If I haven't visited your blog lately, it's nothing personal. You'll understand when you get a gander at my UGLY (as in hideous) kitchen cabinets . . .

Don't get my wrong, I like that they are white. White English Smallbone is my kitchen cabinet dream (though I would jump at dark brown cherry if I had a very roomy kitchen in which to play with them). A 3 1/2 by 5 foot kitchen requires lightness and brightness and these certainly fit the bill. I, however, loathe the ugly cheap trim at the top and all that flatness between the ugly cheap trim and the top of the cabinet door. (That weird narrow sea of darkish cream is where I haven't quite finished painting the ceiling . . . .)

Below is the cabinet adorned with two rows of trim (second row purchased last month at a home improvement store that was shutting down --YardBirds/Home Depot/Expo store down the street--oh, how I miss you already!) and a good visual of what an above the fridge cabinet can look like with the doors and hardware removed, two rows of pretty moulding and several coats of primo Martha Stewart Ironstone White paint by Valspar (best. paint. ever!)

However, since neither The Spouse or I were yet in traction as a result of our measuring, cutting, nailing and painting endeavors, I added this combination clock/shelf that my mother picked up for me at a garage sale for ONE DOLLAR. It has been sitting on top of my fridge in its original mahogany state in front of the above pictured cabinet doors and now it is serving to fool me into thinking I have a tiny bit of English Smallbone going on in my very own kitchen.

Now I have kitchen cabinets that look like (semi) custom built-ins and I am one happy cook-who-rarely-cooks. In fact, it could be a long time before I cook anything again . . . my muscles are so sore from the measuring, cutting, nailing, gluing and painting that I might have to order take-out for the rest of my life. However, I can eat it feasting my eyes on the gorgeous corner moulding that was made perfect with almost an entire tube of wood filler . . .

This just in: The Spouse and I have (apparently) not yet learned our lesson because we are elbow deep in the biggest home improvement project ever! Think big screen TV enclosure/fireplace/headboards. Weird combo, huh? Photos to follow if we don't end up in the hospital for an extended stay . . .(I'm going to be a good bloggist when The Spouse goes back to work in September, I promise!)

I bought a bouquet of roses at the grocery store last night in spite of the fact that I'm experiencing an embarrassment of riches in regards to my blooming bushes. Even though these are spray roses and I don’t have any spray rose bushes (where does one acquire spray rose bushes anyhow?) I feel it was an unjustifiable expense. So flog me.

On to the dog:

The pictures speak for themselves. (BTW, if your dog can read, I will require photographic evidence before buying into such an absurd claim.)

I should really be running around and visiting each of you today but I’m going to watch Grey Gardens instead. Netflix delivered it and if I don’t get it watched and sent back from whence it came, the Big Guy won’t get his next DVD chock full of episodes of Scooby-Doo. The lack there-of could lead to disaster. (For this reason, The Spouse is in the bedroom watching his Netflix delivery all about Winston Churchill. The Spouse and I have similar tastes but it would seem Grey Gardens/Winston Churchill is where we go our separate ways.)

Finally, the reason why I have gathered you all here today: I am guest blogging at Mormonwoman.org (a great site for those who are LDS as well as those who want to hear the truth about being an LDS woman directly from the source) wherein I tell a story about the Big Guy that has heretofore been unblogged about. Click Here for the story (it’s there after the boring bits about moi, I promise!) I hope each and every one of you is having a sunny summer! (Just a reminder, I still have a few copies of Miss D at $18 a pop including shipping--email at write2me@heidiashworth.com if interested.)

Sorry, George, for maligning your quote with my additions in parentheses. The amusing thing about the above photo of my Queen of Sweden rose bush is that the flower pictured is only about an inch across. It was a bit breezy and I had to steady the stem . . . my arm is actually quite far from the bloom. Ah, perspective! It is the author of so many misunderstandings. (I am waxing philosophical today.) The photo below shows the same rose looking pale in the evening light.


The photo below shows the same rose stretching and blooming in the glow of the next morning's sun.

(Clearly) I absolutely adore roses. However, there are roses that don't bloom in gardens. Some of the best roses are friendships that bloom in blogs. Look who I got to meet when I attended church with my sister this past Sunday!

(I am a brave woman to post this photo. The difference between the color of our teeth is just the beginning. My ten pound weight gain due to my wonky thyroid gland is, alas, not even the end.) Marivic of Little Grumpy Angel is a true rose and not just because her teeth are white and her pink blouse felt like the softest rose petals. It was SO FUN to get to meet her and experience her tiny-ness and hear her voice. She was so darn sweet! (Go to her blog if you want to see another photo.)

Meanwhile, the Middle Child is at girl's camp and we are enjoying having one less responsibility. I am resting in between bouts of "getting things done" and hope to return to real and actual blogging when school starts.

In the Cloister

"We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses."-- Abraham Lincoln

"I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers."-- Claude Monet

In the Courtyard

"A garden is never so good as it will be next year."-- Thomas Cooper

"Earth laughs in flower."-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies." -- Gertrude Jekyll

"When the world wearies and society fails to satisfy, There is always the garden."-- Minnie Aumonier

(This photo, which has absolutely nothing to do with my post today, is a Double Delight from my garden. It is the same rose that graces the cover of Miss D. The Double Delight looks incredible, changes colors, smells delightful and is soft as butter--it's a rose to be cherished.)

Remember the below photo? Could it have been only yesterday that I posted it? (Time goes slowly when you're working hard.) (Just so you know, I have nothing against the "stone paver" linoleum that was there. It's fairly new in spite of the fact that it looks somewhat warped (if shot too close, my eccentric camera makes straight lines a bit curvy which is just the thing for taking photos of rail-thin fashion models but, alas, not much else) and it hides dirt well, both important factors. However, I am always looking for ways to make my abode resemble a well-cared for cottage of days gone by as opposed to the tired and worn out 1970's era structure that it is. Nothing says "old and beautiful" like wood floors even if they are, in actuality, cheapie laminate samples from the now-defunct home improvement store.)

I Not only are these cheapie laminate samples, but they are samples of four different kinds of "wood". There's "cherry", "oak" , "pine" and er, um, can't remember the other one . . . (Did I mention, only 20 bucks!) (Please ignore the filth of the area rug . . .I want to buy a new one but anything with white in it will get just as filthy in no time but anything without white will be, I fear, too dark. What's a perfectionist who doesn't like to clean to do?

Here's a shot that shows the portraits of my three babies at age 18 months, all wearing the same linen outfit with lace around the collar and sleeves. (Yes, even the boys!) The outfit was hecka expensive so I justified buying it when I came up with the idea of having all my kids (two of which hadn't been gleamed of yet) wear it for a special picture. It took years to bring the vision to fruition but I'm loving the result. (You're still ignoring the filth of the area rug, right?)

Here's a shot that shows all sides at once. Check out the pefection of those mitered corners in the shoe molding! (Some might be tempted to call them baseboards but that would be the base, stiff version of what the hipsters are now calling "shoe molding". True story.) I'm sure there's a special and somewhat largish section set aside in Hell for the truly wicked, one in which they are required to mitre a perfect corner on a pair of thick and convoluted molding pieces with a hand saw. No special tricks are required to ensure the wicked will spend eternity attempting to acheive such an impossible task. Meanwhile, ours were perfected by making a deal with the devil, er, that is to say, filling the gaps with mucho wood fill. One of our corners was even done in three pieces instead of the usual two. It takes a lot of talent to do that (and a lot of wood fill to fix it. Phew! I'm exhausted!)

Now I just have to get the Middle Child (who is feeling much better, by the way---thank you so much for your love and prayers!) ready for girl's camp. I'm thinking I might even get to read blogs next week. Woo hoo! (P.S. The trip to the hospital was a joke. You know that, right?)

The Spouse and I are possessed of two left thumbs. Each. DIY projects are something to fear, or, at the very least, a matter to contemplate with gut-wrenching anxiety. However, when we were perusing the steals and deals at the swan-song-sale of our local hardware store, we couldn't resist buying enough laminate wood flooring samples to cover our meager entryway. True, we had to remove the cardboard backing and the oversized sales stickers on the front but the cost of the samples was a mere $20. What a great deal!

Cost of various sundries such as: Goof Off (for the stickers), a pull saw, trim for the edges (darn those edges!), shoe molding to keep that floating floor from floating away, wood filler, clamp to keep the molding from floating away whilst being sawn in half, rubber mallet, nail sink, and one emergency room visit that became necessary when The Spouse skipped the saw across his wrist (it was an ACCIDENT! One suicidal person in the house at a time is more than enough!) came to . . . well, you don't want to know. That is, I don't want to tell. But, hey, they are all useful items that can be used again if we should ever again get over the fear to arrive at the mere gut-wrenching anxiety which would allow us to merrily renovate something else.

Below is the "before" photo of our entryway. One side has been painted green for nearly a year, now. The floor is linoleum that supposedly looks like stone pavers. The shoe molding is narrow and showing its age. Way past time for a change! Especially if it is only going to cost you $20 (plus expensive sundries and a trip to the emergency room--something about which I was only kidding. We sewed him up here at home.)

Just as soon as I finish up the project and get the blood wiped up off the floor, I will be posting photos . . . (meanwhile, I sure miss you guys!)

Before

In that time, the baby tears have crept up the wing of the angel in the Celtic Corner of my garden . . .

After

In that time I have been doing some of this . . .

I have also been making good use of my time. For example, I finished my book. (See below: Most. Beautiful. Sight. Ever.) But, boy, am I fried!

Fried roses can still be pretty . . .

But fresh garden roses picked in the early morning are the best . . .

Mostly I have been worshipping the beauties of summer . . .

. . .the joys of the season . . .

and all that the warm weather has to offer.

The wondrous smells . . .

The vibrant colors . . .

(Just ignore that Costo-size box of baby wipes on the floor--I don't even have a baby!)

And the rich abundance . . .

Thank you so much for stopping by. I wish you were here so we could enjoy it all together.