Frustration!!

OK...for over a week I have been having issues leaving comments on blogs and apparently receiving them...this is getting old. I have gone onto blogger help...NO HELP!! I have gone to twitter and they said on May 24 that they were aware of the problem and were working on a fix...not fixed yet...
Does anyone out there have an answer??? I keep getting sent around and around when I comment...and yet never get to actually leave any comments...I really enjoy reading all your blogs and writing to each of you...but something is VERY wrong here...if anyone can help me...I would LOVE it!!

Until I get this worked out...I'll be sewing...

A Visit to Rogers Gardens...

Yesterday, my sister, Debbie and I decided to drive down to Rogers Gardens for our Spring visit. We try and go down there a couple times a year...it is an amazing place...but quite the drive from our area. It is in Corona Del Mar...right near the ocean...I was a little upset when I arrived at my sister's house because I had forgotten my camera, but she had an extra...so I took all the pictures with that. I wasn't quite used to it...so my pictures aren't the greatest...especially at the beginning...You enter through the gift shop there and it is amazing ....I keep saying amazing don't I...can't think of another word...awesome...expensive! They have all kinds of neat things that I could use...if I had an unlimited bank account...but I don't...so I took pictures...a girl can drool...I mean ...dream ... can't she...I could think of so many places to display these pretty little mirrors...
Lots of shiny objects to distract us...

Look at these bottles...the color was incredible...like one? I did...I liked the one that is priced over $400...you heard me...I told you it was a bit pricey...

Like green...I do!

This was such a cute table display for Memorial Day...the plates and cups looked like paper, but weren't...since I no longer use paper products...these are right up my alley...just not in the budget! The ants are salt and pepper shakers...so cute!

This was one of my favorites...he paper mache.

A paper mache watermelon...oh he would look so cute in my house...

We went outside next...the gardens displays are beautiful there. They have many flowers that are in season here yet...

Look at all these pretty pots...

They have this large area that they change depending on the season...right now it is so pretty with all the pretty flowers...

Debbie wanted this St. Francis...but he was a bit pricey too...well over $100!

They had dahlias that were taller than me! This is a close up of one of the blooms...

Another dahlia...

We went to eat lunch...not here...but at California Pizza Kitchen...I love the salads there...but we stopped here for dessert...This is an Asian Bakery...Cafe 85...it is a very busy place...the line for the fresh baked breads was out the door. Here are some of the desserts...

I got a small slice of Black Forest cake...it is sponge cake and whipped cream and delicious!

Then I waited in line for my baked goods to bring home...garlic breads, tuna rolls, and mini lemon and apple pies...yummy!

I did manage to spend more than I wanted to at Rogers Gardens...I'll show you my goodies tomorrow!

Enjoy your day, my friends...I'm going back out to the garden to plant all my new friends!!

Time to start collecting...

If you want lots of these....
And these too...you need to start collecting...

These...

It is a bit tedious to collect them...but this time of year the violas all start giving off their seeds and so as I dead head the flowers...I keep a small plastic dish with me. So many people ask how I have so many pretty violas all over my yard...now you know my secret...well...I figure if the seed companies can do it... so can I...I collect seeds from many different flowers...you just have to wait for the right time...and do a little work...

Enjoy your day, my friends!! I'm on my way back out to the garden!!

Congratulations Evan!

Our nephew and Godson, Evan graduated from San Diego State University this past Saturday. It was a nice ceremony and we are so proud of Evan. Here he is with his Mom and Dad, John and Hope. John is one of Don's younger brothers.
The ceremony was very early, so we changed clothes and went out to eat lunch at Ranchos in North Park. Ranchos is one of our favorite places to eat when we visit our sons, so everyone thought it would be a great place to celebrate.

Congratulations again, Evan....we are so proud of you!

My morning ritual...

Anyone who knows me at all...knows I am an animal lover...I love them all...especially birds! They are so charming and have the most wonderful personalities...every morning I feed the birds who visit our back yard each day...this morning...I was able to snap a few pictures of some of those who share our yard with me...I like that they are comfortable enough to call our back yard their home...
We have tons of finches...and I do mean tons...one day my older son came home from college and looked out the window and said..."Mom, do you know you have all the birds in San Bernardino in our back yard"...I thought about it...and yes...there are a lot out there...sometimes when I look at the ground under the seed feeder...the ground looks as though it is moving...with all the brown backs eating! This is where the birds like to hang out in the Spring...it is an oriole feeder...sort of a one stop sweet shop for birds. There is sugar water to drink...grape jelly...and an orange with the top sliced off...Yum!

We get a lot of hummers too...we have just one hummingbird feeder...but we have many autumn sage planted all around the yard...they love that...lavender too...but you can always find them around the feeders. My pictures aren't too great of them...they just move too fast!

We have a pair of Mourning Doves as well in the yard...they are so funny! This guy was just taking a stroll up and down the wall in the back...I think all the birds are enjoying that new wall...They walk up and down all day....

Here's one of our favorites this time of year...this is Cal! He is a Hooded Oriole...Don named him...we name several of our birds...funny...I called them our birds...I think of them that way sometimes...but these guys belong to no one...and everyone...anyway...Cal is shy...he is a breeding adult...and even though he has his own feeder...he seems to like the hummingbird feeder....I think he doesn't like all those little finches who are there most of the day...

Cal has a mate...Mrs. Cal...she wasn't here this morning...she was probably with their nest. They will have some babies soon...I can't wait to see them here! They don't nest in our yard...they prefer to nest in palm trees...we have some nice big ones around here...they nest in those.

There are several of these guys that come to visit...they are all Cals...we can see little differences in them all...the older they get...the darker the yellow is...some are almost orange. They feed at our yard all Spring and most of the Summer...then they're off...we look forward to their time with us...they are pretty used to me by now...but for some reason they don't like my camera...today I got lucky!

We have several other varieties of birds that live in the yard too...but today they were all camera shy...Brownie...the little Cow Bird that calls our yard home doesn't like the camera either...so he hid...and we have plenty of scrub jays...they have their own feeder full of peanuts...and a pair of mocking birds...they don't eat too much from me...just bugs...but I have found that they like raisins, strawberries, and oranges...so I put those out too.

Enjoy the day, my friends...I hope you can find some joy in your own yard today as well!!

The sun is back...

The rain has stopped and the sun is back in my neck of the woods...so out to do a bit of gardening...
This morning I concentrated on my front yard...I mowed and did lots of trimming and dead heading...

The Lambs Ears are blooming...

The rain watered everything and the mild temperatures have been wonderful to all my flowers...

Sometimes I think my garden gets a bit wild...right now it is on the verge of wildness...like if I stand here too long...I will get swallowed up...

Johnny Jump Ups are one of my favorites...they are everywhere...and I do mean everywhere!

The bees are busy at work...I can hear them buzzing around me as I garden...they are working so hard...

The roses are blooming...

This is a miniature rose...loved the color...I got it at trader Joes...I don't know that much about roses...like all the names and such...I just buy what I like and they seem to like it here.I think I have been blessed with what some call a green thumb...but I garden alot and the rewards are great...I am lucky at this stage in my life to be home and garden whenever I like...and I like to most days!!

Enjoy the day, my friends...I hope you found a bit of joy in my garden!

We have lilacs too...

I have seeing so many lilacs around blogland the last couple of weeks...they are one of my favorites...but we don't actually have them in the area I live in...too hot in the summer, I think...but I found out that there is such a thing as a California Lilac when Don and I went to Descanso Gardens...so I thought I'd show you what we found...
They smelled so good...I didn't want to leave...just stand there and suck it all in...

Lots of different colors too...

I can't get enough of these...

These white ones were amazing too...

Such perfect flowers...we were so lucky to discover this part of the gardens...it was tucked away...off the beaten path...so much beauty to take in...I need to go back...I'm having withdrawals...

Enjoy the day, my friends and remember to stop and enjoy the beauty wherever you can!!

A Rainy May Day...

We woke up to another day of drizzle and rain...it's predicted to clear up in a day or two...

It didn't rain too hard...just all day long...

There are mud puddles everywhere...

Drops of water hung from everything...

The trees were washed off and glistening...

There was no gardening today...maybe in a couple days...

So I brought the outside in...and made this bag!

It has ruffles...

And layered buttons...

And lots of pockets inside...

I added it to my Etsy shop...so I could share it...

Enjoy your day, my friends...whether the weather is bad or good!!