Hopefully this Heat is heading out soon!

 Hi Everyone!  Are you all glad the heat is coming down a little!  I am so happy that we have gotten out of the high 90's and low 100's finally.  My put garden has been really suffer from the heat.  

I already decorated the house for Fall.  I am really pleased with the way it turned out.  Even Steve said last night how nice the pumpkins and Fall things look.  Here are a few photos:

The Fall Mantel and coffee table.

Fall Mantel

Front door Fall wreath

Yellow Glass Pumpkin from my little collection.

Green and bright orange glass pumpkin.

I have been enjoying my moon vine the last few weeks.  I really though it wasn't going to bloom, but it has bloomed 4 or 5 times.  Here is a photo from 2 nights ago-full bloom:

The hummingbirds are getting ready for their trip South.  But they have been so busy here.  I actually was able to get a photo of a female on the armillary out in the garden.  She seemed to be queen of the garden just resting there!

My orchids have really been doing really well in Steve's office.  

More Fall decorating photos, I couldn't get them to load near the others.

Common Room decorated

Front foyer cupboard decorated,

Dining area

Drop Leaf table all decorated for Fall.

Front Foyer decorated upclose.

Little table in front of the French Door out to the screened in porch decorated for Fall.

Mantel upclose

Little painted cupboard in Common Room all decorated for Fall.

I painted this acrylic pumpkin collection quite a few years ago.  I have this hanging in the kitchen.

Pumpkin Pine Cupboard in Living Room all ready for Fall.

Table in living room.

Well I hope you have enjoyed the tour!  Everyone have a lovely weekend!

Sherri

September 2nd and I am so ready for Fall!!

 Hi Everyone!  I don't know about y'all but I am ready for Fall!  The temps here are still hot, humid and downright uncomfortable.  So much so I don't hardly want to leave the house!  My garden is started to see signs of summer is over and Fall is right behind.  My roses were on a break, but this one David Austin's Lady of Shallot just keeps on blooming!

I have been taking care of my orchids in the house lately.  Changing the orchid bark in the pots and I guess with the added light from this house and the new bark, they are reblooming!  I gave Steve 2 that have rebloomed for his credenza in his work office.  I am so happy with the results.  Just think these were orchids from when I worked at Harris Teeter and they were going to throw them out!!

I also have one of the pink ones blooming in my kitchen and a little white with pink center one in my bedroom.  I really don't do much to them except water them once a week.  

I am getting ready to decorate for Fall in the house also.  I'm over summer and ready to do this now!  I think I'm going to make another hydrangea wreath for my step daughter for Christmas.  I have a few tubs on Fall items to put out, I'm sure Steve is going to love that LOL!!  He was such a minimalist when I moved in.  He loves what I do to the house for every season!

Well everyone stay cool and pray these temps drop somewhat soon!

Sherri

Life is Fragile.

 Well this past week and a half proves how fragile life really is.  Steve's nephew, Tony passed away a little over a week ago.  The visitation was Friday night and the funeral was Saturday.  On Sunday morning we got a phone call that Carolyn, Tony's Mom had a stroke.  She is at a hospital in Pinehurst, NC.  Her artery in her neck is 80% block and she can't use her right leg.  The Drs. are encouraged that she is doing better than when they brought her in.  Edgar, Steve's brother is lost without her being home.   Everyone is now worried about him also.  Life takes many twists and turns and is very fragile.  It makes me very, very thankful for what I have got now and how we must take care of ourselves even in stressful times.  

Please keep our family in your prayers.  Thank you!

Sherri

August is Half Over Already!

 Well the month of August is half way over already!  Where does the time go.  I hate to say this but I am so ready for Fall and cooler temps.  It has been so hot here lately.  The heat index around 105-107 and the humidity has been about 98%.  I like when it is around 68-70 degrees.  Oh well that is summer in the South!

Well I did something I have been dreaming about ever since I saw we had a snowball hydrangea bush in the yard, I made a hydrangea wreath!  Some of the hydrangeas have been turning greenish and pinkish from the original creamy white color.  Here is the results:

This is part of the bush the wreath hydrangeas came from.

I was excited to see that my moon vine was getting ready to bloom.  I have had 2 buds open so far.  This is a tradition I always did with my Nana.  She would plant the Moon Vine seeds in a pot, let it grow and when it was going to bloom she would call me on the phone to run down and watch it open with her.  You see the moon vine blossom starts shaking and unfurling very slowly.  You can watch the whole thing open if you have the time.  This all happens after dark.  

Moon Vine bud before it starts to open.

Moon Vine about 97% open.

The birds and butterflies have been very active this August.  I love to see the butterflies flitting around the flowers in my garden.  They especially love the phlox I planted.  I had also put a shallow butterfly/bee water dish out for them and the butterfly I have seen drinking from it quite frequently.  Here are some photos of the birds and butterfly:

Steve caught this photo of a male cardinal feeding one of his young ones on our planter.  He was actually feeding 2 young ones.  It was so adorable!

This is a Tahitian Sunset rose from my garden.

These gladiolus are from my garden and I just enjoyed them so much!  I love the color.  I hope the bulbs winter over and multiply, I would love to have alot more than 10 plants next year.

We had the shrubs trimmed in front of our house last week.  They were a bit overgrown and the crew who does our lawn came in and took care of everything so beautifully!

My orchids are blooming so much lately.  I have about 4 or 5 blooming now.  I really love this cute little one.  It is white with magenta inside the flower.  So pretty!

I have been noticing the sunsets have been so pinkish and bluish lately.  I guess because the time of year it is.  So beautiful the other night.

Sunset in our backyard.

I have also noticed a few of our maples trees changing already!  I love the coloring on this little maple we have in the front yard off to the side.

Lastly, Steve's nephew, Tony passed away in the middle of the night on Friday.  It was very sudden, he was 46 years old.  It was a shock to everyone that he had a heart attack.  He owned a gym and kept in great shape and ate so healthy.  We have the visitation on Friday night and the funeral on Saturday at a nearby church.  Tony's Mom is taking it very hard.  That was their only son and both Steve's brother and sister-in-law feel lost.  Please keep the family in your prayers.

Everyone have a happy rest of the week.

Sherri

Where did July go???

 Hi Everyone! I can't believe this is the second to last day of July!!  Where did July go???

We have had some really bad thunder, lightning and rain storms here.  They say we don't have a drought anymore which is wonderful!!  Last week the transformer box got hit by lightning the other night around midnight.  It caught on fire and I had to call 911!  Everything was under control in a matter of 1/2 hr. thank goodness!

The garden slowed down a little bit with so much rain but it is rebounding now.  Here are some photos from yesterday:

Hibiscus on the front porch

Mr. Lincoln Rose

Planter filled with white and purple petunias.  They were all eaten by the squirrels, but now they are back and blooming again!  I sprayed them with essential oils, oregano, peppermint and eucalytus and they don't eat them anymore!

Bluebird Rose of Sharon

Our snowball hydrangeas are doing really, really well.  I love making arrangements and bringing them in the house!

Hydrangeas, red and white cottage roses and red alstemeria.

Bumble loving the hydrangeas too!

Hydrangea arrangement in the living room.

I have quite a few orchids getting ready to bloom.  This one started blooming in our bedroom.  So pretty!

My birthday was last Thursday, July 23rd.  I had a wonderful day with Steve.  He took me to lunch at Five Points Public House in Albemarle, NC.  We really love that place!  Then on Sunday we met up with Steve's son, Scott, his fiancee, his daughter, Crystal and her husband, Kelly at Village Tavern in Winston-Salem.  Crystal and Kelly gave me a beautiful cutting board with our last name on it and Est. in 2026.  She also gave me homemade pickles.  The cukes were from her garden.  They are so good.  I hope she makes me more!!!  They are such good kids.  Tyler, his youngest son  had to work so they weren't there.

Steve and I at Five Point Public House 7.23.26

From left front to right front:
Anna (Scott's fiancee), Steve, Me, Crystal, Kelly (Crystal's husband) and Scott at Village Tavern.

Homemade pickles from Crystal

Cutting board from Crystal and Kelly

I have been seeing so many bumble bees in the garden this year.  Either they are gather pollen or they are asleep on the sunflowers.  This one decided it really liked my basil!!  Love to watch them!

Well that is about all I have for today!  It has been nice chatting with all of you!

Sherri

Even with the heat the garden has come alive!

 I hope everyone is trying to keep cool.  The temps the past few weeks has been in the 100 range.  It is so dry here!  Last night we finally had a great rain and hopefully it has saturated the ground and also filled up the reservoirs.  Some towns around us are putting water restrictions on and 1 town said they only have enough water for about 5-6 days!  

Here are some of the beautiful plants blooming right now:

This is a closeup of the Hydrangeas that are blooming in the side yard!

Joan Senior Daylilies

Lady of Shalott Rose

This is the gigantic hydrangea blooming in the side yard.

The bumble bees have been fascinating this summer.  They have actually climbed up in the sunflowers and have fallen asleep many times.  I guess they feel protected inside the sunflower.  They are so cute sleeping away!

Bumble bee asleep in the sunflower.

This bumble was working away in the petunias for his pollen.

Rex Begonia on the screened in porch in the morning sunshine!

Bumble in the dianthus

Tahitian Sunset Rose arrangement.

I made this arrangement with our hydrangeas and then alstromeria and delphinium from Harris Teeter.

Lastly my sweet grandson, Owen turned 15 on Saturday, 7/11.  I haven't seen him in about 2.5 years.  My daughter who doesn't talk to me actually sent me these 2 photos of Owen at Colonial Williamsburg on Saturday.  I really miss him and wish she would let me see him.  Here are the 2 photos she sent of him:

Well that is about all the news I have for today!  I hope you all are enjoying your summer.  Stay Cool!

Sherri