Wildflowers and country roads

Hello Friend! Wildflowers and Country Roads is both a reality and a state of mind. I warmly invite you to join me on my journey. A journey of showcasing my vision: the beauty my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ has bestowed on the world I love.
My hope is that my photography will bless your day in a beautiful way.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Ultimate sacrifice for our freedom

Thank you for joining me for
Quiet Inspirations Friday.


God Bless the USA.


From my heart to yours, may you have a lovely Memorial Day weekend, with safe travels,
and making memories, and may you take the time to reflect and thank those who gave the
ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we share.
Blessings,
Lynn

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Happy Birthday Bobby


Happy Birthday Bobby!

31 years ago today, holding my third child, my son, Bobby.
He weighed in at 9lb 14 oz.
Wasn't he beautiful?
Truly, being a mom was all I wanted in my life.
Well ok, honesty demands that I tell you that at one time,
I wanted to be a "baton twirler",  striding in Macy's Thanksgiving day parade.
However, the baton kept hitting me on the head when I threw it in the air,
so, after a time, I gave that desire up!

My family was complete when Bobby was born.
Two beautiful little daughters and a son.
Thank you Lord.


Bobby's 1st birthday.
It took the Lord 5 years to answer my prayer for a little boy.
I came to know Jesus, personally in my life in 1977, when my daughters were 3 and 1.
I had been told prior to having my girls, that I probably would not be able to have children.
Thankfully, even back then, meds helped regulate cycles.

Then I was saved and the Lord asked me to trust Him, not the meds.
I obeyed.
In my heart, I knew when He was ready, He would give us our son.
It took 5 years, but HE answered that prayer.

1st birthday at home with sister, Kellie, 5 and Heather, 7.

 
Home from deployment with Air Force.
I love this picture because Terry caught my "mother's love and pride" perfectly.

To honor my son today, I am going to "brag" about his talent as an aerial photographer
and in the process treat you to the beauty of our Gulf Coast paradise.

Bellair Beach, Sand Key, Clearwater Bch

Downtown St. Petersburg.
This is the airport Bobby flies out.
If you missed my post on my first flight with my son last Fall, you can see it  HERE 

Also if you look to the back, just a tad left of center you will see what appears to be a
white plate inverted, that is Tropicana Field, home of our Tampa Bay Rays!!

Downtown St. Petersburg and front and center, the PIER.
The Pier is where we watch the sun rise on Easter morning.

 
My son wanted to fly since he was 4 years ago.
The road, arriving at his dream, was rocky, but his tenacity and the support of
his loving wife Erin gave him his dream.

Wedding on Clearwater Beach, May 8, 2009

Along with being a private pilot, and his aerial photography business, which
you can view his beautiful web site and so many more gorgeous photos,
he is also will have his BS in Professional Aeronautics this year!

Way to go son!
I am such a proud mama.
Happy Birthday Bobby!
I love you son.


From my heart to yours, may your day be blessed.
Lynn

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Joy in the morning


Blessings come in so many small ways every day.
The lovely trip hubby and I took overnight a few weeks ago to Cedar Key, FL
was one of those treasured blessings.
This tiny barrier island is such that we walked to see the blazing sunset at the close of day,
and in the morning walked in the other direction to see the gentle sunrise.

"Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes with morning light."
Psalm 30:5

May my photography and this beautiful scripture verse is reaching out through cyberspace
like a giant hug from me to you.
To bring comfort and hope in Him for all our needs. 

From my heart to yours, may your day be blessed.
Lynn

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

A Year of Gratitude - Mother's Day

I apologize for not being able to post yesterday.
Our day started out with a very early lunch at 9:30 (yes lunch) with our
grandson, Kevin, at his school for Mother's Day.
We were standing in for his precious mommy, my beautiful daughter, Heather.
Who in out of town this week on business.

Kevin is in kindergarten and in order to fit the entire elementary school in for lunch, the
kindergartens need to start first, at 9:30.
So this is really more of "brunch" for Kevin.
We brought all his favorites and since it was another beautiful day here in paradise,
we ate outside on the picnic tables and the playground area of the school.

Grampa and Kevin

Kevin enjoying playground after finishing his "brunch".
Kevin proudly showing off his artwork in his classroom before we ate.
Isn't that little face just adorable?
He just lost the second of his middle front teeth, which makes a really wide smile even more
precious.
Can you see his freckles dancing across his noise?


We had such an enjoyable time with Kevin.

By the time we arrived home, this front hanging out there in the Gulf
had given me a sinus headache.
To be honest, I tried to visit some of you, tried to do a post, but realized
soon after my efforts were poor at best at anything where type was moving
across the screen, pictures were downloading, etc.

I shut down my laptop for the day.

Thank you to those who knew and prayed.
It made a difference, as I woke up feeling fine.

I will not be posting tomorrow, as I am working on a project for my son's 31st birthday party
on Saturday.
I had given my girls a photo album of their life on their 30th birthdays.
Last year my son was deployed in Turkey, so we did not have him here to celebrate with.
His precious wife is planning a BIG event for him this weekend at their beautiful new home.

My handsome son, Bobby, aka "my baby"


While I will not be posting on Wednesday, I will post "quiet inspirations" on Friday.

I welcome my newest follower and thank each of my precious followers
for their willingness to accept me for exactly who I am,
a women with so much passion that many times I am overwhelmed with feelings
and need "blog breaks".
Being a true "wildflower" I don't do well with too much structure, and love to have "impromptu fun" with hubby, and leave for the day to dance in the surf, take photos, have a picnic or some other
magical happening we come up with.
Then there are my sinus issues, that become much more evident as the humidity kicks in
during Florida summers.

Finally, I could not have a blog that did not praise Jesus Christ, in my life.
So I do....not because of anything I am or do, but because of everything
HE does and is!

All of you who come over to my little corner of the world
are so beautiful you bring tears to my eyes.

Always.

From my heart to yours, may your day be blessed.
Lynn


Friday, May 11, 2012

A Year of Gratitude - His Love Reaching

Welcome to Quiet Inspirations Friday.

Our backyard, on top of the mountain for a week, Bryson City, NC, 2010


"I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever: with my mouth will
I make known thy faithfulness to all generations."
Psalms 89:1

From my heart to yours, may your day, your weekend, be blessed.
Lynn

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

A Year of Gratitude - Precious presentation

Happy Hump Day!
I am so richly blessed by the beautiful responses, comments and emails
I have received in recent weeks from my readers.
Thank you from my heart, always.

Some weeks ago, hubby and I were in Barnes and Nobles.
(yes, again, always, you know us!)



So while we were enjoying tea and light lunch and browsing magazines,
I found this brand new Premier edition of Vintage Style
 I was delighted to find a beautiful 6 page article on Tracey Leber,
 of the on-line vintage-home decor store, and blog of the same name,
French Larkspur.
While still working a few years ago, I had order the lovely magazine,
Jeanne d'Arc Living, from Tracey several times.
What I remembered was the elegant way she wrapped each issue she sent.
And the charming "doves" that still live with us.......
 So I sent her an email congratulating her on the article.
Tracey not only responded to my email, she graciously offered to send me a copy,
which I accepted, as funds had not allow me to purchase the magazine the day I found it.

A few weeks later my copy arrived in the mail, and again, Tracey had outdone herself
in the presentation of the wrapping.
Isn't this just beautiful wrapping?
The French note cards always have a personal hand written note from Tracey
on the back.

However, the "gift" Tracey gives her customers and friends
in her wrapping presentation simply does end when one rips the tissue apart to enjoy
their purchase/gift.
See the paper butterflies?
They are packaged in such a way that when one removes the magazine/book from the UPS
envelope the butterflies flutter out around you!


Here is a little story about my prior purchases from Tracey:
In the years that I did business with Tracey's shop, the magazines were packaged with doves
instead of butterflies.

This is my wicker vanity in our bedroom.
Do you see the tiny white dove to the left of your screen?
Let's look at it larger?

 These are the little doves that were packaged with each issue of
Jeanne d'Arc, I received.

Of course, I always saved the French note cards, the ribbon and even the little white paper
doves.
I put them in the pages of the magazine, so that when I opened to that page they would
fly out once again.

One day, months later my grandson was over to our home.
He was probably 4 at the time.
He came into the kitchen with his hands cupped and big wide eyes.
He held out his hands to me and said, "Grammie, I found a little bird."
He was very gently cradling a tiny paper dove.
That was the first day those little paper doves blessed us.

Over the years, these little doves "seem to appear" just when we need a blessing.
The amazing part is that not one of my grandchildren, nor hubby, nor my daughter
has ever wanted to throw these doves in the basket.
These little doves had the same affect on everyone, including 3 all-boy grandsons!
We put them in a drawer, we put them in a cup, a dish and along the way they
 attach themselves to whatever we move around and off they go until one of us
finds them again.

Now through the gracious kindness of Tracey Leber, I have butterflies to add to the doves!

 
This is the first two pages of the beautiful article on Tracey.
If you have never visited Tracey, her blog, her shop, you can find her, HERE
Currently she is leaving soon on a trip to France and Belgium.
 She is one of the most gracious bloggers in blogland
and I know if you love French and Scandinavian design, you will love everything
about Tracey!
Please tell her you heard about her on Lynn's blog.

If you want to read the article, the magazine if the premier issue of
Vintage Style that came out in the last two months.

There are so many bloggers that are so talented, so gracious, so inspirational,
in blogland aren't there?
In my little corner of the world, I am so blessed to have found so many wonderful people
like all of you.

From my heart to yours, may your day be blessed.
Lynn

Saturday, May 5, 2012

A Year of Gratitude - The Rock


We are blessed to live within a few miles of the beautiful Gulf of Mexico.
This was taken a few weeks ago on a very windy day.
Located at the end of Pass-A-Grille Beach, the rocks reminded me
of one of my favorite Psalms.




Am linking with our gracious hostesss, Charlotte, at Spiritual Sundays
please click HERE to connect with Charlotte's page and I promise you
the time you take to read the beautiful posts will bless your life abundantly.
Thank you Charlotte for giving us this precious opportunity to be blessed each week.


From my heart to yours, may your day, your weekend, your life
not only be blessed, but be a blessing to someone in need.
Lynn

Thursday, May 3, 2012

A Year of Gratitude - Moments

Welcome to Quiet Inspirations Friday.


"We do not remember days,
we remember the moments."


From my heart to yours, may your day be blessed.
Lynn

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

A Year of Gratitude - Lowry Park Zoo 2

What can I say?
Here I go again, apologizing for being so late with part 2 of our zoo adventure.
So lets head straight back to Lowry Park Zoo, shall we?

The sweet Kenya Impala


I could not get them to come closer or turn for me.
Much to my regret.

This camel give rides to the children.
We visited the this area late in the day. The shadows are telling aren't they?
By then, the children's field trips had left, so this camel was done for the day.
I did get this camel to give me a lovely smile.
Not sure if he was just happy not to have more riders or if he liked me taking his picture.
What do you think?

Grevy's Zebra



I am over the moon with my 55-300 Christmas gift from loving hubby.
Love the close up shots I can get now.

While I truly appreciated each animal for their uniqueness and God given purpose,
I feel in love with the gentle giraffes, shown next.



Meet "Rudolph".  I think I  mistakenly called him "Randolph" previously!
I loved feeding him so much, we went back a second time just before the park closed
to feed him some more.

Think he likes to lick hubby's fingers too!

Everyone plays nicely here.
Don't you agree?

Celebrating our wonderful day at the zoo with our favorite,
root beer floats.
(BTW there is a fan going inside the ice cream shop that is playing havoc with the
women's blouse)

I love retirement, spending my days with hubby, and root beer floats
to celebrate how blessed we truly are.
Always, always we thank the Lord for His mercy and blessings.


A splendid ending to a wonderful day,
root beer floats and watching and hearing the music from a carousel.
Yes, if it had not been just for children (or adults standing to hold a child), I would
have been on that after my float.  Love carousels.

Oh gosh, I know this was long with many photos.
I will make up for it on Friday with a lovely, simple
"quiet inspiration" post.

I am off to a grandson's ball game, plus, I want to wish my other grandson
Georgie, Happy Five years old today! 
See you Saturday for your party! 

taken just two weeks ago at his sister's ball game.
Happy, Happy Birthday to you from Grammie and Grampa Terry.

If I did not get around to visiting before you read this post, I am late with some of you,
but will catch up.
I value each of you who takes the time to read my little blog and leave a comment,
either here or sending me emails.

From my heart to yours, may your day be blessed.
Lynn