Finding Contentment in Every Situation
Finding Contentment in Every Situation
By JM Perez“I was something that lay under the sun and felt it, like the pumpkins, and I did not want to be anything more. I was entirely happy. Perhaps we feel like that when we die and become a part of something entire, whether it is sun and air, or goodness and knowledge.” ― Willa Sibert Cather
By JM Perez By JM Perez
It’s always a delight, for a Gardener, to wake up in the morning and find little surprises in the garden.
A simple layering is the process in which a branch or a flexible stem is buried/bent to the ground and partially covered with soil. Some gardeners will wound the area beneath a bud to induce rooting. This propagation technique works best on plants with low-growing branches such as Roses, for instance.
In my case, Nature did all the work for me. All I had to do was to transplant the new growth and voilà!
Early this year I transplanted my first growth. I waited for the new growth to reach a certain height before carefully separating it from the main branch. The Chicago Peace® Hybrid Tea Rose is a gorgeous fragrant Rose. Ever since I purchased mine, it has never produced the same colored flower twice. At first, I was afraid the little plant would die, but to my amazement, it is doing well and I am looking forward to watch it bloom.
Click here, here and here to learn about Propagation by Simple and Tip Layering.
Happy gardening!
By JM Perez By JM PerezHeavenly Father, our deliverer
Thy comfort we seek
In times of trouble and despair.
Give us Life
Give us Strength
Give us Sunshine after the rain.
Give us Wisdom
Give us Assurance
Give us guidance when we go astray.
Give us health
Give us Hope
Give us Love after pain.
Give us Peace
Give us Shelter from up above
When we come knocking at your door.
© 2012 Joan Ambu. All rights reserved.
By JM Perez By JM PerezOne of the best things we truly enjoy to do in this Life is to give a little bit of our time to others. Sometimes we give too much and it’s fine too. We do not wait until someone calls for help to assist them; we offer to help. For instance, it breaks our hearts to see an elderly weeding or cutting down a tree. We know they are more than able to complete the task ahead of them; it’s just that ‘Compassionate Human Side’ of us which kicks in and urges us to act; to get up and reach out. Fighting it only makes it worse and leave us empty.
Most of the times, these individuals are reluctant to accept the help. When it comes to this, we barter for something (in our case that something never gets taken away). When at the end, they realized we tricked them, well, we all have a good laugh. We are always available to lend a hand and our help is always free. We strongly believe that helping someone should be free (of course, to some extend).
Last month after helping a neighbor remove the remainder of his tree stump, he surprised us with samples of beautiful Christmas Card collections and a gorgeous 2013 Boys Town Treasured Moments Wall Calendar. You see, he had to leave them in our mailbox because we politely made him understand that our help is free and he wanted to do something nice for us in return. That was quite a nice surprise and we thanked him.
Yesterday we had the opportunity to help out another neighbor clear the weeds in his front yard and organized his tools in the garage. I just got tired of seeing him sneezing and struggling to do the work himself. I cared less that he had a full house; I was more concerned about his allergies. He offered to pay which was a huge no-no for me, especially given the nature of the task. I said I would take a few branches of a Pine tree he had lying around (to use as plant border, see an example here). He agreed and we sealed the deal.
An hour later with a blistered finger, the job was complete. He was grateful and I was happy I could help.
Prior to leaving, I spotted what turned out to be a Vintage Wood Crate in his garage. As I began to inquire about the little treasure, he started moving his tools from the crate into an empty box and handed the crate over to me. How cool was that? In my state of gratitude I managed to let out a sincere thank you. The thing is, I have always wanted to own a Vintage Wood Crate and — oh, I still couldn’t believe that I was getting one.
Here’s the slightly new and improved Vintage Wood Crate, serving now as storage for our Giveaways goodies. I cleaned it up, did a little sanding here and there and spray painted it. I used Brushed Metallic Satin Spray Paint Nickel for the crate and Brushed Metallic Satin Spray Paint Sparkling Canyon for the Tulip.
I was blessed to receive all these beautiful things because I gave of my time to assist someone else, freely.
Click here to learn about cleaning Wooden Antiques.
By JM Perez By JM PerezAs I mentioned in an older post; I am drawn to old things with character.
I am pretty much what some people refer to as ‘old school’ and my darling Father calls me ‘an old woman in a younger body.’ I inherited a blue Vintage 1960’s Silk 2-Pc Wide Leg Lounge Set/Pajama from my late Sister, who had inherited them from our Mother. I am now saving it for my daughter, whom I hope, will cherish it as much as we all did.
Wide-Leg Pants have always been my absolute wardrobe staple. One of the best things about them is that they can be paired and styled in so many ways (and you don’t have to be ‘tall’ or ‘slim’ to look good in them as they flatter every body type and shape). There’s something about their slimming and elongating effect …
The other types of pants I own beside Wide-Leg Pants are Leggings, Skinny Jeans, Ankle Pants and my indispensable Straight-Leg Sweatpants; I absolutely adore Straight Leg Pants. You can pair all of the above with Short jackets, blazers, simple tops, solid tops, shirts, sweaters, sleeveless blouses, etc. You can wear them with towering Sandals, chunky heels, high heels, wedges and flats. It’s always a good idea to try a few and stick to what works best for your body type and shape.
Click here for some tips on how to wear them and where to buy them.
Don’t forget the accessories to finish off your look!
By JM Perez
