MAY YOU HAVE A BLESSED EASTER

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.   
Psalm 32:1
Praise the Lord!

SETTLING IN

Can't believe we've been here two weeks!  The days have flown by! Out of a list 28 things to do, (added to daily), I have done 24.  Out of 9 things we had to purchase, like lamps, small sofa and bed spread, we have purchased 5 and are holding off on 3 of the other 4 until we have decided if we really need them just yet.

No photos of indoors just yet as some things are just not ready and I haven't had time to take photos.  Also still deciding on exactly what to put where.

But here are some more photos of the back yard. Remember, our yard is only 20 feet measuring from the back porch or deck, then as the land slopes down to the creek that becomes the park's property.

Looking to the right.  Creek very low, but no mosquitoes!

Looking to the left. No mosquitoes but lots of frogs !  They serenade us each night. One fruit tree far left. Creek in background. Large trees not ours. The small leafy green tree in the center is a New Zealand Christmas Tree.  I am researching this one.  We have three and I am not hearing good things about them especially about their root system.  They do apparently bloom in the summer, so that's why the former owners planted them.  If any bloggers have any info about them I would be so happy to hear it.

Same view but from further back. Two fruit trees, center.

Further back still. Third fruit tree has leaves.  White flowers to the left are petunias in a small flower bed. Creek almost hidden down the slope.

Looking from the right towards the deck. Think that is another fruit tree with bare branches at the back.  That is a Royal Robe Potato Vine just peeking round the back of the deck. It needs a little care -- perhaps more water and Miracle Grow.  Ours, at the last house, just bloomed and bloomed, so we are hoping this one will thicken out and become healthier.

View from the deck.

The ice plant is in full bloom as you can see.  The fruit trees (3 or 4) are just beginning to bloom. Can't remember which is which, but there is at least one pear tree and one fig tree. We have been able to sit out on the deck (back porch) for a cup of tea for several afternoons.  The weather has been in the upper 60's so we could have sat out there more often, but have just been too busy.

Well that is the end of the tour of  our 20x40' (just guessing) back yard. We love it!

Back again soon, as soon as I can catch my breath. 

MOVING DAY

Blue Skies,  flowers in bloom, and lots of help!

Still settling in.  More photos coming.

Stay tuned....

GOING....GOING.....GONE !!!

My plan from the last post looks so efficient.  Right about now it's almost laughable.

*The movers would like us to move up one day -- didn't have to, but thought we would try to be cooperative. Not sure we should have been so helpful now.
* Barry has had a funeral up in LA which we just didn't want to refuse.
*He has also had numerous long appointments and phone calls, all to do with the move.
* He picked up some kind of stomach bug this weekend and is working half steam.
* We've run out of boxes, bubble wrap and ENERGY!

On the positive side...
*The weather is gorgeous, the new house garden is a blaze of color.  I will try to get a few photos in a day or so.We are more and more pleased with our choice.
*It is in top notch condition and spotlessly clean, ready to move into... if we can ever get ourselves together enough to do the final push.
*Have help coming tomorrow.
*Scruffy has gone to the kennels, I am sure he will be much happier there for a few days.  Loud voices, coming and going, moving boxes etc., etc., it's all so different from what he is used to.

We will be off line from tomorrow and I'm not sure for how long.  For we dinosaurs, the computer is not a top notch priority.  Got to get in and get sorted and get a telephone line.  Barry spent an hour on the phone today just trying to get telephone, cable and something else 'bundled' -- not sure what that all means.

We are plugging away.  Surely the next day or so will be the worst and then things should get better.  The energy level is the worst thing to deal with.

Thank you, all you kind folk who have kept commenting... and praying. I'm sure I will look back and see all the blessings and hopefully learn some of the lessons in all this.

One day at a time, grace under pressure and giving thanks for all things are my goal.

Will be visiting again soon. Oh for the normality of it!

Blessings to all.  Off to bed, -- if I can climb up the stairs.

H IS FOR...

H is for HOUSE or HOME

The house is ours -- soon to be made into a home! 

All cupboards, closets, drawers, shelves in this house are emptied -- a major factor after living in this wonderful home for forty years!

STAGE ONE
Sort into Categories:
1.  Throw out. (Most of this has been done).
2.  Garage Sale (A massive one with lots of good stuff, including extra furniture) 
3.  Packed boxes to be moved from the old house to the new home.
4.  Things to go to the new home IF there is room. (so glad we don't have to completely vacate this house).

STAGE TWO
Most boxes and furniture will be moved next week. 
Unpacking and placement will be done as energy allows.
Undecideds will be moved if needed, the week after unpacking.
Garage sale sorted, set-up and opened for sale, soon after that.

STAGE THREE
Preparation for sale of our old home -- mainly painting inside and carpets. Fortunately not much fixing up to do, thanks to my husband's conscientious  ways.

Most major decisions still to be made: To rent or sell.  
If selling, popcorn ceilings are to be removed. (Major undertaking!!) Bless the man (or woman) who came up with the idea of popcorn acoustic ceilings in the sixties!!!

If renting, we have two property management business owners in the family and they will take it over.

It has been like seeing our whole life pass before our eyes. Our overwhelming emotions are what a great and happy life the Lord has given us! Our sons, now in their mid forties, were, one in preschool and the other not yet in any school, when we first came here.

I have no regrets.  This house has been a wonderful home.  Like everything, and everyone else there have been the ups and downs of life, but any 'downs' have ended with 'ups'.  My husband chose the house and I moved in, sight unseen. I will miss my patio but I have a back porch overlooking a creek.  I will miss my Jacaranda tree but I will swing by each May to see it in bloom.

I will not miss my friends and my church because we are moving only a mile down the road and one thing I have learned over the years is that people are more important than things.

The other thing I been saying to myself is the old adage :  "You can't take it with you."

I'm ready to move on to the next stage of my life -- who knows how long that will be, but this I know:

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME -- ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD!

So I've managed to join ABC Wednesday this week, but will have to skip a couple more I suspect.  In the meantime kudos to Mrs. Nesbitt and Roger Owen Green for heading up this project. To see many more posts for ABC Wednesday please visit by clicking HERE.

Real Progress!

All closets, drawers, cabinets and cupboards are emptied -- except for kitchen..  Many boxes filled.  Much clutter tossed. Garage Sale stuff gathered.

And ESCROW closes on MONDAY!

We can start moving things in at the weekend.

We went for the last walk through this afternoon.  The temps were in the low 80's and all the flowers were out. Beautiful!  It's going to rain next week -- which is to be expected.  We still have about a month more of rainy or showery weather.

Lest you think it's been all work and no play, we have not done any work in the evenings, just to pace ourselves.

Here is the product of my time off -- yes, more doodles.

DAISIES

I'm finding distinctive differences from Zentangles.  Mine are planned and of course in color most of the time.

TEAR DROPS

I choose a shape or design that I want to emphasize and then choose other shapes that are compatible that I particularly like. But I also consider balance and composition.

VALENTINE

I'm kind of thinking about colors as I go along, but I do everything out in pencil first, then in ink and finally in color

CELERY

I saw this on a web page somewhere and loved its crispy, crunchy lines which of course made me think of celery.  So I made my own version and then...

CELERY IN GREEN

...just had to edit it through Picasa in green.  I SO love this color green.

CHAINED

I experimented with some new shapes in this one.  The colors are more muted too.

I have decided that I don't like my doodles to be too over-crowded and I DO like them in intense color.  The one above is a little too obviously balanced for my satisfaction, but the shapes were not easy to keep in proportion..

I really love doing this kind of artwork.  It lets me feel more free than when I am copying a picture. The colors are bright and rejoicing and the overall design is quite complicated but not cluttered. so there is a sense of satisfaction when they are finished.  With the doodles or tangles I started doing in the beginning I never seemed to know when to stop. Now these are definitely finished when they are finished!

I could come up with better titles I'm sure but for now I'm just naming them to distinguish between them. I think if I decide to display them together I think there should be something more plain and simple between each one -- something like the celery ones, otherwise there is sensory overload.

So now I am developing a philosophy of doodling.!! Whatever I will do with them all I have no idea.  They are drawn on 3 1/2 X 3 1/2 inches and colored with Prismacolors.

Next week is going to be a very busy week with all the actual moving of stuff, but I have to sit down part of the day and this is probably what I will do.

By the way, Happy St. David's Day

I will have to try to come up with something Welsh for my next Doodle.