Just Plastic. But...

Saturday I went to a couple of garage sales and I got this planter for 25 cents! It was an ugly faded green but some spray paint soon transformed it. At the same sale I found this planter, also only 25 cents. I had planters like these before but when the tree fell it smashed them both. The insurance company allowed $50 to replace them. The original blue one was actually pottery but I'd say that $50 worth of planters for 50 cents was a good deal!

I also found this sweet bunch of flowers for $1. They look quite real.

Even up close... All my bargains were just plastic, but.....I think they look pretty good! Have you found any bargains lately?

Rhondi xo

Sunshine Makes Me Happy

As I began to tidy up my sewing room today, I noticed the sun making patterns on the wall, so I just had to get out my camera and capture it for you. My old wicker desk was black for awhile but now it is back to its familiar crisp clean white which I love.


The rays of the sun are lighting up the lampshade... shining on the faces of my daffodils...

illuminating the titles on the books...

making delightful shadows on the wall... and more shadows... creating beautiful artwork on the desktop.... making the back of the chair glow... I just love how the sun does that. This one little corner of my studio is usually tidy because I don't use the desk too much, but I better get back to cleaning the rest of the room which looks like a tornado has hit it! When my studio is in order I always feel more creative. So off I go to clean.

Rhondi xo

Thankful Thursday

Yesterday I picked some hydrangeas and got out my Dainty Blue tea set...ironed and starched some fancy napkins...
put a pretty lace cloth on the table...
and had lunch with two friends.
They came at 12:00 and the next thing we knew it was 5:35! What a blessing friends are!
Today I am thankful for these two friends and I am also thankful for all of you who were so sweet and shared a cup of virtual tea with me when I was feeling sad that the grandchildren were gone.
What are you thankful for today?
Rhondi xo

What are you thankful for today?

Feeling Blue

I'm feeling blue...

We had a wonderful impromptu visit from our kids in Texas . They called us Saturday morning and said that they were in the car going to visit the other grandparents and were going to swing by and visit us on the way, but could only stay 2 days. That was the best news I could ever hear! We have been missing them so much! We packed as much fun as we could into the short time they were here. Our grandchildren are growing too fast and they are so cute.

So our house was filled with laughter and giggles and hugs, making tents, catching bugs, and spilled milk. There were toys strewn from one end of the house to the other, shoes by the front door, artwork taped to the walls, and sleeping bags all over the place.

Now they have gone. The house is clean. The laundry is done. It's so quiet.

I was wondering if you had time to stay for awhile and chat with me? I've made a pot of tea and I have some brownies and strawberries. A visit with you would sure help to chase away the blues.
Rhondi xo

Cloche Party

Marty is having a Cloche Party today. Until I started blogging, I always thought a cloche was something you put over tender plants to protect and give them a head start growing. I've since discovered there are many uses for a cloche. So here is my contribution to the party.
A blue and white teapot filled with lily of the valley at my bedside. Some sparkles in the bathroom.



And you've heard of pheasant under glass, well this is teddy bears under glass.
I haven't had these cloches too long. Can't wait to see what fun things I can use them for at Christmas. Click here and it will take you to Marty's party.
Rhondi xo

** I don't think these are cloches. A cloche should have a little knob on the top but I wanted to join the party !!

Thankful Thursday

We have had so much rain this year! It has caused the weeds to look like they are on hormones and it has produced more mosquitoes than usual and we already get lots of them here in North Carolina! But I am thankful for the rain because we have been in drought conditions here for a long time.

The rain has made everything so green and brought the water tables back up to normal levels. We can water our grass again although we haven't needed to! Rain is a wonderful thing that we take for granted until we don't have it.

So today I am thankful for the rain.
What are you thankful for today?

Rhondi xo

If you are doing a thankful Thursday post, please copy my daisy button and sign in below. Make sure you link to the thankful post not your general blog address.

Ah....Southern Living

One of the things I love about living in the south is all the beautiful trees and shrubs that I could not grow when I lived in Canada. The magnolia is one of them. To me, magnolias are synonymous with the south
We are lucky enough to have a magnolia tree growing at the side of our house. The previous owner espaliered it(trained it to grow close to the wall) to the brick wall outside our kitchen. It is in need of pruning but I'm waiting awhile to enjoy some more of the blooms before I cut it back.



The petals are so soft and delicate and I love how they catch the parts of the center as they fall off.
If you click on this picture you can see the drops of dew . It's amazing.
Just a little offering of beauty from my home in the south.
Look around I'm sure there is something beautiful right outside your door, or not too far away.
Rhondi xo

Out For A Sunday Drive

Beth at Olde Tyme Marketplace mentioned on her blog that she was having a weekend celebration for the second anniversary of her shop Olde Tyme Marketplace. It is in the little town of Marshville which is about 30 miles from my house. So I decided to take a Sunday drive out there to visit her. What a delightful shop! It was an old country store and lunch room years ago and still has the lunch counter there. Actually the movie The Color Purple was filmed on the main street of Marshville and the inside of the store was where all the scenes of the restaurant/lunch counter were filmed.

What a delightful shop! Isn't this furniture great?

Here I am with Beth. She is a real sweetheart and I felt like I'd known her all my life.

It has a huge porch the whole length of the store brimming with plants and lots of interesting pieces.

Beth had everything arranged beautifully and everywhere I looked there was something I wanted!

These old quilts tempted me and the vintage apron is very cute.

But it was something in this picture that caught my eye.

I had to rescue this rooster from his cage, although he does look cute in there. These little birds in a basket were a lamp base. When I got home I couldn't decide whether to put the rooster outside on the porch..Or on top of the china cabinet in the dining room. What do you think?Just down the street from Olde Tyme Marketplace was my dream house, a bit of a fixer upper with a huge wrap around porch, only $144,000. It's too far away. Oh but what fun it would be to fix it up! It was wonderful to meet another blogger and to visit her great shop. If you are ever in the area make sure you visit Old Tyme Marketplace in Marshville. You'll be glad you did!

Thank you so much for all of you who took the time to respond to my last post. It was so great to find out where you're from and to meet some new friends. That's what I love about blogging: all of you. You are what makes it so worthwhile!

Rhondi xo