My Simple Life - Friday Fragments

I worked in the yard for hours yesterday.
It has rained so much lately that we couldn't mow or anything else, it was way too wet.  But finally it's dried up enough for us to get some work done.  And we did.  And now I am sore!  I moved rocks like a weightlifter, push-mowed, and weeded, and I am old.  And tired.  But - the lawn looks great!

This dragonfly flitted around us all day as we worked.
Finally I held my hand out, and he let me hold him for a while.

Things grow so nicely here.  My gardenia plant is already blooming, and gardenias can be difficult to grow.  I got some Mexican petunia from a friend a few weeks ago, but I didn't plant it right away and it was looking kind of sad by the time I planted it (she just pulled some of hers up for me).  But I planted it anyway and now it looks fantastic!  My jasmine is climbing up the tree it's planted by and is literally as tall as me.
I am also starting a rock garden.  I dug up rocks and found pieces of flint and shells.  I think it's a good start.

Once it got dark, I made a fire in my fire pit, turned on my fairy lights, and kicked back with a cold beverage or three.  I love my simple life.

I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday while driving down our dirt road.  Her husband is in the ICU, very ill.  While talking to her, I looked over my shoulder and saw this double rainbow.
It didn't rain here yesterday - at all.
I truly believe it was a sign and told my friend about it!  I had chills.  We decided it was a double rainbow so that there was one for each of us.  Good things are coming!

I took this on our dirt road the other day for an Instagram photo prompt.
It was so pretty I wanted to share it here.

At the hospital where I work, there is a large duckpond.
So it's not unusual to encounter ducks while walking in or out.
It is unusual, however, to encounter ducks trying to walk INTO the hospital!
What a couple of quacks!

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And have a wonderful weekend.

My Bargain Garden - SIMC

I had a really nice weekend.

Hubby and I did some thrifting on Friday (he is a great thrifter and spotted things that I had walked right by!).  But I wanted to do more on Saturday.  I asked him if he wanted to go, or if I should ask my mom to go.  He was more than happy to take a pass and stay home.  So, my mom and I spent the day thrifting, had lunch at Cracker Barrel, then made a stop at Lowe's for plants.

My main goal thrifting this time was to get containers to put plants into.  Not planters or pots, just various unique containers that COULD hold plants.  And I scored! Pails, dishes, even a big cooking pot.

This will be an ongoing project but I'm very happy with the beginning.  I also found two long strands of white Christmas lights, which I've put in the trees around "My Spot", the area where I put my firepit and am fixing up as my little corner of the world.


Then I went to Lowe's and hit up the clearance plant rack.  Basically, Lowe's takes the puny, pathetic, 1/3 dead plants, marks them way down and puts them on a rack.  They mostly  just need a little TLC and they'll thrive.  Not only did I get a bunch of clearance plants, I also scored THIS amazing bargain:

Sweet deal!

Doesn't look like much yet,
but now that they're planted and fertilized,
they will flourish.
Watch this spot!


A couple more thrifting finds....
this is stained glass chili peppers.

My kitchen theme is chili peppers,
so it's perfect.

This is a small metal table.
I got it to put outside,
but hubby wants it inside.
I don't know...
I think I'm going to move it outside anyway.

Hope y'all had a good weekend! 

P.S. This post was in no way sponsored or compensated by Lowe's.  However, Lowe's, if you would LIKE to compensate or sponsor me, hit me up!  =D

Sundays in My City

my jasmine

We had a very nice day. This morning we took a trip to the flea market. No pics from there...trust me, you aren't missing much. But I did get a jasmine plant. If you have never had the pleasure of smelling the lovely scent of jasmine, I am so sorry. Please put "smelling jasmine" on your bucket list, stat. Now I will have some here at home, climbing up a tree near the house. Lovely! We also planted some purple heart that we dug up from my parents' house. Pics to come later when it doesn't look so pathetic.

Lizard hanging out with an angel.

After the flea market, we went to visit my Mother-in-Law.  She made baked potatoes and we grilled out steaks.  It was delicious!   

Can you find the lizard in this pic?

We built a fire in the fire pit and lounged by the pool.  

When we came home,
I was walking one of the dogs
 and I saw these pretty orange wildflowers.

I had to grab a couple to bring inside
& cheer up the kitchen window!

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the Happy in my City

We

had

a

pretty

great

day.

Fun, Food, Friends, & Family.

It all started with monkey bread, made by Shelbie and her friend Kacey (my "3rd daughter").

My parents came over, and we picked muscadine grapes from our vines.

{and maybe I drank some wine, to take the edge off the parental-visit-induced crazy. Maybe.}

{Someone was hiding under the grape vines....}

We all walked around the yard, looking at the garden and the rose bushes.

I made two huge pots of chicken & dumplings,

to feed my family, two of the kids' friends, and my parents.

And now, my teenagers are at the movies;

Shelbie, Tim, and Kacey, the 3rd daughter.

As for me, I am full of The Happy.

I hope you had a wonderful Sunday in Your City!

The Simple Things....

I am a simple girl.

And although I will admit that there are some simple things that really irritate me....

like ridiculously long lines at the store,

or SLOOOOW drivers in the fast lane........

There are so many simple things that make me very happy.

Like those times when my whole family (me, John & the kids) are sitting around, talking and laughing our butts off. Sometimes I stop in the middle of it all and tear up, because it's so simple, so sweet.

Like the close friendship that my daughter Shelbie has with my best friend's daughter. They are best friends too, and even if they don't talk for a while, they pick right back up. They love each other dearly. And I LOVE that.

Like a great song on the radio.

Like a GOOD sleep. Which, now that I'm working more hours, is much harder to obtain.

Like eating the vegetables that we grew in our garden.

Like banana Fanta Icees.

Like when my husband and I say exactly the same thing at exactly the same time. And then crack up.

Like a really good book.

Like when my kids' friends call me their 'other mom'.

There is no fancy thing in the world that can bring me as much joy as the simple things.

Linking up with Mama Kat for her Writer's Workshop.

My Happy List -- Pretty in Pink!

It's Saturday, and I've decided it's time for a Happy List!

#1 ~ Ever since my Elayna could talk, she has admired pink hair. The pinker, the better. She has been asking me for the longest time when she could have pink hair. Last week when I was getting my hair done, this came up in conversation and my stylist was totally on board. She talked me into bringing Elayna in to get three pink foils. Today was the big day! Elayna was SO happy!

And when Elayna is happy, I am happy! I heart that kid.

#2 ~ The kids are at their dad's this week, and while I will miss them, the fact that my house will stay relatively clean for a whole week does make me happy!

#3 ~ This week we've been eating tomatoes from our garden! That makes me happy!

#4~ It has rained for most of the past two days here, and while I don't like driving or being out in the rain, my flowers & garden will be very happy!

#5~ I made it over the 500 follower mark, and I confess that does make me happy! Thanks, follower friends! xoxo

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

.virtual coffee.

Happy Tuesday, my friends. It is WAY too hot for coffee, even the {virtual} kind, down here in the Sushine State, where Spring lasts for, oh, about 5 minutes. But I'll be glad to pour you a glass of sweet tea, or if you'd prefer, I'll even give you one of my cans of Diet Dr Pepper. And that, my friends, is true love.

Did you watch The Bachelorette last night? I am not even sure where to begin; which was worse, the guy who wore the mask the entire time, or the guy who got completely trashed and had to be practically carried to the limo?
And Bentley....ohhh, Bentley. Drama before the show even begins. First, let's discuss Bentley's daughter's name. I'm still hoping they just changed it for the show, to protect her real identity, because how could two adults agree to name a child Cozy?
Seriously? Cozy? That poor child will be teased for her entire life.

And then, in the sneak peeks of later episodes, he reveals himself to be the douchebag that Ashley was warned about. Seems like she should have listened!

Enough of that. I'm not quite sure if I can watch it this season. I'm very busy with my Wars. I'm really not a violent person, but I'm very into War shows right now. Cupcake Wars, Parking Wars, Storage Wars...if there is a War involved, I'm probably going to be watching. If there's food involved, that's even better.

Speaking of food, my vegetable garden is growing beautifully. Not producing yet, but thriving. I can't wait to eat the results! Our neighbors brought us over a huge bag of squash last week (as well as another dozen of farm-fresh eggs). We went through that stuff in a couple of days.

And yes, we still absolutely love our new place, thanks for asking. We have a beautiful gray fox hanging around now. We see him late at night. I guess he shares the woods with the rabbits, wild turkeys, deer, and chupacabras that seem to call this place home.

On another note, Andrew got a reprieve from seeing BM this past weekend. His soccer tournaments, which were out of town, coincided with the scheduled visit. On advice of our attorney, John called to offer a different time and place. It was refused, and subsequent phone messages to try to work something out were ignored. The time and place are flexible per the Judge's orders, and we did our part to try to make arrangements, so we're in the clear. Andrew was so incredibly relieved.

Do you have any fun plans going on for Memorial Day? We don't; it kind of snuck up on us.

Well, I guess I need to get up and get something done around here.

I hope you enjoyed your icy cold beverage. Have a great week, and go visit Lucky Number 13 for more {Virtual} Coffee.