How the plants are progressing

Hi all!
Well the plants are progressing nicely. However, I want them to grow big and fluffy and FAST! Yes an impatient gardener I am. I confess.
But......all are doing well and I am extremely happy that the sunflower and Cosmo seeds I planted outback are popping out of the ground oh so pretty like!
Take a look see.

Sweet peas coming up nicely and seeds from last years Morning Glories are sprouting all through out! (wonderful bonus) The terra pot of Mint is looking lovely! i have one mint plant that is pure white!


Sweet Pea seeds from moms plants.......are coming up nicely. This is such a great feeeling.


The beans are doing nicely! I hope they climb nice on my make shift trellis.



LOOK LOOK the sunflowers are coming!


From the nursery......and doing well.


A white babies breath plant again from the nursery. I cant wait till they get all fat and fluffy!


Last years Johny Jump Ups.......look how pretty they are coming out!


Strawberry plants are popping out leaves all over.


I already have a Sage flower!

Have a great night all!
p. hawkins

A new BEAD STAR?

Do you feel like a star?
Well in case you dont, here is a perfect way to get some star treatment!

(click here to go to BEAD STAR 2009 Challenge)

Interweave Announces Last Call for Entries to the Bead Star 2009 Challenge

Deadline May 1!
Grand prize is an all-expense paid trip for two to Bead Fest Santa Fe 2010 and $1000 shopping spree from Fire Mountain Gems

Loveland, Colorado, April 15, 2009: Interweave announced today the final
casting call for all beaders and jewelry designers in the United States and
Canada to enter the second annual Bead Star challenge—an exciting
competition with more than ten thousand dollars in prizes and a Grand Prize
all-expense paid trip for two to beautiful Santa Fe for Bead Expo 2010,
$1,000 in beading supplies, and the cover of the new magazine, Bead Star
(www.BeadStar.com).

The deadline to enter is May 1, 2009 and no entry fee is required. "It's as
simple as uploading a photo of your design from our website," says Bead Star
Editor Leslie Rogalski.

Winning entries will be published in the second annual issue of Bead Star, the
first-ever beading publication comprised entirely of prize-winning designs
selected by beaders worldwide, available on newsstands nationwide this
December 8, 2009 from Interweave (www.Interweave.com).

Watch the YouTube.com Slideshow Presentation of the 2008 Winners at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAfXtM8ej0g CLICK HERE to watch.

Beading Daily Editor Michelle Mach describes Bead Star best: "It's like
American Idol for beaders—but better. You won't have to forgo your morning
shower and stand in line with thousands of other sweaty contestants for
days as you wait to audition. Simon Cowell won't be judging the finalists—the
much nicer editors of Beadwork and Stringing will select them. Instead of
phoning in your votes, everyone on Beading Daily—readers from all over the
world—will get a chance to vote online for the winners."

It's Up to the People to Choose the Winners

The editors of Bead Star, Stringing, and Beadwork magazines will select the
top 20 finalists among submissions in each of nine design element categories:
Crystals, Seed Beads, Glass, Pearls, Stones, Metals, Plastics, Designs Under
$25, and Designs with a Heart. Then enthusiasts around the world will be able
to log on to BeadStar.com May 15-30, 2009, and cast their votes for their
favorite designs among the finalists.

"We want real beading enthusiasts from around the world to participate in the
selection process," says Rogalski. "So, after our editors select the finalists,
we'll leave it up to the people to pick the winners."

A first-place, second-place, and third-place winner and two honorable
mentions will be awarded in each of the nine design element categories. All
first place prizes are valued at $500, second place prizes are valued at $300,
and third place prizes are valued at $100. One Grand Prize winner will be
selected by the Grand Prize sponsor, Fire Mountain Gems, from the first-place
category winners. This Grand Prize winner will receive a trip for two to
beautiful Santa Fe for Bead Expo 2010, win $1,000 in cool beading stuff, and
see his or her design featured on the cover of Bead Star magazine.
Bead Star's 2008 Grand Prize Winner

Last year's competition garnered more than 1,000 entries and the finalists
were voted on by nearly 10,000 members of the Beading Daily community.
The Bead Star 2008 Grand Prize winner is Valerie Aharoni, whose project, "Gild
& reGild," was featured on the cover of Bead Star 2008. Aharoni's first-place
project in the Seed Beads category was chosen by Grand Prize Sponsor Fire
Mountain Gems and Beads among the nine first-place category winners.

"The contest was totally no-stress," says Aharoni. "There were no entry fees
and the guidelines were clear. Bead Star made it easy for beginners like me
who have never entered a contest before."

So all my peeps who are beaders..........GO AND PLAY!!!!!

p.hawkins

My first real garden in 10 years.

Well as most of you know already, I have been spending more and more time in the dirt.
I so miss my garden.
I have realized, probably today really, that I have not had a real garden in 10 years. Between moving, and deaths and funerals and new jobs and Mom, I have had very little time to spare, and when I did, I didnt want to do anything fun really.

Last year I sorta eased my way back in......slowly.....getting to know my property and the little areas designated to growing things. These were areas my mom made or my sister and her husband had dug out and set.
After having a fair bit of fun last year with my herbs and NON-TOMATO tomato plants, I decided this year to continue and also to expand.
Oh I didnt know how much, but I knew I was ready again.

So here are my photos from 2 weeks ago, before I left on my trip. This coming week, on a sunny day, I shall get some updated shots for you to see.

Now remember, I garden by the seat of my pants so it is just a love of gardening,
not always the perfect way to garden! hahahh

This is my lavendar I planted last year. It is in a tin bucket and has started sprouting beautifuly.


This is a new patch I dug for my back yard Herb garden and veggies. Yes I want an herb garden in front AND in the back.



This is where Mom's sweet peas were last year. I got it all ready and have both seeds adn plants ready to go in. (they look pretty good now)
The red terracotta pot is 5 different types of Mint! Chocolate Mint, Pineapple Mint, spearmeant and a few others. It smells FAB.



This is a sampling of the herbs that wintered over well. Herbs I have had the pleasure of picking and using in my cooking since last summer. Parsley seems to thrive in the little spot I have it.
I am also amazed at the Celery!
And that has been lovely to pick and throw into a chicken soup pot!



In the back yard, the Mint, I think Spearmint, has come up between the boards on the porch. I love the smell of it.



My tin in the front still has oregano, chives, celery, sage and parsley. although all slowed in growth over the winter, they are sprouting like mad now. A few days of sun and they will do very nicely. I cant wait.



This is the whole front garden where I do the herbs and flowers. The rose garden is to the right. I want to add another row to the rose garden this year too.



My hens and chickens are getting ready to bloom big time. I am not sure what the little dots are on them.......anyone know?



The strawberry plants are just now coming alive too!



I am excited to let you all see this much, and then this week take shots of how it is all doing in two weeks.

So as I said, not the best looking garden, but it soothes my soul to be sure!

HAPPY EASTER to you all.......and many blessings!
p.hawkins

Sissy Cat - Camera Critters # 53

click photo to ENLARGE


My moms cat Sissy

Go over to CAMERA CRITTERS #53 to see more pics of everyones animal pics.

The "honey i'm home" stuff.

Feeling AT HOME is simply that, a feeling in your heart. It can be in your own living room with your feet curled up on the couch, or staying at a friends house for a few days on that princess bed which required a little step to get into, or driving down the road for miles in the car you love, that favorite seat at the movies (all the way to the right and all the way back) or simply nestled in the arms of a best friend. These are all places we feel right at home, and for some a place we never want to leave. ~ p.hawkins

I love that thing where you walk in the door, and as your stepping through you say Honey I'm home!
I suppose my memory of it came from a tv show way back when I was little. Leave it to Beaver or some family show like that. I just know I always loved that saying.

It doesnt have to be the classic husband and wife thing either. Its more of a symbolic saying for me. No matter who is there, it is a way of announcing you are home and hoping there is someone there who cares and is excited to see you. Sort of the TA DA-here I am moment I guess! It doesnt have to be your own home, its just once your there it simply FEELS like home.

There has always been someone I have announced myself to, but in the last 3 years or so, it was Sissy who met me at the door when I came home. Now with everyone gone I hope you dont mind, when I come home weary from my travels and my head full of ideas, with suitcases in hand, that I send you my thoughts and say HONEY I'M HOME to all of you. ~ p.hawkins

Honey I'm home...

Well, it feels like I have been gone for a month, yet it was only a week.
I am home now. I got in late last night and pretty much crashed and finally went to bed.

The drive home, up the Redwood coast, is usually very pleasant for me, but this time I was tired and worn out and wanting to just get home.

After I got in, and unloaded the car, i had to go out and see if the plants had made it through? I tiptoed through the wet grass with my flashlight, and yes they all made it. The sunflower seeds I planted in back dont seem to be sprouting.....but they didnt get regular water so might just be that. But all the rest did ok.

I will dive into the garden this weekend for sure as it says sunny and no rain.
N I C E!

so thought I would just share a little bit of the moss on my bricks......for me it is a delightful bonus to living up here!

Have a great day all! I shall get back into the swing of things in a day or so. (what day is it?) hahah

p.hawkins

The end result

You know, the end result is never the product of only one road, but many. It is the culmination of what you gather from complicated and twisting interstates, dirty and dusty back roads, muddy paths, crowded city streets, and lonely avenues. Add to that the variables of whom and the composition changes. A bus load of your coworkers, a van load of your best friends or just you. Now add to that recipe the creative sparks of emotion that accompany every moment of every day, and it is clear to see, that every End Result was a great road to travel, you just have to get used to shaking your shoes to let the extra pebbles fall out when you take them off at night, because after all, they are just a reminder that you made it down that road. ~ p.hawkins

(hmmmm maybe I can make a potholder out of those pebbles? Hahaha What are you laughing at? What kind of so-called-pebbles have YOU used in the past to make a project out of ????? Us creative types are always trying to find a use for dryer lint you know.)

Macro Monday

(click to enlarge)

Well, this is my first time for a Macro Monday!

And since my favorite piece of equiptment is a MACRO lense,

then I guess this is just the right place for me to play!

Have a great Monday all!



CLICK HERE to see more Macro Monday shots!

Camera Critters #51-Roxy gets her licks in...

My dear friends in Kansas, Lynda and Lou, own this adorable baby.
Well BIG baby. Her name is Roxy.
She snuck in to get a few licks of her own!
(sorry, the shot is not great, but so cute!)

Baby gardener firsties

Now I will be the first one to tell you, I am a baby gardener. A beginner. A fly by the seat of my pants player in the dirt.
So I am sure I shall not always play by the official gardening rules, but I do love to share!

Here is my first area......the sweet peas. Mom had my brother Bobbie put up this plastic white trellis up a long time ago. She planted her sweet peas here and the end result has been fantastic.

Last year I planted them.....first time I really dug in the dirt since she died. That was the catalyst to my new gardening life.

[image]

So below is some of last years blooms.......I hope to have it bigger and better this year!

So I shall be planting the new plants today......as I cultivated and fed the soil last weekend.

Have a great day!
p.hawkins

White Lightning

I decided to look around for something giggly today. I am grateful for laughter. VERY grateful. So here are a few for you today. (yup, a quote-bonus)

Laugh a lot, and when you're older, all your wrinkles will be in the right places. ~ unknown

When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky. ~ Buddha

Laugh as much as you breathe and love as long as you live. ~ unknown

This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, Love to complete your life. ~ unknown

If every word I said could make you laugh, I'd talk forever... ~ unknown (Oh wait.........I think I ALREADY DO THAT !!! hahahah)

I wish ALL of you laughter today. Every day really.
You know, laughter, smiles and giggles are the GREASE of our life. We are all like little bike chains......in motion all the time it seems. Laughter is that grease that keeps us flexible and ever able to keep going. ~ p.hawkins

*extra note - there is a bike chain grease I actually use, well its more of a wax lubricant, called WHITE LIGHTNING. I just now thought about that. That is pretty funny, that the chain grease of my life is called WHITE LIGHTNING! (hahah crackin me up!)




Have a great day today!!!
p.hawkins

Camera Critters # 50 - LILY FOUND A FROG!

OH.......LILY FOUND A FROG!
We were picnicing in Letchworth State Park and Lily found this little critter by our cooler and the chase was on!



Miss Frog began her mad dash!



Lily was so funny!



She ALMOST got a nip in there!



Lily got to the end of her picnic leash! (yes her picnic leash is about 10 ft. long)



Miss Frog finally safe and under a little shelter far from Lily. She watched Lily for a long time.

YAHOO ITS THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING!!!!!



Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without words, and never stops at all. ~ Emily Dickinson



Hope is full of great expectations. At least it is for me.
Hope keeps my attitude in a great place!

For instance, I hope to find some great fabric when I go to the fabric store today. Once I allow myself to hold that hope ticket, my mind will think nothing but positive FABRIC thoughts
until I get there.
Once I arrive, it doesnt matter if that fabric is there or not, the point is, the value of hope energy prior to that is like high octane fuel. It powers emotions, creativity and ideas. That way, if that fabric I had in my mind is not there, the HOPE ENERGY I have generated will help me change gears when I get there and find a new one and re-group.

The trick is to not linger on the fabric not being there and seeing ALL the possibilities of the fabric that IS there. (insert giggly girl in the store touching all the fabric and wanting it ALL) Linger on the experience.

After all, we should hope for that right?

Hope is not wasted on the heart. To the heart, hope is just yummy desert you can have anytime you want, we just have to convince the mind that HOPE is a desert that never has calories! ~ p.hawkins

Hope is like peanut butter. Spread lots of it and even if there is disappointment at the end, you will still have lots of it sticking to the roof of your mouth! ~ p.hawkins

(Dont ask me where this stuff comes from! I have NO IDEA! hahah)

He who allows his day to pass by without practicing generosity and enjoying life's pleasures is like a blacksmith's bellows: he breathes but does not live. ~ Proverb


This quote today took on three phases for me.

a. I do pray, with all my heart, that I practice some kind of generosity in everything I do each day.

b. I am just as bad as everyone else at not enjoying life's pleasures.....living in this little room can get to be a safe haven or a tiny prison. Sometimes this little room holds the tiny pleasures of my life, yet most times it is on the other side of that window I gaze out of!

c.The back side of this quote is what affected me the most today though. It made my brain think in a slew of directions.

For instance, I think it is easy to breathe life into a thing, an idea or a thought. Have you thought about that?
I mean have you not had a conversation at some point in your life and said, "...well yes, that project or idea took on a life of its own". [add eyes rolling and sarcastic laughing here] I have said it. And I have said it more than once! (shoot I have said it a LOT)
Here is a question to ask yourself today..........Do you live with only saying that once or twice in your life? Or have you never said it?

I think its very safe to live without breathing life into something else. Hell its hard enough to think about how to just keep our own lungs pumping in and out with air and LIFE, much less breathing puffs of enthusiasm into something else.

Yet is it not those puffs that keep us reaching for more? Is it not those mental exhales that allow you to give to someone else?
Words mean things. (from the little book The Four Agreements. ) And I couldn't agree more. Even a tiny word of thanks, to the coffee lady served to breathe self confidence into her moment. Imagine what a whole conversation could do!

Every moment is a breath. Every breath is a thought. Every thought is a puff of life. Let your PUFFS take on a life of their own today! ~ p.hawkins

So what would you like to breathe life into?

(Yes I am back...the dorkalogical ramblings of a queen! hahahaha)

I Heart Faces-Green! (my first time)

Well, this is my first time. I hope I do all of this right! hahah

This is of my brother-in-law Jak. I loved this picture with all the "GREEN" in the background. It showed off his features so nicely.
And he is giggling after telling a joke to us all! What a great memory!

Have a great day all!
p.hawkins

click here to see more entrys!

One nice shot...

Ok, so I sort of screwed up trying to put my good shot in my last post. Sometimes the DORK in me is SO PREVALENT!!!! hahahhah

So here it is.

A small window of sunshine...

Today was such a jumble of a day!
Of course, I DID NOT remember to turn my clock forward. No......and I even set my neighbors clock for her two days ago, the clock that sits up over her sink!
The rest of my morning was conveluted at best, but by 12:30 ish, it was time to rock and roll with magazine stuff.

I had a table setting to get to, that i have put off, mainly because I need a bit of a full table setting to really show these babies off!
And now I am RUNNING OUT OF TIME! hahah

So it was not raining. It was not sunny. But it also was not completely overcast. So I decided to pray for sunshine and I started gathering all the stuff needed. OH and I also got a box of great chipped and or cracked china pieces for props as well.



These are but a few of the little goodies I scarfed up yesturday as I took the afternoon to de-stress and hit not one, not two, but 5 thrift shops! Yes I was in "JUNKIN" heaven for sure.
I even got a bunch of shirts and clothes that I shall cut up and make fun shabby chic book bags out of .......(stay tuned for that fun afternoon....I shall give you all a pattern and instructions)

So I gather all my stuff to dash outside and set up a lovely white on white table setting, and yes I got a bunch of white basic plates yesturday too.

I get outside, and the sun was being quite cooperative for a short time, and then the wind kicked up and the clouds were conceiling my sunshine! So I had to keep shooting fast.
Here is my little dorky table set up. As you can see, over in the corner is a card board box where I was spray painting some metal filigree pieces I found too. If you look close on the table set up, there is a metal basket. It was black this morning, and a spray can changed that lickety split!

My Junkin companion yesturday was flabbergasted at the JUNK I was buying yesturday. I bought broken and chipped dishes, and lids without bottoms and vise versa, to her this was all just junk, but to me was the best cool stuff ever!

Here is my table set up........see the wind tring to ruin my day!


So out of that, came some pretty awsome shots, at least I was pretty happy with them. Here is one sneak peak. After all I cant show you all of them just yet.......not till the mag hits news stands! hahha





So all in all not too bad. Now I am trying to stay awake and finish all the shots I took and regroup.

Oh and in the crock pot is a Corn Beef Brisket! And I put it in about 5 pm today so by tomorrow morning my whole house will smell delightfully delishioso! Come on over!

I hope ya'll had a great weekend!

p.hawkins

I do love my chickens!

Chicken plate display from Sue and Julie!!!!


(click to enlarge?)

Yes it is evident, I have a chicken fetish! My favorite cup for sure!

The worries ran out the hole in my toe.......

(click to enlarge)

I dont know how every raindrop can hold so much magic. I could hear the thunder, and the noise.......and as quickly as the booms came and went, my ears forgot it. Soon after, the rain began to hit the tin roof and the skylight. As quickly as it smacks the surface, the sound races to me, out of breath, as if it can not wait to sing its song in my ears, and my worries run out of the hole in my toe. ~ p. hawkins


So many of you have had WHITE RAIN of late, and I hope you get to see the SEE THRU stuff soon, as it signals the on-slought of spring.
I had a 1 hour window of sun yesturday, and I busted out of the house and ran and got the gloves and the garden tools and got on my knees and dug in the garden and trimmed all my herbs and pulled weeds.
The smell of the DIRT and the HERBS, well the smell invaded my senses in the most delightful way. It was so intoxicating I was drunk from it..........I just wanted to lay down in in the black dirt and nap! hahahah

Here's hoping you all get some DIRT DAYS soooooon!

p.hawkins

(click to enlarge)

Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds. ~ Orison Swett Marden



I sometimes struggle with self motivation. Of course the level of self motivation can surely depend on the task at hand, be it overwhelming deadlines or just a load of laundry. Yet, I feel we all need to feel DRIVEN by something within ourselves.

The stumbling blocks of each day are always a litmus test of my self confidence. My ability to just STEP over them is rarely noticed by myself unless I feel I cant do it. If the stumbling block feels like a mountain, then i can feel myself stop dead in my tracks, look up, and I can feel the ability to dismiss its size has left me.
It doesn't happen often, I mean, you know me by now......I rarely let any obstacles get in the way of my goal, my passions, or my task at hand. (or saying what I think about it!)
Yeah, the odds have not always been in my favor, but it is my view of my own obstacles that dictate a can or cant attitude.

And there in lies the secret for me. Stumbling blocks are only obstacles if you LET them keep you from stepping over them.....YOU have the ability to determine their size. ~ p.hawkins

(ps. I might only be 5'2", yet my legs can step over pretty much anything!) .................hmmm, where is that mental ladder?

p.hawkins

A few things for my chicken soup!

(click to enlarge)

The herbs from my little wash-bin garden patch were delish in my soup last night!

p.hawkins

L A Z Y ~ S A T U R D A Y

The sun came out today.......

(click to enlarge)

Well, the sun DID come out today! I got what I needed to do this morning with staff and I hurried myself along gathering props and beaded pieces to shoot at the Marina!

I got there........and aside from chilly and a little pesky wind, all went MARVELOUS!

Have a WONDERFUL weekend everyone.

p.hawkins

Black eyed susan almost done.

Summer memories 2

(click to enlarge)

My Spring Just Joey ~ My Favorite!

Its trying to bust out..

(click to enlarge)

The rain has been coming down in buckets the past week. Today was no exception.

The warm weather and the rain is bring out out all my sprouts! The daffolils are blooming and my hydrangeas are leafing and my roses have leaves sticking out!
So I thought I would put up some of last years lovely blossoms.

Have a great week everyone!

p.hawkins

The Best shed lock

The other night when the thunder, lightning and the WIND woke me up, I opened my eyes and within moments I could hear noises.

I could hear rain on the skylights, wind at the side of the house and thunder. Well, although I was sung as a bug in a rug, I knew I had to find out what the other unknown noises were. The previous ones were expected and easily recognisable, but the banging could only mean trouble.

I got up, went to the front first and then the side and then the back. All view points gave me a visual confirmation that debre` and other stuff was dashing about. Nothing of consequense, but things I would need to clean up the next day.

Now as to the back yard, that was anotehr thing. I looked out and saw the shed doors both open and the wind banging them around and rain dashing into the open door.

So my eyes got big, I woke up quicker, and then got my robe and slippers on.

I knew that the padlock on the doors went with my sister a few weeks back, and I had only closed it with no lock at that time. It was snug and didn't seem to want to open, so i was OK with that. But the wind had other ideas.

So looking around for something to put in the latch hole was yielding nothing. No stick. No loopy things. Nothing. So I see a bag of plastic utensils I brought back from Tucson and thought....hey it will do till morning.

so off I trot with a few knives and forks to do the trick!

As you can see.......a secure yet dorky innovation, if I do say so myself.

p.hawkins

Empty...

I feel like I am just wandering up a long empty road......trying to find my way in the mist.
No light at the end of the road.
Just sorrow and sadness.
I dont like it here in this place, yet it has a grip on me.
I wish for it to let go.
It is heavy burden.
To carry such a feeling of hopelessness.
I am searching for that hand to reach in and lift me out.
(although it is a little hard to stick my hand out
from under the blanket cocoon of tears)