Flower Glitter Ball

I have lots of flowers in my yard: coneflowers, black-eyed susans, wild sunflowers and daisies.  All of them have a solid textured center which are perfect for covering with glitter once the petals have fallen and the stems have dried.

Here is a picture tutorial on how to make my Christmas Glitter Balls.  So pretty, so satisfying.

Once your flowers are dry, spray them with glue or a natural sealer and then sprinkle with glitter.  Here you can see examples of bronze, green, red and pale blue.

Poke a hole in your styrofoam ball, squirt a dab of elmer's glue, and push in your ribbon.

Cut your stems to an  inch long.  Using the biggest centers first, push the stems into the styrofoam.  You want to evenly space out your big ones to give you an even ball shape. Continue on with the next size, using the smallest ones last.   As your centers start to fill the styrofoam, they will stick together like Velcro.  You need more flower centers than you realize, so be sure to use a small styrofoam ball for your first project.

This particular Flower Glitter Ball is three years old and it still looks as good as when I made it.  Enjoy your flowers in the bloom and then let them adorn for Christmas tree for years to come.

An Amazing Drive Home

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The drive from Kanab to the I-15 is so beautiful. Short rock formations with four shades of green; Evergreen, Kelly, Sage and Mint.

On our ride home, we hit it just as the golden clouds were lighting up the sky blue canvas at sunset.

Daniel's current favorite song is "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perry.

This song was playing boldly through the speakers as we drove my favorite landscape. I was mesmorized, and vigorously concentrating with my eyes and my brain, trying to soak in the colors while experiencing my moment of happiness.

Christ Hath a Garden

The best place to seek God is in a garden.  You can dig for him there.  ~George Bernard Shaw, The Adventures of the Black Girl in Her Search for God, 1932

You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt.  ~Author Unknown

The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses.  ~Hanna Rion

In my garden there is a large place for sentiment.  My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams.  The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful.  ~Abram L. Urban

Here is a performance of "Christ Hath a Garden".  The melody is an old English folk song, I had learned it as the "The River is Wide".  

Christ hath a garden walled around,
A Paradise of fruitful ground,
Chosen by love and fenced by grace
From out the world's wide wilderness.

Like trees of spice his servants stand,
There planted by his mighty hand;
By Eden's gracious streams, that flow
To feed their beauty where they grow.

Awake, O wind of heav'n and bear
Their sweetest perfume through the air:
Stir up, O south, the boughs that bloom,
Till the beloved Master come:

That he may come, and linger yet
Among the trees that he hath set;
That he may evermore be seen
To walk amid the springing green.

Busy Bee

I have been working in my garden like a busy bee.  I have decided to take control of the back patio area, a place I always had great imaginations for, but as time goes by, it seems they are not progressing as hoped.  So I have pulled back the ivy and added several new additions.  I will post pictures as the garden grows fuller this summer.  In the meantime I wanted to share some fun plants I discovered at the local greenhouse.  Supertunia Pretty Much Picasso and Hilo Holiday Rex Begonia.

Investment

Yesterday I bought two peony bushes, one pink, one red.  I recognize this purchase will bring me joy for many years to come, and be a present for who ever lives in this house after us.

This year I started a garden journal.  After five years I am still confused as to which plants I need to trim down in the fall and which ones can grow back as they are.  By the end of the summer I plan to take pictures of each flower and bush in their fullness.  They will then be glued into my journal with instructions on the opposite page.  I imagine this record will be another gift I pass along to the next home owner. (When I'm seventy five and decide to get a smaller home)

Lilacs in the Garden

I totally judge a book by its cover.  When I was in fifth or sixth grade I decided to give Nancy Drew books a try.  The first book  I choose from the series was Mystery at Lilac Inn.  I liked the picture and I thought is sounded romantic.  It was good, and I was soon back at the school library picking out another.  

Every time I see a lilac bush I have a little blast from the past, remembering how cozy I felt reading those books.  This year the lilac bushes in my garden have produced more blossoms than ever before.  I think its because we cut down some the trees last year that were keeping them from receiving direct sunlight. What a treat.

Springtime flowers

I just love when I go to the grocery store for food and find flowers for sale at the entrance.  I can't resist!  Here is last week's purchase, potted and sitting next to my front door.  They are such joyful colors to me.

All Things Bright and Beautiful

The Lord God made them all.

Earlier this year in Relief Society we had a lesson on the Creation of the earth. My favorite part was when several of the women raised their hands and shared which element or creation brought them so much joy and gratitude. Water, trees, the sun, flowers, etc.

For me, this year, the feature that has filled me with delight is clouds! They make the sky so spectacular and always bring me to think of my Heavenly Father.

My favorite time of day

Occasionally there is a magical ten minutes in the evening, when the sun lights up my mountain, just before it sets. Here are a few pictures I took last month in an effort to capture the beauty.

For the Beauty of the Earth

While on our trip to California, both Daniel and I enjoyed the beach and all the plants and trees, which are so different from where we live. If fact we enjoyed the beautiful scenery so much Daniel kept asking, "Should we move here?"

Then on the drive home the desert was so green because of the spring rain. I loved the sage brush and tall grasses. And once we arrived back home to our own mountain, we were over whelmed with the green and growth that had taken place in our absence.

There is beauty all around.