Hanger Crafting

This was my first attempt at something I've been wanting to try for a long time. I painted two wooden hangers in a colonial blue, and then glued floral images on each. One is pansies (which doesn't show up in the photo very well), and on that one I stamped the word 'pansy' on each end of the front. On the back I stamped 'thoughts', because that is what pansies stand for. On the other is ivy, with the word 'ivy' stamped on each end of the front and on the back I stamped 'friendship', because that is what the ivy symbolizes. I sprayed a finish sealer on them and tied with bows. I made these for a friend in a 'made it myself' swap in a group I'm in. I hope she will like my first try with things I had on hand.

Victoria Returns!

As announced on Sandra's blog, Ravenhill Cottage, a while back...Victoria magazine is being published again! I'm so excited! Yesterday in the mail, I received an invitation for a free issue with the option to subscribe to a full year if delighted with it. I think I already know I'm going to love it! I have a few past issues, thanks to finding some at a treasure shop and also receiving some from thoughtful friends. I hope to slowly continue adding to these out-of-print issues, and plan to never part with any of the news ones! These magazines are truly beautiful from cover to cover! Is there anyone else as excited as I am?

Cloud Art

Yesterday afternoon, while my husband and I were sitting out on the patio, the sky was full of some interesting clouds! The top two photos show a cloud that looked like a big heart. I've shown two views, the view seen as it was, and one rotated. The other photos are of some that looked like cotton balls. I didn't realize I caught a bird flying in one of the pictures until I looked at it on the computer. There were so many other beautiful shapes of clouds to be seen, but I only took these.

Thank you!

Thank you to all of you dears for your kind words about my blog makeover! I'm so glad you like it and hope you will come by to visit often!
Blessings!
Janice

Winds of change

Hi friends,

I have learned so much about myself over the past year. Some of it good, some of it a little uncomfortable.

I have tried for the past year to run a small home business. While I enjoyed some aspects of it, it really never did feel quite right. After several weeks of soul-searching, I have come to the conclusion that I am not a woman of business! My heart has always been and always will be in caregiving. I took care of my parents for years, I have a job as a caregiver for a wonderful elderly gentleman, and I dearly love doing daycare for my grandchildren.

With all of that said, I have closed my 'Lilac Moon Cottage' business and feel so much relief! I will always have fun selling odds and ends on ebay and/or selling crafts on etsy, but I will enjoy it so much more having the light-hearted feeling that it is a hobby, not a business!

My other blog, which I was previously sharing photos and information about my home business and things for sale, has now turned into 'Sunshine Hill', where I will be sharing things I do with the children in my life. It is named that because they bring so much sunshine into my life! :o)

Thank you for "listening" to me share some things on my mind and heart. It feels good to know I am doing what God wants me to do, rather than struggling along with something that doesn't quite fit.

Blessings and Love!
Janice

Wildflower Cabin

Dear Friends,
I've had an extreme makeover! Dawn, at Barefoot Blogs has created this new design for my blog. When I told her I loved secret gardens, she right away found this image and asked if I would like it. Of course I did, and at that time I still had the page title of 'A Garden of my Thoughts', so it all fell into place. I love it! Thank you so much, Dawn! So I hope you will all come for a visit. Wildflower Cabin is up the brick path and just beyond the gate. I'll put the tea kettle on!
Blessings,
Janice

Summer Celebrations!

Happy First Day of Summer! Here are some pictures to celebrate the first day.

Last evening we looked out our upstairs bedroom window and there was a little fuzzy-horned black tail buck grazing along the driveway. There are two other deer that hang out with him, one is a smaller buck and one is a doe. Thankfully he stayed put around while I ran downstairs and grabbed the camera.

My purple clematis is blooming it's heart out this year. I'm so happy to have found a spot it likes to grow in (I had moved it twice over the last few years). Next is one of my red rose bushes that my mom had given me. She wanted me to take her rose bushes and I have ended up with three regular bushes and one climbing one. Last is a pink snapdragon.

Enjoy the longest day of the year! Blessings!

More Shopping!

I really have to pace myself with online shopping. It's way to easy and way too much fun! (giggle). Here are some more recent purchases. The top photos are of a red metal cookbook stand with little weights hanging on the end of chains to hold the pages open. One of my favorite cookbooks is on display (the cookbook is not new, I have had it for a couple of years). It is a Beatrix Potter Country Cooking Book with lovely English recipes in it along with sketches from Beatrix and bits and pieces about her life. The bottom photo is of an old fashioned handled jar and a green pickle jar. I have one more box coming in the mail, two prints to hang in the kitchen, then I am done for a while (I think!). :o)

Busy Days!

There are no lazy hazy days of summer here! Anyone who has ever had little ones in their lives playing sports can agree with me here. :o) We have two of our young grandchildren playing summer baseball this year. Between weekly games (one has them on Mon/Wed and the other on Tues/Thurs) and weekend tournaments, well, you get the picture! Of course we can't begin to see them all, but we see what we can. Thankfully the tournament this past weekend was in our town, so we watched a few of both the kids' games, then managed to have a Sunday evening BBQ at home in honor of Father's Day for my husband. We all got sunburned, but had fun.

We've just about completed our covered patio area, it's looking very nice. We just have to put some roofing on and then finish everything with a wood sealer. We've always had our picnics out there, but just never had a roof over our heads. I'll share photos when it is finished completely.

We recently had a 6 foot chain link fence put in around a large upper yard for the dogs. We took one day last weekend to move the dog kennel up there. Our old dog and our son's new pup (who is growing by leaps and bounds) love it in there. Now we have to fine-tune a few places around the fence to keep our very determined little runaway dog in there. It's amazing the things she can get out of!

We've had summer weather for sure lately. Every evening I'm out watering flowers and plants to keep them alive. I do love that time of day with cooler evening breezes, spending time watering things.

I hope you are all doing well and enjoy each day! If I go quiet, I'm either at a ball game or trying to catch my escaped dog....lol.

Blessings!

Chicks

These chick cups were waiting for me at the thrift store the other day. They are way too large for egg cups, so I think they were meant for drinking cups or for decorative use. I'll probably find several different uses for them. I can imagine them full of sweet little Easter candies next spring!

I found these little 'chicks for sale' while browsing online stores recently. Of course I could not resist them. Aren't they cute?

When You Marry

When You Marry Him

When you marry him, love him.
After you marry him, study him.
If he is secretive, trust him.

If he is sad, cheer him.

When he is talkative, listen to him.

When he is quarrelsome, ignore him.

If he is jealous, cure him.

If he cares naught for pleasure, coax him.

If he favors society, accompany him.

When he deserves it, kiss him.

Let him think how well you understand him.

But never let him know that you manage him.

When You Marry Her

When you marry her, love her.

After you marry her, study her.

When she is blue, cheer her.

When she is talkative, by all means listen to her.

If she dresses well, compliment her.

When she is cross, humor her.

When she does you a favor, kiss her.

If she is jealous, cure her.

If she is lonely, comfort her.

When she looks pretty, tell her so.
Let her feel how well you understand her.

But never let her know she isn't boss.

Anonymous
(written on June page of my Susan Branch calendar)

And the winner is...

After a nice stir in the bowl, the name drawn today for the June Seasonal Giveaway is....Sandy (http://sandyben.blogspot.com/) at Sandy's Space! When I wrote the names out to be drawn, I read her blog name wrong and wrote 'Sandy's Place', but it's all the same person....lol. Congratulations, Sandy! :o) Sandy wrote that her favorite thing about summer is: "I love the ocean waves and the sand under my toes in the summer." Please email me (my email address is in my profile information) and let me know what your mailing addresss is! I'm so excited to get this package sent out to you!

Thank you EVERYONE, for participating in my first giveaway. It was really fun for me to host this and I'm already looking forward to the one in September for the Fall Giveaway!

Blessings one and all!
Janice

Pretties

Hi everyone! I thought I would share photos of some of my new pretties. :o) The top photo is of three vintage tablecloths with the most beautiful bird and fruit embroidery work on them! They look to be card table size and the cloths themselves are handmade with green satin stitch all the way around the outside edges, and then hand-fringed. I can only imagine them being used for tea parties or card game gatherings where more than one table was set up for the occasion. I'm so excited to find these, as you know how much I love birds! The next photo is of a tea cozy I purchased from Elizabeth's Etsy store. I have found myself falling into the chicken theme in my country kitchen, so when I saw she had this for sale, I could not resist.

June Giveaway reminder!

If you have not signed up for my June giveaway, please feel welcome to do so (go back to May 30 post). I've added a couple of little surprises to the Victorian style box, and who knows, by the time the drawing takes place, there may be even more. :o) I do enjoy giving gifts! Thank you to all who have participated so far!

Thank you, Ladies!

Thank you, my friends, for sharing your opinions about my blog name! I enjoyed reading each one and now the result is something I'm very happy with!
Blessings to each of you!

Your opinions, please!

Shall my 'new' current blog title remain 'A Garden of my thoughts' OR change to 'Wildflower Cabin', as my previous (and removed) blog was? I kind of miss the Wildflower Cabin title, but like the new one as well. This is one of my biggest weaknesses...being undecided because I like too many things the same (giggle). Will you help me please? I will value your opinions very much! Thank you!

Pitcher and Bowl

A few months ago I was given this pitcher and bowl that belonged to my husband's grandmother. I have it sitting on a chest of drawers in our upstairs bathroom. I love pieces like this. They look so lovely and old fashioned. I suppose if I had to use it daily instead of having hot running water, I may change my mind. It is fun to romanticize about days gone by, though, isn't it?

Heart Rock Collection

Here is a photo of my heart rock collection. I keep most of them in this old wooden bowl, but there are a few in other places in the house, used for decoration. The little green bowl holds the very small ones. I've been collecting them for a few years now and it's always such a treat when a family member presents me with a new one they found somewhere! Do any of you collect heart-shaped rocks?

Thank you and the day

Thank you, each and every one, for your kind and comforting words to do with the loss of my dear Rosie bird. You all have reached out to me in friendship and I really do appreciate every word spoken!

This morning for breakfast we had whole wheat pancakes with maple syrup. It's looking to be another hot day, so after the breakfast dishes are finished, I plan to go up to the gardens and get at some weeding. I also have two tomato plants to get in the ground, as well as a couple of other plants.

Earlier this morning I was outside walking the dogs, and as usual, enjoyed watching the swallows and sparrows busily tending to their nests and their young along the edges of our roof (they nest under the cedar shake roofing). One swallow had a rather large black feather in it's mouth and as it went up to it's nest to place it, the feather fell to the ground near my feet. The bird swooped down to pick it back up, but apparently had second thoughts as it neared the ground. I'm sure it looked too risky with myself and two dogs so near by. I picked the feather up and placed it farther away on the ground in a spot it could be easily seen. I turned and walked back toward the house, looked back, and it had just got the feather and was heading back up to the nest with it. It's always a good feeling to lend a helping hand!

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings...

The purple-headed mountain,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning,
That brightens up the sky...

He gave us eyes to see them
And lips that we might tell,
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well.

Cecil Frances Alexander

Wishing you all a lovely weekend! I hope you can find a relaxing moment to enjoy the beauty around you!

In Memory of Rosie

We must take the sad along with the joys in life. On Wednesday my beloved cockatiel, Rosie, winged her way to bird heaven after a surgery to remove a cancerous lump from her wing. I had her for five years and she brought a lot of enjoyment to our lives. Of course I have been feeling very broken hearted over this loss, but am doing better today and wanted to honor her with this post. This photo, though maybe not the best I have taken of her, was taken last week after I bought her a new bird cage. Her final physical resting place is inside my secret garden. Nearby, my red blaze rose climbs on the fence above. I miss you, Rosie! Thank you for the wonderful memories of the first bird in my life.

The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady

I was so thrilled recently to find this book at a second hand store. I think it was just waiting for me. It is a nature journal, written and sketched by Edith Holden, a lady of Edwardian times. This reproduction of her original diary, was first published in 1977. Today I am sharing with you some of the words from the back of the book, as well as two open pages from the month of June (which includes a poem). Each month I would love to bring a little something to you from this beautiful journal.

The back of the book reads:

"Edith Holden was born in Worcester, England, in 1871. Her family lived in the small village of Olton, and it was there that she wrote and illustrated this book. She later moved to London, where she met and married Ernest Smith, a sculptor. In March of 1920, Edith died tragically by drowning in the Thames, while gathering buds from chestnut trees."

"Her handwritten observations on the wildlife environment surrounding her home as well as her splendid paintings, have been executed with a naturalist's eye for detail and the sensitivity of an artist"

Poem for June (see top photo):

JUNE

The evening comes, the fields are still,
The tinkle of the thirsty rill
Unheard all day ascends again;
Deserted is the half-mown plain,
Silent the swathes! the ringing wain,
The mower's cry, the dogs alarms,
All housed within the sleeping farms!
The business of the day is done,
The last-left hay-maker is gone.

And from the thyme upon the height,
And from the elder-blossom white
And pale dog-roses in the hedge,
And from the mint plant in the sedge,
In puffs of blam the night-air blows
The perfume which the day fore-goes.
And on the pure horizon far,
See, pulsing with the first-born star,
The liquid sky above the hill!
The evening comes, the fields are still.

Matthew Arnold