Front Porch Party

Good morning

It is a beautiful day here. The kind of day that I'd like to just sit on the porch and read a book all day. When I showed you photos of my front porch a couple of days ago Beverly suggested I have a front porch party. This is a darling porch isn't it? Not mine.So I am going to use Beverly's idea and host my First Annual Front Porch Party, next Thursday June 5.

All you have to do is leave a comment on any post between now and then. Then on June 5, post photos of your front porch and my post that day will include links to all your blogs so we can all visit eachother. If you don't have front porch, feel free to show us your "dream" porch!

I have posted a picture on the side which you can use to tell others about it. Hope lots of you will join in on the fun and tell all your friends.

By the way did you know that today is Hug Your Cat Day?

Have a great weekend.
Rhondi xo

Thankful Thursday

I have the most wonderful sister. She is my best friend. We laugh at the same things and cry over the same things. She is always there for me. There aren't many days that go by without us having a good long chat on the phone. There is only one thing wrong with her . She lives too far away! She is the best sister in the world and today I am thankful for her. I love you sis.

What are you thankful for today?

Rhondi xo

Neighborhood Cat Next New HGTV Design Star?

On the weekend my hubby swept all the cobwebs away so I decided to rearrange the front porch a little bit. As soon as I began, Norman, our next door neighbor's cat came sauntering over ready to give me a few ideas. You may have to click and enlarge this photo to see him. So what do you think Norman? What can I do just to change things a but? You want to take a look at it from another angle? Okay, you're the designer!
Lying down seems to be his favorite position when he is doing design work. Come to think of it lying down is his favorite position for just about everything!
So what do you think of it this way? Wicker tray and vase on table, birdcage on ground beside rocker.
I'll take the tray off , add a nice big pitcher and move the wire planter to the front. What do you think Norman?
All this hard work gives a cat a thirst. Norman takes some time out to have a drink from our pond. I moved the wire planter to the back. Better?.
I love the way the sun shines on the porch this time of day.
The way it makes shadows on the porch floor.
I'm thirsty too. Want to join me for some tea? Maybe the rooster should be on the table. What do you think Norman?
I think it looks nice with the rooster.

Norman thinks the rooster is too fragile to be outside. It could break too easily. He's probably right. So back to these flowers in the wicker vase insread?
Mmmm.... that ice cold tea hits the spot on a hot day.
I poured a glass for you too.
Maybe the birdacge would look good on the table and the flowers on the ground.
Birdcage on table?
Or flowers on table?
Which one looks best Norman? What do you mean this isn't enough of a decorating challenge for you?
You say it's boring and you'd rather just have a nap. Oh well, suit yourself.
Norman can be seen on the upcoming HGTV series Design Star 2008. Hope he wins!

Rhondi xo

I've Been Tagged

DId you have a good weekend? I hope so.


Heidi Ann at Foxgloves Fabric and Folly tagged me, so I thought I'd play along. I have to answer these questions:



What was I doing 10 years ago?

I was living in a suburb of Philadelphia and had just finished doing a masters degree in psychotherapy/counselling. I never ended up using it, but it was a great experience to go back to school as an adult.


5 things on my to do list today:
laundry
go to post office to check cost of mailing items you bought from my flea market on Friday
hand sew binding on a quilt
work on machine quilting another quilt
paint another coat of white on the old secretary desk white.



3 snacks I enjoy:
Tostidos and salsa
Trader Joe's baked pita chips
cereal


4 things I would do if I were a millionaire:
Pay off ours and our children's mortgages.
Give a big amount to our church building fund.
Set up a foundation to give money away to worthy causes.
Go on a cruise in the Mediterranean.


5 places I've lived:
Toronto, Ontario
Tottenham, Ontario
Philadelphia PA
Charlotte NC


Now I am supposed to choose 6 people to tag to play along. I am going to go across the ocean and tag just 4 of my friends.

Louise in England
Nicky in Belgium
Heidi in The Netherlands
Elizabeth in France.


Hope you have a happy day.
Rhondi xo

Memorial Day

FREEDOM IS NOT FREE
I watched the flag pass by one day,

It fluttered in the breeze;

A young Marine saluted it,

And then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform,

So young, so tall, so proud;

With hair cut square and eyes alert,

He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought... how many men like him

Had fallen through the years?

How many died on foreign soil?

How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down

How many died at sea

How many foxholes were soldiers' graves

No, Freedom is not Free.

I heard the sound of Taps one night,

When everything was still;

I listened to the bugler play,

And felt a sudden chill;
I wondered just how many times

That Taps had meant "Amen"

When a flag had draped a coffin

Of a brother or a friend;
I thought of all the children,

Of the mothers and the wives,

Of fathers, sons and husbands.

With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard

At the bottom of the sea,

Of unmarked graves in Arlington.

No. Freedom is not Free!
©Copyright 1981 by Kelly Strong

To all those who have served this country or to those who have a loved one who has served.....THANK YOU

Rhondi xo

Friday Flea Market

Did this week go fast for you? It sure did for me! I have been trying to clean out some closets and clear out some of my "stuff". So I thought I'd have a flea market today. I am not sure how much the shipping will be but I figure it should be under $10.

So if you are interested in buying anything, just tell me what you want in the comments. First one who says they want it gets it. US only please. Click on any picture to enlarge.


Hearts made of old quilts in slate blue distressed wood frame. Hearts are faded dusty rose color and blue. Picture is 9 1/2 " x 9 1/2". $10 plus shipping. Serenity prayer scherenschnitte (paper cut out). Really nice wood frame. 7 1/2" x 9 1/2 ". $8 plus shipping. SOLD
Cross stitch pineapple in wood frame, no glass. 13" x13". $10 plus shipping.

Home Sweet Home cross stitch. Looks like it was probably done in 1980's. Plastic frame.

12" x15". $10 plus shipping. SOLD
Very old "mother" poem print in gold frame. 6" x 8". Inscription on back says

" From Millie to Mother Dear May 1932" $10 plus shipping. SOLD

Aother pineapple cross stitch , professionally framed with matte in nice wood frame. 8" x 9 1/2" $10 plus shipping. SOLD
Hope you have a happy day.


Rhondi xo

Thankful Thursday

Good morning dear friends
Today I am thankful for our precious granddaughter Ella Grace who is 4 years old today. She is the most wonderful little girl in the world and full of life as you can see by the picture of her climbing on the playground equipment. I am so thankful for her today. Happy Birthday sweetheart!What are you thankful for today?
Rhondi xo

Mary Mary Quite Contrary

Mary Mary quite contrary

How does your garden grow

With silver bells and cockle shells

And little maids all in a row

I bought this "little maid" at Old Time Pottery. I couldn't resist the blue and white polka dots! She is standing in front of the hydrangea bush which is just starting to bloom. Wait until you see the bush in full bloom. It is gorgeous!

Thanks for all the responses to my little shoe survey. According to the survey 91% of us are way below average. I'll wager that if I did poll of how many different things you collect, how many items in your largest collection, how many tea pots you have etc that we would all be well above average!

If you like bargain shopping you must pay a visit to Jamie at Centsiblemommy. She has a printable coupon for 15% off payless shoes right now and lots of other good stuff. She is a new blogger , so I'm sure she'd love you to stop by. Tell her I sent you!

Remember I told you that the little house finches had made a nest in the hanging fern again? Well this morning I looked out and there was a snake in the nest! I poked at him with a stick and he fell down and slithered away, but I don't think the little birdies survived. I just couldn't bear to look in the nest. I feel just terrible about it. Makes me want to forgo putting ferns there next year to avoid it happening again.

I am off to a fun morning at Wing Haven and then visiting one of the volunteers gardens so I'll probably have some pictures for you later.

Talk to you later
Rhondi xo

Shoes

I read something yesterday that said the average woman has 60 pairs of shoes. That seemed like a huge number to me. So I went to my closet to see how many I have and counted 20. That includes 3 pair of sandals and a pair of baby blue Anne Klein shoes I just got at a garage sale a few weeks ago for a total of $10 (2 were brand new). So before that I only had 16.

None of my shoes look like this. They don't look like this either, but I thought it was a fun colorful picture. These are someone's favorite shoes I found on flicker.

So I have 2 questions for you today Are you above average or below average? and if you'd like to tell us, How many pair of shoes do you have? I'd love to have your comment and your answer in the poll at the right.

Enjoy your day.
Rhondi xo

Bringing the Outdoors Inside

The garden is looking beautiful right now and I decided to bring some of the beauty inside. So I took my scissors and snipped a few blossoms. Isn't this rose amazing? I'm not sure of the name. It may be Queen Elizabeth. I don't recall it having this beautiful coloring last year.

Isn't the coloring in the petals spectacular?
I put it in a blue glass vase in the living room.
The peonies look perfect in this blue & white vase on the living room mantle.

A little vase of mini roses sits here.
Some red knockout roses are nestled in a dotty chicken on the bookshelves in our tv room. I got the chicken for 50 cents the other week at a yard sale.
Some lavender and purple columbine and irises for the guest bath.

Some "love in a mist" for my bedside table. I love the laciness of this flower. If you have one , next year you'll have 100. It seeds like crazy!
And some pink knockout roses for the kitchen.
It gives me pleasure to see the garden blooming inside as well as outside!

We have a beautiful day here. The sun is shining, there is a bit of a breeze and the temperature is perfect. It's one of those days when I just have to have the windows wide open and the fresh air flowing through the house. It won't be long before we will be all shut up with the AC going non-stop so I am enjoying it.

Hope the sun is shining where you are.

Rhondi xo

Thankful Thursday

I am glad that I decided to do the Thankful Thursday posts because it reminds me to be grateful for many of the things in my life that I take for granted. Today I am thankful for encouraging words. Each morning I find encouragement from God's word. This morning I read in Isaiah 48:17 "I am the Lord your God who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go."

I am thankful for encouraging words from family and friends. Yesterday I was talking to my cousin and she was encouraging me in my creative abilities.

I am thankful for all the kind words you leave in your comments.

I wonder who I can encourage today with my words.

What are you thankful for today?

Rhondi xo

Happy Birthday to You

Today my baby is 26 years old. After having 3 sons, the Lord blessed us with a daughter. She has been a delight to us her entire life and now she has grown up to be a young woman that we admire and respect. But she'll always be our little girl. Here she is in Texas with 2 of our grandchildren.
Happy Birthday Barb. We love you.

For The Birds

We have a couple of birdfeeders in out yard and I love to watch the birds. So come outside with me and let's see who is at the feeder right now. We can sit out on the deck. There is a good view from there. Feel welcome to use the binoculars. I got out our bird book just in case we see any new birds I don't recognize.
Our neighbor's cat has stopped by. He likes to watch the birds too. He's welcome as long as all he does is watch!
This is the time of day that the birds are usually busy at the feeder , but every time I tried to get close they flew away, so here are some pictures of the birds in our backyard compliments of Google images!

cardinals
house finch
chickadee

downy wooodpecker
red bellied woodpecker
carolina wren

goldfinches

towhee
So many of you have left comments and I feel badly that I've been so slow in responding back, but please know that I really appreciate it when you take the time to comment and I plan to visit each and every one of you as soon as I can.

Hope you have had a good day today.

Rhondi xo