Branching out

One of the things I really enjoy is creating these little stitchery pillows. The one in this picture is inspired by my love of birds and it is one of my very favorites because it captures the spirit of creativity...branching out. We all spend so much time TRYING to come up with creative ideas, but they flow so much better when you just stretch yourself a little and see what happens.

In the spirit of branching out, I am taking a poll to see what you think I should do. Please vote. I would love to know where you think my energy is best spent!

Winner of Blog contest

Thanks to the random number generator at random.org, the winning number for this drawing is...*drum roll* ...number 11. That would be smarty pants Susan of the Dutch Rose. Congrats, girlie!

Stay tuned for my Show and Tell coming in a little bit...

Christmas in July drawing!

In honor of our Christmas in July Shop Hop at Make Mine Pink (there is a link for this in the side bar to your right), I have decided to celebrate with a drawing. Anyone who is not currently on my email list is invited to sign up in order to be entered for a drawing for a special surprise. Please sign up in the box to your right or you may also sign up on my homepage at TheOddSparrow.com . Anyone who joins during the month of July is eligible, so if you already signed up, you are already in the drawing. A winner will be chosen at random on July 31.

For those who are already on the email list, please be assured that you will have a fantastic opportunity to be entered in your own drawing. Just be sure to leave a comment on my blog in order to be entered for the random drawing. Let me hear about what Christmas means to you and I will put your name into a "hat" of sorts for the second prize...which, again, will go unnamed as we girls like surprises. Comments must be left during the week of July 21-27. A winner will be chosen at random and announced next Monday, July 28.

Ok...got it? Two drawings: Email list and Blog. Two prizes...two chances to win...more if you post more comments on my blog! So, how's that for a celebration?

Celebrating the Garden

I LOVE my garden! Unfortunately, I don't always get the time I would like to play in the dirt. This week MMP is celebrating the Garden Path for Pink Friday. In honor of the beauty found in our gardens, I wanted to share with you some pics of my own garden. This year I planted dahlias for the very first time. I am so pleased that they came up and are doing so well.

In my garden every year grow wildflowers...well, some would call them weeds. These are so pretty that i let them go. They are miniature daisies. I also have some beautiful tiger lillies growing by my porch.

I bought mom a little miniature rose for Mother's Day, which she planted in her garden. It recently decided to bloom again. This is it on the left. Next up are her impatiens...aren't they beautiful?!

And this is my veggie garden...nothing ready to be picked, but looks like there is going to be a good crop. This is our first year at this, so we are very excited to be getting some home grown produce this year. We have planted tomatos, peppers, bush beans, cucumbers, yellow squash, basil, and zucchini. I also planted eggplant...which i THINK i see coming up...ever so slowly....and rosemary seeds that never sprouted, sadly. I sprinkled marigold seeds around the garden that are also coming up.

View from the porch

This week's theme, The Cottage Porch, is exciting to me as I do so love my front porch. When we had our home built, one of my requests was that we have a porch built on the front of the house. I am so happy to be able to share it with you. This Friday we will have loads of fun sharing ideas for your porch or outside sitting area.

Let's start with the view...







Now that you have seen the view, perhaps you would like a peek at the porch itself. Keep in mind, no picture of my house is complete without me sharing these beautiful adirondack chairs. These chairs along with the little red and white table were handcrafted by my dear dad. I will always cherish them.

The Symbol of the Rose

Way back in the fifteenth century, the white rose symbolized the House of York and the red rose symbolized the House of Lancaster. The civil war between these two Houses in England was termed the War of the Roses. Today I live in York County, Pennsylvania. The next county over lies on the east side of the Susquehanna River. It is Lancaster County. Lancaster County is well known for it's Amish farmlands, rich Pennsylvania Dutch foods, and even its trains. But few people realize that these two counties in Pennsylvania still carry the symbol of the roses inherited from their namesakes long ago and far away. Yes, York County is still symbolized by the white rose, Lancaster by the red, but to those who love this beautiful flower, it matters not what the color for all are beautiful and worthy of recognition.
My grandmother's name was Rose. Oh, how proud she was of that name. I remember fondly how she identified herself with the exquisite flower whose name she bore. The image of the rose conjures up a warm and beautiful feeling from deep within. Most will imagine the luxurious fragrance or the soft, velvety petals. The rose is a flower that tends to engage those who are in its presence. Not only will its beauty draw you in but its scent is intoxicating. There is a saying: Stop and smell the roses. There are songs and poetry written of this flower, from A rose is a rose is a rose to Roses are red, violets are blue and every sentiment in between but one thought that will always ring true is from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

Won't you join me in celebrating the most treasured flower in the world this Friday at MMP?