Coffee Time = FOTD

Strange title, I know, but follow along and you will get my sad attempt at humor. Each Sunday after church we have a short social time with coffee, snacks and fellowship. I volunteered to provide the snacks and serve the coffee, tea and lemonade this week. So Friday I was going to make cookies for munching on. We wont go into my inability of reading a recipe properly and putting in a tablespoon of baking soda instead of a teaspoon or banana extract instead of vanilla. And that was only the first batch issue. The second batch disintegrated as I lifted them off the pan – even when cooled. So I gave up and went to the store this afternoon and bought coffee cake and strawberry yogurt to crumble the oatmeal cookie crumbles on top of, and grapes.

But while I was at the store I happened by the garden section, a dangerous place for me but I remained strong and bought nothing. Very proud of myself but I did get a picture for Cee’s Flower Of The Day. I love the tiny rose plants. They are so beautiful and I buy them only to have them never bloom again. Pretty green leaves but no flower – its that brown thumb thing again. So below is my entry for FOTD. Enjoy and have a great rest of your weekend.

IMG_20190725_103038
Leaves are more in focus than the bloom but its still pretty.

And as always I throw the pebble out to remind all to be kind.

kind ripples

 

Lily, A Fragrance Like No Other, FOTD

On Monday of this week I walked into my office to see a vase of lovely lilies sitting on my desk. I saw no tag anywhere so I was not sure where they came from. I walked into the admin office and asked June if she knew anything about them. She said no and asked Kevin if he knew as he had been in my office fixing my computer – he is our IT guy. He said he brought them. His wife and picked them from their yard and had them in the living room. He was tired of smelling them so he brought them to the church, specifically my office, which I was okay with.

IMG_20190722_131718

So now it is Friday and they are still beautiful and very fragrant. I saw that someone had cut the pistols/stamens off and asked about that and was told it helps keep the smell from over whelming. “Oh,” I said, “so that why I smell them as soon as I come through the door of the church.” Whatever. The majority of the bulbs have now opened and this is what they looks like now.

IMG_20190726_105943

They really are marvelous, and while Cee’s FOTD is for a single flower, my prompt is for a single vase of multiple lilies. And I don’t know what the ball looking flower thingy is but it is fragrant as well. May you all have a wonderful weekend and remember to be kind.

kind smiles

A New Flower, FOTD

I am always up for finding flowers I have never seen before when visiting the botanical gardens but rarely do I find them by chance. Last Tuesday when a friend and I went “junken” I found the beauty below. When I asked what they were, the store owner made an off the wall comment about digging them up this fall, that he did not care for them. I asked him if I could have some and he was more than glad to give them away, so I gave him my contact info and he is going to call when it cools.

bblily1.jpg
Blackberry Lilies

When we first went in we thought it was some type of iris as the leaf foliage looks similar. You can see how small the blossoms are, about 2 inches across.

bblily2
Blackberry Lily

You can see the “lily spots” as I call them all over the petals. I did not notice a fragrance as I was too fascinated on their look. Some of you may know of these but they are new to me. truly different and amazing.

Come join in with Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge and see all the amazing flowers God has created for us to enjoy.

And as always spread the ripples of kindness where ever you go, watch it change the faces of those around you.

kind ripples

Fun With Macro, SMM

I can not say that I can do real macro but I still enjoy close up with my phone camera. The goal is for a real camera with beginner lenses for Christmas. Heavens Sunshine does amazing nature photography and is hosting a Monday Macro Prompt which I am playing in with dreams of getting better. I have enjoyed my miniature flowers this year that look like tiny petunias but are way more colorful.

They also have varieties that are doubled petals making them look like a tiny rose.

As you enjoy each other’s beautiful photographs, spread that joy to others, in a macro, up-close way and always be kind.

kind smiles

Deer Loving My FOTD

This excessive heat wave we are having here in the midwest is not normal but should break later today. It is having a toll on all of wildlife where they are eating thin gs they normally don’t eat…like my daylilies.

deereat

Eating the bud before it even open, how rude! But they didn’t get all of them. some are still quite beautiful.

fotd

Guess I ought to be happy in that this is all they are eating, other than the tomato leaves on the side of the house. Weird.

Remember to share the beauty of you as you smile and be kind.

kindsmile1

Join in on sharing the beauty you see with us as we share with Cee’s Flower of the Day.

Harvesting What You Plant

We all love the joys of being able to eat the products from our garden. Nothing quite like the tomatoes fresh from the garden. Being from the south, we love our tomato sandwiches.

goodies

Others enjoying their endeavors from the garden are the planters of the sunflowers…

Its fun watching them now begin to eat on the sunflower seeds from the flowers that they planted from the dropped seeds of the feeder. I wonder how they will feed on the sunflower that produced a three bloomer; I have never seen that before.

flower3

Enjoy the beauty around you and share the smiles you feel.  Maybe that smile will produce kindness to share as well. We should always be kind.

kind smiles

A Two Second Pause, FOTD

What a week this is going to be starting with Sunday – Wow. But I take this 2 second pause to show you the love and beauty my daughter gave me. She knew what the week was going to be like and knows flowers are always a relaxer for me and along with Mimi to give me reason to pause, rest, and enjoy the peace only God can give. Not a bad week just super busy…every night plus working 3 days this week. So I may not have time to post but will enjoy reading your wonderful post as I slow down and recenter.

I post these flowers of love and hope you fell the love and peace they bring to me. Such happy flowers. I tie them in with Cee’s FOTD. Enjoy.

IMG_20190713_162331_550

And always remember to share the smiles that flowers bring and be kind.

Flower kind3

Busy Week, but Still in the Pink

Boy this week has been busy and next week…I don’t want to think about it. What happened to slowing down when you retire??? But at least I am doing things that are fun, guess that is the trade off.

This week’s prompt from Nancy Merrill is Shades of Pink, and finally my Lantana is starting to bloom. They need summer warmth and it was slow coming this year. Also with Cee’s Flower of the Day, I can hit two wonderful challenges at the same time.

I do enjoy all of you who gives us fun challenges with a camera – my goal is a real camera soon. The phone does okay but I really miss good shots of my birds.

As we enjoy being in the Pink, remember to always reflect the kindness you feel, so they can be in the pink as well.

kind19

All Have Their Purpose; 1LinerWed, FOTD

“And we know that all things work together for good”…Romans 8:28.

IMG_20190710_161505

Mother nature is a finely tuned system to balance all parts of creations for the full support of the whole system.

Linda Hill’s challenge of 1LinerWed and Cee’s challenge of Flower of the Day are both pulled together here to show the beauty of the sun, blue sky, a sunflower and a bee – all doing their part in the system of nature.

And as always, remember to be kind to all things, even when its hard or if you have to run…

animalkind 12

Double Up for Cee, FOTD & #5

Since Cee has the wonderful lists for challenges, sometimes a single post could quality for multiple challenges. I am a major list person so I appreciate lists. So today my daylilies have really started blooming and this picture fits for two of her challenges, the FOTD and things of 5.

 

IMG_20190709_145531
Five Yellow Daylilies

I do so enjoy my flowers. They bring me joy and happiness as they grow and bloom. Even the unexpected ones planted by my helpers, the birds. When life makes you smile, remember to share that smile to help brighten someone’s day.

kind smiles