I'm off to the Desert, Please don't forget me!!

I'm off to visit my Son and DIL, my Brother and SIL and some very special blogging friends!
Have a great week everyone!  
Cindy

MY FIRST PINK SATURDAY! YAHOO!

It's my first Pink Saturday, Yahoo!  I have always loved the color pink but I don't have much of it in my home right now.  My daughter was never much of a pink girl.  She went through one short phase of it and I quickly painted her room pink.  About a year later she was onto the color purple.  Sigh.  So I dug into my pics to see what I could find.  My painted pink daisies in bloom last June.

My adorable niece Chloe, so pretty in pink.

And again with her Mom, my sister Susie and big brother Justin.  He's the oldest of her five children and Chloe is the youngest. 

My daughter Katie in her prom dress 07.  She picked this Dusty Rose color and MOM was thrilled!  I bit my tongue, not wanting to act too excited!  If she knew I loved  it she might pick another color.  Mother/Daughter thing!

Pretty Pink Flamingo's at the zoo!

Gorgeous Pink Flower, at the same zoo.

And around the house.  My bedroom is blue and white with a touch of rose.  This is my Gone with the wind lamp that I purchased off E-Bay.  Less than $50, so I was thrilled!

Another view, there is green out there.  Now it's all white, but Spring has to come someday.  Doesn't it?

And my new pink suitcase!  So fun!   I found it at TJ Maxx.  I need to get packing because I'm heading out next week.  So this pink stuff is pretty fun!   I might not be posting much but I will be checking in when I can.   Thanks for coming by and thanks to our hostess for  such a lovely event!   Happy Pink!!    Cindy

http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

It's a PAAAARTY with MARTY!! Cloche Party time!

With some beautiful flowers from Hubby (Valentine's Day)  I set a  side table here with a homemade cloche.  A little ceramic statue from the $ Tree, sits  on top of a silver pedestal from GW.

My rooster cloche goes here on the little bookcase hubby built for me.  I needed a place for cookbooks etc and this seemed the perfect spot for Mr. Rooster. 

My cheese dome, I mean cloche sits on top of a pretty plate from GW.  I filled it with coasters and placed it on our coffee table.  Now they are in easy reach.

This pic is a bit dark , but I didn't want to use my flash.  I have my wire cloche here as part of my winter/cardinal view. 

I have a view of a wintry wonderland right out my kitchen window. 

  A better view of my wire cloche.

Now go visit the queen of cloches, our Marty, @ A Stroll Thru Life.  You won't be disappointed!  Thanks for coming by...... Cindy

GO EVAN!!

The Men's short program starts tonight and I know who I will be rooting for.  Evan Lysacek is one of my all time favorite male skaters and also a very nice guy.  Here he is pictured with my daughter Katie (in the white coat) and her skating buddy.  We were attending the Campbell's Open Figure Skating Classic in St. Paul, MN.  I think the year was 06 so about 4 years ago.  Evan was just climbing the ranks at this time and still relatively unknown. There were several other skaters the girls got to meet as well.  My daughter became a very strong skater over the years.  She was doing axels and some double jumps.  But you just can't imagine the speed and strength of these top level skaters until you see them perform in person.  We got to see Michelle Kwan and Sasha Cohen perform that day as well but they weren't doing autographs.  But that's ok, the girls were more than happy to talk to cute Evan.

On another note.  Next Tuesday my Mom and I get to leave this.  ( My patio)

And go here!  We're flying out to Phoenix ( this pic was taken outside of Phoenix)  to see my son and his wife, my brother and some very special blogger friends.  I will keep you all updated!  Can't wait, I need some warmth and sunshine!  Have a great Wednesday Everyone!  Cindy 
I am joining Susan @ Outdoor Wednesday.  Please visit her for some neat outdoor links.

Sunday Favorites with Chari/ My Naughty Deer/My Beautiful Phlox!

My theme this week is Phlox and naughty deer. You see, I have both! I love my Phlox, and when they start a blooming I think it's the prettiest time of year! I also have deer here at Applestone Cottage and I mean LOTS of deer. I have always loved deer, but lately they have been getting under my skin. We have quite a few near blooming apple trees, and heck, I don't mind sharing, but I want them to wait until the apples are ripe!
I am also joining the lovely Chari, for Sunday Favorites.  This was originally posted as an Outdoor Wednesday last summer.

So go say hi to Chari when your finished here and see her lovely blog!

But first ,my Phlox! I can't take all the credit because the previous owner had planted these but I am their caretaker now!

An up close pretty view.

Oh yes, I can sit at my dining room table and just enjoy the view! Come back on Thursday for my Phlox centered tablescape! And now, on to those naughty deer!

Here's the gang! Every morning and every evening they are here; they think they own the place! I yell," go away deer, go away deer" but it's no use! I run out my door and yell at them, but.......

Here's their ring leader. He snorts, he stomps his hooves and he is growing horns! I tell him to just wait a little longer, but no, he won't hear of it! ( sometimes I throw a tin can at him but he doesn't care)

The naughty do-er!! The nerve of him, just helping himself right out of my tree! They don't call the County I live in the deer capital of Wisconsin for nothing!     Cindy

LAURIE'S VALENTINE PARTY!!

HIP HIP HOORAY!!  It's finally here.  Laurie's Valentine Party.  I am so excited because I know her pics are just going to blow us away!  But what would be Valentines Day without romance.  Here, Hubby and I are sharing a kiss, on our Wedding Day, August 1997.   These pics have been scanned, so please excuse the quality.

Dan and I were married here at the Little Brown Church in the Vale in Nashua, Iowa.  Some of you may remember it was made famous by the song " The Church in the Wildwood".  If you would like to read more about this famous little church, you can click here.   This was a 2nd marriage for both of us and we wanted something intimate and small, but also special.  We loved this place, it was so romantic.

Another pic, under that beautiful willow tree. 

And below, with our kiddies. Josh 17, Katie and Jacob, both 7.  A view of the beautiful windows inside that church.  It was a candlelight ceremony,so the pics are a little dark.

For Valentine's I've been making some heart shaped pillows.

And a  Valentine Table.   We had a lovely dinner last Saturday Evening with my Mom and her Beau.

I made a Pasta dish, chopped salad, cheesey bread and lava cake for dessert.

We had wine with dinner.  I found an excellant one that was also quite inexpensive.  The label is Barefoot, a Zinfandel made in Lodi, CA.  Very good!  This Saturday, I'm hoping to share a romantic dinner out with the hubby.  Hint, Hint Hubby!

Now head on over to Laurie's Blog and see all the neat Valentine Posts.

And Happy Valentine's Day.

Cindy

OUTDOOR WEDNESDAY/ SPRING FEVER TOO SOON!

The calendar only says February 9th.  But as I look out my window and  see more snowflakes swirling about. I come to  realize I have been bitten by a bad case of spring fever.  I begin daydreaming of my beautiful lilacs picked daily while their in bloom.

 To the side of my home, slowly  filling up with ivy.



And my pansies!   Planting them in April last year was such a treat!  So often, we have to wait until early May to get things started here in Wisconsin.

To my surprisingly lovely Baby's Breath.  I was so thrilled, I didn't know I had it in me!

And to the bright red geraniums I hang on our front porch~  oh how I miss these!

And to my painted daisies, I was pleasantly surprised at how well they did.   It could be our kitties, you know.  They like to use it as their litter box in the warmer months.  All that fertilizer must be working.
So there you have it.   I am dreaming of Spring too soon.  But, by golly, a girl can dream can't she?
Go say hi to our hostess Susan for  more OUTDOOR WEDNESDAY POSTS.   Cindy

MAD TOWN!!

Madison, Wisconsin.  Our state capital.  Home of the University of Wisconsin.  I attended school here and Son and Dil are both alumni.     During the warmer months, state street is a place you can just sit and be entertained for hours. 

   Hubby and I took a fun  little get-away here last week-end. We used to go often,when my son and dil were living here.  Since they have moved to Tempe, it's been less frequent.    . 

We spent a bit of our time walking state street but it was BRRRR cold so we ended up ducking in shops a lot.
Also on our agenda was a little tour of the Veterans Museum.  We both love history and we both love free!

This museum is beautiful, a wonderful tribute to our veterans.

It's also  very realistic and filled with great memorabilia and touching tributes.

My little mosaic, filled with lot's of blue! The quilt was made in 1901, in honor of Wisconsin Civil War Veterans. It looked like it had been made last week, it was in such great condition. 

This desk was utterly amazing!  I wish I could have gotten closer, but it was roped off a bit.

My Dad was a veteran of WWII.  He enlisted in the Navy at the tender age of 17.  It was 1944, just the tail end and then he served through the Korean Conflict. 

These pieces were pretty awesome!   I wish antique road show had been around.  I would have loved to known their value.

I am joining Mary @ Little Red House for Mosaic Monday. 

Smiling Sally for Blue Monday

Please stop by and visit their blogs!

Cindy