HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!

This year for my birthday, Tammy, Holly & I took a road trip to the Marriott-Shoals Resort & Spa in Florence! What a fun time! We went over on Thursday, the day before my birthday to have a "pre-celebration & SPA Day!" What fun! Here we are in front of the hotel with all the GORGEOUS flowers! Holly & Kay!
Holly & Tammy!
A View of the Renisance Tower & the 360 Grill where we had dinner!
Those girls had flowers in my room for my birthday! Awwwwwe!!
Here we are in our spa robes...ready to be pampered!

Here we are by the pool...

Dinner with a great view! Hey...are we moving??!

My "Birthday Dessert Tray" sampler!

The Three Austin Girl's!

Not lookin' tooo bad for "over 40!"

Thanks again Tammy & Holly for celebrating with me!

Love ya'll!

A visitor in my garden....

I had a special visitor in my garden this evening!
I went out to water my pots and hanging baskets on the driveway and all around the back yard.

This has become an "every day" chore, due to the hot temps and no showers so far this week. Sometimes I water in the morning, & other days I wait till after supper and enjoy the setting of the sun & the start of dusk....& it was just a touch cooler out there tonight.

See if you can see something unusual about this picture.....look closely....


Do you see it?.....look very very close....look just under the pink geraniums....

A baby mockingbird!!! He was sitting so still. I had seen a mockingbird chirping at me earlier in the day on the fence. I really didn't pay her much attention....

So tonite I was so surprised to find this little bird. I had been watering all around (& over his head too! haha!)

...and he never jumped down or made a peep at all!

In fact, after I saw him, I told him "Boy, I bet you're hot here on this pavement....let me cool you down a little"...and I gave him an easy spray with the hose and he still never moved! What a good baby....staying right where mom left him I guess! I just had to take his picture!

I went on about my watering in the back yard & was out there a good 30 to 45 minutes and when I came back by, he was still clinging to his post under the geraniums! Hope no neighborhood kitty's find him over night....mom was close by, so maybe she'll get him to move before dark!

"His eye is on the sparrow....

and I know HE watches me."

A Trip To Bridge Street!

Had a fun "girls shopping" trip to Bridge Street!

Just a few pictures this time...

(we were too busy shopping to take very many!) haha!

"Mary Mary... quiet contrary...how does your garden grow?"

I've needed to get out and take a few pictures of my garden! Things are starting to really "take off" & I just hope they can survive this heat...& I can survive getting out and watering!

Its been SO hot...and the plants are needing LOTS of water! Things are slowly starting to take hold & grow though...here's a few pictures! Ok...so I should really say MANY pictures!

I just can't seem to take only a few pictures...or plant only a few plants! HAHA! Enjoy!

Pots filled with plants on the driveway!

I just love this snail with a red dragon wing begonia plant....also love soft pink geraniums. The green basket plant is one that actually survived winter in the garage! The black elephant ears below also survived in the garage all winter!

The caladiums are starting to look happy too...really beginning to get BIG!

The purple wisteria vine has made a lovely arch over the gate and this basket on the gate is doing good, but its hard to see the little blue flowers on this plant in this picture!

Looking thru the gate to the back yard....

Notice how tall the eucalyptus tree has gotten! I was so thrilled that it seems to have survived another winter! It really shouldn't be living in North Alabama...

Coleus and chocolate mint plant...the smell of it drives me bonkers and makes me want an Ande's Mint!

I just love this concrete frog I added this year! He looks so cute on the edge of the pool!

Yellow Shrimp Plant & Sweet Potato Vine...its already needing a haircut!

The hydrangea is such a pretty blue! It finally decided to bloom this year after me threatening to take it out if it didn't preform this year!

Hanging basket of cotton candy petunias and white & red verbena

VBS-Outrigger Island!

Summer is off to a busy and HOT start!

This week I've been a volunteer at Vacation Bible School & filling in for Anna, as she had surgery this week! What FUN! We had the 5th & 6th graders, who were really a well behaved group!

The stage was an "island theme" & it was really amazing...volcano, palm trees, waterfall etc!

There were TONS of fun island sounding songs to sing & LOTS of "motions" to go with all the songs! I just loved that part!

Pictures just don't do it justice as to how amazing it was! We averaged about 300 kids per day, and as of yesterday we'd had 32 professions of faith in Jesus Christ! AWESOME!