Blooming Patience

For me, a Christmas miracle is coming a little late this season. Even with a late appearance it is nonetheless joyful!

I am a longtime admirer of the Christmas cactus plant. For years I have ooh'd and ahh'd beautiful - and blooming - Christmas cacti. I remember being a teenager and gazing upon my mother's plant in full bloom and feeling a happiness.

In due time I set up housekeeping as a young adult. I asked Mother for shoots of her Christmas cactus and she willingly obliged. I nurtured this plant, and with the feelings of an expectant mother, I anxiously awaited Christmas. The holiday came and went but my little plant never bloomed. In fact, year after year, it never bloomed. It would hang out, drink water, look pretty, but it never bloomed! Years came and went and finally I re-homed the plant (aka trashed it). I could not take the "rejection" every Christmas when my plant would not bloom. I mean, I really felt as if I was some sort of unfit parent. (I never said I was sane).

Finally, this past year I decided to give it one more try. I got another shoot off of my mother's longtime friend (the plant has now become a part of her circle of friends; fitting since they have been together all these years). I was quite sure that this wasn't going to work (again) so I selected one of the ugliest pots in my potting shed.

If there is a PETA for plants then I should be turned in. I was not very good to the plant this year. I either over watered or under watered it and I certainly didn't talk to the plant. It has not been a lush green like other Christmas cactus I see gracing glamour magazines. Ok, just kidding about the glamour magazines. But I have seen some pictures online of some pretty plants. In short, my cactus has looked a little pitiful.

Again this year my Christmas cactus didn't bloom. I didn't really expect it to. But seeing as it was the holiday season I didn't "re-home" the plant. I didn't have the heart.

About a week and a half ago I noticed that things have gone terribly haywire. A little scary actually. The dadgum cactus had little buds appearing! Lawsy Mercy!

I have taken pictures every four days or so. I am not quite sure why I am doing that. Perhaps to prove to myself in future years that I really did have blooms once. (gotta plan ahead, it could be another 25 years until it blooms again for me)

Today I woke up to my very first, full fledged bloom. The picture you see here is one of a gazillion I have taken so far. I am going to have to add memory to my computer just to hold all of the bloom pictures.

My lesson for today is patience. Even though it took over 20 years, I finally got a very sweet Christmas miracle.

Spring Sprucing and Cleaning

Hi Everyone! I hope you all are having a wonderful spring. The buds here sure are looking pretty. I snapped a couple of pictures today of one of my favorite spring trees (pictured above). I love the color! The temps are finally staying up warm enough in the day to suit me and the cool nights make for good sleeping.


I am a devoted Tasha Tudor fan. I thought I would share one of her books with you. Even though this book has "spring" in the title it really isn't about the season spring. However, I love the illustrations and the book seems festive to me for this time of the year. You can click on the pictures and they will enlarge.




We had one leather recliner in our family room. Talk about comfortable!! Mmmm, what a delight! Hubby and I would take turns sitting in it and finally a couple of weeks ago I went to the furniture store and ordered another one. It came last week and here it is! These two recliners are huge and really too big to have two side by side but these face the TV and we love them so that is what it is all about right? We do feel like our grandparents now; nestling in the recliners at the end of the day. Our grandparents were smart huh?


And finally you can see a little bit of what I have been up to also. Ugh. Spring cleaning time!!! I do love getting everything clean top to bottom inside and out. This year I have someone helping me and she is a godsend. I am so tickled that we will have everything spic and span this week.

Baby son is on his way back from Europe as I type. The week has gone very fast! I am so glad that he will be coming home but so happy that he has had this wonderful experience.

I hope you all are enjoying Spring as much as I am.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you ~

"May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields..."

Irish Blessing

Come sit out on my front porch with me and we will have shortbread and tea. In case you are interested, the china pattern is Belleek from Ireland. I only have a few pieces but each one is adorable. Such a dainty china; and so sweet to me.

The Queen of Tassels, Nancy at Southern Lady

I would like to introduce you to the Queen of Tassels: Nancy over at Southern Lady

Nancy makes beautiful tassels for any room in your home. They also make perfect gifts! I actually even got a compliment on my dining room tassel (pictured above) just today! Nancy has an etsy shop called Nancyrosalina's The Tasseled Nest.

I have always been a tassel person but Nancy's creations take tassels to an entirely different level. They are so charming and creative.

Please visit Nancy at her wonderful blog and also her etsy shop. Please tell her that I sent you.

The Signs of Spring

I shot these random photos in my yard yesterday. I am so excited to see the buds and blooms and signs of spring. I also see the need to refresh the mulch pronto!

Isn't it amazing that nature does what she does? How awesome that every year without fail she unfolds this beautiful, colorful show. The pansies were so pitiful all winter. I confess that I didn't have the faith in them that I should; I thought that there was no way they could survive. And, they are just gorgeous. Their sweet little faces appearing and it's almost like they are smiling and saying "We're here and spring is on its' way!". The lady that owned this property before us planted bulbs all over the place, and while I can't really understand the method to the madness, the daffodils are sure pretty to look at. The redbud has the newest of buds on the tips of its' branches and the Bradford Pears are so billowy and cottony looking to me as they are budding.

What a colorful show Mother Nature is putting on. I am eager to see it all unfold.

My blogger friend, Cynthia, over at An Accomplished Woman recently did a post on her refrigerator that made me drool with envy! Please check out her post and her entire wonderful blog!

I was inspired to clean out my fridge. I spent a half a day taking every single thing out of my fridge; including bins and shelves! I threw away a garbage bag full of stuff - gross! I scrubbed and cleaned and amazingly enough it made me feel great! I have to confess that I don't have pretty bowls in my fridge like Cynthia has in hers; but it is much neater, cleaner and more organized. I have included an afterwards and a during cleaning pictures above. You didn't think I was brave enough to include a "before" pic did you? :) I don't desire the health department visiting! LOL.

Now, your turn; let's see your fridge! Come on, don't be shy!

P.S. I did clean the outside smears and fingerprints once I was done! :)