Simple Beauty

PEACEFUL, WELCOMING.....


VIVID COLOR...
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BEAUTIFULLY INTRICATE....
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DELICATE SWEETNESS....
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SOFTLY SCENTED
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PRAYERFUL REFLECTION
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TAKE ME AWAY!
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Enjoyable Days

Sunshine, hot days, sweet smelling breezes and the song of birds....
I've been having some wonderfully enjoyable days!

Here's a few pictures to share:


 While waiting on a mulch delivery, I'm sprucing up the front walkway with potted flowers, and Becca's handpicked rocks from a trip to the lake a few years back.

Last year my bird bath started to leak water through a few cracks that had developed in the bowl. So I resealed the bowl, scrubbed the base and set it out once again along the sidewalk in its old, familiar place.


I've turned over all the dirt in the flowerbeds, weeded and raked everything back into place. It looks so neat and tidy, and very ready for flowers!

While weeding, I found 5 "volunteer" Morning Glories sprouting up from seeds of last year's flowers....I transplanted them into their special place near the front porch step where they can grow big and beautiful up a trellis, instead of strings this year.


Last, but not least, I took a moment to enjoy the faint scent of lilacs that are just beginning to open on our bush. 2 short years ago, this bush was a twig that insisted on pushing up through the soil year after year from roots of a previous planting that had never been fully removed by the former owner of our townhouse. We decided to leave it be, and as it has grown, I've pruned it to keep it into a tidy, manageable size. This has caused it to triple the blooms from even just last year. Mmmm, what a heavenly, sweet smell they have! 

And that about wraps up these last few enjoyable days for me.


~ Wishing you a bright, happy day today! ~

Beautiful Morning

I sit here this morning with my cup of tea in an unusual moment of utter peace and quiet. My windows are thrown open wide, to take in the delicious smell of a gentle, mild breeze. The air smells as clean as air found deep in a country meadow, hidden away and untouched by the pollution that is inevitably a part of life in the city.  Nothing but the sound of Sparrows chirping, the song of a Robin and the coo of a Mourning Dove can be heard, and truly these sounds are music to my ears. 

Mornings like these, when I can step unhurriedly into my day, renew my spirit, and offer a sense of well-being that all is right with my world, even if the world around me struggles to rise out of the many problems that plague it. My mind is free to wander aimlessly over thoughts that bring happiness and tranquility to my soul, instead of the stress that comes from a day begun with hustle and bustle the moment my feet hit the floor. Quiet, reflective moments bring relief and healing to the feelings of anxiousness and discontent that always seem to go along with stressful, chaotic days. They help to put parts of our life back into proper perspective, when things become totally skewed and off kilter. And while things may not always pan out exactly as we'd like in life, we're able to move forward and accept these differences more easily when we're able to find time to sit, digest and work through them in our mind.

I often wonder how much happier and more content so many of us would be if, regularly, we were able to enjoy peaceful moments of existence such as I am experiencing this morning. In today's world, finding this time can often only be done by deliberately carving out that time, just as we make plans to shop for groceries, pay our bills and any number of other things that we must pencil into our agenda to do from day to day. I'll be the first to admit that I don't work hard enough at doing this for myself. I truly believe life was not meant to be the fast paced, chaotic, so often interrupted life that we live today, no matter how nicely it is wrapped up in the guise of success and technological advancement. I know this because, when I am living moments like I am this morning, my body tells me this feels good, and I can almost hear it take a huge sigh of relief. 

I say all that, to say this ~ Wherever you are today, whatever you do and however it is that your daily life unfolds, don't overlook the importance of finding time for YOU. No television, no texting, no technology. Whether it's waking up a bit earlier to be alone with just you and your cup of coffee or tea, or slipping away in the evening to a quiet place as you look out over nature settling down to take it's own rest, find the time to do it. Will it solve all your problems? No. But I promise you that you'll come away feeling renewed.....rested.....rejuvenated. And that, my friend, is something worth far more than any time and attention you give to something that, in the end, can never feed your spirit, soul and mind the way a quiet, peaceful moment can.

Hugs,
Kimberly Marie 


Planting Pansies

A few days ago, Becca and I came across a deal while in the garden section of our home improvement store. Pansies were 50% off, and the display racks were loaded with them! We sorted through the variety of colors, choosing a few of the best of each, and headed to the registers with our flat of dainty, sweet smelling pansies.


 
I could hardly wait to begin potting them, as soon as nature would cooperate a little with a sunny, mild day to do so. 
 
 
And today was that day! It felt wonderful to dig my hands into the bag of potting soil, and smell that old, familiar scent of, well, dirt. And even the pansies, having been warmed by the sun, gave off a sweet fragrance I can't ever really recall having noticed before. But maybe that's because I've never purchased an entire flat of them before! 

 
 
  I began the potting on my glass side table, but quickly discovered it was less than adequate, not to mention uncomfortable for all the bending I was doing.
While I've had my eye on all sorts of fancy potting stations, immediate necessity and practicality won over today. Dean's little 4' x 2' resin worktable, waterproof and weather resistant, would do the trick ever so nicely. Grin. (After having using it, I don't know why I never thought of something as simple as that sooner! I don't think he'll be getting back his little work table any time soon... Even bigger grin.)


Feeling the sun wash over me while planting was healing. I think it was just the therapy I've been needing. No hustle, no hurry, no stress or anxiety. Just simple enjoyment that will result in simple pleasure as I admire our lovely display of pansies for weeks to come.



I found various places to set the pots, and even replanted in an old hanging basket from last year. 













 
I'm liking the look of our pansies.

I think the squirrel was pretty impressed, too, as it sat and nibbled a special mix of what is supposed to be for the birds! But, thankfully, he hasn't made a pig of himself at the feeder.

(Maybe dried cranberries just don't excite him.....?  ☺)

Additionally, I added my recent adorable early Mother's Day gift to the patio decor. I just love to hear the delicate trickle of the water!



I also found a bird plaque that I've had for quite some time, and have never put it out on display. 
 
 
Well, today was it's lucky day. And my lucky day. And the patio is coming along quite nicely, indeed!