An End of Another Year.

 

Here we are again, taking on a new year. What it brings is always a question that holds us in suspense.  But what I am hoping is another year with the best man God could have given me.
A man who has changes so much and helped me to change in ways that I cannot explain.

More peace has come our way in 2013, and excepted what we cannot change and change what
we could. Our love for our family has grown with every visit and call we've made.  It also helps
to get older and realize what is important. 

May God Bless you and yours.
Carol

A Family Blessed

I don't know why I was so blessed to have a great family.  I wish everyone could have experienced the love and acceptance we felt.  The six brothers and my sister didn't have everything we wanted but now we know that wasn't important. Dad and Mom's influence in value and love was enough for us. 

As I spend time with each family member I realize I couldn't have dreamed this or written it in a fiction novel.  Don't get me wrong, we are different in many ways, but what mom and dad gave us was the ability to accept the difference and look deep into each souls. It was the best gift ever, something money could never buy.

This picture is the last group photo before my brother died many years later. Roger is the

brother in the light blue suit.  We miss him so much. But he is with mom & dad and we know

that makes his loving family happy.

God Bless those who travel through my little blog.
Carol

Happy Birthday America!

As the rain falls and the world around me is quiet, it gives me time to think about the real meaning of the 4th of July. 

I enjoy the freedoms as our for fathers planned.  As always the nation is in flux, that was part of the plan. Ideas come and ideas go with little fanfare.  However, the great ideas grow and expand with great anticipation.  We are a nation of many cultures making everything possible. 

With respect to all, and a giving heart, America is still wonderful. This was all made possible for those who have fallen, injured and those who come home with the fight in their mind and heart.  To those we give thanks.  With the right to speak what we believe and to respect those we don't agree with is what our nation is built on.  I remember my parents say..."We agree to disagree"  this is a great way to accept those with different opinions.  It's ok to disagree. 

Again this is what our nation was built on.  Keep your hearts open and mind active at all times.  You are part of our nation, you are part of the success. 

God bless you if you visit my little world.
Carol

Who's idea was this?

When looking at blueprints there is always an area you feel unsure about.  Often we look over it, but when the house is built it sticks out.  When we walked out the front door, this area gave us a chill. 

February 2013

Why didn't the just extend the deck, or maybe just build it up with soil.  Oh well, it was ours now.  They had planted a bush, however it never grew.  We took out that bush and the ones in front of it. 

What we decided to do is put in levels with plants that didn't need much attention. 

This is what we started with  it looked better without the bush and debris. 




June 2013

This is what we decided to do. The retaining wall material was taken from all parts of our yard.  Didn't like the color but was usable for this wall.

We planted mongo in the back row. These need very little work and stay green all year round.  Annuals in the front two rows.  We will plant pansies and other winter plants to continue color all year round.

This was truely a problem area and we made it beautiful.  This is what keeps you going.  Turning something into something special. 

I hoped you enjoyed the story
God Bless those who travel through my little blog.
Carol

Don't fence me in...forget that.

This is house looked a month ago.  We finished the fencing and moved on to flowers.  However, as you can see that's a picture for the next post.  Nature makes changes so fast that it's hard to keep up with the change.

You've heard people say that they can sit on the porch and watching the grass grow. That's how fast plants grow  with love and fertilizer.  We are in love with every day and every change.  Nature is wonderful and I thank God for giving me the life I live and the talents to make our world so colorful. Tomorrow I will show you a challenge we pondered over for a long time. 

God Bless those who follow my little blog. 
Carol

Late May

The Bushes must go..

When I heard the words...the bushes must go, I really had to swollow deep. Even though the bushes were overgrown, they were alive and green.  But John has always known what he is doing, so I smile and said do it.

Two years ago we added a dog wood tree and a small retaining wall on the street with azalia bushes and roses.  It was time to remove the bushes along the garage and porch. 

When done I was surprised how beautiful the crape myrtle tree looked. It had been cut back, for a it's health.  Now it was a huge assest to the house.  This was going to be fun, yet a lot of work.  This was how the house looked early winter.

Spring 2013

Where we started.

I will doing a little photo trilligy.  We started working on the front yard this year. I mentioned it in my previous post. 

When we bought the house in 2009 we saw it as a work in progress. As John said, "it has potental".  And you know what, he was right I could see it too. John has been designing yards for all sorts of homes but in the foothills of South Carolina hid a new challange. What a hill.  I kinda thought of the bates hotel. giggle, not really.

So here is the original look of the house.  We started working on the back right a way, but realized that working in a neighbor hood had it's problems.  We had to work fast and continuous so that everyone looking at our yard would not get tired of the look under construction.  We loved what we had done in the back and learned so much about the environment we moved into.  Will talk more about that as we go on. 

November of 2009

You know you've been gone too long...when

Asian Tiger Lily

I supposedly changed my password, and don't remember doing it.  That really proves my lack of attention to my blog. The truth is my life has seen change.   To most it's just life, to me it's blessings.

I started last year in August with Home Depot.  Since than I have settled in and felt comfortable with my choices.  I was not being misused or abused, by saying yes all the time.  I think I have finally grown up.  I love working and the people and events that happen with a job are less stressful than in the past.  Love it. 

I started to do more SEO on my Etsy site. Finding it enjoyable and time consuming.  However, the work has payed off and more sales have come my way. Meeting great creative people as I travel through the other stores in this virtual shopping center. 

Of course our work on our yard has been huge.  We moved to the front yard and have pictures to show.  I am still blessed with healthy family and friends.  For today, I am showing a picture I took in the new garden. I hope you enjoy the beauty that God gives us in little things.

Missed my blog journal a lot, it's good to be back.
Carol 

Spring into spring

As we start our spring thing, many in the country are continuing winter.  May 2nd and there is still snow in many areas.  It's hard for us that have moved to the South to get used to flowers in March and the fact that pansy's grow all winter and die back in the summer.  We remember snow late and spring even later.  But for those in the North, this is just depressing.  Spring come soon to my friends and family in Minnesota. 

 

Sincerely

 Carol

We Hear Angels.

Today we need to pray for Boston,

God Bless those who need His help.

Lent, I made it creative.

I have to say that Lent this year has been more challenging than ever before.  I realized a week into Lent that my so called "outline" for my lent story was a little amiss.  Remember my saying that the soul was not just a glow resting in our bodies like the heart, it is everywhere in our body. Just as the heart pumps the blood our soul pumps hope.  When I  spent more time thinking of this, I felt I needed to add to my Lent challenge feeding my soul, and hopefully fighting my mind.

So, I took a breath asking the soul what it needs?   It's reply was to feed it well. I remember a story about an Indian Chief talking to a young boy, he told the boy that he had two wolves in his body, one evil and one good. The boy ask which one is stronger, the Chief said looked at the boy "the one I feed"  I know the story is maybe not told as it was written but I know you get it. 

Back to my plan.  Then I will feed the good in me and not the bad.  I decided to say thank you for two things that made each day good.  That may seem easy, however, I can never repeat the blessing. I started to see things different when stepping outside my usual thought pattern.  One day it was someone saying something wonderful that they may not have noticed.  It was a talk with my sister-in-law, about family.  They will never know what they did for me.  However, I realized that it happens more than two times a day.  And my soul has something to fight my mind with. I am blessed.

I will write soon again. Working hard to be a better person.

God Bless those who love one another.
Carol

Give the devil an inch...

Give the devil an inch and he will make a ruler.  Just saying.

Easter Cards

Having a great creative buzz.  This is amazing what happens when you decide life is good.
God Bless all my friends and loving family.
Carol

Good Morning Me.

Today is another day, to make the changes I talked about in the last post.  I must admit that it really started Lent.  As a Catholic Lent to me is an adventure.  When I was small I gave up candy or eating between meals. 

Now it's more than just giving up.  I read an article about giving up in the name of someone you love, maybe someone that is hurting or passed away. I liked that.  Than I read further and it said that it's three fold.  For the soul, the heart and the mind.  Oh my.  That's what I  am going to explain in the next posts through the week. 

But to set it up, did you know our soul is not some kind of element in our chest like our heart?  It is in every segment of our body.  From our nose to our toes.  That the soul doesn't need the body, but the body needs the soul.  This is way too cool.  I realized that the soul controls the mind and guess what, the mind is not all powerful.  I can work with this. 

This journey is mine and not to teach anyone anything.  I use my blog as my journal. It's all about me...giggle.  I hope that me writing helps me to obtain a road to my first destination. 

Again God bless those who follow my little blog.
Carol

As I change, my designs change.

Many of you have noticed and questioned my lack of posting in the last few months.

Well, I have struggled  trying to find my path.  Have you ever looked at a road map

and questioned how you were to get at your location. The truth is you have a destination.  My question for me was, what's my destination. 

 

I don't think I will have one destination, I believe my destinations will change and get more interesting, but I must start from here. I find designing to be this way, I often don't feel like I have a creative bone in my body.  However, when I go into the studio, pick up any piece of paper, and let the creative juices take over, I come up with things new and exciting. 

 

So I am taking my life in a simple direction and see where it leads.  I am excited and a little nervous.  It won't be noticeable to others, but will come from my soul, not the mind that often leads me to places a little dark.  I hope you all wish me well. I will continue to post in hopes that someday I can read back on my journey and know, I was the one who took the first step.

 

God Bless those who follow me and my little blog. 

Carol

Happy Valentine's Day

To all my virtual friends. You are appreciated. Valentine's Day is not just for couples anymore.

This one is for you Minnesota.

I will get right to it. Freezing rain and I had to use a scrapper for the first time in three years.  What was going on here in South Carolina.  Smile on family. Spring will be welcome with open arms.

Bottom of the front window.

God Bless all those travel through my little blog.
Carol

Picture day....

I decided to try something else and think it's a little too cute.  What do you think? Hummm

God Bless all who travel through my little site.
Carol

Sadness is it bad?

I don't believe a journey is always where you go, what we say, and do.  I think it's also how we feel and what we do with it.

Whether we are happy, sad, depressed or angry we must choose how to proceed forward.  I haven't spent much with anger, and feel blessed for this.

Depression has darkened a very small amount of time in my 60 years.  It's ability to eat away at rational thought is truly frightening. But I'm not here today to talk about something so serious and often all consuming for those in the depth of depression.

Sadness on the other hand is like the Grinch that sold Christmas.  Instead of growing his heart three times it's size, with love, my heart feels as thought it weight is three times heavier.

Is feeling sadness bad?  I don't believe it is. We are on a journey of good and evil.  We need to feel and know that things around us are not right.  That a wrong took place. It's not denial, it reality and that draws on our feeling. Just like our good times, we must grab it and own it. 

When I accepted sadness, I could see others that were sad. It gave me the ability to reach out.  To let them know they are not alone.  I have reached out and in return been reached.  Not with words but often with a true warm smile, and knowing I'm not alone.  There is peace in knowing that.

How wonderful it is to see it as just another step in my journey through this life.  To what I hope is more understanding, to see other's pain, warming just a small part of their day as they do mine.

To all that visit my little blog, step out, smile when you are sad and all around you will win.  Maybe you will warm someones day. 

God Bless
Carol