Bloomin' in the Kitchen

Even tho Winter still has a strong grip on the landscape outside, inside things are looking up!

My African violets are responding to the change in the quality of light coming thru the
windows. And every time i see one of them bloom, it is as if i am getting a greeting from my Gram, Mary Stopera, who was the Queen of the African Violet growers....

And my orchids are blooming again! And with all this snow and ice and gloomy weather, i am so glad to see my old friends again!

Orchid plants are so unassuming all year long . But when they bloom, they are spectacular. And the blooms last forever... I have another phalaenopsis orchid that is getting ready to bloom, and it has exotic yellow, green and pink flowers.

My Christmas cactus is also blooming now. Rather, it has been blooming all along since Thanksgiving and is STILL putting out flowers. It must know how desperate i am for bright color and blooming things....

It's the little things like these flowering plants that help carry me thru the gloomy end of Winter and into the promise of Spring gardens...I thought i would share all this color with you!

What's New?

What's new for you on the very last day of 2008? Now that the Holidays are coming to an end (at least for now) i have been able to finish up some projects, and am even noticing some changes taking place around here.... I finally finished that baby sweater. This one is for The Paper Sparrow. So many little baby sweaters were sold as Christmas gifts (including one of mine! WooHoo!) that the racks need to be filled again!

I edged this sweater in a soft grey and embellished it with these little car buttons. What a difference those little buttons make to a plain sweater!

I finished another hat and scarf set for a child too...
And there are more knitted teddies on the way! Two of my bears were sold at the shop and the proceeds will go to the Mother Bear Knitting Project.

In the Change department....

On the home front, the plants are starting to wake up! It seems for them Spring is a - comin'! The orchids are throwing out flower stems, and the cactus are blooming...The violets are perking up and the bonsai are starting to wake up.... But if you look past the plants out the window, you can see we are getting new snow on this last day of 2008. It's cold out there but very pretty....

Still on the warm sill, the cactus are thriving regardless of the weather outside.

This is because they are perched high up on the window sill and Pollyanna the plant eater cannot reach them!

I love these white blooms with the pale pink throats....
As many of you know, my Dad is recovering from heart surgery, and doing very well. Again, i thank each and every one of you who prayed and thought of us during this stressful time. In this process, i've noticed one thing about myself....At the ripe old age of 54, when i get stressed, i buy TOYS! And i don't mean games and electronics, but....

real, honest to goodness toys...Like Natsuko the sock dog, from Stacey at Three Red Trees

And Pinky from Felicia at Fluffy Flowers

And i have new pattern books ordered and a handmade teddy bear coming from Jess's brand new Etsy shop too! Ok, enough chatter...time to get to work on those bears and start getting ready for New Year's Eve! Lola will be spending the night with us for the first time!

HAPPY NEW YEAR Dear Friends!

Blooming miracles...

I don't know how this poor cactus survived! Between Lola picking "Shadies" - her word for flowers....

And Pollyanna exploring and grazing on anything within reach.....


This holiday cactus managed to keep a few buds and actually BLOOM!


I thought i would take a picture since who knows how long this will last!