The Glorious Month of April

There are so many momentous things that mark the month of April around here..  our anniversary and both of our birthdays for starters..Easter, spring arrives and most of all...GARDENING begins in earnest....

Our snowball bush has been spectacular this year.  It is way too big and is way past time for pruning.  But I thought I would just let it go one more year and see what it does.    It is fabulous... I had to start the pruning this morning because it is overshadowing a Deodar cedar and making it grow lopsided so..out came the loppers for a few branches.  It will get a major pruning as soon as it finishes blooming..

 I think these make perfect wedding flowers..white and billowy so I used them in setting an anniversary tablescape..

We celebrated 20 years on April 1...a huge milestone for us.

And now...the BIG spring project.  A new raised bed garden.  I have asked to expand my garden for several years and this just happened to be the year that everything worked out.
 Here they are as a work in progress.  This was a couple of weeks ago.  Now they have been filled with compost and are just waiting for me to fill them with all good things.  I am beyond excited at the possibilities.

I hope you are having a good spring.  and getting outside to enjoy this warm southern weather.  Such a lovely season we are experiencing.

Love, Mona

Reaching a Milestone

Yesterday our view completely changed in our backyard........

A very old oak tree that had dominated the back landscape was taken down because of damage, hollowness, and falling limbs....

Today we celebarte 18 years of marriage....all good years... This man means the world to me...he has allowed and encouraged me to be me...he has made me a better woman and I have grown..so has he. We have been good for each other and that is what marriage is all about..Growing and changing together, not apart... I decided to revisit my words from the 15 year mark....they are still so true...

Fifteen years ago I was busily preparing to run away with my beloved and secretly get married.........

It was a week that changed my life........

I was marrying a man that truly loved me....cherished me.....desired me......and I felt the same way towards him....

We were pretty scared...both of us had been in bad marriages that had ended in divorce and we didn't want to make the same mistakes again....we had talked about a lot of things during our dating and we had come a long way but we were still hurting and broken people.. we decided to become a team and walk out the rest of life TOGETHER...best decision I have ever made besides choosing to say YES to God..but that is another story...this one is about the man God brought into my life and forever changed me and my life...

Little did we know all the battles we would have to fight together...and win.....and all of the life circumstances we would have to overcome...but we had together...and LOVE....and we had God on our side...

As I go about my week, I can't help but remember all of the preparations we were making to get married...no big fanfare this time.....no big fancy parties...just us...and God....we were following Him and it was good....

I am so excited to reach the 15 year mark..for some reason it sounds like a long marriage now...no more newlywed status...I have lots of friends that are reaching the 40 year mark in their marriages...never did I dream that at this age I would be where I am....we have talked about this a lot...that I have been married for a total of 37 years  but the number that is recognized is 15....where do people that have been divorced put all of those years that were spent in a broken marriage?  I think it is a valid question.....a different perspective on our generation......
because if 15 years is the actual number of years I have been married, it means I was not married for quite a long time......so , it is a subject that I think needs to be addressed..especially in a world where more than 50% are divorced......the actual number of years married........mine is 37 years.....22 years to learn what NOT TO DO  and then 15 years to put those lessons into practice.........

I was very young when I first got married and had a lot of learning ahead of me...hopefully I have learned a lesson or two or three......a whole lot of what not to do...I am tired of learning things the hard way..it is much easier for me to yield now to people that know more than I do....I realize I do not know everything!!

But this one thing I DO know, I have been happily married for 15 years to the man of my dreams.....
that kind of man is worth every day of waiting that you do...do NOT settle for an imitation or just any ol' body you can find...it is really important to marry the right person.......


I found this on Pinterest yesterday and it so perfectly sums up my husband......women, PLEASE wait on this man in your life......don't settle for anything less....

I could write all day about divorce and remarriage..it is my passion....but now...

Let the celebrating begin...........

We have reached a MILESTONE!  in just a few days we will mark the actual day..you will have to come back this weekend to read about that part.....

thank you for stopping by today....go out and get you some spring on !!!!

                                                       Mona

Do Not Despise Small Beginnings

It has been five years today......

On March 12, 2010, I wrote these words....

"This is my first attempt at blogging. Since I love homemaking and I have been doing it for more than 35 years, I want to share my experiences with women(and men)that are aspiring to make their home all that it can possibly be. I am a wife, mother, grandmother, gardener, seamstress, cook,thrift store shopper.. I love all that is involved in making a home a good place to be ..and a place that the family wants to be. a safe haven...Maybe there will be some of you that are interested in joining me on this journey as I learn how to blog.. :-) we will see..I know it is something that I will enjoy even if it only for me and my family...."

I had no idea of the path this blogging would take me on.  I have learned photography and have taken thousands of pictures...Yes, thousands...  I am on my 3rd camera since that small beginning..  I can remember so well the first time I tried to add pictures to my blog..Oh my goodness alive y'all....
I never got them in the post and almost gave up trying but quitter is not in my DNA so I persevered..

I was truly like this stack of bricks when I posted my first blog post..  a whole lot of potential but nothing really identifiable..Is that a word?

I learned to set a table thanks to several very encouraging ladies..namely Diane at Confessions of the Obsessed..  She is a treasure trove of unlimited knowledge about all things for a tablescape..and beyond..  She can identify anything I ask her..a hidden jewel for sure...just ask her and see..

She helped me identify the Dansk Kobenstyle baking pan from this picture..  I now have an entire collection of this vintage cookware and had never even heard of it before..  Thank you Diane....

And there is Kathleen with her blog crawls and Alma with her blog crawls..  I could go on and on but these two helped me to meet many women and forced me to be creative and learn to set a table beautifully and to take photographs so I could join in these parties...

I told a lot of my stories in the first years and then kinda ran out of steam..  I wasn't sure anybody wanted to hear them anymore.  And it took a lot of time and emotion to write those posts...

Yes..... I even wrote about my divorce... and a lot of you read it....

A lot has happened in the 5 years since I began this journey..  I am not in any way ready to throw in the towel.  It is an outlet I enjoy..  A world I like being a part of..  I appreciate all of you and have been thrilled at each and every comment I have ever received..well, not so thrilled at the few negative ones..

So, Happy Blogiversary to me.  the journey truly does start with the first step..

Love,

Mona

Time to Celebrate!

Four years ago I wrote my first blog....  Boy was I lost in cyber space..LOL  I didn't even know how to get a picture on my blog.  I would spend hours trying to do something that is now much, much easier..  Oh the things I have learned.   and the people I have met.  It's the people that keep me interested in blogland.  I had no idea I would make friends out here...  I can truly say I am so thankful that I took that first step 4 years ago..


The daffodils at the  State Botanical Garden of Georgia in Athens are a gorgeous site in the spring.  and they bring back the memories of how far I have come in just a few years.. It was these very flowers that pushed me to learn how to post pictures on my blog...  wow!  If I can learn to blog, anybody can......

Usually I post untouched photos...some are good, some are not so good.  I am learning a lot about photography ..I learn best by doing. so, many , many pictures are taken every week...  and in another 4 years...we will all be surprised by how much we have learned...

Thank you to every one of you that have written me and encouraged me over the years..Your friendships mean so much to me....even if you don't leave a comment, I appreciate you too..I surely would love hearing from you sometimes so I can visit you too...

Again, THANK YOU!  I wouldn't take anything for the experiences of blogging....It is a great hobby that I have..and so many benefits  from the people along the way...

Here's to another 4 years......

Love, 

Mona

I'll be joining Marty today for 

Inspire Me Tuesday

Make It Happen

A few thousand words ago, I decided to join the blogging world...and here I am, thousands of pictures later still at it.  and enjoying it......

TODAY marks my 500th post!!!!

I can hardly believe it myself..that's a lot of writing and picture taking....

You have met my grandsons, Mac and Will..

Visited my garden.....

Admired my daylilies....

and my dogs...

we shared the birth of this wonderful girl......

I have even shared a few sewing projects but that has been a long time ago and it feels like I am a little rusty..

Gazed at the super moon over our part of Georgia.....

 

I have celebrated, gardened, decorated, entertained, shared my heart, and discovered a lot about myself since I began this journey...

And I have received so much encouragement from some of you...I thank you from the bottom of my heart..your kind words have meant so much to me...and to think, it all started with one little word typed into a little form on blogger..... I have come a long way but I have so much more to learn..and so many more of you to meet...I would love it if you would follow me and make my 500th post an even bigger celebration....

Thank you for reading my words and looking at my pictures...there is so much more I want to write...

so until next time.....

Love, Mona

I am sharing this at Inspire Me Tuesday.

Marriage Without Regrets

Today marks our 16 anniversary.....wow....a lot has happened in these years...

This morning I asked my wonderful husband if he would marry me all over again...his answer...."ABSOLUTELY!"

and I feel the same way..no regrets here....he is my true soulmate....worth the wait...

To any girl that is still single, do not settle and marry the next one you can find....WAIT!!  until you KNOW..and believe me, you will KNOW!  and you will be glad you waited, no matter how many years it takes...the wrong choice NEVER turns into the right choice....believe me, I know about that......

and ladies, share this with your daughters....to wait on the one God has chosen for them..it is easier than trying to turn a bad choice into a good one.. (usually does not work very well)

That's pretty much all I am going to say about this today...I hear the collective sigh out there..wink,, wink....

I will end with this line from a song ...sometimes you have to get it wrong to get it right..pretty much sums up my first marriage and my present marriage...

I take the lessons from my first marriage and apply them to this one as things I learned NOT TO DO!!

Happy Anniversary to us!    it is a day to celebrate.....Love never fails.......not ever, ever.....

Below is a picture of where it all began....kinda appropriate , don't ya think?  this time we planted the right kinds of seeds and fed it with love.......

Cade's Cove and the Peddler

We just have too many good pictures not to share...so today we have part two of our trip to Great Smoky Mountains Park.....this time I have the buildings of Cade's Cove and a surprise ending......stay tuned..

 we had to stop to allow the turkeys to cross the road.....

a lot of other people had found this quiet little settlement in the Smokies too....

  It was such a fun day..the whole trip was wonderful....but especially this day that was our 15th anniversary..perfect weather, good health, and each other......

and for the surprise ending........  anniversary date night at the Peddler in Gatlinburg....a tradition we have had since the beginning.......

 one time when we were more adventurous, we drove all the way to Gatlinburg on a  Saturday just to eat supper at the Peddler.....and then we couldn't find a room because all of the hotels were full and we couldn't get seated until after 9 o'clock........a very long, long day....but a fun, wortheveryminuteofit.memory....

So there you have it...out trip to the mountains in a nutshell....unless I run across a few more I just have to share tomorrow..you know how that goes......

thank you for stopping by today.......and I hope to see you again soon...

Mona