it for tablescapes.

Now you understand my plea to Guitar Man.

He is my "trabajo caballo". (work horse)

I didn't know if it would work or be too big. So he carried the table up the stairs. Hmm I can't tell without the chairs. So he carried two of the chairs.

Well, after playing around with placement of my two sliders and a push over of my gel fireplace I think it'll work.

As you can see my theme in this room is quilts and I love the Amish. I go to Lancaster, Penn. whenever I get the chance so that is where I purchased my iron candle holder that is hanging and sitting on the table. Both have dark blue berry vines on them. When my children were small I dabbled in Tole painting. The Amish Country Friends plaque on the wall was painted by me. I love my apple orchard ladder where I have the black Amish quilt made by my MIL.

I am also sharing my Amish dolls which I usually have in a curio cabinet. My lovely MIL sent them to me from California. She had them in her collection of Amish goodies and no longer had room for them. How lucky was I! Unfortunately 1 or 2 broke in transit, but I have two other boys that I'll show on another post sometime.

The corner stand was a project my husband made many years ago. I love it because it can be moved anywhere there is a corner, which is almost everywhere. I decided to try this new place.

This pretty blue quilt wall hanging was a thrift store find for about $2.00. I could not believe my good fortune! I used my unused curtain rod to hang it. I always like to give things dimension with the berry wreaths. Of course this one is in my favorite colors, red, white, and blue.

I still have to find some things to hang from my iron hanger with hooks. I like little baskets but I don't want to change the baskets on my shelf. So you know what that means...another shopping trip to Amish country!

I can hear Guitar man already, "Oh! No!"

I love my gel fuel fireplace! It gives me a mantle to decorate, inexpensive warmth, and ambience with a crackling flame.

I’ll be joining 4 memes with this post:

Metamorphosis Monday

Tabletop Tuesday

Thrifty Thursday

Three or More Tuesday

To honor the birds and spring...

2010-02-25T21:36:00.001-05:00

If you truly love Nature, you will find beauty everywhere.
- Vincent Van Gogh

To honor the coming of Spring...

Each day I watch out my window...

More birds come to the feeders singing their little songs, calling to me to come watch...

I am sad when they have flown to other unknown places...

I Live...

I Garden...

I dream...

"Spring Worms the Heart"

Click the Tablescape Thursday Button on the sidebar to get lots of ideas on making your table warm and inviting for family and friends.

White: clean,pure,and crisp

2010-02-24T01:49:00.003-05:00

Oh I long to see the clean, pure, crispness of the white daisy again...

With the contrast of the crisp whiteness

is the lush green...

Here it comes...

Ahhh...that's what I long to see.

For other celebrations in white, click here

national arboretum part 2

2010-02-23T23:24:00.001-05:00

I wanted to share some more pictures from my visit to the Arboretum. I am waiting for some sunshine so I can go back to visit.

Here are some plants I did not expect to see.

And then there was the very familiar...

If you do come to DC, make sure the United States National Arboretum is on your list of things to see.

Click on the button for other pretty things.

United States National arboretum

2010-02-17T13:05:00.002-05:00

Click on the event to see some other participants and their great out door pictures.

Right next to my favorite building in DC is the Arboretum. I went on Mother's day and had such a relaxing visit enjoying the beauty of the flower exhibits. There were orchids, cactuses, papaya trees, a variety of plants, flowers and colors. I do love living close to DC and visiting the Mall. It had taken me too long to see the Arboretum and I need to go back because there will be different flowers depending on the time of the year. of course they have indoor greenhouses for the tropical plants.

There were some beautiful orchids and now that I have my new Canon Rebel I definitely need to return to the arboretum.

Next week I will post more pretty things from the Arboretum.

Thanks for visiting the beauty of America.