New Roses and Such

Remember last fall, when we visited the International Rose Test Gardens and I fell in love with so many roses? I actually have a few of them now to plant! The gorgeous Sally Holmes, Graham Thomas, another Abraham Darby (Oh- to die for!) and a Christopher Marlowe. I'm so sad I couldn't find the Honey Dijon locally, but maybe I can get that one next year- if I by chance I can possibly fit another rose in somewhere. I'm already having a hard time deciding where to put a few them. But, I think I need Sexy Rexy too.....

But to make up for not finding the rose, I found this amazing hydrangea- similar to the one we saw at Butchart Gardens! (top photo) Wow- it's a deep burgundy pinkish color- like a good red wine... oh.. I can't wait! It will look stunning with some hostas and maybe a few Lady's Mantle and.. um... what else?! I need some ideas! Sigh, I guess I'd better have some down time soon and look through gardening books...

March

And speaking of jokes, I would love to pass this one along, from one of my favorite jokester customers, as we all bid adieu to March. Not that it's really a joke, but it's sure to make you laugh.
"March is God's way of telling people who don't drink what a hangover feels like. "
-Garrison Keillor

Simple Sundays

My favorite pleasure this week that is shared universally: swapping silly jokes. I love visiting with my customers, catching up on what's going on in their lives- they're all great. But sharing jokes is the best! Have you noticed how healthy laughing hard is? It really changes your whole outlook for a long time. Here's my favorite joke- my husband told this to me years ago during his bartending days.

A string walks into a bar, sits down and tells the bartender, "I'd like a beer please." The bartender says, "I don't serve strings here!" and throws the string out into the alley. The string picks himself up, brushes himself off, unravels his top and ties a knot in it, then walks back into the bar, sits down and says calmly, "I'd like a beer please." The bartender looks at him and says, "Aren't you that string I just threw out of here?" And the string replies, (You have to say this part out loud) "Nope, I'm a frayed knot."

Tell some jokes this week!

Pecan Bars

Omgosh. These are to die for! They are hand's down the best pecan bars. Ever. BTW, Barefoot Contessa is my second favorite cooking show. She's a normal person. I like that. What I don't like is pretentious bimbos with lots of cleavage acting, well, pretentious. That's so NOT what good food is about.

Simple Sundays

I have discovered what has been mising in all the cooking shows I've watched: VERVE. I discovered this by watching "Jamie At Home" This guy seriously rocks. I refuse, yes, REFUSE, to delete any of the episodes from my TiVo! An absolute joy to watch- if you haven't seen Jamie do his thing, you must write a note to yourself to do so- soon. I have plopped down numerous times over the last few weeks I've been sick just to rewatch each episode again and again, and lose myself in the love of this art simply because of the absolute abandon with which Jamie cooks.

Keep in mind that I am still sick, and so if the above paragraph lacks any grammatical cohesion, I really don't care at this point. ;o)

My Own ReDesign

I feel so blessed! A friend of a friend is just starting up her own ReDesign Company and did my Living Room. Just take a look: http://www.aprilmoffattdesign.blogspot.com/ I love it! The photos really don't do it justice. I can't wait to get started on the other projects she suggested, and hopefully I can get her help with more!

Russia

My Sweetie has returned (and as far as blogging goes, so have I! Heehee!) Here he is in Red Square. How cool would that be?! He thought it was amazing. The bottom photo is Lenin's tomb.

Valley of Vision and Goals for the Year

In considering what my goals should be for the upcoming year (yes, I know I'm late!) I am meditating on the following prayer that my friend Linda shared with us recently. It's from the wonderful book, Valley of Vision- A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions by Arthur Bennett.

New Year

O Lord,
Length of days does not profit me except the days are passed
in Thy presence, in Thy service, to Thy glory.
Give me a grace that precedes, follows, guides, sustains,
sanctifies, aids every hour,
that I may not be one moment apart from Thee,
but may rely on Thy Spirit
to supply every thought,
speak in every word,
direct every step,
prosper every work,
build up every mote of faith,
and give me a desire
to show forth Thy praise;
testify Thy love,
advance Thy kingdom.
I launch my bark on the unknown waters of this year,
with Thee, O Father, as my harbour,
Thee, O Son, at my helm,
Thee, O Holy Spirit, filling my sails.
Guide me to heaven with my loins girt,
my lamp burning,
my ear open to Thy calls,
my heart full of love,
my soul free.
Give me Thy grace to sanctify me,
Thy comforts to cheer me,
Thy wisdom to teach me,
Thy right hand to guide me,
Thy counsel to instruct,
Thy law to judge,
Thy presence to stabilize.
May Thy fear be my awe,
Thy triumphs my joy.

Simple Sundays

My Simple Sunday pleasure this week took two weeks to arrange. Too busy of a schedule for both of us was driving us batty and we were longing for some intimate alone time- time to just be together without being with anyone else, no phone calls, nothing to do, just.... BE. So Friday night, we unplugged the phone, had a wonderful dinner of sandwiches, followed by coffee with Ben and Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch ice cream, going to bed late, sleeping in late, and then waking up to freshly fallen snow. We opened the curtains- our room has huge sliding glass doors that offer a great view- so peaceful all that fresh snow was, and my sweetie brought us croissants and coffee and we stayed in bed for two hours. We talked, we laughed, we RELAXED! It was heaven! I told a friend later and she thought it was the best idea she'd heard in years! They've been a little stressed and busy too, so I hope they just DO IT!
Visit SimpleSundays :o)

Ode to Wit

In the midst of a cleaning binge- which is what any sane woman should be doing January (what else is there to do, I ask you, besides daydream?!)(btw, don't answer that all you crafty women out there), I made a cup of tea while surveying the damage I had done (see the above photo- I ran out of 409), and is my custom, while the tea was steeping I read the little quip on the tab. Do any of you drink Good Earth Original Tea? You should, it's wonderful. Even more so if you steep a bag of Celestial Seasonings Chocolate Caramel Enchantment Chai along with it, add a tiny drizzle of honey and lots of soy milk.

Where was I?

Oh yeah, the tab and the wit. It said, "A witty saying proves nothing." Voltaire (1694-1778)

Now there's some wisdom for you, eh? I remember my husband commenting to someone once, "Being able to argue a point eloquently doesn't make you right, it just makes you eloquent." And here's a gem from my favorite book, Proverbs 17:27-28. "He that hath knowledge spareth his words; and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit. Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding."

I'm preaching to myself here. ;o)

Remember this old saying? "Little said is soonest mended". Hmm..... lots of good sayings out there, don't you think?

New Years Day and A New Tradition!

Snowshoeing and soaking in the hot springs. (notice all the steam in the center picture?) Oh, and let's not forget the tailgate dinner of chili. However, next year's dinner promises to be something special, so I'll be browsing those food blogs and cookbooks...

Simple Sundays

Along the same thought as my sister dear, one of my favorite ways to unwind is to spend an hour "surfing", but not just the web in general, no... I spend my time cruising food blogs, planning, drooling! Here's a few to check out, and every one has a list of more to check out!

http://cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com/
http://www.domesticgoddess.ca/
http://thepioneerwomancooks.com/
http://ayearinbread.earthandhearth.com/
http://foodiefarmgirl.blogspot.com/
http://onceuponafeast.blogspot.com/

Columbia River Gorge

This is the tail end of the Columbia River Scenic Byway (and our trip), not by any means the most beautiful area. I found it quite frustrating that there really weren't any spots along the way to get some good pictures and views. Maybe I just needed to look harder, I dunno, but I was quite frustrated. It is so beautiful, and I had no way to capture it! Can you imagine how splendid it looks in its fall clothing?!

Sunset on Ruby Beach

Stunning, isn't it? The beauty of the Pacific Northwest is breathtaking, no doubt about it. For another spectacular photo of this beach see my brother's blog here. He's an amazing

photogragher- and an amazing artist as well.

Later That Same Day....

We spent the rest of the day sitting on the sun porch of the Lodge, (on the right side of the building in the picture below) looking out over the lake as the clouds rolled in and it began to storm. Wow, was it ever beautiful- don't you think? We sipped wine, played Scrabble, talked about our relationship and fell more in love.

I LOVE a good thunderstorm, don't you?!

And what a sunset! I'm thankful for the Lord forcing us to just be still and know that He is God. For practically forcing us to sit and really truly absorb the beauty of His creation. To ponder also, throughout this day, that as amazing as the realm of nature is as His creation, mankind is the crowning piece of His creation- we were created in His image, to reflect His glory, to be His representatives on earth. And yet.. how much more do we glorify the lesser creation. We can think we are so humble and pious by speaking of the beauty of the earth and what a Great God created it, and then lashing out at other people, yes, fallen they are- but they are those who truly have the potential to glorify Him! As James puts it (3:10) "... these things ought not so to be."
The next day, Trent was able to catch a bus- right from the Lodge no less, into Port Angeles, walk only a few blocks to the parts store, get the belt, and then upon returning to fix the car was helped with the repairs by the wonderfully kind employees- and manager- at Lake Crescent Lodge. While he was gone I splurged and had a lovely breakfast of fabulous French Toast and several cups of wonderful coffee in the Dining Room- again, looking out over the lake. "Heaven, I'm in Heaven..."

More Lake Crescent

Later, after breakfast on the balcony (which was cold cereal and coffee- but really, do you need more with a view like that?!) We headed off to see Hurricane Ridge, only to be sidetracked by having a belt break in the car. By God's grace, we were still quite close to the Lodge and made it back on the small amount of power left in the battery. We wouldn't be able to get the part until the next day, so darn, we took off for a walk to Marymere Falls. The forest was so beautiful! Just look at it!

Back Up a Day

Oops, I forgot this special place we stayed before we hit the NW point! This is beautiful Lake Crescent. The first view here is from our room. We arrived around 9:30 p.m. and thus had no idea what it would be like. What a sight to awake to, and our own private little balcony! We sat out here and enjoyed our coffee and the view, thanking God for His goodness and this time of peace and prosperity. How blessed we are indeed. At times like this I think that if ever I am faced with war, famine, disease and the like, I will still proclaim His mercy and grace, and say, "It Is Well With My Soul".

Magnificent Shi Shi Beach

Sorry for the crooked horizon, but I had to share this place with you too. It's hailed as the most pristine, unspoiled beach in the U.S. Hey, I can tell you why- you have to follow a trail for three miles that traipses through rainforest (200" of rain a year they say!) and mud for an hour to get there! But, judge for yourself whether or not Shi Shi (pronounced "shy-shy" by the Makah Indians to whom this land belongs) and Point of the Arches is worth that trek. I would plan to go early in the day so you have time for hiking out to the arches- for what I am certain would be some very fun and exciting exploring. We didn't see a soul on the trail either way- and only three people enjoying the view when we got there.

Smart Cars- or Toys?

These are all over B.C. They're really a kick- you just can't even believe how tiny they are! I seriously think my honey could pick the thing up.

The Most Northwestern Point of the U.S.

Isn't this GORGEOUS?! It's called Cape Flattery. I always wondered what was out there on that lonely looking tip of Washington, where main roads don't go, out in that place way out there that most people skip because there's no road. I searched the www for any clue about it and found only one picture, but that one picture was so beautiful we added it to our itinerary. We were so glad we did!