hello........xoxooxoxo

knock knock DS, let me in.........well happy surprise today DS is letting me access the site again.......whooooweeeee!

i have a cake in the oven.....it's a really decadent moist triple chocolate cake.......ohhhh my!  there are two men working on my yard....took them fresh sweet tea already......next they'll get CAKE!  working on a Sunday all but demands TREATS for men working in the heat of the Georgia Sun.

i wish you could see the momma & daddy birds outside my kitchen window.  they built a nest in the tiny blue pottery bird house and they have been all in as parents.  she is always fixing things up......adding a twig and a bit of fluff.....the daddy & momma cry out their special alarm when danger is near.......mostly they have to worry about me being the DANGER...i go out on the patio to water plants and clean off the patio mat or just sit......they make the most amazing low key screech as they fly in ever closer circles, doing their best to protect their young.  they are awesome!

debra spent the night at my house Friday night, i don't have any beds in the guest rooms, so she made a nest on my couch.....claimed it was fine!  she was glad to get out of her daughter's home for a bit......so i picked her up after yet another dental appointment.....we ran errands & then we made a grand dinner from a recipe i found in southern living magazine, it was oooo la la, a fancy deconstructed pot pie with really pretty glossy puff pastry on top.......it looked and tasted amazing.  tammy was coming over to paint the heads of some wooden swan legs on a kooky cool table i have......so we insisted she dine with us.  we had a lovely time sharing stories, we were all astonished at how good the dish was, it looked like the picture.........really pretty and delicious!

then on saturday deb and i toodlie doodled around here.......i let her go through some of my magic closet mess and she found a whole bagful of clothes to add to her wardrobe......she picked out things and then tried them on in front of the big mirror.....a mini fashion show!  she made scrambled eggs w/ freshly sauteed vidalia onion & mushrooms.......then we had shredded cheese, picante sauce....to make little tortillas out of warm corn tortillas.......soooo good!  we also had fresh orange slices and triangles of yummy watermelon.......

later on we napped with the tv on before heading over to downtown Auburn for the early July 4th festival.....we ate street food, looked at everything .....ran into a few people we knew......the day before we stopped in at Frank's.....he has a corner store across the street from downtown.....we struck a bargain, we paid him $8 for a guaranteed parking spot plus two CUSHIONED chairs right on the corner front and center so we could watch the FIREWORKS! 

we talked to lots of folks, rested as needed......ate crazy good cupcakes......Deb got an orange dreamsicle cupcake and i got a strawberry cloud cupcake..........so moist and delicious!  are you HONNNNNGRY YET?  i know i am.......it's been hours since breakfast!

there was a really good loud band......lots of country and rock......of course they played Sweet Home Alabama......lol.....a local church brought in comfy patio chairs and provided free water at their rest station.......the city of auburn set up a series of water misters so we could walk through under the shade of a temporary gazebo and get cooled off......felt GREAT!  there were like 8 of these water misters going.....i danced my way through!  not gonna win any awards, but i felt so joyful being there/being able to be there, walking without a cane.........!!!!!! 

i ended up bringing home some of Grandma's Pantry ......homemade strawberry preserves and some of her apple butter too!  i also got a small piece of artwork that i love......i was admiring her art.......she had made some pretty frig magnets and i figured that would be the only way i could get her art into my home......i told her i wished i could display all of the magnets she had made in a frame on my wall.......they were so alive, energetic......makes me think of colorful water rising up in waves with bits of crystal spray all around.......then i saw this one piece in this cool frame.....light wood that stands up by itself, the frame is thicker on one side then the other so it has an angled effect that shows off her art even better if that's possible......it was marked at $45......so i sighed but still wanted to tell her thank you for letting me admire her work......well oh my goodness, she offered it to me for $20.......i couldn't believe it, she said she liked me and wanted me to have it.......so i gave her a twenty dollar bill before she changed her generous kind mind......i asked her if she had signed the piece........this is when she confides that she keeps a low key and signs everything simply "V".....as she is a judge......wants to keep her art anonymous until retirement..........i can understand that.......

the old ten dollar table i found has now been painted a pretty deep blue that has purple tones in it......love it!~  the entry way bookcase & mirror have now been painted a soft sage green.......i will truly miss sparrow cottage when it comes time to leave......

i'm going to go outside with fresh water and tea for Ray and Jake, they are putting down wood chips, mulch and a long arc of big rocks to keep it from all washing away.......i'll finally get to see my front yard prettied up!  i am beside myself today about seeing it looking fine.......looking oooo la la. 

love, hugs and happy to all and to all a delightful festive 4th of July........the fireworks were crazy awesome amazing intense, the ending was so good people stood up to whistle shout and cheer.........a southern ovation if ever was!

enjoying these good days, so grateful!