A Busy Week, Continued....

Our busy week included a special journey. 

We traveled through fields of gold

along the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. 

The skies finally opened up to beautiful sunshine

after days of gloom. 

Everywhere, buttercups cover the pastures. 

Such a beautiful sight! 

Mt. Rainier still hidden in the clouds....

Lovely farms under beautiful skies. 

We arrived at Tahoma National Cemetery

to see the flags of Memorial Day still decorating

the headstones. 

My Dear Father was in the 

Army-Airforce back when 

it was one branch of the

Armed Forces. 

My Mother arrived here first, 

in 2011 and waited 

a year for her beloved to 

join her. 

They were married 58 years. 

We told them that now, 

we are Grandparents! 

We paid our loving respects 

and continued on our way.....

To see this little guy! 

We got to hold baby Ethan

 and snuggle him 

all afternoon! 

We even got to take a walk around

the neighborhood with him! 

It was a most wonderful day! 

I took this photo of my son holding him. 

He is a good baby, but a bit of a night owl, 

and his devoted parents are a bit tired out. 

I promised that things will get better.....

We reluctantly said goodbye, 

but before heading for home, 

we stopped in to see my youngest son

and wife who live close by. 

Here are the brothers together,

Dustin on the left, and new Father, Gabe. 

They fought like cats and dogs

growing up, but now they are 

best friends. 

I wanted to send them both to 

boarding school to get some peace! :) 

We had a lovely visit, but 

soon had to hit the road. 

We had an hour and a half drive home. 

The shadows were getting long......

We skirted along the foothills

with the setting sun. 

Finally, the forests opened up

and we caught a glimpse 

of Mt. Rainier. 

We passed the old lumber mill 

as the sun dipped behind the hills. 

We were leaving the forest....

To come upon this....

Almost home.

 A beautiful ending to a 

beautiful journey filled with love. 

xoxo

Wishing you sweet journey's home, 

my friends. 

xoxo

A Busy Week

Hello, Dear Friends, we have had a busy week

helping our daughter, Jennie, get ready for her move. 

Here is her 'new' dream cottage, built in 1910. 

This photo was the real estate advertisement. 

It is in a sweet neighborhood of charming

little cottages, not far from a lovely, historic, 

 town center with a farmer's market. 

Here it is now, with the beautiful, and very old,

rhododendrons in full bloom. 

The little sun room on the side....

Her parking area, complete with vintage garage. 

Inside the back fence, looking towards the garage. 

Her deck needs repainting....
Her Father told her that now she has
a use for all of her 'spare change'.
She said, "Spare change is all I'm left with!"

Her Father, (Ramblin' Man) mowed the lawn. 

It was a foot high in places! 

The lawn hadn't been mowed since it went on the market. 

He also secured all areas of the fence where 

her little companions, Peanut and Weenie Baby, 

could squeeze under or through. 

They are tiny escape artists! 

Here they are at my front gate. 

When they are all settled into their new home, 

I will show you some photos of the inside. 

Jennie has many lovely ideas to make 

this little cottage her own.

Lots of painting, new floors,

 and garden plans. 

The view of the sunset from her back deck. 

She has a view of Mt. Rainier

 from her bedroom window on a clear day,

which we have not had many of, lately.

Her stairway is very narrow with a corner and low ceiling. 

Ramblin' Man had to cut her box spring in half

to get it into her bedroom! 

He bracketed it back together, good as new :), 

Here it is all set up against her newly painted walls.
Everything else was in storage. 

This is what it looked like before painting. 

We all had cravings for orange creamsicles

 whenever we were there :) 

The photos don't do justice - the color 

was hideous! 

Now they are a soft, warm linen. 

She has two of these little rooms upstairs, 

both painted the same color. 

She has been working long into the nights

to finish painting them before moving day. 

She has been staying with Heather and Eric,
(sister and sister's husband)
since January, to save

for a down payment. 

This is the entry of Heather and Eric's new home. 

Jennie has been living with them

since the day they moved in. 

I will show you both of their new homes inside, 

once they finish decorating. 

Now all of my children are homeowners! 

They have worked hard, saved and sacrificed

to own their own homes. 

I am very blessed that they all live 

close by. I know how difficult it is to have 

loved ones far away. 

I can't imagine having them away at war,

like so many parent's experience. 

I am so humbly grateful to our men and women

in uniform, past and present. 

Without them, we would not have the privilege

of owning our own homes, perhaps.

We would not have the freedoms

that we take, so often, for granted. 

Just thinking about that word, 'Freedom', 

and how many privileges we have 

because of their sacrifice,

makes me feel very humbled and grateful. 

xo

Baby Ethan, newly born

Tomorrow we are going to visit my 

new little dumpling grandson - baby Ethan. 

I get to hold and snuggle him 

the whole afternoon! 

'Home' themed paintings on mantel. 

Here on the home front, I am still working on

redecorating my sewing room, but I 

am almost done. 

Just one more sewing project to finish

then I will share. 

I also need to find time to do some potting

for my deck. Hopefully, later this week. 

It has been cool and overcast for two weeks,

but I can't complain. 

So many are suffering from disasters right now. 

Our thoughts and prayers are with them. 

xo

Oh, and remember that I thought the Grosbeak's 

hadn't returned when I stopped feeding the birds? 

Well, I was wrong, and here is proof! 

I kept hearing this amazingly beautiful 

bird song in the trees around the back of the house

and being half blind, of course I couldn't see who 

was singing! 

I put out the binoculars and my camera

for the next time I heard the singing, 

and this is what I captured.

I was so happy to see that it was the Grosbeak. 

This variety is called, 'Black-Headed Grosbeak', 

which is such a plain and simple name. 

He should be called, Pavarotti Grosbeak

for his beautiful voice! 

These colorful birds have consistently nested

here over the years, but I have never

been able to link the song with the bird. 

I love when that happens :)  

Salmon Berry bush - food for the Grosbeaks

Here is wishing you beautiful bird song, Dear Friends, 

to brighten your day! 

Thank you for your sweet visit! 

xoxo

Flower Jars, Painted Pots, and Roses, Roses, Roses

We have had very cool and damp

weather lately, so I have been inside

more than I like. 

To brighten things up, I have created

some sweet Flower Jars

from things I had on hand. 

I saw this idea in the latest issue of 'Romantic Homes'

magazine. 

I copied and cut some vintage labels from a 

Dover Publications book. 

I have several of these books - all copyright free! 

Simply layer over a small round paper doily

and tie in place with garden twine. 

The middle jar is a balsamic vinegar jar :) 

The flowers came from my potted Narcissus

on the deck. I planted these last Autumn. 

They are wonderfully fragrant. 

We had some strong rain which toppled some of 

the blooms, so I brought them inside

and made the Flower Jars to display them. 

My salad garden in the tubs is starting to sprout :) 

Just one of these little beauties can scent 

a whole room! 

I ordered these from 

www.vanengelen.com 

This is a company that sells Dutch flower bulbs. 

I have been very pleased with everything I have ordered. 

The catalog is filled with the most wonderful varieties, 

some very rare, with excellent descriptions

and growing requirements. 

It is illustrated with beautiful pen and ink

illustrations. 

These were 'The Fragrant Narcissus Mixture'. 

I wasn't sure what I was going to get, but 

it has been a lovely surprise to see all of the different 

varieties that bloomed over several weeks. 

I planted most of them in the front garden, 

and they filled the air with their beautiful fragrance. 

I ordered 100 of them and had some leftover for the pots

which I planted 3 weeks later. 

I also ordered Camassia bulbs, which you can see are in

full bloom now. These were planted alongside the Narcissus, 

which are done blooming. 

This Camassia is a pale, lavender blue. 

They are almost fully opened here. 

You can see the dried flower heads of the Narcissus

which I need to trim :) 

Camassia comes in many shades of blue and white

and I will plant more of these beauties this Autumn. 

They are tall and require moist conditions. 

Their native habitat is damp mountain meadows. 

I painted some clay pots

to give away as gifts on Mother's Day. 

I used exterior latex, inside and out. 

Do you like my new, tiny potting bench? 

It is the perfect size for my deck

where I do all of my potting. 

No more messing up my deck table! 

I planted Begonia in lovely coral shades. 

I added pale green and white, Creeping Charlie

to spill over the edges, but forgot to take a photo. 

This tiny garden spider takes a drink from 

a water droplet. 

In other gardening news, my roses are blooming! 

This Rugosa Rose has a very strong and lovely fragrance. 

Every time she blooms, we must visit her daily to 

experience her classic rose scent. 

She and her sisters grow in the bramble hedge 

between the back lawn and the house. 

Here I grow highly fragrant Sweet Box, Viburnum, 

(which are done blooming), with tall 

'Fireweed', also known as Rose Bay Willow Herb. 

These have lovely purple blooms in mid-summer. 

Foxglove (just seeded), Forget Me Not, Buttercup, Purple Vetch, 

Birds Foot Trefoil, and Yellow Archangel, 

bloom at their feet. 

I also have a wire trained Evergreen Blackberry

along one side, too! I get delicious berries every fall. 

You can see the sloping land. We have very few level places

as we are on the South side of a little mountain. 

The house sits behind an old cedar grove in front
 and is half hidden from view.
We did not log our land and prefer

living in the native woodlands. 

We use ground cover and mowing to keep things 'civilized'. 

A Big Leaf Maple provides welcome shade in summer, 

as this is the 'hot' side of the house. 

Directly below the deck I have herbs in whiskey barrels. 

Here Chive blooms. 

The Archangel needs frequent trimming, 

but it looks lovely growing around the barrels

and keeps the ground weed free. 

A 20 foot strip of lawn separates the bramble hedge

from the deck, although it looks like 

it is growing right against it! 

Some succulents are enjoying the sunshine along the deck rail. 

This is the view of the roses from the deck. 

You can see the Snowball hedge in the background. 

The first roses along the arbor are blooming, too! 

'Joseph's Coat' with her multi-colored blossoms

and delicate, citrus scent. 

This is a very special rose. A white, scented Rugosa. 

This garden is my Mother and Father's Commemorative

Garden and this rose was planted in honor of them. 

I planted it for my Mother, originally,

but it bloomed for the very first time

on the day my Father died. 

Now, this year, it has bloomed for the very first time

on the day my first Grandchild was born. 

A message from the Angels ? 

Thank you, Dear Friends for your sweet visits

and

Thank you for your lovely congratulations

on our new little Grandson. 

I will share his name here - Ethan Gabriel. 

Do you think the Angels approve? :) 

xoxo

I have more exciting news - my daughter bought 

her very own tiny dream cottage! 

(Under 800 sq. ft.)

Here she is on a recent visit. 

You can see how happy Weenie Baby is

to be with her! 

This means that my two little house-guests, 

Weenie Baby and Peanut (gnawing on a treat), 

will be joining her soon in their very own home! 

First there is the painting to be done inside, 

(I am helping her in the evenings), 

and then the moving - this weekend. 

Once the floors are re-done and the back fence

deemed secure at their new home, 

my two little pup-guests will be leaving :( 

I will then be looking for a companion for Whitey Bear, 

since losing Champ in January. 

Although nothing much happens around here

most of the time,

when it does, 

it all seems to be at once! 

So bear with me, Dear Friends. 

I will need to catch up on visiting you

as soon as I can. 

In the meantime, here is something 

I will strive to do....

"The greatest gift you can give another

is the purity of your attention."

-Richard Moss-

xoxo 

I receive no compensation from any product or
company that is mentioned in my blog.
My blog is strictly a labor of love. <3
xo
Linking with:
Rooted in Thyme - Simple and Sweet Fridays