On Children by Kahlil Gabran

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.  

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

 You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
 
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Madisonville Pictures

Kyle, the birthday boy.

Great manicure from the princess. . . 

with princess polish, of course!

In the back yard, we can build a snow bunny.  :)

VD

This will be the first Valentine's Day in a long time that I won't be in a flower shop :/  I miss all the excitement--long hours, camaraderie, buckets and buckets and buckets of gorgeous flowers, do-as-much-as-you-can hurry up, answer the phone, thank you for your order we'll take good care of it for you,  loading and reloading the van and sending the deliveries out all over creation . . . I love it all. 

Except this year, I'm working at my day job and watching the pictures on facebook.  Mark made me a pot of chili to go with these pink tulips.  The red heart vase is one he gave me several years ago.  He's my Valentine :)

Brooch Bouquet

 This cute little kitty is Bella.  She's Gail's owner :)  

She kept us all entertained the other day 

when we got together to catch up and have lunch together.

 I've been wanting to make one of those brooch bouquets.  Some of them are made entirely with brooches, but I just wanted a few sprinkled over the real stars of any bouquet--the fLoWeRs!
This is my first one, but it won't be the last :)

 Freeze-dried roses, spray roses, hydrangea, lotus pods, burlap roses, cotton bolls, and shelf fungus.  Yes, fungus. That stuff that grows on rotting trees. . . I know, I know, but it fit perfectly into the whole scheme!  Then a few wire swirls with vintage rhinestones all wrapped up in burlap and pinned with pearls.   

I've already got plans for the next one.  Pink!

Birthdays

We've been celebrating a string of birthdays lately.  Betsy's was January 27th, Kyle's February 2nd, and tomorrow February 8th will be V's 75th birthday. 

 Kyle is telling V about his new dinosaur watch. 

 He can make you laugh out loud!

Tomorrow night we're taking V to Cheddar's for dinner with coconut cake for dessert afterwards.  We will miss having Kyle & Betsy with us!

Happy Five!

 

It's our Betsy girl's 5th birthday!  

We love you so so much, sweetie--past heaven!

 

January Pink Project

My first burlap rose, which turned out pretty good.  It needs a few pink petals added in with it though.  Something to soften and pink it up a bit. . .

It's a beautiful Saturday out there.  V and I are going shopping in a little bit--Hobby Lobby and maybe Jo-Ann Fabrics, where mama says they might have some really nice burlap. . .

 

One of these days we'll have real  iris and sweet pea blooms in the garden.  In the meantime, this is the January Pink Project.

Sneak Peek

The other day, during that bee-u-ti-ful near-60 degree weather, I found this little shoot of pansy climbing its way out of the compost pile.  Back in November, we buried a pot of daffodil bulbs with pansies  into the compost pile.  I did sneek a little peek under the leaves to find those pansies in great shape.   Note to self:  next year, more pots in the compost pile:)

Is It Spring Yet?

No, these weren't grown in my garden.  But I just had to stage them as if they might have :)

The chicks?  Now those were growing in the garden til just a day or so ago.  This arrangement went to work for my boss while three of us go to Alton for training. 

Yesterday and Today

This was yesterday:

After just a couple of 50 degree days, 

 heirloom daffodils  ready for action. 

Feverfew, with some creeping charlie that knows no boundaries.

Hellebore buds.

And hyacinth.  Now tell me, 

do you suppose that hole was caused by a slug? 

Well, anyway. . . that was yesterday.  

And this is today:

No Complaining Rule

100% chance of rain today and tonight.   

Thank You for January rain.

January BK Pictures

 Betsy at her dance class and Kyle helping his dad. 

Kitchen News & Thank You's

I have the best mom in the world.   This blog began as a way to send her pictures from the garden, but it's grown into a letter for a whole bunch of people that I love and some I don't even know.  Thanks for stopping by to visit. Here's a little e-mail exchange we had recently:  



Sometime before Christmas
To:  Kynda
From:  Mama
Hi honey. . . put some $ in the BK account and some to pay on your cook-top.  I want to own at least a part of one burner so Mark can make me chili on it.  I love you all Christmas and every day.

Sometime after the New Year:
To  Mama
From  Kynda
I cashed your check this morning, so your burner is all paid for :) thank you so much!

I love you mama--past heaven!

So the kitchen is changing again.  New cooktop and new PaInT :)  Mark, also known as TBHITWWW, has painted the cabinets for me. . . again.  And I don't think he's ever said ".  . and this is the last time . . . "  I told you he's the best :)

I am blessed.  Thank you, thank you to the universe and its Creator.

Orchid 2013

 

This is what can happen if I go downstairs to clean up my space.  I might find an orchid determined  to bloom despite my neglect.  And I might find a little better container than the crappy plastic thing it came in, along with some leftover wire and  ribbon.  I need to go down there more often!  I hope it will like its new home in my office at work . . .

Christmas Flower Review

A few flowers from this year's Christmas holiday.  

These went to V and to Tami.

This little birdy went to work with me.   

The rose is drying now and it still looks pretty. 

And a little bud vase for the kitchen.  

It's almost the new year.  

Time to start thinking about flowers for 2013 :)

Pink Christmas

I'll Be Careful

He's so funny!  He knew that I was going to caution him about jumping off the porch, so he was heading me off before I even got started.  "I'll be careful."

I'm so thankful for Betsy & Kyle.  I can't wait to hold them tight again.  So sad for all those grandparents who lost their beautiful babies in a Friday morning kindergarten class.  Sending them love and strength for healing. 

Betsy in her Great-Great-Granddaddy's Hat

This hat belonged to my granddaddy, Raymond White, also known as Great-Grandma Peggy's dad.

We'll have to ask my mom to tell us where this was taken.  That looks like a fancy bench he's sitting on.  He played the guitar, although I don't remember hearing him play.  Maybe because TV had come along by then, and he loved TV.  I do remember watching Andy Griffith with him and counting the change from the filling station every night. 

 Mike has the guitar now and I know he treasures it.  Granddaddy's hat has been hanging on my walls for years--since way before my boys were born.  But Betsy was the first one who said she wanted to wear it.  She looks so cute in it!  Wish he were here to see her.