I can't believe it has been May since I've shared a blog post! Sunshine is to blame for the lack of posting on my part... we have been soaking up every ray possible! But to recap where we left off, I had last posted about our daughter's return from Spain.

She returned from Spain the last weekend in May and it was so wonderful to pick her up at the airport and hear all about her travels. We had spoken several times a week through Skype while she was gone, but it is just not the same as in person!

I asked her to put together a slideshow of some of her pictures that she took while she was in Spain and the other countries she visited to share with you... so here it is :)


I hope you enjoyed the video of our daughter's travels!  It has been wonderful hearing all about her experience, and seeing her pictures.

Springtime has arrived in all its beautiful blooming glory! I've been working in my garden to get it into shape and ready for planting.

It's exciting to have my little sitting area in the garden back in business for the season.

This door was found at a yard sale last summer, and I've had fun decorating it using an old window, also thrifted.

Happy mail came to me from a special friend who knows me well, and I enjoyed reading the latest issue of Willow & Sage in the shaded area of my garden.

Our ladies bible study, Joy in the Morning, held a Unity and National Day of Prayer gathering on the National Day of Prayer. All ladies in the community were invited, and we enjoyed a beautiful time of fellowship.  My glass plate flowers were the centerpieces of each table, as the theme was "In the Garden" for our decor.

We held a brunch with lots of delicious food.

Several ladies from our bible study, including myself, shared our hearts with the ladies who gathered. After we shared, we sang a few songs, including this song and then we all prayed together. It was a beautiful time of fellowship!

My husband walks 2 miles with me each evening and we enjoy watching the sun go down together and visit about our day. It is good exercise for both the body and the soul!

The wild phlox is in bloom in a magnificent way! It covers the hillsides where I walk.  Glorious to see!

It looks like Riley is stopping to see the phlox in bloom, as I was, but in reality, she was after a ground squirrel, lol!

The red Matador tulips I planted last fall have bloomed!  They are huge! And the blooms literally glow in the sunshine!

I think I have taken WAY too many pictures of this gorgeous tulip! LOL! The black strip you see in the background is supposed to give off an odor that deer don't like. It works for the early season of planting, but once fall arrives, the deer ignore everything but an 8-foot fence, lol!

These tulips light up my garden with their brilliance!  I purchased them from Breck's, my favorite tulip supplier. I need to buy more of these lovely ladies!

In the background of this picture, you can see an allium about to bloom! They will bloom when this tulip fades, keeping brilliant color ongoing in this space.

This gorgeous Monsella tulip from the Peony-Flowering Tulip collection (link to Brecks where I purchase them) is one of my favorites, I just love the gorgeous yellows of its blooms with the red streaks. They are long lasting, and stunning. It is a double bloomer, and will produce another bloom soon.

I planted 10 Matador tulips in this flower bed last fall, but the deer got to them :( I now have them covered with netting and will replant this fall.  But the three red tulips and daffodils still looked lovely!

We purchased a rotatiller last fall at a yard sale, and it has been such a blessing. I can manage the tiller myself, and now I can till the garden myself without needing the help of my husband or son!

These are some of the glass plate flowers I have made.  I have them placed throughout my garden, and they fill my heart with joy to see them. I love beautiful china, and this is a fun way to display it!

Here is a closer look at my sitting area in my garden...

Glass plate flowers are so much fun to add a touch of whimsey!

Peony flowering tulips...

These tulips are really long bloomers.  They last over a month!

Welcome visitors to my garden each summer, these hummingbirds provide lots of entertainment!

Mr. Simba likes to come in the garden with me and chase gophers. I welcome his help!

On a mission!

A moment of rest...

Intense concentration!

Love my feathered friends!

Yes, I know I have a problem... I have so many pictures of these gorgeous red tulips! But aren't they lovely?

Mr. Simba and I want to wish you a lovely and blessed springtime!  Go outside and enjoy all that springtime has to offer :)

Our spring here this May has had abundant days of sunshine, but that now seems to be coming to an end for a week or two as rain is in the forecast for the next few weeks, and we do need it. 

Our daughter will be returning home from Spain next Thursday! We are beyond excited to see her again and hear all about her trip.  I will share a final post after she arrives home of her trip in Spain. I may even be able to convince her to write a post here on my blog about her experience... :) She has gotten to see so many countries, and incredible architecture, gardens and historical places that coming back home will be a bit of a shock, I'm sure, as we live a very quiet and simple lifestyle here.  She tells me though that she is ready to come home and enjoy all the loveliness that summer offers up here.  She has enjoyed the cuisine overseas but tells us she can't wait to have some of my "homecookin" again, and I will be more than happy to oblige!

Have a lovely and blessed day, and may your springtime be full of delight :)

Sweet smelling blooms!  The hyacinths have the most intoxicating scent and greet us as we enter and leave our front door.

The cheery faces of the crocuses were the first to pop in my garden. I snapped this picture on Saturday, that "in-between" day between the crucifixion and the resurrection.  On that day over 2000 years ago, hopes had been dashed, fears realized, doubt and shame reigned, and life surely did not feel worth the living.  It was a long desperately sad day after the crucifixion.  I'm so thankful that today we know the rest of the story... we know now that HE arose and triumphed over death, hell and the grave forever more, yet I can't help but remember that on this day how things looked so hopeless for all believers then though they had been told it would happen.  An eternal lesson for us all to remember that even in the darkest hour, hope will spring eternally... and just as winter is long and cold, hope does spring anew again.  This little crocus was the first to pop its head out of the ground and lift its face to the sun after winter's long stay. It reminds me to be thankful for the hope that we have!

These trout lilies are the first wildflowers of the season, even Miss Riley was interested in their sweet little bloom!

My garden has finally been "unpacked" after the long winter's blanket of snow has melted. How wonderful it is to have my garden back in service for the season!

The sound of running water cycling through this fountain is so soothing as I work.  My plate glass flowers  I've made form the centerpiece on the table.

My succulents are thrilled about being brought back to the sunshine again. I had lots of new "babies" to plant as they multiplied over the winter, which I always find amazing!

Inside my greenhouse, the seedlings are growing wonderfully. We are all looking forward to the warm summer days!

I will have flowers, lots of flowers!  The above are zinnias, sunflowers, and bachelor buttons.

Happy happy happy mail came my way!  A dear sweet friend of mine, Marilyn from Pink Paper Cottage sent me a delightful package of goodies! She and I both share a love for paper crafting, and are inspiring each other by winging delights across the miles that we have crafted by hand for each other.  I can tell you this... Marilyn's skillfulness with paper is absolutely amazing!

Look at all the goodies she handcrafted for me!  Delight upon delight! She made me a gorgeous garden journal using special paper she tells me she had hoarded for years.  She and I both share a paper hoarding issue, ha! And she honored me by using up her special stash of paper to make me this gorgeous envelope album! She also made me a set of 4 little Easter chocolate holders, and the box had chocolate Easter eggs sprinkled in the green confetti... such a thoughtful beautifully packaged gift!

Each page is an "envelope" design which holds multiple tags and cards, on which I can journal thoughts and details from my season in the garden! Isn't this just such a lovely creation!

Also tucked in the pocket of the journal were these seed packets! Two of them needed to start as seedings, the Shasta daisies and the marigolds, and they immediately got a start out in my greenhouse! The other two will be sown directly into the soil.

She also made me this GORGEOUS paper rosette wand! It is soo amazing! And is perfect for me, as it says "Flowers" on it! Marilyn knows me well {smiles}

Marilyn has an Etsy store if you would like to shop with her. She makes the most amazing gifts, and truly puts a big part of her heart into every creation. If you would like to stop by and say hello and just browse her beautiful designs, her Etsy store can be found here.  Marilyn blogs at MyPinkPaperCottage, with a blog full of delightful creative designs that she has made!

Thank you again, Marilyn, for such a generous gift, and I will certainly be scratching my head trying to come up with something to send back your direction {smiles}

The hills were calling my husband and I! As the snow has melted enough for us to get the 4-wheelers out, we took a spin up into the mountains around our home and were amazed at the gorgeous views, despite the chilly winds up there!

On yonder mountains, snow caps still remain, a beautiful sight when spring is awakening the world below them.

It is magnificent to see the snow-capped mountains in the distance, and there was no snow around us when I took this picture.

But as we continued to wind our way up the mountains, eventually we had to turn around as we met the snow-line and decided to go no farther.

The trout lilies, one of the first wildflowers of the season here were out in grand number on the hillsides around us. Their delicate beauty is a delight to see amidst all the brown!

If only I could convey to you the delightful smell of these hyacinths! I can't get enough of their glorious scent, each time I walk through the door I have to stop and smell their fragrance.  Simple glorious delights!

The delights of spring are upon us and beautiful days with warming temperatures, abundant sunshine, and gentle rains.  It is that time of year when I'm merely in the house for absolute necessities, and the remainder of our time is spent outdoors. I love winter dearly, but I am embracing this season of spring with great abandon!

Today I will be tilling the garden in preparation for early spring planting of peas, spinach, lettuce and soon, potatoes.   The delights.... and chores... of spring are many, and they must be enjoyed and done now... time waits for no man! So I must don my hat and gloves and get back to business in the garden and our yard.  {smiles}

I hope that all of you are having a pleasant and lovely week, enjoying the pleasures of springtime :)