Flowers II

Frog and I just have to show more pictures of our garden.  He loves his position under one of our sego palms.  Up and a little right of him is another hanging frog which is part of a group of frogs.  I just love frogs---and turtles.

We have an Australian Tree Fern next to our back door.  We hope to arrange more of these ferns on the porch soon.

It's hard to see the vine growing in this pot because of the volunteer petunias that have come up.  I love when things just come up----so much fun.

We have several Gerbera Daisies in the yard.  This one is being watched closely by our metal bunnies.

This clump of Calla Lilies has increased in size since my last picture.  They, too, come up voluntarily all around the yard.

This picture shows many of my succulents.  The Aloe on the left has a couple of spikes that will be blooms soon.  Right now they look more like asparagus.

Couldn't end without showing you the hanging basket with a succulent and some Cobalt flowers.  It is just breathtaking!

"SISTERS"

These three sisters are very dear to me.  From left to right, my Aunt Tillie, my mother's oldest sister,  Aunt Jo, the middle sister,  and my mother about age 14.

Here I am on the left with my sister Darlene next to me, then cousins Barbara and Mary Ann, who are like sisters to me.  We all grew up together.  This picture was taken in 1987.

About 4 years later, here are Darlene and me at the house in McHenry.

My cousin "sister" Mary Ann at Heather's wedding in 2000.

Here I am with Sandy----Duane's sister at our home in Chino Hills.  One of the nice things about getting married is the extended family you acquire.

My daughter, Heather, was tickled pink to finally have a sister when Adam married Melissa.  Here they are with Melissa's Maid of Honor and best friend, Lindsey.

A happy Melissa again with another newly acquired "sister" Kim and her two daughters Amanda and Valerie----more sisters!

Spring Flowers

I love when the daffodils bloom-----Spring is my favorite time.

Old standbys, Calla Lilies, have been blooming in my yard since 1973!

Geraniums, so easy to grow, are so bright and cheery.  I love all the colors and varieties.

I never have much luck with azaleas, but I hope this one will be the exception.  The color is so lovely.

This basket happened by accident.  There were cobalt flowers in it that seemed to be dead.  I planted this succulent, (that my daughter-in-law, Melissa gave me) over the cobalt, and the cobalt came back!  Just love it!

I'm so pleased with how this arrangement turned out---a Bird of Paradise that bloomed twice, a cluster of Cymbidium Orchids and a Calla Lily.  I also like my String of Pearls in the hanging pot behind the arrangement.  On the table also are parsley and chives.  Gardening is such fun.

HEATHER

My first born, Heather, is celebrating her 38th birthday this year.  It seems like yesterday that I welcomed this little face into the world. 

A few days later, Heather's real personality came into play.  Love the positive attitude.

As she got older, she was always fun to watch.  She loved to imitate dance moves----still does today.

Here's the fun loving Heather at a birthday party given for her by Gloria, her babysitter.  She's between Gloria's two sons, Eddie and Andy.

Later birthdays always included the neighborhood kids from left to right Kristie, Heather, Kenny, Holly, Adam and Katie.  Many good times were had at the old kitchen table.

When she went to school, the group expanded to include school friends as well.

How proud I am of all she's accomplished, not the least of which are these two little darlings!

LOOK ALIKES

It's me about Maddie's age at Lake Zurich, Illinois.  I think there's a family resemblance.  My T shirt says Holland Michigan.  A cute place we visited with zillions of tulips, and where I got a pair of wooden shoes-----Maddie has them now.

Heather, whose profile looks a little like Reese, at about the same age.

Don't they look like sisters?  Well, Valerie and Amanda ARE sisters, but Maddie in the middle is their step-cousin.  Maybe we all start looking like the people we hang around with???

I don't know if my sister, Darlene and I resemble each other here, but look at Heather---once again there's a Reese in there somewhere.

Here's Duane with his two sons, Scott and Pete.  Chips off the old block!

I think I look a little like Heather, Maddie and Reese in this picture.

Unmistakenly, brother and sister....

Mayberry? No, Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin

Duane (aka Shelly or Butch) was born and raised in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin.  I think it bears a strange resemblance to Mayberry from the Andy Griffith show.  Here he is frolicking on the train tracks near where he used to live, when we visited a few years ago.

The "Falls" in Sheboygan Falls gave the town its name.  Not to be confused with the neighboring town of Sheboygan.  Duane has lots of stories of when he and his friends played on or near this river.  I think he was very much like Tom Sawyer.

Another "Mayberry" like place is where my sister Darlene lives----Marion, Indiana.  She's here with her husband, Robert, when we visited them a while back.  The thing that strikes you about both places is the sea of GREEN.  Of course, then there is the sea of white in the winter.

I was born in Chicago, Illinois, but when I was twelve, our family moved to McHenry, Illinois.  Here we are in our backyard.  Another Mayberry to be sure, as we had a large vegetable garden, rabbits and ducks.

After I was married, my parents moved to a small (very small) town called Koleen, Indiana and bought a farm.  One year when Heather and I visited, this picture was taken of my sister and me with our daughters, Heather and Chantelle, who are only a few days apart in age.  As I recall, Koleen had one store that still had high button shoes in the window (for real) and the post office was in someone's house.  Fun place to visit though.

Even though we lived in the big city of Chicago---I'm the little girl in the picture---people still congregated on porches or in backyards.  Holding me is my Uncle Leo, on the left is my dad, on the right is my Uncle Frank, and in back is my Grandfather, Anton, and my Uncle Eddie.  They are all from my father's side of the family.

Here in California, we still congregate in backyards, but many times there is a swimming pool.  At this barbeque we had lots of good friends.

And, maybe the porch is used for grilling when it rains.

Personal Style

Since I am now a grandmother, people might try to imagine what I was like as a young adult.  This picture would surely come to mind, because it was the traditional outfit that a girl would wear to church in the 1960's, complete with hat, kid gloves and high heels.

Well, what can I say?  This was photographed in the 70's.  At the time I loved the art of Peter Max and actually painted one of his creations on our bedroom wall.  Just for fun I did an afro hairdo for the photo.

No, this wasn't a fox stole, but a real baby fox that a friend had saved.  Very soft and cuddly.  I made the dress, and the pattern was much like a snow angel shape---just 2 seams.

A precursor to the string bikini.  Pretty risque for 1965.  And, the guys had shorter trunks too.

Another of my own creations.  The fabric was stretch metalic, and of course, mini skirts were all the rage.  Egyptian poses were very popular---remember the song, "Walk Like An Egyptian"?

We were on our way to a wedding.  Dave was to be the best man---he doesn't look very happy about it, does he?  I think these tuxedos are still popular.  As for my dress---I actually saw one like it recently.  Some fashions are timeless.

I actually did a lot of sewing in those days.  Here is another dress I copied from some actress in a movie----don't remember who, but as you know, cutouts in dresses are still popular today.

Boots, of course, have been popular forever.  These have little heels, just like many these days.  The outfit is completed with a hat handmade in Scotland, another popular item of the time.

Couldn't resist putting in this tin type of some relatives from long ago in the Armit family.  Lots of different styles here.