Almost New Years...

December 30th here in SC and this morning we have sunshine, Chickadees in the feeder and Pear Tree adorned with some very colorful leaves that are still hanging on.  

A lovely way to end the year- still raking leaves-ha!  48 degrees today.  Wishing you all a very Happy, Healthy and prosperous New Year!

My heart to yours...

Don't Worry, Be Happy..♫♫

This is Isabella, our Ragdoll cat.  While I am rushing here and rushing there with appointments and shopping, here is sweet Isabella chillin' out!  Don't you wish you could relax like this?  I do!


I hope you are all done with your shopping and remembering the true meaning of CHRISTMAS.  

I love this graphic from The Graphics Fairy.  This would be great on a card.  I love vintage Christmas graphics.


Remembering Ribbon Candies, Roasted Chestnuts, and the tree lit at night in the living room.  Two of my Aunts would come on Christmas eve with goodies.  Very exciting time.  And Dad always made my brother Joe and me sing for the company.  I learned so much about Christ's birth by singing the Carols...

©Kerrie O'Hearn Marquart

And of course we were glad to oblige. Ha!  The above pictures was taken in the 1940's when I was about 5 and my brother 8.
May you all have a very Merry Christmas and healthy and blessed New Year.  This year really flew by!!

My heart to yours....

Christmas Cactus

My Christmas Cactus are all blooming or in the process of blooming!  I love them all.  My Mom gave a slip from one of hers and I keep starting others now, too.

These Christmas Cactus are very easy to root and grow rapidly.

The color is so vivid.

This one has a very different leaf than the others.  I have had this plant since the early 60's.  Our doctor friend's sister gave me a small one from an enormous one she said she had since the doc was a little boy!  I have had to restart with slips but no matter how much I cut it up, it always comes back.  The blossoms are deep red and are just beginning to show.


  There are some plants that cannot be left to the elements because we do get some freezing temps here in SC in winter.  Right now they are on the back porch but will have to be wrapped or brought in soon.  

The one on the left is the Tai plant from Hawaii that is started from a piece of waxed root.  My hubby bought this for me when we were dating at the NYS Fair.  It is a beautiful plant and though it has met with mishaps, it has always come back.  I love it.  It is now 52 yrs. old.  


The begonia is the one that blew into the lake and turtles were chowing down on it.  But as you can see, it survived and grew nicely.  In the back is my Crown of Thorns plant that my Mom started for me more than 23 yrs. ago.  It is about 3 foot tall with "drops of blood" blossoms as the legend goes.


   I would love to see your plants that you have had for years.  Tip on Christmas Cactus, they need 12 hours of darkness to bloom and that is why I leave them on the back porch as long as I can.  If I do have to bring it in, I put it in the guest bedroom that when unused is dark.
  Thanks for coming as always. And have a very Merry Christmas!

Here we are with Christmas only weeks away and The Bradford Pear Tree is only now in Brilliant color.  I do love it so!  We have had a couple of good frosts but today it is 54 right now and Sunny, A glorious Sunday!

The inside of the house is decorated and very "Christmassy" I just invented a new word and Christ will be in my Christmas greetings forever!!

 This is our little tiny tree on a bench in the den.  The Vintage Wood Stove electric heater I bought on line from good old Wal-mart, is working wonderfully to heat the den (it was a screened in porch when we moved here 6 yrs. ago) and a delight to see as the flames look so real!
Isabella never leaves the room now because it is cozy.  She snoozes there on the rocker.

Such a lovely time of year, is it not?  We love living here in SC, the weather is so great year round but we still have the change of seasons.  In 23 yrs. this Dec 29th, we have seen snow only 4 times with only twice having it stay on the ground.  Here is a picture of seasons past.


Thank you for stopping by this beautiful Sunday.  If you have time, please visit my other blogs listed in the side bar.  And shop my Etsy shop for unique hand made gifts.

Where did they go?

The Swan parents pulled a fast one this morning!  (Through my window world...)They went up on the opposite bank of the little lake and went out of sight.  The 4 juveniles were feeding a little further down and when they turned around and cruised back, their parents were no where to be seen.  So they kept circling around and tried to see where the parents were.  The rise in the landscape was just high enough that they could not see.  This went on for about 45 min. until they finally climbed the bank and went in the same direction.  Swan behavior is so fascinating!  The parents must think it is time to push the juveniles out on their own-ha!

Note the two Mallard ducks to the right.  They are our resident Mallards and hang around with the Swans all the time. 

The squirrels have been playing on the wooden crane and have him all askew.

They also took flight a few times going from one end of the lake to the other but kept coming back until their final departure.


Nature is so wonderful!