Dirty Little Secrets

It's not really a secret per se, but I have a few addictions that I feel I need to acknowledge for the sake of full disclosure.

I am woefully addicted to shoes...no really, I need a 12 step (pun intended) program.  My latest loves are strappy high heeled sandals.  So far I've acquired 2 pairs of brown, 2 pairs of black, though technically one of those is a wedge heel, so it doesn't really count right?!  And I'm still on the hunt for a pair of white and maybe some coral colored ones...I think I need an intervention soon!

I thought I had beaten my addiction to footwear, only to realize that it would likely be replaced by a handbag addiction, so for now I will stick with shoes because I find them on the cheap, and I've not been so lucky with finding dirt cheap handbags!

My other not so secret addiction is to flowers.  According to Mr. Tide, who has been doing a lot of genealogy on my side of the family, I'm descended from some fairly notable royals, so I blame them for this particular affliction...and now that I think about it, maybe for the penchant for shoes as well?!

The other day I was having a Marie Antoinette moment as I looked around and noticed that I had 5 separate vases of flowers all around me, and I was in scent heaven!

If someone were to peek through my windows, they would see me sniffing the wind like a bloodhound, soaking in every single bit of their delightful fragrance!  The peonies have been especially fragrant this year, and one small bouquet made almost my entire house smell like a French Palace...minus the negative 18th Century smells! :)

And I have been known to walk visitors around my yard (sorry family and friends) to make them smell each variety of rose in our garden, while giving them a running commentary of what "I" think each one smells like.  It usually goes something like this..."oh, see that one, it smells like Pez candy!"  Thankfully, no one seems to mind too much...it's not as though I'm saying, "hey, wanna smell something weird?!"

So that's the deal...my deepest, fashionably darkest, and smelliest secrets revealed!  I could probably go to therapy or try and break my addictions on my own, but why on earth would I want to do that?!

I'm off to bed, where it just so happens I can open my windows and have the smell of my New Dawn climbing rose waft into the room since it is growing up the wall by the window on my side of the bed.  

I think my ancestors would be proud...happy that I can still appreciate the finer things in life, all these generations later!

Smile

What made you smile today?  Was it a call from a friend, something you read, a job well done, a beautiful sunrise?

For me it was a rainy day, roses starting to bloom (ahh that sweet rose fragrance), the sound of my children's voices, a chilly morning cuddled up with my man before he had to get up for work, puppies at my feet when I write, and something as simple as a dandelion image I captured a few days ago.

It's funny how something so many hate as a weed can have such a beautiful structure and delicate nature.  I guess I've always rooted for the underdog...or common weed, throughout my life.

Tonight, before you go to bed, think about those things that brought a smile to your face today...it's just what the doctor ordered...I promise! :)

Lovely Lilacs

Hello lovely lilacs...I've been waiting for you.

For the sweet fragrance of your blooms.

For your delicate petals to open so that I could capture them and turn their beauty into art.

Though your blossoms are already works of art.

Not requiring any manipulation on my part...yet still I do.

Because I can't help myself.

Maybe because I am delirious from your heady fragrance which smells like sunshine and sweetness all rolled in to one.

We wait with baited breath for you to return each spring...and oh the wait is so worth it!

And so I will leave you just as you are, beautiful in your simplicity, able to conjure up childhood memories, and the perfect compliment to white pitchers everywhere!  Thank you lovely lilacs...until we meet again!

Cherry Pink

I hope you each...

Have a...

Simply beautiful weekend...

No matter what you have planned!

And in honor of my trumpet playing husband, a little music to get you started.  I bet many of you have heard this song, but never knew what the title was..*Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White*...how apropos!

Happy Spring

(little birdie texture from French Kiss)

Can you believe it's the first day of Spring?!  All I can say is YAY!  Happy First Day of Spring to those of us in the northern hemisphere!

Thank you everyone for your lovely comments about my macro shots.  It's not that I wasn't happy with them, but when Blogger gets a hold of images, it either samples them or compresses them, I'm not sure which, but the result is that the images are degraded from how they look outside of blogger.  Usually I don't care, but with macro shots, clean crisp images are the name of the game.

Now, get outside and enjoy this first day of Spring...that's what I'm going to do!

Lilac Wine

The crazy weather moved through yesterday, and this morning I awoke to lush green and the glow of bright sunshine streaming through my windows.

Even the dogs sensed after yesterday's storms, which left a tree down on one of our roads, that today would be special and they promptly woke us up at the crack of dawn.

The other day while I was at my grandparent's little farm, I picked these lilac blossoms from a bush in the front yard.  My grandmother loved lilacs and also had a bush right near her back door.  The violets from my last post also came from her yard by the back door, I guess my Nana liked to walk in and out of her home and smell lovely things.

I'm descended from a long line of flower loving women I think.  And I never tire of smelling, picking, or having fresh flowers in my home.

I adore lilacs, but my sister K is the true lover of these multifaceted flowers.  Growing up, her room was across the hall from mine and it was purple from head to toe.  A lovely shade of lilac as a matter of fact.  Unlike me, she kept her room immaculate, and at 6 years younger than her, I used to love to wander in and check out all of her grown up stuff.  One of my favorite things was a lilac topped container.  I think it held powder, or maybe perfume and the top of it was adorned with faux lilac blooms.  I think they may have been made of plastic, but I loved them none the less.


 

My grandmother had an English lilac bush and a French lilac bush, and I can never remember which was which.  Sadly the bush in the back yard was overtaken by a wild rose and is no longer there.  Either way, these are lovely and full of wonderful fragrance.

The bush where these came from is old and needs some TLC, it barely had any blooms on it, and I almost didn't pick them.  At the last minute I decided to grab the 4 blooms it had, and after yesterday's violent winds and rains I'm so happy I did!

Today is too beautiful to spend inside on a computer, so I'm off to face the day and soak up some sunshine.  But when I come home at the end of the day, I will soak up some lilac wine and think of my grandmother!

If you are thinking to yourself...sheesh what is with all of the flower pictures...well it's spring here, and I love flowers, so I hope you love seeing flowers as much as I love photographing them!

I have decided it's a go with the Spread The Love meme party idea and will be back with more info soon.

My daughter posted this song on her blog recently and I hadn't heard it before.  I think this video is truly a work of art, and I love the lyrics, here is an excerpt...

I lost myself on a cool damp night
I gave myself in that misty light 

Was hypnotized by a strange delight
Under a lilac tree
I made wine from the lilac tree
Put my heart in its recipe
It makes me see what I want to see 

and be what I want to be
I think more than I want to think
I do things I never should do
I drink much more than I ought to drink
Because it brings me back you...

Happy Sunday everyone!

Hope Springs Eternal

Today is one of those glorious days that you want to bottle up and save for a rainy, cold day!

The kind of day where you can't be sad, even if you try, because spring is bursting forth all around you!

A day where birds sing and flowers dance.

And everywhere you turn there is something coming to life...

Something making the world a more beautiful place.

And your worries slip away like grains of sand between your toes.

This is my kind of day!  One that reminds us that Hope Springs Eternal.

Hope springs eternal in the human breast;

Man never Is, but always To be blest:

The soul, uneasy and confin'd from home,

Rests and expatiates in a life to come.

-Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man

I hope you all are having this same kind of day wherever you might be!  And if you want to try out the wonderful free Silence texture I used on several of these photos, be sure to visit Kim Klassen's site by clicking HERE!

Spread the Love...

Better After

Spring Lambs and a Winner

When you live in the country sometimes your neighbors aren't just humans!  Some of our neighbors are cows, horses, chickens, and sheep.  And each year when springtime rolls around there are little lambs frolicking about in the fields.

If you've ever read a nursery rhyme about lambs the illustrations usually show them jumping and kicking up their heels in joyful abandon.  And that's not just some charming idealized image of baby sheep, these little lambs bounce and prance as if they have springs in their tiny feet!

They make the most of each and every moment, chasing one another, playing king of the hill, and just having fun!  They are the pure embodiment of carefree living!

But they never stray too far from the sides of their mothers as they take in the world around them.

And like humans, their parents are always keeping a watchful on them as well, making sure that they stay out of harms way.

It's magical this time of year in my neighborhood, with the flowers blooming, the smell of freshly cut grass filling the air, and we all stop to watch these wonderful creatures grow with each passing day!  As we drive by the sheep farm each day on our way home, it's not unusual to see 2 or 3 cars pulled over just watching the lambs living life to the fullest.

I think for most of us these little lambs represent renewal, rebirth, and everything wonderful about this time of year!

Thank you to everyone for your lovely comments about my house tour!  Your support and kind words always warm my heart!

And now it's time to announce the winner of my latest giveaway!  Thank you once again to everyone who entered and shared the giveaway with others!   Lucky #20 was my dear friend Lili from Fearless Nesting!  Lili was one of my first followers and has been a blogging buddy of mine ever since.  She's a talented artist and when random.org picked her name it made me smile.  Poor Lili has entered every single giveaway I've ever had, and she even gave me one of her great pieces of Raku Pottery for a different giveaway, so congrats Lili, I know you'll look fabulous carrying that cool new purse!!

Frosty the Snowman

This is the view out of the windows here at Casa Tides today!  It has me wondering about the whole concept of global "warming" and how most years we get little or no snow, but the past few years we've been inundated!  Just a few days ago it was 60 degrees here and I was happily walking the dogs in the sunshine!

So I began thinking that maybe it's because I still have all of my snowmen out...maybe I'm the reason it keeps snowing?!  So I've decided to be a good Samaritan, and to pack up all of my snowmen today in hopes that maybe the winter storm Gods will realize that I don't really love snow...I just love snowmen!  The fake kind, with charming faces and chubby cheeks.

Like this little cowboy snowman with his handsome blue scarf and little twigs.

Or this cute pair who are offering to sell S'mores for just 25 cents!

Maybe we should keep this pudgy little one out to help with the shoveling?!

The birds would appreciate this little snow lady on a day like today!

Having some place warm to hang your boots to dry is very important on a snowy day!

Maybe we should sprinkle a little salt from this snowman shaker to keep the sidewalk from getting too slippery.

This little snowman with his nose in the air, sparkly body, and fluffy scarf always makes me smile.

This "snow" dusted snow "woman" is all set for a day on the town with her tinsel trimmed cape, bow tied bonnet, and shining star.

These aren't technically snowmen, but they are a sweet little pair of penguins given to me by my daughter.  Look at those fetching faces!

So if you're getting some of this, would you mind packing up some of these...

Then maybe Old Man Winter will get the hint and we can get back to this...