Happy Dance

There are only two words

that describe our summer joy

p e r f e c t l y

 

happy dance

Thank you for teaching me those two words, Koralee.

{happy dance}

They're perfect for the love and sunshine we feel

inside and outside!

~ Come on ~

Let's get out there like the birdies.

Run under the sprinklers ~ run through the water fountains

and do a happy dance!

visit Sky Watch Friday for more happy skies!

Bird Songs

More birds are arriving daily.

I hear them singing outside my windows.

On the way to my car in the morning, I hear them singing in the trees

and I want to turn back around and stay home to listen.

Soon they will be nesting.

I'm wondering what trees they will choose,

perhaps the front porch again this year.

~

In the meantime, I am enjoying these beautiful handmade joys from

Elizabeth's Etsy Shop,

Tattered Rose Art.

Thank you, Elizabeth!

I love my "nesting blocks" and bird songs banner!

~

Wishing for warmer temps and steady sunshine,

to get that snow all melted

and make things cozier for our returning feathered friends
and for those tiny little buds on my apple trees.

Have a magnificent week friends!

Making bluebirds at home

Love begins by taking care of the closest ones ~ the ones at home.

-Mother Teresa

My sister-in-law, Devon, took this photo from inside her house recently.

It's time {Feb/March} for bluebirds to scout for nesting places.

I promised myself that this spring I would be ready

to warmly welcome bluebirds to my yard.

I have some open space {which they love}.

I'm hoping the bluebirds think there's enough.

Wild Birds Unlimited 

is a great place to go for bird supplies and education.

I'm sure they have some helpful ideas for me.

I love their outdoor live camera.

Right now, it's poised to give us a glimpse into the lives of a Barred Owl family;

Mama, and her two owlets, Sarah and Percy.

How fun is that?!

My simple challenge right now is to make a bluebird mama happy with a new home.

Do you have bluebirds nesting nearby?

I'd love some advice!

*  *  *

Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration.

-Charles Dickens

The light is what guides you home, the warmth is what keeps you there. 

-Ellie Rodriguez

There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort. 

-Jane Austen

Where thou art - that - is Home. 

-Emily Dickinson

*

Wishing you

Peace, Warmth, Comfort and Love.

Have a beautiful day today,

love,

       Maria

Triumphant Tulips

Rock, Paper, Scissors

Winter, Tulips, Snow

Tulips win!

Thank goodness I prepared for today's weather

making sure I had those tulips on my table

to keep us smiling indoors!

*

It's spring fever.  That is what the name of it is. 
And when you've got it, you want - oh,
you don't quite know what it is you do want,
but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!
~Mark Twain 
*
I love spring anywhere,
but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden.
~Ruth Stout
 *
No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow.
~Proverb
*
Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.
~Doug Larson
*

Stay warm and cozy my sweets

Have a pretty Friday and a sprinkled pink Saturday!

{sharing something for Friday Pretties at Joyce's blog

and something for Beverly's How Sweet the Sound ~ Pink Saturday post}

Soft hearts ♥ Pretty and Pink

I'm working on a cake with a heart center.

It's a Bluebird Notes challenge!

The first photo in the collage is the cake pictured on the box.

Wishes may come true!?!

I'm not sure how the middle is going to look ~ but I'll find out tonight.

It's my husband's birthday!

Here's the frosted cake.

{the heart inside is raspberry mousse}

I saved some of the raspberry mousse for the top too.

The inside photos are going to be a surprise for Koralee at Bluebird Notes.
Regardless of the outcome... I'm going to send them her way!
oh... I hope the middle looks even remotely like a 
♥
Ok now... here it is!
My cake kind of fell.
It broke here and there.
But it didn't stop us from enjoying all the fabulous raspberry mousse 
and chocolate fudge buttercream frosting!  Yum!  love that stuff ♥

We'll be enjoying it for Chris' birthday!

Happy Birthday Honey ♥

~ Happy Hearts to All ~ 
Love, 
     Maria

photo:

{Taken by daughter, Amanda in CA in '09 ~ I had a little fun using bokeh in Picasa}

{sharing something pretty for Friday Pretties at Joyce's blog

and something pink for Beverly's How Sweet the Sound ~ Pink Saturday post}

 ps.

Go Packers :o)

The infinite highway of the air

The photo above was taken a week or so ago as we passed a local orchard.

This is a little collage of close-ups.

Every black "brushstroke" is a bird!

We could see this flock up ahead and knew that when we drove past, there would be a big lift-off!

It was incredible to be driving past this and have my little cybershot in my purse!

I love how they alighted on the roof.

It was quiet a crowd!

~ This quote by Wilbur Wright is perfect for the occasion ~

The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who...
looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space...
on the infinite highway of the air.
Wilbur Wright
~  ~  ~
Dear Family and Friends,
 
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains {or snow} fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Have a sweet and wonderful weekend!

Snow day Birdwatching

collage fun with Picasa
{Can you find the same Mr. Cardinal in another photo?}

~ Look at all our visitors today ~

red-bellied woodpecker and downy woodpecker {I love our little juncos too}

Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal

Starlings feasting on crabapples ~ look closely there's a robin!

What a relaxing day.
I love snowdays, but do look forward to hearing from my children that they traveled safely to and from work, etc.

Amanda and I are lucky birds!

We had a cozy kind of day

♥

Wishing you one too!

love,

              

Birdie Love

{outside}

{and inside}

{warm and comforting Saturday morning breakfast with my hubbie and birdies}

I just finished this beautiful birdie puzzle I bought for my father to work on.

Dear Koralee at Bluebird Notes had suggested a puzzle to help my Dad pass the time when he was convalescing last summer. He would only watched, so it became my puzzle instead.

It was a wonderful activity for me!   
*
~ Enjoy a warm and cozy weekend dear family and friends ~

 

Thanks again to my sister & brother-in-law, Devon and Everett for sharing their love for birds with us. 

*

Prayers for all who are experience hardships

outside and inside

♥

Arizona

Brazil

Australia

Love to all,

May All Your Blues be Birds!

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments that take our breath away.

 Bluebird outside my sister-in-law, Devon's kitchen window

They are enjoying the winter holly berries!

{Thank you for this amazing photo, Devon ~ Happy New Year to you!}
This summer I saw my second ever bluebird at our cousin's house.

It took my breath away!

~  ~  ~ 

 

Look at the birds of the air;

 they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not much more valuable than they?

Matthew 6:26

~  ~  ~

If there is no response in you to the awakening of nature
-if the prospect of an early morning walk does not banish sleep, 

if the warble of the first bluebird does not thrill you
 -know that the morning and spring of your life are past.
Thus may you feel your pulse.
- Henry D. Thoreau
Journals, entry for February 25, 1859

~  ~  ~

Mister Bluebird's on my shoulder, 
It's the truth, it's actual, Ev'rything is satisfactual, 
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay,  Wonderful feeling, wonderful day...
The Song of the South words by Ray Gilbert, 1945 

~  ~  ~

Somewhere the bluebird is singing,

And somewhere the skies are blue.
So lift up your head to the skies And be happy
For this is true: Somewhere the bluebird is singing
And winging his way to you. 

~  ~  ~

Dear Family and Friends,
May this new year be filled with moments that are amazing  
and leave you breathless and may all your
blues be birds!

A northeast reminder ...

the little dark-eyed juncos

and our snowfall today

are reminders that

...I live in the northeast...

*
*   *

My father wishes he could spend winter in Florida,

I say,

Keep warm my northern friends and family

Keep warm!

 *

I hope you all had a gentle start to the week.

May you always feel His comfort and warmth,

no matter the weather,

no matter the circumstances,

because you matter

to Him

and to all of us

♥

A little bird told me . . .

Your presence is required

to hear God's whispers.

~
 

A few things I love about

♥ birds ♥

♥ the sound of birds singing and chirping in my yard ♥

♥ the surprise of the hummingbird as it hums near me while I garden ♥

♥ the friendly chickadees and sparrows ♥

♥ the soft coo of the mourning doves ♥

♥ Valerie Pfeiffer's sweet prints ♥

The sound of birds stops the noise in my mind.
Carly Simon

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
and never stops at all.
Emily Dickenson

 Look at the birds of the air; 

they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,

and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not much more valuable than they?

  Matthew 6:26

~ Wishing you quiet, peaceful moments this Sunday ~