Main & Steadman

Like most I drive the same route to and from work every day

and every morning as I come around the corner

I see a sea of red & white

I say to myself ~ you need to come early one morning

and get some shots with your phone

but it never happened

then last week ~ one night after supper

I changed my clothes and grabbed my camera

and away I went ~ off before the petals all dropped

and it is a good thing I did because after the rain we got this weekend

they are pretty much done ~ thankful that I had the timing right for this one

this is right outside the main police department in Moncton

and as I walked to this spot I thought back to last year

when I walked here with a heavy heart and tears streaming down my face

I am happy to say ~ this year I was smiling

it was a beautiful night and there were so many people downtown

smiles all around

I love the brickwork in the downtown core

as you come to a cross street ~ there is a marker bearing the street name

I jumped in the truck and went up a couple of blocks

to outside a business I passed the week before

and saw the most beautiful lilac bush

knowing that most of the lilacs were done ~ I held my breath as I came around the corner

and yeah ~ she is still blooming

isn't it beautiful ~ double blossoms with just a tint of mauve

and the smell was amazing ~ I may have snagged a couple just to enjoy for a few more days

so while I was out I decided to stop at another place

I pass by every single day

it's an old house converted into a business

and it has curb appeal up the wazoo

from her pretty blue door and her big pot full of flowers

to being surrounded by lilac bushes 

both sides and the bushes are huge ~ i could just sit down on the steps

and be very content

the retaining wall and the cascading greenery that blooms as well 

I really must stop back when this is in bloom

so so pretty

Can you believe that we are already half way through June?

The kids finish school this Friday

I think there is a prom every night this week so Facebook will be filling up with beautiful pictures

Hubby will finish out the school year being a bus driver and start a new adventure on Monday

I participated in the United Way ~ Day of Caring this past Friday

love giving back to these organizations

we celebrated my besties birthday on Saturday night

12 of us at a Japanese restaurant ~ seated around the grill

it was so much fun

not much else ~ feeling like summer

loving the sunshine and the heat

hoping to get to the cottage soon

Hope you have a great week!

Simple Pleasures

One of the things I do every morning is log onto the app Timehop on my phone.  It is one of my favourites as it pulls from social media posts from that date in past years.  As I usually tweet my blog posts, this one came up for me on Saturday morning.  Kim over at Kimberly Taylor Images had a series called "Simple Moments" and asked for guests to post on certain dates.  This was my post and since we were headed to the cottage that day ~ my words struck a chord with me.  I thought it was one of my best posts, so I thought I would share it again here for you.

Originally published May 30, 2012

I love the quote “you are responsible for your own happiness” so when Kim asked me to write a guest post about finding joy in the simple pleasures I was “in”!

Maybe it has something to do with getting older but I find myself stopping and looking around more often ~ trying to really see my surroundings.  Heading down the dirt road to the cape where the cottage is something I used to take for granted but not anymore.  I call it my little piece of heaven.  Knowing that there have been 5 generations travel on that same route makes me stop and smile ~ 5 ~ that’s amazing to me.

Our rustic little cabin nestled in the woods ~ milled from trees that Dad cut down with his father and brother.  The wood stove is our source of heat ~ perfect for a rainy or foggy night on the bay.  Smelling the fire and hearing the crackle of the flames takes me to a warm cozy place.

Going down the driveway and crossing the road and down the embankment to the beach.  Walking along and finding treasures ~ glass no longer sharp as it has been tumbled by the tides ~ the odd shell ~ and cool rocks of every shape size and color.  Come mid July the sandpipers will arrive ~ feasting on the mudflats while the tide is out and giving us an incredible air show when it comes in.  Grampy always called them the “peeps” ~ I watched them as a child and still sit and watch them in awe of their fluid moves ~ it truly is a site to see.

Not too far up the road is the farm ~ the place where my Dad was born.  I can spend so much time here ~ camera in hand ~ walking and just loving my surroundings.  Wildflowers in the field ~ my grandmother’s big rhubarb patch ~ the old hen house ~ the barn where we used to swing for hours ~ the blueberry fields and the best sliding hill around.  If you listen real hard you can hear music coming from the house ~ guitars and singing as a good old Maritime kitchen party kicks into gear.

They all spark a memory which wrap around me like an old well worn sweater and hug me tight.  That brings joy to my heart and sometimes a tear to my eye.

Other things that bring me joy are my 4 legged fur babies that always make me smile ~ a good book  ~ freshly cut grass ~ flowers blooming and knowing that vacation time is getting closer.

Happy Monday!

Friday Potpourri

Well hello there.....

it's Friday ~ I am on vacation and thought it was high time 

to get my butt in gear and do a little update.

When I last posted it was my birthday eve

and I was looking forward to my party which was held at our place

I did not have to do a thing

I was taken out to dinner and came home to a decorated house

I was surrounded by family and friends that are near and dear to my heart

my girlfriend made my cake and I absolutely loved it

it was so me and all around the sides were musical notes

she knows me so well

I was spoiled rotten with flowers and gifts

it was a great night and as stressed out as Trev was planning it all

it was a huge success.

Trev's birthday was 2 weeks later and was more low key

as he only hits the "big one" next year

we celebrated with dinner out then back to the house for game night

with the best neighbours ever

I made a cake and we had some munchies

we always have a good time when we are together ~ even the dogs.

The weekends are starting to get busier as the warm weather arrives

we have been down to the cottage to hook up the rain barrel

and take the shutters off the windows 

I hope to get down there to clean on Saturday

since I will now have water and we finally are getting some

warmer temps

the sun feels good.

Last post I talked about a couple of my painting projects

and thought I would share some pics

the bathroom was originally a raspberry colour

remember back in the days of Trading Spaces

it used to be a Saturday night ritual

it made me bolder with my colour choices

but after 12 years it was time 

I primed it and then did 3 coats of paint

it has lightened up things so much

it is a soft yellow ~ buttery and so hard to get a picture of!

While I had the paintbrush out I decided to paint the closet doors 

in the bedroom

when I redid the bedroom 3 years ago

I wasn't sure if I wanted to paint the closet doors, 

stain them to match the flooring or get new ones

so one day while out running errands I made a snap decision

and went into the store where I buy all my paint

knowing that they would have the colour on file

honestly it took no time to do and I have no idea what took 

me so long!  The doors basically disappear and I am very pleased

why is painting such a dreaded task when the results are so rewarding?

so this week has been full of sunshine and warm weather

planting flowers ~ getting some sun

Trev found this nest out back ~ the babies were still in it

but they were dead

not sure what happened to the Mama

so he buried the babies and saved the nest for me

he is such a good boy!

It feels good to be back ~ I have been here for 6 years now

hard to believe  but there it is ~ hope to post 

on a more regular basis going forward ~ we shall see

Happy weekend!

Friday Potpourri

Friday morning

and it looks like it is going to be a fabulous day

this vacation week was picked back in the fall

with hopes of jetting off somewhere warm

but since that was not in the cards for us

it was a working at home week ~ well mostly

via

via

I put a post out there on Instagram on Sunday
my brother was having some health problems
and I was looking for prayers ~ thank you for those
and your kind words

he was released from the hospital on Wednesday
and although he has a new road to travel
he is here and feeling a lot better

via

via

painting was high on the to do list this week

I finally got the closet doors done in our bedroom

along with installing new nobs

then I tackled the bathroom

one coat of primer and 3 coats of paint

can you say complete ~ done ~ finis

I do love it ~ so much brighter

I will share pictures soon

via

massage and a mani-pedi was in the cards as well

don't you love gift cards

and the weather has been so nice ~ warm temps

the snow is melting.......slow but sure

via

via

oh yeah ~ by the way ~ this is one of my favourite cakes ever

old fashion yellow cake with chocolate frosting

I am a simple girl really

it is my birthday eve and I have mixed feelings this year

this is a milestone event in my life

lighting 50 candles on the cake

reflecting on my life ~ what to keep ~ what to change

like cleaning out a closet

I think there will be more on that as well

so tomorrow night we will gather ~ I am so looking forward to seeing

people that mean the world

Trev has been in planning mode with help from a couple of my girlfriends

I know we will have a good time

via

Cheers to the weekend

hope it's a good one!

Friday Potpourri

Hello there

how was your Easter?  

was it full of family and food

and special blessings

unedited iPhone photos ~ sorry!

we spent Friday with Trevor's family

27 people gathered ~ I joked with his cousin when we walked in

it looked like a mess hall ~ but what a time we had

catching up and sharing 

it truly was a Good Friday

Saturday we got stuff done 

errands ran and I bought paint!

Fat Paint!

I am going to attempt to paint my coffee table and end tables

this is one of my favourite little shops

Wendy knows her stuff and is more than willing to help out

let's just say that I could leave a lot of money there

you can check it out for yourself here.

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

So I have to talk a leeetle bit about winter

and how I am yearning to open the windows

feel a warm breeze on my face

hear the birds sing

yeah ~ all that

I am doing a little something on Instagram

that every Monday I am taking a photo

and hash tagging it #viewfrommyporch

so this is the last 3 Mondays

March 23rd - we had an igloo like effect 

March 30th - oh look - a roof line and some treetops

April 6th - woohoo - it's a real neighbour!

honestly we have to laugh about it now because we are so over winter here

I am not even joking

front walkway ~ handsome husband is 6 ft tall

as of March 17th we had already received 450 cm of snow

that's 177 inches or almost 15 feet

and up until Jan 27th we had NO snow

so all this arrived in 6 weeks or so

the kids have had 14 snow days

crazy crazy

so now you know why I want to see green grass

and buds on the trees

rant done!

I would be amiss if I said it was all bad

when you are in hibernation mode you get lots

or nothing done

projects were worked on

naps were taken

new recipes were tried

and lots of reading was happening

the hot beverage station was banished for another season

and daffodils brightened up the kitchen spaces

we have had dinners out

with special cakes made for people that mean the world.

Next week I am on vacation

and I have some appointments ~ a massage mani/pedi day planned

time with Mama

and then a milestone birthday to celebrate on the 18th

it is going to be a great week.

Hugs!

From the Heart

I have written about my 2 nieces before

and how much I adore these girls that bless me by calling me Aunt

Sam & Kat

today I am focusing on the youngest

her name is Samantha

I know I did a post last May titled Motherhood

it was a hard one to write ~ I put myself out there a lot

but I usually do not delve deep

truth be told I was missing out ~ what was it like to see yourself

in another being

would they look like you ~ talk like you ~ like the same things that you do?

I know that if we had of adopted ~ I would see myself in this child

born from my heart and not from my womb

but since that never happened for us ~ that void would always be there

or would it......

enter my beautiful ~ almost 16 (eek) year old mini me

she is so much like me it scares me a little

she loves to read ~ real books

and she is a writer ~ a word girl

I don't think she met a quote she doesn't like

sound familiar?

 a music lover, she has such a soft heart

anything to do with animals and we are both there

and if it is a sad story ~ there are tears from us both

a couple of weeks ago we spent the day together ~ visiting used book stores

drinking cappuccinos ~ talking about authors

she loves Nicholas Sparks ~ I introduced her to a couple of my favourite authors

we talked about music

about the lyrics ~ the words are just as important as the melody

and she likes one of my fav bands ~ I know you know all of their music

which songs should I download?

I took her picture ~ posted it to Instagram and my best friend commented

 "Oh my goodness ~ it is like taking a step back in time ~ she looks just like you"

when I got home after dropping her off

my heart was full

and I was gushing and telling Trevor about how I was feeling

all these years I thought I would never know ~ but I do and it is the coolest thing

then I wrapped him in a hug realizing that he will never feel the same

and I felt selfish for being so excited....

he brushed it off and I toned it down ~ I love this boy 

a couple of weeks later Sam posted the following to Instagram

as she is doing a photo a day challenge ~ the prompt was idol

she wrote:

"I don't have an idol but this chick really inspires me"

it was on this picture ~ taken of her and I at her junior prom

can you say peacock moment??  My heart almost burst in my chest!

I scanned this picture last week and used it for throwback Thursday

she sees it now too

So my little sweet pea is growing up and I could not be prouder of the person she is becoming

Friday Potpourri

Ahh Friday

happy to see the weekend arrive after a long cold week

although this is not the view from my actual door

it is still pretty white out there and the banks are really high

I will see if I can get some pictures taken this weekend

via

so with the cold comes soup making

sweater wearing ~ tea drinking

snuggling in with recorded tv and our furry kids

kind of days

via

via

this looks so good and blueberries

so really ~ it's a win win

love the blue

via

via

tomorrow night we have a date

going to a concert ~ hubby is finally using his Christmas present

and we are both looking forward to it

via

via

so while those on the west coast get to enjoy the flowers in bloom

open windows with the curtains blowing in the breeze

and thoughts of planting and gardening

via

I will be dreaming of a time when I can sit somewhere like this

with a glass of wine and take it all in

I would say in about 2 months time!

Happy weekend.