I have been playing around with these metal trophy toppers. I really am drawn to these winged women. I have found mine in gold colors, and they are normally in excellent condition at a thrift store. Here is a tutorial that shows you how to make them into bottle toppers. The link is Dollar Store Crafts.

I personally do not like the painted topper and bottle in the project. I prefer original patina and a special bottle. I like to add old bits of jewelry and dress them up a bit.

I really love vintage silver plate trophies, but I never alter them permanently.

Optimism is Magic

Kelly Rae Roberts Print

Optimism has magic in it. Looking for beauty and truth and what is right has magic in it. No matter where you are, you can find something about that place that is beautiful, true or good, even if it is simply the lessons you are able to learn there. Look for what is RIGHT about where you are. No matter what situation you are in, there is something good to find inside of it. Look for what is RIGHT about a situation. No matter who you are with, you will be able to look in their eyes and see their value, finding something wonderful and good in that person. Look for what is RIGHT about others.

Most importantly, no matter what mistakes you have made, no matter how disappointed you are, no matter what has happened, you can ALWAYS find your own value, you can always look for what is RIGHT about yourself and take a break from looking for what is wrong. SEE what is right about you, beautiful beautiful amazing you.

From Brave Girls Club

My First Day of Spring

I put out a Hummingbird feeder about a week ago. Today, I saw the first bird at the feeder. Just like this one, a male Rufous Hummingbird.

This is a great idea!

I don't have a fence like this....but it is such a good idea.  If my dog could watch everything, and smell it too, he would be so happy. I love this pic...it makes me laugh!

Starting A New Strawberry Patch

I am starting a new strawberry patch this year. I am building a new raised bed for my new plants. The bed will be 6' by 3', a good size for me. It is too early to plant outdoors here. This week I purchased 4- 6 packs of baby strawberry plants. I have them in the greenhouse. In a month or so I will transplant them into 4" pots. By late May I will plant them into the new raised bed...if everything works out by my plan.

I love fresh picked strawberries, and making my own jam with them!

You have amazing gentle power.

At times you seem to forget your amazing gentle power, your purpose, all of the reasons that your life is so different than the lives of others. You forget your strength and your bravery, and you forget all of the things that you have already done, been through, learned, earned and taught others. Take a little bit of time, wonderful friend, to look yourself right in the eye and remember some of these important things. Remind yourself of all of the places you have already traveled through, all of the things you have survived, all of the mountains you have climbed and all of the lessons you have learned. This remembering will help you realize that whatever comes, you will make it through that, too.

This is from the Brave Girls Club Daily Truth.

Life is Beautiful and Hard

Changes and Moving On

Dear Seeking Soul,

Somehow, deep down inside we know when it's time to move on. 

We fight those feelings, we resist them...we try to stuff them down or shoo them away....but our souls are persistent and keep sending messages. In fact, messages usually start coming from every direction when it is time.

It is hard to move on. It is hard to embrace the changes that moving on brings. 

It is hard to navigate away from what is comfortable and what we know....even when we know we've outgrown it or that it is somehow destructive. Many times, we stay in places where we know we don't belong simply because it is what we know...and we are too afraid of moving on and into what we don't know.

Moving on is important....if we don't move forward, we stay stuck. It's like a stream...or a river...when it stops moving, it gets mucky and contaminated........we need to constantly be finding our flow...we need to be growing and learning and moving.

So listen to those gentle and not-so-gentle pushes that your soul is trying to communicate.

Move on, sweet friend, if that is what your soul is urging you to do....and keep moving and moving and moving. Keep moving forward.

You are beloved.
xoxo

This is from the Brave Girls Club.

Checking on the Honey Bees

Today we had really nice warm day, although there is plenty of snow on the ground. I decided that the bees had been neglected and this day gave me the opportunity to see how the 4 hives were doing at this time. I have been worried about this yellow hive, because I have not seen bees at the entrance for about a month.

The bad news is that this hive and 1 other had no bees inside, and the hives still have plenty of honey in them.

Hum...bummer! I looked in the other 2 hives and found really high numbers of bees that are thriving. Good News!  There are three honey supers from the dead hives that are full of good honey. I gave each surviving hives another box of filled honey to boost their food availability for the next few months.

I am optimistic that the bees will come through this winter and will pollinate the early flowering fruit trees. Yay!!!