Show and Tell Friday

The item I am showing you this week is a beautiful quilt given to me by my dear friend Josie. She stopped by for a visit last Saturday and said she had something for me. This lovely quilt hand-made by Josie was my surprise. Thank you Josie for being so sweet...I just LOVE it! I will treasure it always !

Be sure and visit Kelli's House for more Show and Tell!

Thank you for your sweet comments about Shadow...he's very special to our family. He came into our lives almost 7 years ago this summer. We found him in the middle of the road when we were on our way home from Bible school. Such a sweet little kitten who filled a void left by the loss of our dear cat Kitty just two years before.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Here are a few pictures of some flowers around my home. Picture #1 is a geranium on my front porch. (I actually have two of them.) I bought them last year and they managed to survive the winter in the windows of our family room. Picture #2 is of my fuscia (hmmmm, is that spelled right???). I have four of these on my front porch. Picture #3 is of an old tub that belonged to my family. I'm going to plant some flowers in it. Picture #4 is an impatien (is this spelled correctly, too??? I need to find out how to spell the names of my flowers...lol). I've always loved these flowers, but can't plant them anywhere deer can get to them because they love them, too! Thanks for stopping by.

A Final Goodbye to this Garden

My garden here as I knew is is no more and may cease to exist entirely after the new owners take possession of the house. This garden gave me much more than I could even begin to put into words. It was such a learning experience in all aspects. I have so many memories and pictures of this garden so it will live on in my mind, in our family discussion and in the scrapbooks. It will also live

Who has been sleeping in my bed?

Seems like a certain someone is enjoying my mini makeover as well. Sure looks comfortable doesn't he? This is Shadow...the king of our domain!*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Thank you for your nice comments about my transferware. I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am that I was able to find them. I hope to find more plates. I bought 8 that day (I only displayed 4 of them.) The plate racks were a thrift store find. They were originally off-white, but I spray painted them black. I love using black in my kitchen.

Bee Balm

Bee Balm(Monarda didyma)Bee Balm (Monarda didyma ) is a hardy perennial herb that is unsurpassed for attracting hummingbirds, butterflies and bees to the garden. It is a member of the mint family. I will be taking a portion of the clump to the new house. M. didyma is a hybrid so is best grown from clump division rather than seeds collected from the plant as plants grown from the seeds will

Transferware

While my dd and I were out shopping yesterday we went to one of my favorite stores...Marshalls. I've been on the lookout for black and white transferware for some time now so I was delighted when I came across these lovely plates. They are Royal Stafford and cost me only $3.99 each. I was drawn to them because of the farm scene. Update: To learn more about transferware, you may go to the Transferware Collectors Club

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I would like to thank each and every one of you dear ladies who continue to visit my blog and post such sweet comments. I'm glad you all enjoyed my mini makeover. I'd also like to say welcome to those of you who are new to my blog.

Lily of the Valley

Lily of the Valley(Convallaria majalis)Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis) is one of my favourite garden flowers. It evokes pleasant childhood memories and has been in every garden I've created since we were wed. I can remember laying on the cool grass gazing into the glass rocks my mom had surrounded by the heavenly smell of Lily of the Valley. I have a nice sized patch of Lily of the

Mini Makeover

Our bedroom needed a little color so I went to our chairs for inspiration. I love how the red pops on the chair so I decided to use a red twin comforter and sham to get the added color our room needed. (The comforter and sham came from K-mart several years ago. It is from the Martha Stewart bed-in-a-bag collection. It also came with sheets and a bed skirt. It was on clearance so I got everything for around $25.00. These items were previously used in my dd's bedroom, which has since been updated with the Shabby Chic collection from Target.)

English Ivy

English Ivy(Hedera helix)I have a somewhat small patch of English Ivy (Hedera helix) growing along the south side of the house originally planted to hide a gas line. I'm taking several clippings of this plant to our new house. This versatile evergreen ivy can be grown as a houseplant or outdoors. When grown outdoors, English Ivy can be used as a maintenance free ground cover, climbing vine or

There's No Place I'd Rather Be...

cityofoceanshores.com Update

Hey everyone, summer is finally here at the beach and that means the tourist season is on! Have fun and be safe!

Real Estate Update
* Property Values on the Rise at the Beach
Real Estate Sales are holding strong showing an almost 10% gain in sales for April/May '07 versus the same time period in '06 in Ocean Shores. Average home sales price is $219,405 vs. $202,119 for 2006. Average Condo price is $229,840 vs. $164,500 in 2006. As you can see, property values at the beach are still climbing.

* Dreamscape Condos are Selling like Hotcakes!
Located at the Southern tip of Ocean Shores, these units include two or three bedrooms, 2 baths, kitchens featuring maple cabinets, tile floors and granite counters, living rooms with a fireplace and separate dining area with private decks. Perfect for a company retreat or multi-family uses. Watch ships, whales, and fishing boats from the comforts of your own private getaway. All units have fantastic views! Seconds from pristine beaches and beach combing. Prices range from $239,000 to $399,000. Don't wait until they're all sold out! Dreamscape Condos are being offered at these low prices from the builder direct.

Upcoming Events
* Flag Day Parade & Dance at Ocean Shores - June 16th
Spend a fun-filled day in Ocean Shores. Saturday morning, June 16th at 11:00 a.m., watch over 50 floats and entries honoring Old Glory in one of the only Flag Day Parades in Western Washington. Saturday evening from 7:00 pm until 11:00 pm, attend the Flag Day Dance, "Stars & Stripes", at the Ocean Shores Convention Center.
* The Five Star Dealerships Sand & Sawdust Festival - June 22nd-24th
Castles! Mermaids! Pelicans! Bears! The fun starts Friday, June 22nd and runs through Sunday, June, 24th. Admission is free. Come to the beach to watch Master, Intermediate, and Novice Sand Sculpting teams compete for over $5,000.00 in cash prizes. JOIN IN!!! Register a team of your family and friends in the Family Division and vie for hundreds of dollars in gift certificates and merchandise donated by the business community of Ocean Shores.
* 4th Annual Ocean Shores Independence Day Picnic & Fire O'er the Water - July 3rd/4th
The business community of Ocean Shores is sponsoring the 3rd annual Ocean Shores Independence Day Picnic on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 at North Bay Park. Picnic Hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free!! If you haven't been in Ocean Shores on the 4th of July, you're missing out. Come join with tens of thousands of people plus the Quinault Tribe in setting off fireworks all day and night long.
* Big Weekend Triathlon & Footfest - July 7th
Triathletes compete. Open water swimming in Duck Lake. Biking on the city streets of Ocean Shores peninsula. Running on ocean beach and city streets. Sponsored by http://www.trifreak.com/

News
* The city's attempt at getting rid of all the weeds in the lakes and canals has worked! Paddlers, boaters, fishermen and swimmers are all able to get around now without getting tangled up in the weeds. Dogs too! Great news!

* The city is moving forward to move part of the city's golf course to the Weatherwax property to finance much-needed city facilities. The city is hoping to build a new fire and police station, permit center, library and cultural center. These facilities will be financed by selling city-owned property vacated by moving golf holes and a small chunk of the Weatherwax itself and will not be an extra burden to taxpayers.

* If you've been involved with selling or purchasing property in Ocean Shores or anywhere in Grays Harbor County recently, you know prices have definitely gone up over the past few years. Just recently, property owners in Ocean Shores just received their new revaluation statements. More info HERE.


Jeff Daniel
Designated Broker
Coldwell Banker Ocean Beach Properties749 Point Brown Ave NW, Ocean Shores, WA 985691.
360.581.9020 (cell)
1.888.469.3100 (toll free)
1.360.289.3111 (fax)
1.360.289.3100 (office)

Outside Views

Thank you for your comments about my aprons...I'm still not sure why the picture wouldn't enlarge...wish you could have seen the detail of the aprons.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Here are a few pictures of the outside of our home. In the first picture you can see the stone walkway that was added last December (when we had a warm spell). The walkway leads around the side of our home to our deck.

Do you see my itty-bitty flowers that I've finally gotten around to planting? I got a late start this year.

My dh just added the old porch post that you see in the second picture. I'm on a hunt for the perfect birdhouse. They had some wonderful birdhouses at the WOW Outlet so I may have to make a trip there to see if I can find exactly what I want.

Trumpet Vine

Trumpet Vine(Campsis radicans)Years ago when we bought our second house there was a vine growing up the south side of the house. This was an old, turn of the century, wood sided, two storey house in need of tender loving care. We were young and naive so tackled the job that ended up being an almost 12 year project. We did everything from designing a huge kitchen, re-roofing, siding, new wiring

Snow-in-Summer

Snow-in-Summer(Cerastium tomentosum)My mother-in-law introduced me to Snow-in-Summer when we bought our first house over twenty years ago. Since then I've grown this low growing ground cover with dusty green foliage and pretty white flowers at every house we've owned. This move will be no different.Snow-in-Summer is a very easy to grow, low maintenance perennial. It is undemanding and will

Aprons

Thank you for all of your kind comments about my swing and settee...I really do love my porch and I wish that I could invite all of you over for a visit!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Here is a picture of the aprons that I found recently. I decided to hang them off of the beadboard that we had installed in our home awhile ago. I'm not sure this is where they will stay, but for now I'm happy with them there. (Click on the picture to enlarge so you can see them up close...I think they're adorable!--hmmm, not sure why it isn't working...sorry ladies!)

My Garden - What I Will Miss

Sunrise on GreenhouseMay 30, 2007One of my readers asked what I would miss about this house when we moved. Aside of the fact that I love the charm of the inside of the house of which I will think of fondly, I won't miss the lack of privacy the property has. What I will miss the most is my garden. The way the greenhouse glows in the early morning as the sun rises always brings a smile. I love

My Porch

One of my favorite parts of our home is the front porch. The sweet people my dh and I work for gave us this lovely porch swing. It's from a company called Country Casual. The second picture is of my wicker settee. I covered it with a bedspread that I got from my church's bazaar. It has a very small hole in it but I thought it would work on my porch to make it a little cozier!

A Star and A Sign

There is a great store in my area called the WOW Outlet. I think it's called that because when you look at their wonderful items and prices all you can say is WOW...lol! I found this great star lamp and sign and just knew they'd be the perfect addition to my kitchen decor.

Church Bazaar Goodies!

Thank you all for the sweet comments left about the fork and spoon windchime made by my Dear Dad!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last Saturday morning I headed off to my church's annual bazaar. I found some great items all for $6.00! Here is what I found: a birdhouse, a pictures with two birds (seems to be painted on silk), two metal picture frames, wooden basket with pipberries (a great place to store my magazines), a small rocker, two old books, a small picture, and a great old pill box! I also found several more aprons and a great bedspread, but I didn't get pictures of those items yet. I want to get the aprons laundered and ironed, then I'll be sure and post a picture of them.

Strawberries and Moving Plants

StrawberriesJune 2, 2007My strawberries have just started producing. These were the first of the season so I had to share them. The technique used on the photo is called selective colouring, combining black and white with colour done in Photoshop. I will be taking a few of these June bearing strawberry plants to the new house. Unfortunately I do not know the variety but they are very

Show and Tell...Late Again!

My dear Dad was a tinkerer (is that a word???)...he loved taking everyday objects and turning them into something else. This is one of his projects. He took spoons and a fork and made them into a wind chime (I wish you could here their gentle tinkling). The fork is the top part of the wind chime. He bent the tines (two facing forward and two bent backwards) and also bent the ends so there were little hooks on each end. He flattened four spoons and added small holes on the top of each spoon. He then took fishing line and attached the spoons to the forks. Although my dear Dad is home in Heaven, I believe you'd find him tinkering there, too! Thank you for coming by to look at my Show and Tell! Please visit Kelli's sweet blog for more Show and Tell!

****************************

Thank you for all of your comments about my "Mother" cup. I've found a home for it on my cake stand. Have a great weekend!

Lemon Balm

Update: We have sold our house and will be moving in 27 days so my gardens aside of maintenance are on hold. I am taking plants I started here from plants I know I will want at the new house especially herbs and strawberries. There should be time for a late garden after we move. The gardens there are mainly floral, trees and shrubs in a mature landscape. Some of that will need to be cleaned