Thursday, April 29, 2010

A Huge Thank You and A Women's Retreat

I had a fabulous gift arrive in the mail today!
On my birthday I was the lucky winner
of a very special giveaway sponsored
by Liane of 'Tender Hearted Daisy'.
Each item was beautifully wrapped
with the prettiest ribbon, as you can see
this beautiful box was full of
all kinds of treasures.
My camera isn't working so this picture
was the one Liane posted on her blog,
hope you don't mind but I did want to show everyone
your lovely gift.
Please stop in to visit Liane at
she has a wonderful blog.

I am going away for the weekend
with my sister to an 'Annual Women's Retreat'
that is sponsored by my church.
It's a wonderful opportunity for us
to learn more about God's plan for us
and we get to spend three days
enjoying a lovely seaside resort right
on the beach.
Wishing you all a joy filled weekend!


Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Welcome To My Home !

As promised I thought I would show you around the outside
of my home.
That last few weeks have been busy with
 yard cleanup, remulching beds, and planting.
My husband and I have done all the
landscaping ourselves. It has taken us close to 20 years
to get all this done.
Let's go around back shall we?
Looking straight back to the right, you can see
our garden bench...
which is situated right next to the pond.
I can sit there and listen to the
water tumbing down the falls and enjoy
the scent of honeysuckle planted
right behind the bench.
Turn to your right from the pond and you
can see across the back to our garden shed.
A closer view of the shed, the plants in the
window boxes haven't really grown
big enough to see just yet.
Turn a little more to your right from the pond
and you can see the pool and part of the
back of the house.
Straight up from the pool are
the steps leading up to the deck
to our back door.

A little closer to the back door and
you can see I've been very busy planting.
One of my favorites is the tree that
is blooming pink, it's a pink oleander.
I also have two white ones in pots, it's the only way
I can grow them this far north.
I plant them in big pots and then winter
them over by bringing them in.
Turn slightly to your right and you can see
my potting bench. My sweet husband
built it for me a few years back to store my supplies.
Turn slightly to your left and you see where
my houseplants spend the summer.
They love coming out after spending all
winter cooped up inside.
Turn completey around and you can see the
pool and yard from the deck.
These pots welcome visitors to the
deck after entering the yard from the back gate.
I have pots planted just about everywhere.
It gives me the opportunity to try new species
every year when I visit the nurseries.
My husband says I'm like kid in a candy store!
Hope you enjoyed the stroll through my yard.
The vegetable and herb gardens I've saved
 for a later date as it's a bit too early to
plant some things, but I will in another two weeks.
Come back soon and I'll give you a close up
of what's happening in the pond :)

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

I've Been A Busy Bee

Sorry I've been so busy that
I've had little time to blog or visit.
Sunday was my birthday and besides
my normal duties I've been busy
celebrating with my boys.
This photo was taken three years ago
and the girls in the picture are no longer
'in the picture'.
It's very difficult to get all five of them
together at once, let alone for
a photo opportunity.
The remainder of my days have
been busy celebrating with
freinds and family, I have had
quite  few lunch dates over
the last few days.

It will be a miracle if I can get
my butt into my summer clothes
after all the food & cake I've had.
I promise to be back real
soon with photos of the yard
and gardens, all the hard work
is beginning to pay off :)


Friday, April 23, 2010

"Beauty"

"... of whatever kind, in it's supreme
development, invariably excites the
sensitive soul to tears."
Edgar Allen Poe



The clematis vines on the side of my home
are bursting with blossoms!
What beauty will you find today to move you to tears?

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Honor Your Mother

                                    ...Earth that is!

As we celebrate Earth Day
around the globe today
let us remember to

If you haven't already seen
the documentary series
'Planet Earth'
on the Discovery Channel
I highly recommend viewing it.
It's perfect for children and adults,
and is available on DVD.







(images courtesy of TV Guide & the Discovery Channel)

In the words of John Muir
"When one tugs at a single thing in nature,
he finds it attached to the rest of the world."




Wednesday, April 21, 2010

A Rose By Any Other Name?

When I am sharing posts about my
home town I often refer to it as
the 'Jersey Shore'.
Lately that connotation may
not smell as sweet as it once did.
If any of you are familiar with
MTV's show titled by
the same name you may be
wondering what kind of
hell hole I actually live in.
This is the cast of The Jersey Shore
 which was indeed filmed in our neck of
the woods, however they do not depict
in any way what the locals are all about!
Sadly the young people in this
show demonstrate poor ideals
and have left a rather black mark
on our community.
I often share photos and posts
about our mountain cabin
but have neglected to share info
on my hometown.
To dispel any negative images
this show has left I have decided
to show you around town.

Toms River is the seat of Ocean County,
one of the largest in NJ.
Travel just across the bridge

and you arrive at what we refer to as the Jersey Shore.
The barrier islands are dotted with many small towns
all offering everything from a quiet seaside resort to
the load, neon lit boradwalk.
In the off season it is relatively quiet here
 (we do have a year round population of over 90,000).

In the summer months the numbers swell


thousands of tourists descend upon the area.

The boradwalk offers lots of entertainment,

rides, food and games of chance.


As a local I prefer to go to the State Park beaches.

Even they get crowded in the summer but they
tend to attract more families with young kids.

As a State Park there are places off the beaten
track where you can find a secluded spot.

At the very tip of the island you can see across the inlet
to the Barnegat Lighthouse, the one in my watercolor painting.

It is really a beautiful area, one I take for granted most
of the time. It can be easy to focus on the
negative and overlook the natural beauty.


Let's travel back over the bridge which spans the Barnegat Bay,

the mouth of the Toms River empities right into it.


You can follow the river into the historic
downtown area. The river itself
is dotted with marinas.

It can look quite beautiful at sunset

or sunrise.

Ther are lots of folks who enjoy sailing along the river.
The downtown area is lovely as well


and offers restaurants, shops, the library


and many historical sites as well.


The area dates back to pre revolutionary days,
and is quite rich in history.
Travel across town to the bay side and you can see across
to the barrier islands.

Thre are lots of salt marshes on this side of town

with lots of beautiful shore birds.


Over all it's a very nice place to live.
Not at all what you might see
on television. Between MTV's
The JerseyShore,
 Desperate Housewives of NJ
and all the jokes about the
Turnpike it's a wonder anyone
takes us seriously.
I know this was rather long and
if you stayed with me this far,
 you can go now...
I'm sure you have lots to do!