Mosaic Monday

I finished my last two stepping stones and am pleased with how they both turned out.

I love snails....just not in the garden, eating my veggies!   I put this one in a place that gets high "cut through" traffic so it gets used almost daily.

This one is in an area I walk on often when watering the garden and yard.   We don't have automatic sprinklers so I am constantly moving hoses on days that I water. I use these little stepping stones A LOT because they are in a bed right next to the water spigot....and I tend to go barefoot when watering the yard.

Here it is with the toadstool....

and the flowers I see every time I walk by are lovely as well...

 a little closer please.......

My last planned project this summer is for a new table top which I've already drawn out.  I hope to have it done for next Monday's post.

crafting away...

With the hot days of summer, I have left the garden for the craft room.

Kaela wanted a plastic bag holder for her bathroom to save her from running up and down the stairs on trash day.  Like many others, we use old shopping bags to line our small trashcans and this is the perfect thing to house them.

I also made a couple pincushions, one for a friend

and one for me.......

Some Christmas crowns for a friend

Our door faces the afternoon sun which is the hottest part of the day.  Plus, the sun comes through transom and causes an awful glare on our television set.   After years of procrastinating, I finally did something about it.  The effect was immediate and the foyer seemed about 10 degrees cooler within minutes of me putting them up.  

Little projects seem to add up when put all together in one post but each project only took minutes to do.  

I'm a little tea pot!

Okay, so I'm not...but don't they make cute planters?

bloggin' buddies!

Years ago when I started my blog, I stumbled across Tammy from T's Daily Treasures.  I started reading her blog and she started reading mine because we both crochet.    We emailed each other a bit and through that, I learned she used to live in Slidell but has been living in Kuwait for over 20 years.   We would email back and forth saying how much trouble we would get in if we lived closer.

Well....I had the honor of meeting her and spending some time with her while she was here in the states.  We met a couple different times for coffee and crochet.  She even visited the crochet group I recently became a part of.

One evening after crocheting, we had a little wine at the house....

I put together a little surprise for her but nothing could compare to what she brought me.  Look closely at the card...the lady even looks like me!  

The wall hanging matches my colors beautifully and looks beautiful.  Of course, the photo doesn't do it justice at all!

Tammy and her family left Louisiana to go visit family and friends but will be coming back through before flying home. We plan to get together one last time and I am looking forward to it.  I hate that she lives so far away but am so happy I got to finally meet her in person.

Thinking of daddy......

 Every time I see a bird, I think of daddy, hummingbirds especially.

We had a ritual.  Every spring we would call to see who had the "first" hummingbird sighting.  Whoever made the call won!  Every fall we would call to see who had the "last" hummingbird sighting.
Then we would talk about who had more hummingbirds overall. Sometimes he did, sometimes I did.  It always seemed to depend on who had more storms roll through.  

We would compare notes on feeding, on which types of hummers were visiting....on how many were present.   The conversations would then flow into all the other birds that were migrating through our respective yards.  On this, daddy ALWAYS won!   His yard is like a respite for migratory birds.  Plenty of feeders and birdbaths... and not a cat in sight.
These were conversations that I will always remember....maybe not the exact words, but the sentiment.

Friday night, Dean came home with a gift for me.  It was from a client's wife.  We had become friends during the Cancun trip.  She knew about daddy's passing and sent this to me with a note:  "Look at this bird in memory of your dear dad."

I don't know how she remembered that daddy and I shared a love for birds.  I know we talked about our families but I doubt it was our main topic of conversation.  I am truly touched by this sweet gesture.

I've been carrying this bird around the house trying to find the perfect place for it so I can see it constantly. It is the perfect reminder of something daddy used to say to me. "Be gentle with nature Valerie, it is a gift and we mustn't spoil it."

"But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

crochet play food...

 I love it when you can kill 2 birds with 1 stone!   I've been doing a bit of de-stashing while doing a bit of gift making.  

The result of little bits of yarn and stuffing.....

So what is on the menu?  
carrots, strawberries, several types of cookies and 2 different cupcakes!

Flower power.....

Amazing how fresh flowers brighten up your home......

and the best part is cutting them yourself from the yard!