simple blessings of summer...

What a treat to have this beautiful rose of sharon by our front door to greet us as we come and go...
 

 bees hard at work...

 

the pretty little crape myrtle given to me for Mother's Day...♥

  daylily...

 a surprise acorn squash plant my husband found...I *do* remember throwing out some seeds earlier in the year! :-)

 fresh blackberries...so juicy when they're warm...straight from the vine to my mouth! Mmmmm....

picking some to share with a neighbor...

  beautiful weather so I can hang the clothes outside...

thankful for the shade and the gentle breeze while I hang them up!

sweet Oreo...

being camera shy...*smile*

Thank You, Lord, for all your blessings!

~Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. -Psalm 68:19~

Take care,

~Melanie

A Snowy Valentine's...

 

 ...yesterday afternoon

...last night

I got my camera and went out for a little walk around our house this morning.

    

footprints  :-)

 

  

Our backyard...

    

Care to swing?

 

Or hang some clothes?

  

One of our Rose of Sharon bushes

  I love snow covered fences.♥

  a little stream behind our house

  The snow from the trees was melting and dropping in the water. 

You can see the little ripples.

   

So pretty with the sun shining through the trees

 Such a funny doggie we have. Lilly *loves* the snow! 

When there's snow outside, she's scratching to go out about every hour so she can play.

That is one spoiled pup right there!

   

Katie made this sweet wreath. I just love it!
 I baked the dough hearts. She did the rest.

I hope you're all having a happy Valentine's Day. 

Thanks for stopping by. :-)

Take care,

~Melanie

                                  

Washing & Waiting

We have been enjoying our first week of summer vacation...
just a little bit of laziness going on around here!


So, what did Katie and I do while we waited for the clothes to dry?
We went for a walk, and took some pictures to share with you.



Ivy from under our cherry tree.



One of our blueberry bushes.



Wild raspberries in the woods out back



Mimosa tree across the road



This is a close-up of it.
Isn't that pretty?



Wild daisies




Katie on the swing in the backyard



Katie and Lilly under the willow tree


We took these pictures earlier this week.
It is 95° here today, so we are inside!
I don't believe the air conditioner
has stopped all day.

Hope you're all having a great week,
and staying cool.

Thanks for stopping by.

Take care,
~Melanie

Just A Fun Day

My husband and I took some of the school kids on a field trip Wednesday. It was raining in the morning, but thankfully it didn't last long. We went to a park and grilled some hotdogs and hamburgers at the beach, then took the kids for a walk on one of the trails. Everything was so pretty and green, and I made sure I took some pictures so you could see what things look like in our part of the world. :)

There was mountain laurel everywhere.
It was beautiful.





We saw lots of pretty ferns too.







The trail ended at this pretty little lake,
complete with lily pads.
That's mountain laurel blooming all around.



This little lizard blended in so well,
we almost missed it!



This was our group.
They always keep us on our toes!!



This is something interesting
we saw while we were eating lunch.
The one on the right is a stuffed animal, and
the one on the left was a guy dressed up in
some kind of big foot suit.
Someone was on the shore taking pictures of them.
I have no idea what it was all about,
but we thought it was funny.
I wanted to get a better picture,
but the wind was so strong
that it kept blowing them back to shore.

I hope you all have had a good week. We only have two weeks of school left, and I am so happy about that! I always enjoy summer break. :)

Have a great weekend.

Take care,

~Melanie

~Our Time Away~

Hi, everyone!
I hope you all
have had a good week.

We've spent this week
visiting with our families
and having a nice relaxing time.

We also managed to fit in
some thrift stores,
but I'll show you that later. :)

We're back home now,
so I've been
unpacking,
doing laundry,
going through the mail...
you know, all that fun stuff
you have to catch up on
after being away.

I think the cats missed us.
They've been all under our feet
purring since we got back.
They're so funny. :)

~♥~
While we were at my parents' house,
Katie and I took some pictures to share with you.




~♥~
This is their front yard
with the dogwoods in full bloom.
They are beautiful!




~♥~
I just love this little 'tree'
on their front porch.
Mom decorates it
for the seasons and holidays.
I especially like the little black bears. :)

We have to be careful because
REAL black bears like to roam
around there too!

~♥~

This is their back yard.
Dad made this walkway last year,
and he did a wonderful job!!
The tulips were blooming
while we were there too...
so pretty!




~♥~
My dad also built this shelter out in their woods.
These two pictures are from last summer.
I didn't think to take any pictures
while we were out there this time.

~♥~
There's a fire pit out there too,
and this week we enjoyed
some good hotdogs and s'mores. Mmmm.
It's so relaxing to watch the fire
and listen to it crackle,
and hear the wind rustle through the trees...
one of life's simple pleasures for sure! :)

~♥~
Mom and Dad
are still living in the same house
where I grew up...
so many good memories.
I'm glad they're still there
and we have a nice place to visit
when we need a little break
from our busy life.

~♥~

We were so fortunate to have missed any tornadoes.
We were under a tornado warning during our visit,
but thankfully we were not hit.
Sadly, one of my cousins in Tennessee had two friends
who were killed in one of the tornadoes.
I feel so sad for all those who have lost loved ones
in these awful storms. They definitely need our prayers.

Thanks for stopping by.♥

Take care,
Melanie