I am a Victorian Soul, who lives in a small townhouse that was built in the mid 1970's, not a huge Mega Mansion!! I just recently lost my Hubby Joe, who was a Retired Letter Carrier. I worked night shift as an RN on a Hospital based Rehabilitation( Physical Medicine) Unit for 37 years before I had Knee Replacement Surgery and officially Retired in 2019 after 41 years working in Direct Patient Care ... I am so glad that we retired at 62 years of age and got to spend that time together before he passed....I still do love Retirement!!!!

I DABBLE IN A BIT OF THIS AND THAT!!!!

" IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO BE WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN"
George Eliot
George Eliot was actually a pen name for a woman named Mary Anne Evans......

BLOGGING FOR FUN AND FRIENDSHIP!!!!!!

Friday, May 12, 2023

Buys, Bees and Blazing Blooms, 2023


 

 

 

 

 Welcome to Debbie-Dabble Blog!!

 
I am so happy you decided to stop by!!
 
 
I am now posting TWICE  a week !!!
 
 I will be posting on MONDAY and FRIDAY!
 
 
As always, click on each picture if you would like to enlarge it....
 
 
 Today, even though I promised to start my Tour of the Kitchen decorated in a Roos and Hens Theme for the Summer, I will be sharing a few new Buys and what I did with them including a Front Porch Refresh and some Spring Blooms......
 
 
In my last post, I shared the rest of the Dining Room decorated in a Tea Theme for the Summer....

 

 

 

 

 

Click HERE if you missed that post!!
 
 
 I would like to Thank Debra, over at Common Ground, for choosing my post, Early Spring Back Yard and Front Yard Update, as one of her features from last week's All About Home Link Party!!


Thanks so much, Debra!!
 
 
And I also want to Thank Angie, Over at God's Growing Garden, for featuring the same Blog post, Early Spring Back and Front Yard, from last week's Tuesdays with a Twist link party!!
 

 Thanks again, Angie!!
 

Please stop by and link up to these lovely parties!!
 
 

And now for a few Personal Notes...
 
 

Happy Mother's Day!!!


I received an early Mother's Day present in the mail this week!!!

My son Jim and my DIL Danielle gifted me this.....


This is the inside of the card....


The flowers pop up when you open it....

There was a pull tab on the side of the card and this is what I pulled out.....


Such a sweet picture of my Grand Pups, Faye and Azumi!!!!


And this beautiful bouquet of flowers was in the large envelope .....

They look real don't they?????

So much better than real flowers because I will not have to throw this away when they die!!!!

I love them!!!

The company they came from is Lovepop Cards......

I hope you will get to spend Mother's Day with those that you love....

I will be spending it with my family and grand pups....


Last week, when Joe cut down the large branches of our lilac tree that came down in the yard after a heavy rain, I tripped over one of the branches and fell on the patio, landing on my left hip....

Yes, my hip has been sore and bruised but for some reason, this fall has caused me to have terrific pain in my left knee...

No, this is not the knee which had the joint replacement surgery....

I did have this knee Xrayed after I had my other knee done because I was having some pain in it but my ortho surgeon told me that I had about another 5-6 years before I would need  joint replacement surgery on that one....

That pain went away after I had the surgery on my other knee and even with all the walking I have been doing, it was doing fine....

So I guess, I thought it would be okay...

Until this fall....

Yes, I am very upset and disgusted with myself that this happened because I was finally feeling like I did before all of these health issues started....

I guess I should have also continued to do my stationary bike more often but because I was walking so much, I slacked off on it...

I am now only walking the Pups in the mornings when we take them out but I am also back on the bike as I forgot how much it helps to strengthen all the muscles surrounding the knee joint...

The pain in the left knee has gotten better since I got back on the bike and I am hoping that it is just an injury caused by the fall and not a progression of the moderate osteoarthritis and narrowing of the joint space which showed on that Xray 4 years ago....

I am going to give it another week or two and see how it is before I call my PCP.....

Wish me luck....


I finally cashed in 2 Gift Cards for Michael's that I received from my son Jim and DIL Danielle for Christmas and my Birthday.....

And this was the first time I did this...

I ordered the things online and had Joe pick them up at the store...

What a convenience!!!!

I had no idea what I have been missing....

This was sort of a stock up haul....

 
I got this acid free photo case that I intend to use to store all my Mother's photos dating back to when she was a child....


I bought several f these and used them when I organized all of my own family's photos....

That is going to be a project that I hope to get done over the Summer...

I needed to stock up on my Craft Paint supply so I bought this....

 
I also bought some E6000 glue which I use a lot....

 
I bought a bunch of these wax light bulbs that I use in the candles in my Kitchen Hutch and also out in my Den....

 
I loved this white enamel bread box which I will be sharing more of in future posts about the Kitchen...
 
 
Along with this red geranium bush....

 
 I also bought 2 rolls of this yellow and white checked ribbon.......
 
 
These 2 plaques that I have a craft project in mind for....

 
A package of 8 unfinished wooden Bees.....


And I bought this sign at Dollar General for $1.00.....

 
I did do a little make over on it which I will be sharing in my next post when I do start the tour of my Kitchen... 

 
 Now I will show you what I did with a few of these new buys.....
 
I did a bit of a refresh on the Front Porch....

First, I decided to re- do the bows that I had out on the front porch which were made from black and white checked ribbon....
 



I took apart the black and white checked bows and added the new yellow and white checked ribbon and this red ribbon I bought before Christmas....



A bow on the lighthouse I made....

 


 
 I added more faux greenery from my stash to the arrangement in this lantern....
 
 
 
And I added a cute metal bumble bee that I bought in Dollar General for $1.00....
 
 
 
 I thought it looked good with the citronella candle in an aqua mason jar...


One more bow on this lantern....



Next I did a wreath Re-do!!
 
 
 
This is what it looked like before...
 
 
 
 And now....


First, I re-did the bow again using the yellow and white checked ribbon and a red and white striped ribbon also bought before Christmas.....



Then I painted all those wood bumble bees....


I added 4 of them to the wreath.....


Hanging one in the center.....


I also added a metal lady bug bought for a buck in Dollar General.....
 



I then added the remaining 4 bumble bees to this Welcome Sign.....


And topped it with another bow....




A bow just like the one of the wreath now graces the front porch light....


And I gave the slate a fresh coat of paint.......

 
 
   

 
I also added more faux greenery to this arrangement along with one more metal bumble bee....
 
 
 
    
 

  In the corner....
 
 
 
 More new bows....
 

 
 
 
 I hung a bird house that I used to display in the Kitchen on this tree that graces the porch year round....
 
 
 
 
  

  
 I added a few fairy garden items to the pot filled with hens and chicks...
 
 
 
 I still need to plant my annuals but with temps. dipping down into the low 40's and high 30's in the mornings next week, I will still be waiting for fear of frost....
 

And now on to the Blaze of Color on the slopes in front of our townhouses......

 
 
 Even tough I recently shared this, the hostas have gotten larger and more things have bloomed....


The hostas and the other plants that I transplanted on my next door neighbor's slope last year when we landscaped it are doing quite well.....



 
In front of my house.....


The Bonfire spurge which are those bushes with yellow blooms add a pop of bright yellow color.....




The azaleas are blooming up at the top of the slope.....

The red one....


The white one....
 
 
 
 And you can see a bit of the pink azalea....

 
 
 2 different types of ground cover sedum is planted here and will soon bloom with yellow flowers....


Several columbine that reseeded here from a neighbor's yard will also soon start to bloom....


I wish it would look like this all Summer long.....



Looking at azaleas from the top of the slope and looking down the slope....




 





This is my neighbor's slope on the other side of our steps....

 
 My neighbor Ed, who now lives in my late neighbor Elly's house, slope which I landscaped last year....
 
 
 
 
 
 
 The hostas I transplanted are doing well along with the dianthus and phlox that I was able to save from all the weeds.....
 
 
 
 Those are Rose of Sharon trees up at the top.....
 

 
 The house next to Ed's...
 
 


I am really pleased with how it looks this Spring......


And I will end this post with a sunset......

 
It has this reddish color because of the smoke from forest fires all the way up in Alberta , Canada that has blown down into the atmosphere over NEPA....




 I hope you will stop by to visit again on  MONDAY when I will be starting my Tour of the Kitchen decorated in a Roos and Hens theme for the first part of the Summer..... 
 
 
 Stay safe, healthy and most of all, HAPPY!!

Thanks to those who took the time out of their busy day to spend a little bit of time with me!!

If you do not have a blog, PLEASE  give me some way to reply to your comment, maybe by including your email in your comment.  If I can not find a way to reach you, I will reply on the post where you commented so please check back......


I am linking up to these parties:
 
 
 
 
 Please take some time to visit these terrific hosts and all those joining in on the fun!
 


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16 comments:

  1. Sandi MagleMay 12, 2023 at 3:25 PM

    I do love your Bees and Wreath and Sign...so cute...lots of fun in all the bright colors, Sandi

    ReplyDelete
  2. JeanieMay 12, 2023 at 5:31 PM

    I'm so sorry to hear about your fall, Debbie. I know falls only all too well and falling on that hip can affect a lot of spaces NOT the hip. I'm glad it's improving and hope it eases very soon. I love that very tiny mini-size of E-6000 with its small opening so I don't end up using too much. Nice buys, all -- and that bread box is great!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Miss MerryMay 12, 2023 at 8:05 PM

    I love the red and yellow bee theme! It is just so Spring, bright and pretty. You are so creative.
    Your slope is just lovely. You can really see the time and dedication you have taken to make it look so gorgeous. I agree, I wish these flowers and colors could last all summer long!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kim May 12, 2023 at 10:38 PM

    Everything looks lovely, Deb, but those paper flowers are crazy good! I've seen them advertised, but wasn't sure if they were really as pretty as they looked online. Wow. I think I might just gift myself a bouquet! xo Happy Mother's Day!

    ReplyDelete
  5. LindaMay 13, 2023 at 11:34 AM

    Hope you make a good recovery from your fall. After xrays and a visit to the orthoepedic surgeon I will need a full knee replacement in my right leg. Great purchases with your gift cards. Your bees are "bee"utiful. Lots of beautiful colours in your garden. The weather is finally getter warmer here. Have a wonderful weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  6. BetsyMay 13, 2023 at 10:15 PM

    Adorable Bee wreath! The colors are perfect. I must say the Mother's Day card with the flowers do look real. Cutest card with the pups. I am sorry to hear about your fall. I am happy to hear you are getting better. Hurts like heck I know. I fell Thursday and got so mad with myself for doing it. Hit the back of my head and knee that had replacement along with the other knee that is only kinda good. Bruised and so far so good. Happy Mother's Day to you and you just have so many pretties to look at and enjoyed doing so.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dee | GrammysGrid.comMay 16, 2023 at 11:33 AM

    Cute wreath! Online ordering is awesome, especially when the store delivers in about 2 hours! I have that exact set of paint. Thanks so much for linking up at the #UnlimitedLinkParty 112. Shared.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Becky ~ The Vixens DenMay 17, 2023 at 11:29 AM

    Debbie, I am SO sorry to hear about your fall! I hope that riding the bike will continue to help your recovery. My son-in-law swears by a young man called the "Knees Over Toes Guy" on Instagram. He has some great exercises that help with balance and increasing mobility. Praying for a full recovery.
    Also, your bumblebees are the absolute sweetest! I love the way that you make little changes to create a whole new fresh look for things! I'm also a huge fan of online ordering and pickup. It's a huge time saver and so much nicer when I'm just not feeling up to a long trek through the store.
    Stay well and keep an eye on that hip! - Hugs! Becky

    ReplyDelete
  9. BinduMay 19, 2023 at 11:30 AM

    So colourful! Lovely flowers!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Joanne May 21, 2023 at 8:09 PM

    I hope the knee (and hip!) are feeling better real soon. The wreath looks so cute with the bees and I love all those fun little pops of yellow on your front porch. Your gardens look amazing!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Dee | GrammysGrid.comMay 22, 2023 at 1:54 AM

    CONGRATS Debbie! Your post is FEATURED at the #UnlimitedLinkParty 113!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Vintage Style GalMay 23, 2023 at 10:22 AM

    I hope your knee gets better Debbie, falls and surgery are scary stuff. Love the bees you added to the wreath, it looks so cute!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Carol BentonMay 24, 2023 at 12:11 PM

    Wow! The hillside in front of your house is gorgeous. I like your wreath and other decorations with the bee motif -- such vibrant, bright colors. Thank you for sharing this post in the Talent-Sharing Tuesdays Link-Up 65.
    Carol
    www.scribblingboomer.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Life as a LEO WifeMay 24, 2023 at 10:31 PM

    I love your wreath! It looks so cute with all of your front porch decor! I'll be featuring it on tomorrow's Crafty Creators. Thanks for sharing!
    Niki | Life as a LEO WIfe

    ReplyDelete
  15. SimsLife.co.ukMay 25, 2023 at 9:17 AM

    Debbie, the wreath is gorgeous and if I lived next door to you, I would be putting in an order. Your neighbour's door and front porch looks very dull and boring in comparison. Absolutely beautiful and you are so talented! Sim x #UnlimitedLinkParty

    ReplyDelete

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