Kitchen Remodel -- An Update

We're right in the middle of the messy part of the kitchen renovation now.  Yes, folks, the shop vac is temporarily residing in the kitchen, next to the table.  Our very own, personal R2D2.  WARNING:  Please excuse the mess in these pictures.  /:)

Rose Note Cards

Hello everyone!  I've taken a week off from blogging, and I feel like the break helped my brain re-charge.  I enjoy my blog so much, but I've realized that it's important to take a break from things now and then to keep from getting burned out.  I have still enjoyed reading your posts, even though I've only left a few comments in the past week.

When I checked my blog roll this morning, I realized that it's time for Vee's monthly Note Card Party again.  This is such a great idea that Vee has; you should pop over to her blog, A Haven For Vee, this evening to check out the pictures and join in the fun for yourself.

When I went out to run an errand mid-morning, I was thinking about what pictures to use from my existing posts for the note card meme, and I had almost made up my mind what I would do.  Then as I was pulling back into our driveway, I noticed that our rose bush has some blooms on it.  The other ideas went out the window because I realized I wanted to share these beautiful flower pics with you now, since this is the time of year our roses usually bloom.

This is our one and only rose bush, but it has been such a joy that I want to plant some more.  It's a David Austin rose called "Gertrude Jekyll."  Every year when the blooms appear on this bush, I'm amazed at the rich, pink color and the wonderful old rose fragrance.  So here are my note cards, folks.  I can't wait to see all of yours!

Not completely open yet...

Their beauty on a table in your home is hard to beat, in my opinion.

 

You can read more about these David Austin roses and see more pictures HERE.  I hope you're enjoying a beautiful spring in your part of the world.  As always, thank you for your visits -- they make my day!

Denise 

"Hello and Goodbye (For Now)"

 Hi everyone!  Do you remember the Beatles' song "Hello, Goodbye"?  For some reason, I always loved that song -- just thought it was fun to sing along, I guess.  Anyhoo, I hope everyone had a very blessed Easter weekend.  We certainly did at our house.  We enjoyed delicious food prepared by our moms and had fun visiting with our families.

I was barely online at all last week, and I'm going to take a little time off from blogging.  Maybe a week, maybe a little more or less.  I'm playing it by ear.  I really need to re-charge and re-group, in addition to the fact that our kitchen renovation is still going on.  I'm so excited about the whole project, but we still have about three or four weeks before it will be finished.

I so much appreciate those of you who read my blog and leave such nice comments for me.  It has added a whole new dimension to my life.  I love exchanging ideas, thoughts about life, encouragement, and sympathy with my friends out there.  So don't forget about me, okay?  :)

And I want to say a big "Thank You" to Cuisine Kathleen for the cookbook you sent me from the St. Patrick's Day giveaway.  I'll be sharing more about that when the kitchen is finished.  In the meantime, I'll be following along to see what all of you are doing during this beautiful and busy time of year.  And I hope when this big Google Blogger change happens, I'll still be able to find my way around and find all of you.  I'm not excited about the new format.

Have a great week, everyone, and I'll see you soon!

Denise 

Mosaic Monday

These pink dogwood pictures were taken in Old Salem, North Carolina, earlier this week.  This tree is in a courtyard between the buildings of Salem College, which was established in 1772 as a girls' college.

If you'd like to see the rest of the pictures and read about Old Salem, you can find those posts HERE  and HERE.  I'm joining Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.  I hope you'll stop by her blog to see lots of beautiful photography.  Thank you, Mary, for hosting.

Denise