What Would You Make?

A couple of months ago, I came across these sweet wooden shapes and just had to have them. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with them, so I set them aside for a rainy day.
I have been practicing painting roses and was hoping that my now I would be able to make my grand appearance and surprise everyone with how well I was doing......NOT going to happen this year anyway! :)
Maybe this time next year I will be able to show my work, but sadly, it's long from being good enough.
So.......

I used gorgeous roses decals and sugared the shapes with German glass glitter.

These sweet treasures hang from a pink ribbon and also have handmade paper roses and faux pearls at the top.

Even though they are not hand painted, I think they are just so pretty and perfect for holiday decor.

So you see, you don't have to be able to paint to make something special. I hope you will try this and share what you made. These would be perfect gift giving too.
This and more can be found on my website, SOMEPLACE IN THYME.

The Invasion Has Begun~~SPIDERS!

The webs are being spun and the spiders are arriving.
It's that time of year that I always look forward to: fall, oh how I love you!!
Cooler temps here in the desert and the planting begins, more flowers to enjoy after a long, hot summer.

I love these guys, ok, I must be sick!

Don't be afraid, I don't think there is a spider that quite looks like this one. .....yet.

They are even on my front porch. These guys are hairy. Ooh!

Even I have to admit, this guys ugly!!
It's not ALL spiders and webs on my porch tho,

A pretty wreath on my screen door.

A pumpkin at the gate. I picked this up at Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon. I couldn't pass that deal up.

What do you think Nikki? Do you like it?

Nope, I don't think Nikki cares one way or another.

Now that the desert temps are much cooler, (we are having temps in the 80's and 90's right now) we can begin to plant some beautiful blooms of all types. Even my roses are coming back.
Lots more to come, next delivery, pumpkins and more blooms.
Thank you so much for stopping by.

~~Holiday Issue Has Arrived~~

We have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of this beautiful edition of Shabby Lane Shops Holiday Magazine.
Inside you will find gorgeous photos, recipes and lots of projects and stories.
Please stop by my website for your copy today, FREE SHIPPING too.
The holiday issue can be found on my website, Someplace In Thyme in the catagory of Cottage Home.

I AM STILL HERE

Working on a roll pillow, I finally finished her today. Made with pink teacup fabric and lots of florals, this is as pretty as can be. Venise Lace across the top too.

I haven't been able to sit in front of the computer to blog in a very long time. I have missed all of you and hope in the next couple of weeks, things will begin to slow down for me.

I would love nothing more than to be able to sit down with something wonderful to drink, relax and visit. Until then, be well, be safe and thank you so much for stopping by my friends.

~~Where Have I Been The Past Month?~~

Sometimes life has a way of throwing you a curve ball and you never see it coming.
Every year, hubby and I load our two babies (in the photo above) into the car and take off for a week to Colorado Springs to visit my MIL and her second husband Bill.
This year was going to be difficult as Bill was moved into an Assisted Living facility back in Jan, leaving mom all alone in a large five bedroom home overlooking Pikes Peak. We knew changes were coming, we just didn't know what changes, or when.
Mom is 87 years old, Bill is 91. I knew that going into the home the first time and not being greeted by this very loving and warm man, would be hard, but I didn't know if would hurt so much.
About a month before we were getting to leave on our annual road trip, we were speaking with my brother and sister in law in Denver, when we realized mom was beginning to have some problems of her own. We had all agreed that she could not longer be alone, and she had spoke of moving into an apt or a small condo.
Learning that she was having memory problems, trouble knowing and remembering what day it was, reading a calendar, things like that, we knew that some serious decisions had to be made for her own good and safety.
I don't think I have ever spoken so much to my sister in law as we did in those few weeks. Mom's memory loss was coming on too fast. We wondered if there was something wrong that had not be diagnosed.
Dawn (SIL) told me of her mother that was hallucinating by seeing people in cars that were not there.
Did you know that women over the age of 70 can have hallucinations when they have a UTI? It's very common place, although I had never heard of it, but it was a starting point.
Off to the doctor in what we all hoped was going to be a very simple diagnosis. That was not meant to be.
No UTI.
O.k, maybe some silent strokes.....
We had her neurologist give her a head scan and we found lots of good information there, but not necessarily what you might want to hear.
There is a lot going on in mom's 87 year old brain. Like for instance, some evidence of silent strokes. Those are the strokes that kill the blood vessels and eventually kill the area of the brain that no longer received blood from those vital vessels. So, memory loss......
I think you could call it some "dementia."
I found out that day that dementia is not a disease of it's own, like I had always thought, but it's a symptom of anything disease, such as good old age. :) We'll all be there if we are lucky enough.
"she won't get any better", he said, "she is going to only get worse." Of course, no one can predict how long that could take, maybe years, maybe months. It's any ones guess.
So, the decisions are coming fast and have to be made. I told my hubby, I have loved your mom for 40 years, lets bring her here to live with us. She will be well cared for, be so close to her grand children and will be able to get to know her great grand children. It's perfect for all concerned.
We thought about it, talked it over with the rest of the family and it was final.
I didn't want mom in a locked down facility, she is not ready for that step yet. It's so hard when you are between being able to live alone and have to give up your independence.
We have no idea how long we will be together, but it's all good and we are up to the challenges this will bring our family. After all, what is family there for, is not to help each other in any way we can.
Needless to say, we didn't have a vacation after all, but instead spent four days packing boxes and cleaning up, changing addresses and getting all the medical things sorted out.
We cut our vacation short and along with the help of our nephew, we brought mom and her car back with us. One big happy family....well, not always, this is very hard on her. it's not easy to be told you can't live alone, your memory is suffering and decision making abilities are impaired, but we are getting there one day at a time, one step at a time.
Dawn did ask the neurosurgeon about mom being able to drive and this is the advice he uses when the decision comes down to take the keys away:
IF you have an accident
IF you get a ticket
IF you get lost, it's hand them over. Pretty good advice I think.
Since then, I have been busy creating and doing what I love to do. Here are some recently listed items on my website, Someplace in Thyme

More mom stories to follow.

Part Two Of The Cactus Garden AND Pink Saturday

This is part two of our tour of the cactus farm. Pots, I love pots, the more color, the better for my yard! This is the view you get upon arrival to the nursery, I am already excited.

See the fruit on the cactus in the background? You can eat that fruit, it's orange inside and very sweet. YumO!

Beautiful shapes and colors. I also like to use these pots inside my home as well as outside.

Before moving to the desert, my knowledge of cacti was zero, it's about a two now. I have found them to be so interesting and they have so much to offer in the way of food and health.

Okay, you may not be the most gorgeous plant on the plant, and many people may think you are ugly, but you are the black swan. When you bloom, you put them on their knees!! HA!

Just you wait, the best is yet to come, and they don't require that much water either.

Oh My, you are beautiful, but don't touch, you'll be sorry........

See? I told you they were beautiful, and just in case you have forgotten,

some look like roses.

and others are just plain beautiful.
Now, if you have been wondering where I have been and what I have been up too, this is what I have been doing:

This is ten of the twenty two stockings I have completed. I am in the process of taking pictures, editing and getting them into my shop Someplace In Thyme. It's going to take me awhile, and I am also making my fall tassels. Please come visit me. THANK YOU Beverly for making it possible for me to do what I love each week, visiting and sharing a love of the color pink. You can join in the fun or visit all the pinkies out there by going to Beverly's blog How Sweet The Sound.

A Trip To A Cactus Farm And Pink Saturday Too

One day my mom and I decided to take a trip to a 10,000 acre cactus farm in Tucson, AZ. If you are looking for a specific cactus for your garden, a farm is the best place to find everything. Many cacti are protected and those types of plants can only be found at licensed nurseries.

I knew this was going to be fun the minute we pulled into the parking lot. The first thing I saw was this gorgeous plant from Africa. It's ten years old and had a price tag of $400.00 on it. Notice the root system? Not much there, but oh were the blooms beautiful.

Next, we headed for the newest greenhouses to have a look inside.

So much to choose from, so much to see.

You are so cute, what to come home with me? You would add lots of color to my yard!





The temperature was in the 100's the day we visited, so we walked around a little but the sales help drives you around in a golf cart from greenhouse to greenhouse.

There are so many varieties, sizes and types to choose from.

When the cactus are propagated, they are cut on an angle so that the moisture or water does not sit on the flesh and cause rot. The piece that was cut off is left in the open until the fleshy part is dry, then it's planted in a special soil made for growing cactus. Lots of sand, rock  and a rich soil.

I am going to end right here, this is to be continued, but there is only so much one person can take in one blog post!! HA! I have a few more pictures and some lovely Mexican style pots to share, but I will wait and put that post up later this week. I hope you have enjoyed your tour through a cactus farm with me.

Thanks so much sweet Beverly from How Sweet The Sound, for putting this week and every week together for us pinkie bloggers.

If you would like to join Pink Saturday, or have a look at what other bloggers have put together for you, please visit Beverly's blog HERE.