Patriotic Planter

Are you ready for Independence Day celebrations?  

When shopping for container plants this year, our daughter said these Cherry Red Angelonia made her think of fire crackers. 

I had to agree and they became the 'red' part of our Patriotic Planter.

This white euphorbia seems reminiscent of sparklers.

We have a fun stash of pin wheels in the toy room.  The shimmery silver and blue one hopped in the middle.

For now, the planter is nestled inside the greenhouse so it can fatten up just a bit.  By July 4, these plants will be nice and full!  On Independence Day, it will be a centerpiece for our backyard picnic!

Tomorrow, I will begin co-hosting a month long link party for all things patriotic.  If you have time, I'd love for you to join the fun!

;-)  -Marci

It's Time to Party! Tuesdays with a Twist

Our News This Week...  This tall, dark and handsome guy is Colonel Carter on his first birthday back in April.  You've seen puppy photos of him and his sister, Molli, before but that was last summer!  On this particular day, Molli would NOT hold still.  She is beautiful, too!  Maybe I can capture some shots of her soon.  If you'd like to see the puppy posts, click HERE or THERE .

Have you entered My Giveaway yet?  It's almost time to announce the winner!

I am joining some blogging friends to co-host a patriotic party that begins June 1.

Every Monday there's one called You're the Star.  If you have time, please join those parties, too!

And now for today's party!

Mary @ Back to the Basics

 Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

Angie @ God's Growing Garden

Each co-host will be sharing her own picks for Features. This gives everyone a better chance of being chosen.  Be sure to check all of our blogs!

Choosing features never gets easier!  There are so many impressive bloggers visiting each week and they post about all kinds of interesting topics.  The diversity is just amazing.  I recently posted about Our Visit to a Lighthouse, so I was very drawn to this link:

The Beautiful Oregon Coast



from Helen at Pleasures of the Northwest!  What stunning photographs!

     If you have been featured we'd love for you to grab a button.

We all love comments!  Please hop around and show some love!

The party starts every Tuesday at 7am EST and will continue until Friday at 11:59pm.  Feel free to stop back any time and "like" your favorites.  Please visit other blogs if you have a moment.  All family friendly links are welcome including etsy shops and other link parties.  Share older posts as well as new ones.  *Pictures should be your own*

No limit on links!

By linking up you give us permission to use these photos (with proper link backs) in our features.

Let's party!

;-)  -Marci

You're the Star Blog Hop {June} Week 1

WELCOME to the June "You're the Star" Blog Hop!  I am so glad you can join us!  This week the features are all about gardens.
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Before we continue onto the Linky party I wanted to share from my garden:

My Sweet Little Chickens
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WELCOME to GARDEN feature week of the
"You're the STAR" blog hop!
Meet your GARDEN week Hosts 

This week is GARDEN feature week
Swing by the GARDEN Hosts blogs:
Angie @ God's Growing Garden
Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

This is a month long Linky party featuring YOU!

There will be 4 different features each week and 4 different feature categories.  Just to be clear - this is NOT a themed party - you may link up ANY family-friendly blog posts any day of each month. 
The "theme" occurs in our weekly features:
WEEK#1 GARDEN - gardening, homesteading, recycling, outdoor activities &/or preserving (this can include any type of green living,  repurposed ideas, outdoor concerns, posts relating to farm animals etc all while remaining family friendly)




(All features were chosen from the May 2017 "You're the Star" blog hop)

Bee Yard Apiary by Gwin Gal Adventures


Canned Chicken Soup by Candy's Farm House Pantry


 Simple Upcycled Plant Labels by A Green & Rosie Life

7 Ways to Add WOW To Your Garden by Comfort Spring



If you've been featured then please grab a STAR button below:


<a href="http://www.godsgrowinggarden.com/2016/09/new-youre-star-blog-hop-cohost-sign-up.html" target="_blank"><img alt="You're a STAR" src="http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o501/AngieOuelletteTower/Title%20Pages%20or%20Buttons/YourAstarFEATURED_zpso7ovwjyt.jpg" /></a>

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We are in need of more Cohosts (click HERE to view a list of our current hosts/cohosts).
If you are interested in joining us as a Cohost then please click HERE & fill out the form.

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All Hosts/CoHosts will post this blog hop on every Monday of each week.

Please link up your family friendly blog posts below!

It wouldn't be a linky party with YOU!

(IMPORTANT NOTE: by linking up you understand that you might be featured next month and if so, we will use some of your photos from your post - rest assured - we will always link back to your lovely blog.  We might also share your fantastic posts on social media.  Also, you may link up as many family-friendly posts as you like & YES - other blog hops &/or giveaways are welcome {giveaways and blog hops will NOT be featured though}  Thank You & ENJOY! )

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Pelican - Almost Silent Sunday

'Such pretty eyes!

These photos were snapped near Fort Morgan, Alabama in February while we were on vacation.  Can you tell I was pressing the button as fast as could?  ;-)  Since we live in Arkansas, I really don't know much about pelicans.  They are fun to watch as they dive into the water.  If you are knowledgeable about pelicans, I'd love to learn more about them!

There are more wildlife photos on my GARDEN PAGE.  Take a look!

;-)  -Marci

Pensacola Lighthouse and Museum

This beauty was built in 1859.  

The view at the top is worth climbing those 177 stairs.

Aren't they pretty?

I am not afraid of heights and I love roller coasters, but...  I actually had a bit of a freak out when first stepping onto the top platform of the lighthouse.  

Most of these photos were taken sitting down, leaning against the wall.  'Not sure what happened to me up there.  Once I calmed down though it was a wonderful experience!

We happened to visit on a gorgeous sunny day.

The view is absolutely spectacular!

Their museum exhibit is very interesting. 

This shot is looking out from their front porch.  'Too bad the power lines cross right there.

Have you had the chance to visit a lighthouse?

;-)  -Marci

Bandana Round Up Features

What an exciting day!  Two of my posts

Bandana Dogs

and 

Baby Bandana Skirt Tutorial

are both part of a seriously cool bandana round up at 

French Ethereal !

Thank you, Barb!

;-)  -Marci

Fitness after Fifty. Remember to Warm Up

This is my series about fitness.  I am certainly no expert.  Posts will be about what's working for me.  There will definitely be running plans, flexibility, and basic weight lifting.  You can also expect nutrition ideas, recipes, and, well, probably lots maybe a little bit of whining.  ;-)  I hope I have the courage to tell you about the failures.

  If you'd like to read the premise for my journey, that's right here:

Rest and Heal
Week 1. Book Review


As I progressed though, these posts were written.


Week 2. Plan for Stair Climbing
Week 3. Basic Workout from a Personal Trainer
Week 4. Weight Loss Challenge
Week 5. Breakfast Recipe
Week 6. Walking Strategy  
Week 7. Meal Planning and a Giveaway
Week 8. Struggling with Two Setbacks
Week 9. Packing Lunch  

Being on vacation bumped my weekly schedule.

Positive Snowball
Positivity is Contagious
Running Plan for Beginners

Daily Habits

Warm Up

We all know warm ups are important, right?  Honestly, though, if it isn't fun, it's not going to happen around here!  ;-)  Many times, I begin with a quick walk.

When I first saw this dance routine on Facebook, I fell in love with it.  Where do you suppose I could find one of these wonderful costumes?  It is not possible to dance along without smiling.  A perfect warm up for me before yoga.

Here is a video teaching the choreography steps (and shows the dancers without their costumes).  I am so very grateful for the joy of their dancing!

How do you like to warm up?

;-)  -Marci