May flowers that blossom in June

 "April showers bring May flowers that blossom in June".  Now, here we are in July already!

In early June it was good to see that the Iris bulbs we transplanted last fall made it safely through the chill of a late winter. Baloo the Bear came out of hibernation to welcome them in.

A walk through my mother's garden. "Daisy, Daisy give me your answer do...."

 

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

Does anyone know what this flower is called?  It traveled from a neighbor's yard into my mother's garden. Even if it turns out to be a weed, I really like it.

For the most part, at my house I have been concentrating on the front courtyard planters and pots.  I love the Mediterranean look of  geraniums overflowing from pots surrounding the fountain and pond. I am amazed at how these Hosta plants have thrived in their planters. This is their third year and they are huge!

 We watched our 17 month old grandson a couple of weeks ago.  He was quite intrigued by the fountain.  I thought about adding some small goldfish for the grandchildren to feed and to look at.  Unfortunately, when I tried adding them a few years ago the raccoons kept coming to try to fish them out of the water.  They made quite a mess! I don't think I want to deal with that again. The orange lilies in the corner of the picture were a Mother's Day gift from our daughter a number of years ago. They keep coming back every year.  Such a treat!

The courtyard is just as beautiful at night as it is in the daytime. .

 

The lighted teapot is another Mother's Day gift from our daughter.  She usually gives me something for the garden each year.  I love the way the light reflects against the wall.  It's a wonderful place to spend a quiet summer evening. 

Of course it was anything but quiet two nights ago as the neighborhood celebrated The 4th of July.  The fireworks went on until after Midnight, but it was a glorious and joyful sight, even if it was "a bit" noisy!

 
Happy Birthday USA!

Adieu!

 

Pretty in Pink

 While pink is not a color I would choose to wear or to decorate my home, seeing it outdoors is a different story. Here in the Northwest pink shows up in full glory during the spring.

It's rhododendron time and the bushes are decked out in a variety of pinks, from pink tipped white to deep rose.

 It's also apple blossom time.

 While walking along the lake a couple of weeks ago, I came upon this gorgeous flowering cherry tree all dressed in delicate pink.

 

Here is another variety of flowering cherry I found standing on the hillside overlooking Puget Sound from the Legion Park in Everett.

 The last of the pink tulips are still standing tall in my mother's garden.
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 While pink is the primary color in the neighborhood at the moment, it wouldn't be spring without a splash of contrasting color.  So here is my Golden Chain Tree with its sunny yellow blossoms cascading over the white petals on the bushes below.

 

This is where I leave you for now. All blessings to each one who stops by.

Adieu!

 

 

 

Catching Up

 It has felt like a very long winter for me this year.  Three and a half months of watching over my mom has left me physically and emotionally drained.  Life has been a bit of a roller coaster, not unlike the way my early plants struggled to rise from the ground throughout the uncertain Spring weather. 

 Early Spring sunshine in late February encouraged the crocus to surge through in a burst of lavender and purple.

Only to see the ground frozen once again under a light covering of snow a few days later.

More snow fell the beginning of March, surprising my iris shoots.

 It's important though, to remember God is always present, especially in the hard things.

We celebrated Good Friday with our youngest son and wife at their church this year.  The church provided a bountiful feast, followed by communion and a Tenebrae service which was very moving.

 

The body and blood of Christ broken and shed for us!

 

Easter came. He has risen! He has risen indeed!

I didn't have the energy to put together a traditional Easter Dinner this year.  However, my DIL arranged this lovely snack board to go along with the simple meal everyone helped to prepare for the family. I am always impressed by her creative zeal.

As the month of April has gone along, I have slowly been catching up with myself.  My mother is safely back in her home with some extra help.  I am recovering from a heart procedure I had been putting off since the beginning of the year.  It had been weighing on my mind.  So I am very glad to have it behind me.  My emotions have been considerably lightened, and I am looking forward to the late spring and summer months ahead.

I hope to be able to visit here more often in the near future, but for now I will leave you with this picture of the flowers I placed on the church alter last week in celebration of our 50th wedding anniversary.  God is always good. May you know his blessings every day.

  Adieu!

 

Coconut Lemon Squares

 There has been very little time for baking at my house the past couple of months.  However, I came across this recipe from my mother's box of recipes recently and when it was my turn to bring the goodies for after church coffee hour a couple of weeks ago, I decided to give them a try.

My grandmother loved to bake and this was one of her cookies. You can see that this recipe was well used and well loved.   Seeing it in my mom's recipe box brought back some wonderful memories.  My mom loves to bake too and since she has been staying here with us she was able to walk me through my first time making them for myself.  

Coconut Lemon Squares

First Layer:

1 1/2 cups flour            1 cup brown sugar         1/2 cup soft butter

Mix together and pat down firmly in a 9x13 pan. Bake at 275 degrees for 10 min. Remove from oven and top with filling.

Filling: 

2 eggs      1 cup brown sugar     1 1/2 cup coconut     1 cup chopped walnuts

2 tbsp flour     1/2 tsp baking powder     1/4 tsp salt     1 tsp vanilla

Beat the eggs in a large bowl.  Then add all the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  Spread evenly over the baked bottom mixture and return to the oven.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly,  While still warm spread lemon glaze over the top.

Lemon Glaze:

1 cup confectioner's sugar     1tbsp melted butter     juice from one lemon  (3 tbsp)

Cool completely before cutting into squares.

They were as delicious as I remembered! When I brought them to church not a crumb was left.  By the way, I baked up the Amish Sugar Cookies above as well.  That's another scrumptious recipe,  If you have never baked them you can probably find the recipe for those on line.  If you like coconut and lemon, give these squares a try. I don't think you will be disappointed. 

Adieu!

 

 

 

 

 

Birthday Celebrations

 My youngest son and I both share the same birthday. We celebrated together last week with the family.  My sweet and newest daughter-in-law knows how much I love the color yellow.  Daffodils are one of my favorite flowers.  She put together this lovely and colorful bouquet for me.

My husband brought me roses in celebration of both my birthday and Valentines Day.

And we both enjoyed our own special cheesecake for dessert.

I am truly grateful and blessed!

  You make known to me the path of life;

 in your presence there is fullness of joy

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

 Psalm 16:11

Adieu!