Mother Nature Knows Best and A Winner

Mr. Tide wanted me to thank everyone for your sweet birthday wishes, he had a very happy birthday!  And I hope everyone who celebrated Memorial Day yesterday had a wonderful time with friends and family.  We had a small cookout at our house to celebrate not only the holiday, but also our son's impending graduation!  There was lots of good food like hamburgers, hot dogs, waldorf salad, coleslaw, potato salad, fresh veggies, strawberries, and baked beans.  Of course there were lots of yummy desserts too, like brownies and a delicious blueberry pie made my my neighbor "J"!  It is always so much fun to have friends and family gathered around and to get caught up on what everyone has been doing, and a cookout is such a fun and casual way to host a party!

Today was spent hanging out and trying to recover from eating too much yesterday, but we did manage to spend some time outside enjoying a cool breeze in the shade and visiting with my in-laws. 

While wandering around outside I decided to snap a few photos of our lawn knickknacks and some of our flowers, while Mr. Tide decided he would take a few pictures of things that interested him, like this beautiful wood fungus.  I love the pale blue greens and grays and how mother nature can make even a fungus look exquisite!

Or the striking electric blue, golden yellow, and black combo of this lovely butterfly!

And often times it's not just the colors that really draw the eye in to something found in nature, it's often the textures as well.  Mr. Tide captured this unique tree knot that I think looks a lot like a conch shell, Mr. Tide thinks it looks like a bear's face if you tip your head to the left and squint a little!

Of course we all know that we can't improve on nature, but I still like to add my little yard art to the pots on the porch to add some interest.  This glass and metal sun face came from Walmart or Target years ago, and I still love putting it out each summer!

I also have this sweet little metal grasshopper, complete with spiderwebs from being tucked in the back of the garage all winter!

And this painted stone is one of my favorite yard ornaments.  It was a gift from my in-laws, and I think it's so clever, colorful, and cheerful!

And getting back to colors and how mother nature just seems to be a color specialist without even trying, take a look at this amazing combo...I love the dusty gray moth against that soft pale pink of the clover, perfection!

I think this Lantana is like a tropical sunset rolled into a beautiful flower!

Doesn't this just make you want to run out and buy a few tangerine, yellow, and magenta pillows to throw out onto your screened in porch or deck?!  This color combo makes me want to kick back and sip a fruity drink with an umbrella in it while watching the sun slowly sink into the ocean!

And this Lantana is equally as colorful with shades of pink, cream, yellow and orange.  I want a sundress, earrings, or shoes with this color combo to wear all summer long!

And the deep purple of this clematis would be the perfect color to paint a couple of adirondack chairs to put down by the water in my backyard!

Even when mother nature is in a bad mood she manages to be dressed to the nines.  White and blue is always a great and very nautical combo!

These clouds were so pretty and dramatic, but they were fair warning to stay of the water and out of mother nature's way this afternoon!

And even amidst her dismay she still put together this dramatic combo of bright green and dark bluish gray!  She really is the best at what she does, and I wouldn't want to go up against her on Design Star!

And because you have all been so patient for letting me ramble on about the colors found in nature, I won't make you wait a minute longer to find out the winner of the giveaway from Frosted Trash!

It's lucky #30, the lovely and very sweet Linda from the great blog Itsy Bits and Pieces!  Congrats Linda, just send me an email with your mailing address and I'll get the necklace in the mail to you right away!