A Day with Wren

I had some one on one with my little Wren today.  We decided to take a walk and get some retail therapy.  A girl has to learn what's fun in this life.  And Grama's are here to show them.
First we strolled down South Temple.  Beautiful day.  We walked by the Beehive House and the Lion House.  I told Wren how her Grama June had been a tour guide there many years ago.  As we went by we admired the lovely flowers and also the quail who were out for a walk too!  I guess they knew their little friend Wren would be by.

Wren seemed not all that impressed!

Next we headed to the Temple grounds.  What a perfect day to walk around and admire the Temple, the Assembly Hall and the Tabernacle.  And of course, again the gardens!  Can't get enough of the gardens.  I explained to Wren that she had pioneer ancesters, who came across the plains pulling a handcart.   

Again, not much gets this little one excited.. 

So, I thought, maybe a little lunch?  " oh look, there's the Cheesecake Factory!"

Again, she didn't seem interested.

Well, once we got to City Creek and she saw all the clothes stores and Mini and DISNEY...  She got EXCITED!!!.  "So this was what Grama was talking about, when she said retail therapy."

She was really having fun, until we went to the grown up stores...

We went home.

Can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday than with this little one!

Gardening in the Early Hours

The other morning I woke up about 5:00 am.  Couldn't go back to sleep, so about 5:30 I headed out to the garden.  Can't tell you how lovely it was.  Nice and cool..quiet and peaceful.  I tackled my perennial garden first, as weeds had sprung up everywhere. It's amazing what you can accomplish when it's not 100 degrees.

I potted the last of my herbs.  I am a slow planter, taking most of June to get everything just so.  The rest of the summer is spent admiring, caring for and loving each plant.

My Secret Garden which is really "Upper Garden"  has been totally neglected this year.  So I plowed into this project which kept me outside far longer than I had planned.  But, oh what a mess!  I finally got it cleared out, swept up and at least a place where I can read a book hidden from the world.

Peeking through the vines into Upper Garden.  In another couple of weeks, no one will be able to see me when I decide to hide out for a couple of hours, although visitors are welcome...occasionally.

"The art of Teaching..."

Nick is a born teacher.  He thought he'd give the private sector a whirl, but found it wasn't for him.  So he's gone back to the Air Force Academy.  We will miss having him here with us.  Especially the little ones, who love his stories. Jake told me the other day that he would have to be the storyteller now that Nick was leaving, and he immediately started with, "once upon a time..." It was a pretty good story.  He learned from a very good teacher.  Nick's students are lucky to have him.


"The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery."

Mark van Doren

Gardens and Children

I have almost finished the last of the planting, adding a few new varieties to see how they will do.  I lost one of my big vines and feel as though I've lost a dear friend.  This is my favorite time of the season, to have worked hard planting and then to sit back and watch things grow.  To take care of these plants, to see which ones have trouble getting along...there are those you have to help a little more along the way, until they burst into their full bloom and glory.  Some plants just take off and do fine without any sort of encouragement except a little water. 
Maybe I like gardening so much, because I like to see things grow.  Sometimes the flowers surprise me by being a different color than I had expected, but that color is usually more beautiful than the one I picked out.  Gardens are like raising children.  You plant seeds, you care for them, you watch them grow, you help the ones that are having trouble, and take pleasure when that troubled flower starts flourishing.
I am a gardener.  In the past when I have encountered disappointment, I can become discouraged.  I second guess myself, thinking what else could I have done?  Could I have been more attentive to my flowers?  Could I have cared for them any better?  Sometimes things happen in gardens that are beyond the caretaker's control.  To enjoy one's garden all you can do, is be willing to plant the seeds, nourish and care for them, then stand back and see what happens.  I have learned a few things as a gardener. I am more at peace as the seasons come and go.  It is what it is.  I do what I can.  I can't change the weather.  I can't change my abilities - my health, my strength, my age.  I can just try.  I love my garden.  I can just plant the flowers, care for them nourish them, love them, and enjoy them.  They are, after all God's creations. 
I am just the gardener.  

Fashion on a Budget

I was brought up by a beautiful woman.  She lived in a household full of girls.  They grew up during the depression.  Depression or not, as they got older and started dating they wanted to look cute.  They all learned how to sew.  I have been told by my aunts, that my mom was able to create things out of nothing.  She had a sense of style way back then. 
Then, she married my dad, who loved to buy her the most beautiful clothes.  She was a lovely woman with a sense of style.  Unfortunately she passed that love of clothes onto me.  I rebelled when she tried to teach me how to sew, so I make due with sales, and  her sense of fashion. I've learned how to put things together without spending much.  The last few years, when I go shopping, I mostly look and see how things are put together.  Then I go home and shop in my own closet!  You can always find something there that goes with this or that and make a whole new outfit!

Some of the things in these pictures I truly do own, but the ones I don't I have something similar.  This year I found the yellow wedges and a royal blue on sale.  I actually had old beads that were mustard and beaded them together to make a necklace which I wear with silver.  I love the blue and yellow! 

I got this brown skirt for my birthday.  I've worn it with everything.  It is so comfortable. I have some salmon shoes (unfortunately, not these beauties above.)  But I do wear this skirt with an old brown shell and a white linen summer jacket.  Then add the salmon jewelry. 

The red shoes were also a birthday gift.  I love mixing red with yellow.  Have my old standby white skirt that has served me for about eight summers, a yellow lightweight sweater, (not quite as cute as the one above) but does make the yellow statement I'm looking for.  Add the red beads and there you go!

And of course white is the best for summer.  You can add anything to it and make it a new outfit.  Here is another lovely bracelet I would love to have (I don't), but I have others that serve the purpose.  Add the gold necklace and brown or gold shoes and it's a very fresh and cool outfit.

Remember, nothing has to be expensive.. it is the way it is put together.  Go look in your closet, I'll bet you find all sorts of treasures!!!

And then remember what Audrey says...

"Happy girls are the prettiest"

Audrey Hepburn

Perennials and Herbs

My garden is giving me a great amount of pleasure this year.  I planted succulents, more herbs and perennials.  Less annuals.  I'm thinking forward.  I don't want to be planting annuals each year into my old age.  I want the perennials to take over so I don't have to spend as much time and money planting each year.

This little patch of succulents are all ready spreading and I think each plant is interesting.  They are all so different and fun to watch grow.

As I see the perennials come back bigger each year I get more excited.  Their colors are amazing.  They just pop up and surprise me as if they are an unexpected gift!

I love growing and using herbs from my garden.  Besides having them on hand for cooking I put them in jars next to my sink.  They last forever.  The scent is so strong, that even I can smell a bit as I do my dishes.  I love it!

They look so fresh and clean.  A lovely way to summer up the kitchen!

In My Garden

"In the garden I tend to drop my thoughts here and there.  To the flowers I whisper the secrets I keep and the hopes I breathe.."

~Dodinsky

To the Father's in My Life

It all started years ago, with the example of Leo and Jiggs.  They were the best fathers ever. They taught by how they lived. 

I was fortunate enough to marry a man who is not only good looking, but to him, family is everything.  He would do anything for his children and his grandkids.  They have him tied around their tiny little fingers.  Or in some cases not so tiny anymore.  He taught his children to be hard workers, honest, to have integrity and to love their families. (along with hunting, fishing, golfing and a little baseball.)

Our oldest, James, is the father of four sons.  He spends every spare minute coaching, teaching and loving these boys.  They are growing into great young men. 

I love watching Mike with his boys.  He loves to play with them, teach them their ipad games, take them to Disneyland and the beach.  Jake is a miniature Mike.  They love to be with him all the time.  I admire the way he takes over when Abby leaves town or is busy with work.  He doesn't miss a beat.

Same with Tyler.  These are modern day dads.  Their wives work, and when they're gone, the dad's take over.  Ty is an expert at taking care of Dylan when Melanie is out of town.  I love to see him smile when he's with his little boy. 

Jason's been preparing himself for his role as a dad by being the best uncle ever.  He's known as "Uncle Fun" to our little ones.  I have never seen bigger smiles than when Jason is around.  Little Wren is a lucky little girl.

How grateful I am that Jim leads by his example. He quietly goes about doing things for all of us. He makes our home beautiful, as well as my garden.  He can fix anything and is always willing to do so. He serves his neighbors as well as his family.  Who else would carry my fifty pound suitcase all over England for two weeks and never complain? 
As we get older and the grandchildren come, it is so much fun to watch Jim's love multiply for each new addition. 

How blessed I am for these beautiful five children, for the families they are bringing up.
 For their Father.
 He is a blessing in my life.

A lovely Summer Afternoon

Yesterday it was just Dylan and me, until Nick arrived home early. Then the fun really began.  First they poured over magazines together.  Dylan loved all the chairs and tables in the pictures.  His new word for the day was "yellow". 

Next a walk around the neighborhood on Nick's shoulders.  They looked for cars and trucks, birds and flowers.  And of course the beautiful mountains!

Next just relaxing on the porch watching the world go by.  Dylan is certainly going to miss his Uncle Nick.  All the nephews love his stories.  When it comes to telling a story Nick's the best.

Vacationing In my Garden

Yesterday, June 14th was Flag Day, my son and his wife's anniversary- and my mother's birthday!  Quite a holiday.  Mom was a master interior designer, gardener, wife and mother.  I guess in her day it was called being a "housewife"  or "homemaker". She truly excelled in the art of homemaking.  My mother taught me that you could make any size room or home charming.  She taught me how to change the look of a room, just be moving a couch or a chair and a few small objects around. 
I have become an expert in this particular field, moving whole rooms (furniture) from one room to another.  Very seldom buying knickknacks for rooms.  I just look around and see what is laying around in some other room.  It looks brand new when placed on a different shelf!

The summer season is the best.  After cleaning,  removing heavy objects like throws, pillows,  clearing off counters and bookshelves, I move outside.  Gardening is a pleasure.  Once everything is cleaned out, planted, watered, lighted, it's time to relax.  I don't need to go anywhere.  I feel like I'm on a vacation in my garden.

My Perennials and Herbs

After lots of hard work, our garden is beginning to take shape.  The perennials I put in this year are small, but already looking lovely.
My herbs are growing and will help make summer meals taste delicious.

"In my garden there is a large place for sentiment.  My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams.  The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful."

~Abram L. Urban

"I am spending delightful afternoons in my garden, watching everything living around me..."

~Emile Zola

"As for the garden of mint, the very smell of it alone recovers and refreshes our spirits.."

~Pliny the Elder

"Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity."

~Lindley Karstens

Happy Gardening!