My Christmas Tree...Now that it is all put away!

My Christmas tree is pretty much the same every year. I have lots and lots of ornaments that I have collected over the last 35 years...yet I seem to add a few new ones each year and leave a few of my least favorite in the boxes. And I only use white twinkle lights...colored lights would ruin my red, white, & gold theme. 

But I do put a 2nd tree up in my husband's office that has all blue lights and blue & silver ornaments. So we each get our favorites!

I usually put up our tree between Thanksgiving and the 1st week of  December, but this year I didn't get at it until the 2nd week of Dec. so it didn't come down right after New Year's...I waited an extra week.

When I took these pictures I thought they were "close-ups" but I can see I need to concentrate on just a few ornaments at a time and get even closer. Next year!

December Sunset

Because we live in a woods we only get to enjoy sunsets from our windows after all the leaves are off the trees in late fall & winter. It was a gorgeous day today...followed by a gorgeous sunset!

What happened to September?

Wow! The last time I posted here was in August! September turned out to be a very busy month indeed! And October is shaping up about the same! No boredom here! And here is the main reason:

My Craftroom

Between spending time on the computer and time making cards in my craftroom I must admit that I did not spend near as much time outdoors this summer and fall. Of course, it was an awfully HOT summer!

But now that I've looked through my photos to try to find something "outdoorsy" to post on this blog...I didn't find much! The leaves are changing color fast theses days so I will get out there this week and take some pictures. Really!

Lilly's Butterfly

A few days ago while babysitting my 2 1/2 year old grandaughter, Lilly, we had an unexpected visitor! We had gone out the front door for a short walk and when we came back in Lilly spotted it immediately. "Butterfly!" I thought it was outside because we often have lots of butterflies in our woods and around our house. But this huge Tiger Swallowtail was inside! Not sure how it got in but it was fluttering madly on the sreen door by the deck. Grabbed the camera and got several blurry pictures...this one is the clearest. Lilly insisted on being lifted up so she could see it up close, squealing with delight! I agree with her...butterflies are delightful, and so beautiful! I kind of like the screen in the background...gives the photo some texture.

And here is Lilly, our own pretty little butterfly!

Lily Pads and Lotus Flowers

Recently we visited some friends who are staying at a little cottage on Brooks Lake, near Newaygo, Michigan. Its kind of a shallow lake, especially on the little cove where the cottage is. So we floated around on inflated rafts and stayed nice and cool! I really wanted to get some close-up photos of the lily pads and flowers so I put my camera in a zip-lock bag and floated out to them. I took a ton of pictures after very carefully taking the camera out of the bag and putting the strap around my arm! The flat leaves that are right on the water's surface are the real lily pads but the ones that grow "up" out of the water are actually lotus plants. I just read that online this past week!

The yellow flowers remind me of something from Star Wars, like one of those mechanical eyeballs that would pop out of the sand and spy on everyone! But these bright flowers are so pretty! The dragonflies and bees liked them too!

Happy 4th of July! Thank You, Veterans!!

May all of you have a happy and safe 4th of July!

Remembering our veterans this holiday with MUCH gratitude for their service to our country!

May God bless each one of you!

And may God bless America! Please pray for our nation, that the values we hold dear and the wonderful freedoms we enjoy...which others faught and died for(!)...may be preserved for generations to come.

Another Rose

Another of my roses, this one a bit past its prime but still quite pretty...even with its brown edges and extreme "openness".  The bright sunlight made it look a little faded but it really is a lovely yellow.

Its very hot and dry here in Michigan now. My roses get watered often enough but are not as happy as they were this spring!

Enjoy!