Favourite Finds!!

While out shopping with my daughter....saw some beautiful things...so wanted to share....

How adorable is this canvas?  And I got a such chuckle when I saw the book title!!

What an amazing storage trunk!  And only $79.99!  It may have come home with me...just sayin'

Some Canadian cushions...shops are gearing up for Canada Day on July 1st!!

And what a great storage tote for the campers out there!  Or for storage anywhere!!

And remember how I've been looking for a bread tin for my daughter!  Found one a few days before I saw these!   Go figure!!  I really like how the covers are actual bread boards!!  Might be time to update my own bread tin!!

The metal shelf for the back deck arrived from Amazon...spent a little bit of time getting it set up.  Still too cold to put out annuals on it...so will give it another week or so before I share.   

Today is surgery day!  Might be MIA for a few days...please feel free to leave comments...just so I know someone out there....is following along!   

Introducing Clara...

Isn't she beautiful?  Isn't she lovely?  And I luv her!!  While out shopping with my daughter,  I spotted her, and after leaving her behind in the shop a few months ago...decided it was time to bring her home.  And yes...I have a thing for cows.  No....I have never been on a farm...ever.  Just love cows.   She is a very large piece...painted on slats of wood and framed.   Thoroughly enjoying her. 

Found a pretty mat for the front steps as well...will look even better when the steps are stained.  Ordered tall, solar candles on Amazon to put in the lanterns....waiting for them to arrive.   Mr. Seventies spent the weekend spreading topsoil in the gardens...a few cubic yards of black mulch will be ordered as well. 

I needed to run to Wal Mart to pick up batteries...and was so thoroughly saddened at the state of our local store.  So much so, I took a couple of pics.   This is the "Home Decor" Section...and this is what it is like all the time....

Looking for a new lamp or shade?  Good luck with that!  Sad, sad selection and display. 

I was advised to fill out a comment card at the "Courtesy" desk...but there no cards to be found.  Since Wal Mart began selling groceries...the remainder of the store has been ignored.  And with Target and Sears closing a few months ago...all I can say is thank heavens for on line shopping!!

Yesterday we removed the slipcovers from the family room furniture...they are freshly laundered, pressed & back on.  Thankfully, my front load machines can handle very large loads.  I considered sending them to the cleaners again...but if dropped off on Monday...they are not ready until Thursday after 4 pm.  And I prefer not to have the furniture go uncovered for that long.  

In other news, tomorrow I'm having invasive oral surgery (oh yay)...under sedation (best for the me and the surgeon...:).   Wish me luck!!  

The pool company is hopefully advising today when they will be coming to do the repairs...not that it will be pool weather in the coming days.  Hope this is not a pattern of weather for the summer!  

Exterior of My Seventies Split

Stepped outside today to take a couple of photos of the front of our home...and some of the early spring flowers that are showing off!  Cannot wait until everything is in full bloom!  June is my favourite month...to the right of our home is a full hedge of lilac bushes!  I usually fill 3-4 rooms with beautiful smelling bouquets!!

Put my lanterns together...need to pick up some solar candles..hopefully can find the ones I'm thinking of...and as mentioned before...the step will receive a fresh coat of stain.  

And our Azalea is starting to bloom...hopefully it will be covered with gorgeous pink/purple blooms!   It has taken many years for this shrub to thrive...usually they are easy to grow...but we've struggled with it.  We also have an orange Azalea..but it is in it's infancy...keeping a close eye for new blooms there too. 

Front Door Re-Do

The weather was sunny and warm enough for Mr. Seventies to get two coats of paint on the front door...and I luv it!!  Really adds a pop of colour to the front of the house (I will get a full picture of the house later on).

Still lots to do...the steps need to be stained...I picked up faux hydrangea and pretty ribbon to decorate a couple of black lanterns to set on the step!  My basket I put together, on the door...looks so pretty and people have stopped to compliment how lovely everything is looking!!   Work in progress for sure....

The adorable planter with the cute little tap I picked up at Winners.  Mr. Seventies will drill a couple of small holes in the bottom and I will plant live annuals in there for the summer months!!  It will sit on the other side of the front step!

The bakers rack I ordered for the back deck will be arriving on Thursday!  Going to shop for some unique plants and garden decor to fill the rack's shelves!

It was nice enough today to crank up the umbrella...Liesel and grand dog Benson had a great time laying in the sun puddles!  Looking forward to getting these outdoor spaces done up too!

We spent the morning cleaning windows...hateful job...but so wonderful when finished!  Our home sits on a very busy secondary road...so we get lots of road dirt, salt, snow, rain, and debris.  Spring and fall we tackle the windows...is it just me or does your home just feel "dirty" when the windows aren't sparking clean?  

Window Boxes Are Finished!!

We've been away for a few days...Saturday was the burial service for my mother-in-law.  Family and friends joined together for a reception after the service.  It's about a five hour drive each way for us...so we usually stay a couple of days...helping with sorting through the house, as it will be going up for sale.  Always a difficult time...but such is life.

The Victoria Day weekend is usually when we open the pool and get it ready for the upcoming swimming season...the pool company hasn't called to advise when they are coming to do the repairs.  Just as well...we are still getting frost overnight!  Even had to scrape the windshield the other morning!

I was able to pick up the additional "faux" pansies I needed for the window boxes...filled them this afternoon and Mr. Seventies mounted them on the house.

Just a couple of quick shots...no one will ever know they are't real!

Our house sit's back off the sidewalk a bit...it's nice to have a bit of colour...and not have to worry about watering live flowers during the hot months!

We still have lots of yard work to do...3 cubic yards of top soil was delivered...Mr. Seventies has expanded a couple of the flower beds.  And we will order 4-5 cubic yards of black mulch to cover the beds..today Mr. Seventies mowed for the first time this year.  We can grow grass is wet, cool weather!

Next week I am scheduled for oral surgery so not sure how much help I will be!  I will be very happy when it is over!  

Picked another beautiful bouquet of hyacinth....

And we put in a few rows of potatoes in the veggie garden!  Frost won't hurt seed potatoes..so it's okay to plant them early!

Tomorrow we plan to clean all the windows inside and out and paint the front door!    We'd love to stain the decks..but the pool company will be trekking around on them...so will wait until that work is finished.  And it's still too early to hit the greenhouse for annuals!  

Bedding and Bouquets

It's a balmy 8 degrees Celsius currently...not exactly beach weather.  Didn't get much done outside today...the cool breeze didn't help make it feel any warmer.

The new bedding arrived...and it is lovely.  Not a heavy quilt...which will be great when we finally do get warmer nights...the electric blanket is still in use!  I don't put a number of pillows or throw cushions on the bed..I prefer a simpler bed.  Waverly has not disappointed...the quality of this set is wonderful!

We retired our previous dachshund garden flag...it was getting very faded and shabby looking.  I came across this pretty sunflower flag at a local shop with a $12 price tag!

Speaking of flowers...picked this stunning hyacinth bouquet...the smell is amazing!  And the colours are so bright and vivid!

We have a huge variety of tulip colours...this is one bouquet of many to come!!

I decided to purchase a rack to set on the deck...to hold pots of annual flowers and garden decor!  Something metal and can fold easily for storage over the winter months.  This the the one I found...on Amazon.  Should work just fine!!

Getting Ready for Summer

I don't know why we do it...but we Northerners seem to think, every year,  that we will have July temps in May!  It's just not going to happen...never has...never will.  At least not in our neck of the woods!  People get anxious to get out planting in their gardens...green houses have been advertising for weeks...and I guarantee if poor little annuals got planted now...they would freeze their petals off!!
Our over night temps are in the single digits...frost is still occurring.   Mr. Seventies never puts a seed in the vegetable garden until after the new moon in June!  Just his rule of thumb...and it works for him!  Seed potatoes, onion sets or lettuce..they can be planted now...but everything else waits til June.  And we have a lush, prosperous garden every year!

Today the mercury reached +18 C...with a strong southwest wind.  A decent day for getting some outside raking, spring bulb planting & our $20 patio table painted!  Mr. Seventies gave it a good sanding to remove the bumps and rough spots..then applied two coats of paint.  After having not one, but two glass patio tables explode...we were not about to make that mistake a third time.  When I saw this little table on Kijiji late one fall...I knew it was the perfect size for the small deck. It just needed some TLC.

Usually we wait until the decks get a fresh coat of stain...but this year we decided we can remove everything on the day we plan to stain the floors.  My outdoor area rug is down...just waiting for the table & dining chairs.

My umbrella from last year was quite faded...still in great shape...but the sun had really bleached it out.  Ordered this pretty one from Walmart....love that it came with a zippered cover as well.  On the look out for some pretty place mats & table ware.  Considered chair pads...but they are such a pain to bring in each night...decided to forgo them this year.  The chairs are very durable and quite comfortable...and I do have cushions I can toss on them if need be. 

And my window boxes are done!  Painted that is...sadly I ran out of pansies!!  Trying "faux" pansies this year...not only are the planters up high...making watering a real pain...but no matter what we planted in previous years...the heat was too much!  Even when we went with what the greenhouses suggested...nada.  I realize these are going to fade in the sun...and if they become colourless...I will pull them out.  I cut two pool noodles in half for each box...and used them to poke the flowers in to.  Both Dollarama locations here....are sold out of pansies!  Go figure!  They had dozens and dozens of them when I purchased mine...wish I had purchased double the amount.  Will be checking stores on the mainland in a few days...keeping fingers crossed they have a good supply.  

I received a new fire pot for Mother's Day!!  So excited to snuggle up outside when the evenings warm up and we can get a fire blazing!

A Mother's Love

Wishing all Moms and Grandmothers a beautiful Happy Mother's Day!!

Mother's Day has been a day of mixed emotions for me...partly joy because I love my girls more than life...and sadness because I lost my Mom, very suddenly at age 62 to heart attack in 1985.  I was a young Mom myself in my 20's.  It was total devastation... there is no way to prepare for that kind of loss...she was my rock.  A retired school teacher...she loved her children..and her "adopted' children...her students.  There is not a day goes by that I don't miss her....still.

I have suffered a number of losses in my life...my Dad and two siblings.  But nothing prepares you for the loss of a child.

My oldest daughter, Ann Marie lost her battle with ovarian cancer in August 2016.  There is no pain that compares to watching your child struggle so courageously only to lose the fight.  My only comfort is that she is at peace, tucked safely in the arms of her beloved grand mother (and name sake).

I crawled out of the depths of depression after her death...forever grateful that this old world keeps turning...life goes on.  And I am so thankful that it does..and that I was able to see the love and light in the faces of my surviving daughters...Sarah and Deanna and my beloved husband.  For they have given me reason to go on living and loving life.

We celebrated a beautiful union in 2017...when Deanna married her soul mate, Nathan.  A more loving, devoted couple you will never find.  They have many years of love and happiness ahead of them.

My beautiful girls...

Mother's Day carries a sense of joy and loss.  We plan to enjoy an afternoon of love, laughter and good food this Mother's Day!  

Hug your children a little tighter this Mother's Day for there is no greater joy!  

Having a "Me" Day!!

Yesterday, I had a "me" day!  And it was wonderful...not that I did anything earth shattering...but I spent the whole afternoon on me.

I mentioned how disappointed I was with the Mephisto walking shoes I purchased...and that left me still needing a comfortable pair of something for walking.  My current pair are Saucony...and I'm not dissing the brand..they just don't work for me.  I walk on the ball of my foot...which causes great pain and soreness.  Thinking orthotics might help...I saw a podiatrist over a year ago..and forced myself to wear orthotics when I walked.  Then I started having terrible knee pain...and as much as I wanted to blame the orthotics..x rays revealed arthritis.  But I am convinced the orthotics irritated my knee terribly, so I stopped using them.

So began the hunt for something comfortable I could wear.  Yesterday, I popped into a local shoe store...and the moment I put on a pair of Sketchers with memory foam inserts...I was in heaven.  And the ridge of the shoe is high enough not to rub on one side of my foot....which the Saucony did.  I walked with Liesel this morning...and my feet were in heaven.  Score!!

The next thing I did, after leaving the shoe store was go to my hair appointment.  Gone are the frizzled too blonde for me locks...and hello to shorter natural gray with darker highlights.  Took about 10 years off my face I've been told!  That is so nice to hear!  Now, if it could take 10 years off the rest of me...heheheh.  Love my shorter cut...much easier to wash and go!

Then...I went to my favourite optical and ordered new eyewear!  Pretty navy frames...stylish and super comfortable.  They will be ready in about five days.

And remember the newly purchased barbecue?  It appears it is going on sale tomorrow...$60 cheaper!  The store told me to drop in with our receipt and they will do a price adjustment.  Pays to deal with local companies!

And my lamb print arrived.....adorable or what?

Still waiting for the new bedding to arrive...the tracking number only give you info on the US side...nothing when the package arrived in Canada.   Annoying...but this happened last time as well.  I contacted Bed Bath and Beyond and they will send a new tracking #.

More Favourite Finds

Was out and about over the weekend....and want to share some of my favourite finds.  Did you ever see something that you absolutely love....and want...and have no place to put it?  Well..that is me...with this canvas.  I circled back...twice...trying to decide where I could put it.  And admitted defeat.  There will always be the "one"...now if this had been cows...oh I would have purchased it!

Such a beautiful tulip wreath!!  Only $49.99!!!  What??  Call me crazy...but I would never pay that for something that can be put together for less than half that price!  

I have a "thing" for sumptuous towels...and cushions....and throws...where was I going with this?  Oh, yes...just look at these gorgeous beauties...the coral is to die for...

These beautiful lamps would look amazing in our family room...but I had visions of them being smashed to bits during a game of ball toss with Liesel.  Our current lamps have been struck so many times...they are pretty much indestructible!  So....moving on...

And this killer mirror!  Couldn't you just see it hanging in a huge foyer?  Which I do not have...but it is beautiful...

And this sign says it all...

And lastly...a garden snail...would be so cute in the gardens or sitting on the deck.  There was one marked down...one of it's little antennae was missing.  

My Mephisto sandals arrived...they are amazing.  The most comfortable things I have ever worn.   The sneakers, Mephisto as well...not so much.  I thought they would have the same comfy footbed as the sandals...but they do not.  I'll keep them, because it's too much of a hassle to send them back...being leather they will likely soften up over time. 

Garden Beauties...

I thought we'd take things outside today...a sneak peek of beautiful things to come.  The gardens are slowly awakening...daffodils, tulips, hyacinth and crocus are but a few that are getting ready to bloom.  It is this time of year I get impatient to see lush green lawns and beautiful colour.  It is amazing each year to see the resilience of flowers, trees and shrubs...

These are but a few from last year....this is a beautiful Bridal Wreath Spirea..her long arches will be covered with while florals...tucked around her are a few Hosta with tulips (done blooming) bordering the outside...

Another Spirea tucked at the corner of the pool deck....next to the vegetable garden.  You can see the onions had sprouted!

Beautiful Irises...

This photo was taken just as our Red Prince Wiegelia was starting to bloom....we also have another which has delicate pink and white blooms....

Poppies give a splash of colour to the side gardens....

And what would PEI be without Lupins??  They grow everywhere here....roadside, fields...and can be purple, pink, white...or a combination of all three....

Just one of the many varieties of Hosta we have growing around our property...

There are so many more to see....peonies in pinks, fuchsia..and a new one for this year...orange!  We have various colours of astilbe, lilies, hydrangea, azaleas, rododendrom, forsythia and various coloured  rose bushes.   As our 2018 gardens begin to bloom...I'll share their beauty. 

Yesterday Mr. Seventies spent an hour or two putting the new barbecue together...just in time for tonight's barbecue!  It's larger than we originally hoped for....but it is difficult to find a small one...unless it's table top or travel size.  

And this "recycleables" week for us...I know...pretty exciting.  What that means is the old barbecue needed to be dismantled...into smaller pieces in preparation for pick up.  We were concerned if we set it at the end of the driveway in one piece....people would strip only what parts they wanted...and leave a mess behind.  (happened before with our last barbecue...lesson learned).  Island Waste Watch will take the old one, along with cardboard, plastics and newsprint papers. 

We have one of the best recycling programs in the country....after all...we live on an Island.  Pretty hard to "bury" our trash...without affecting farmland and the fishing industry.  Recycling and composting is a way of life here.  We also have an energy from waste facility...which burns waste and turns it into heat for our hospital, university, stores, and some homes.  

Remember the basket I wanted for bed pillows?  It was on sale for 60% off!  It's a little smaller than I wanted...but it works!  Little tight but serves the purpose. 

Choosing a New Bar-B-Que

Cooler temps and northwest winds were not going to deter us from shopping for a new bar-b-que.  Our current one is looking a bit rough around the edges...but it has served us well for 8-9 years.  One downside was that it is huge...I mean...really huge!  Four burners ...with a side burner for extra grilling or boiling vegetables.  And takes up a lot of real estate on the deck!

Of course, Liesel went along, the girl loves to shop...we value her opinion after all!  She was a huge hit with everyone in the store!

Our needs have changed since we purchased our current grill...Mr. Seventies and I decided a smaller, two burner propane grill would suit our needs better.  Since we were happy with theThermos brand name...we chose to go with the same brand again...but smaller.

It is currently still in the box..Mr. Seventies will put it together over the weekend.  We will roll the old one to the end of the driveway...spring cleanup is happening soon...or someone will take it for parts.  That's one benefit of living on a very busy road...if you set something out for the taking...it always gets taken!  

Remember the bunnies prints I had ordered?  Well...I couldn't resist this sweet little face...

Can't wait for it to arrive!  I ordered it larger than the bunny prints....11 x 14.  Not even sure yet where I will hang it.  I just know I love it.