Six Word Fridays: Tulips on Temple Square

Flowers always make people better, happier,

 and more helpful; they are sunshine 

and so good for the soul.

Who says you have to go to 

Holland to see beautiful tulips?

We have the most beautiful display

of tulips in our own backyard!

Temple Square in Salt Lake City

is so beautiful in the spring.

Beautiful tulips in every color of 

the rainbow...  as far as the 

eye can see! Meandering through the

gardens, taking your time, enjoying the 

beauty of nature in all her 

glory is truly inspiring! Temple Square

should be at the top of 

the list of beautiful places to 

visit. You will want to stay!

flower

Late blooming

I went to Europe last October and didn't get back until the middle of January this year. Before I left, I gathered all my house plants and placed them on the large kitchen island to make it easier on the kids when they came up to water them. I left the blinds on the kitchen widow open. And with the two story windows and west window blinds open, there was enough sunlight to keep the plants happy enough. So I thought!

My lovely Christmas cactus -- actually it was my dad's that I inherited after both he and my mother passed away, must have been unhappy that I was not home during the Christmas season. It usually blooms the month of December, so you can imagine my surprise when I came home the middle of January to see that my Christmas cactus had not bloomed.

I trimmed and removed unwanted leaves from each plant. I placed them in their rightful place. I put my prized Christmas cactus back on it's stand in the library.

A couple of days went by, and then... to my pleasant surprise, the most beautiful, vivid, pink blooms I had ever seen, burst forth on my Christmas cactus. It was like it was shouting for joy... "hooray, she's home!" And the blooms just kept coming day after day! Oh... happiness! That was the most beautiful and warm welcome home I could have ever asked for. And, it seemed to sense that. On those cold, gray winter days, I was reminded of how much beauty and color there is in the world in every season.

My Christmas cactus was late in blooming. In it's simple decision to wait for me, I received a beautiful message on love!  My plant knew that I would need the beauty of its blooms when I returned in the middle of winter. It waited patiently. Never questioning that it would be blooming late. It went against its natural timeline. Just to bring me happiness!

Who says that plants don't know their owners! Who says that plants don't know their place in your home! Plants have feelings, just like us! They thrive when they are loved and cared for. They bloom when they want to show you how much they love you. They give in return what we give them. 

I love my Christmas cactus! Dad's gift to me. And... I even wonder if dad had something to do with it blooming late this year! Either way, I know that they both love me! And I love them!

Writing prompt #4: Write a blog post inspired by the word: late

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Inspired!

I moved this post to my private blog. You can see how Shaniel's portrait was inspired here.

Six Word Fridays: Bird Eggs

I was out on the deck reading a book, when the chatter of birds made me look up.

I got up see what all the fuss was about. 

Strands of straw, feathers, and small twigs were strewn around the base of the grill. 

I opened it up and to my surprise I saw a very elaborate nest taking shape.

I didn't have the heart to take away what the birds had so lovingly built. 

I watched and I waited. Then, one day...

One blue egg in the nest.

Day two, the nest had two.

Day three, the nest had three. 

Day four, the nest had four.

Day five, the nest had five.

Five pretty robin-blue bird eggs!

egg

The Easter Egg

We can't celebrate Easter without the egg! They just go together.

Eggs are used to celebrate Easter or springtime. We hard boil eggs and fancy them up with a variety of coloring methods. The oldest tradition is to dye and paint chicken eggs. 

We also celebrate Easter with chocolate eggs or plastic eggs filled with jelly beans, malted milk eggs, marshmallow eggs, and other eggs shaped candies.

Now that I am the grandma, Easter celebrations are planned around the grand kids. Traditions of celebrating Easter have remained much the same, from days of my youth to now. We have had to adjust and change the way we do some things because of where we live. The closest thing we have to the desert is the Golden Spike. And not all our children get to be with us at Easter because of the distance. But one thing is certain...

We love to celebrate the Easter egg at our house!

It starts a couple of days before Easter. We get together, cook and color eggs.

My favorite way to color eggs is with good old reliable food coloring and vinegar. Writing the kids name on the hard boiled eggs with crayon creates a wax barrier and remains on the egg after coloring. The kids really like this.

Last year we tried a new way of coloring. It is messy, but the colors are lively and fun. I would suggest placing a plastic table cloth on the table before starting.

Squirt a pile of shaving cream onto a paper plate. 

Add a couple of drops each of different colors of food coloring.

Mix together.

Roll egg in shaving cream mixture.

Wipe off cream, using a paper towel. 

That's it!

What do we do with Easter eggs?

Hunt for them. 

Roll them down the hill.

Learn about the true meaning of Easter!

Teaching the kids about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, using plastic eggs, is a meaningful way to celebrate Easter. For "Resurrection Eggs" click here.

Although I love making and eating the traditional Easter egg, I love even more....

chocolate peanut m&m's, reese's peanut butter eggs, and malted robin eggs!

The case of the missing Easter egg

Easter eggs can be quite important in a child's life. I was talking to my daughter on the phone this morning about her plans for Easter. We got on the subject of Easter eggs. She told me a story that made me laugh. I don't know if I really never knew this or I just can't remember. But... it's a good story.

A story. Logan, 1991. Easter had come and gone. The Easter eggs were all eaten, or so I thought! Two of my daughters who are only 18 months apart, were joined together like twins. They could come up with the most concocted ways to play. Amie was 13. Shaniel was 12. They each kept their favorite Easter egg. Amie's was blue. Shaniel's was purple. They were beautiful! They couldn't think of eating these beautiful eggs they had created. They made a special place to keep them in their rooms. They were their children! They played with them after school. At night, they put them to bed, covering them with washcloths.

Other activities soon distracted the girls from taking care of their egg children. They were all too soon forgotten. A few weeks went by and Amie started smelling something very stinky in her room. It got worse and worse. She looked and looked to see what was causing all the stink. She found and uncovered the egg she once called her child. It was rotten! It was stinky! 

If you keep an egg after Easter.. it can have a rotten, stinky end! 

Another story. The grandkids came up one day and we colored Easter eggs. I put them in a bowl and placed them on the counter to be eaten. All got eaten, except one. We couldn't find it for the life of us. Buster was distraught over losing his blue egg. When he left, I promised him I would keep a look out for his egg. Several days went by and I decided it was time to clean up Easter. I started to take out the grass in the bowl and lo and behold, the case of missing blue egg was solved. It had been hiding in the grass all along.

If you want all your eggs to be eaten, don't put a colored egg in the same color grass!

Writing prompt #3: Write a blog post inspired by the word: Easter.

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Six Word Fridays: Stretch

Six woolly sheep at Mount Vernon.

One is curious. So is Dave!

What's going on inside that head?

Woolly sheep pokes through the fence.

Dave stretches. Sheep stretches. They meet...

face to face. No! Don't kiss!

stretch

Reflections

re·flec·tion  (riˈflekSHən/)

noun

1. "the reflection of light"-- sending back, throwing back, casting back.

2. serious thought or consideration. synonyms: thought, thinking, consideration, contemplation, deliberation, pondering, meditation, musing

Reflecting is a part of my everyday life.

I reflect more these day. Maybe because I am getting older. 

I have lost loved ones that are very close to my heart and I often find myself reflecting on the life I lived with them. Where my life is now. And, where it is going. 

I like alone time because I like to "think". I often get lost in my own thoughts and I like that. I have come to know myself pretty well. My husband used to tell me that he "knew me better than I knew myself." That might have been the case several years ago. But, not any more. 

The deaths of my parents and my daughter caused a great change in me. For the good. When I reflect on those difficult days and the loneliness I felt without them, I knew to what source I had to draw strength from. My Savior! Through His atonement I found courage and healing. I learned what I was made of. I was a lot stronger than what I thought I was. You can't get over losing a child without deep Faith. Hope. Prayer. And a loving family. 

I turned to the scriptures, more than ever before, and found great comfort and peace in the words of the Lord and the promise of being with our loved ones again. I love to ponder and consider the glorious truths found in the scriptures. 

And, sometimes, I just love the surprise of seeing a reflection in still water. Or a reflection of the unexpected after a rain storm. I feel a deep sense of gratitude every time I see the awe and wonder that is in the beauty of nature.

I got on Pinterest because you can find anything on Pinterest. I found quotes and images that struck a cord with me. I was inspired! I was amazed! Some of the following are my own reflection images and thoughts, too.

Reflection is good therapy for me. Maybe it will be for you today, too. 

Love this!

And this!

Such wise words to live by!

May we never forget. 

My own photo -- Willow Park Zoo. Last week was Spring Break for the grandkids. The girls and I took the little vacationers on a day adventure to Willow Park Zoo. The sun was shining! It was warm. I love the reflection of the trees in the stream.

I've been here -- Tubigen, Germany. Beautiful!

My own photo - Venice, Italy. I love this shot at dusk and how the reflection of the light on the water is soft, broken, and subtle. So serene.

My own photo -- Willard Bay. Our home overlooks Willard Bay. Shortly after my mother's death, my husband took me out on the boat. It was so peaceful and calm and good for my soul. All was quiet. Only a soft cry of a seagull could be heard every now and then. Husband knew I needed time for reflection. I was grateful for his thoughtfulness. With my face to the sun and a gentle breeze on my back, I soon found myself drifting off in pleasant memories of my mother. 

My own photo - Antelope Island. I got a shot of beautiful Antelope Island reflected in the Great Salt Lake as we rode out to help in the Bison Roundup. 

My own photo -- Heber Valley Fairgrounds. This was a bittersweet day for my husband. The old fairgrounds are now abandoned. A large, new, and very much improved County Complex was built just to the west of it. The hubs spent many happy days at the fairgrounds with his father, who served the community as the Wasatch County Extension Agent for over 30 years. To me, the standing water is a symbol of reflection of days gone by.

My own photo -- Great Grandmother's Pink Depression dishes. With my reflection! It's next to impossible to get a picture, that has anything to do with a mirror, and take it without some part of yourself in it! 

How do you define Reflection?

Writing prompt # 3: Write a blog post inspired by the word: Reflection.

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