Round Robin Photo Challenge...Varitey Show

This challenge comes from Nancy at NancyLuvsPics...'Photograph something as viewed as an assortment...something that comes in different varieties. For example, it could be a bunch of flowers, or nuts, or crayons, or birds. The sky's the limit!'

This was my challenge. I have been thinking about it for weeks. I wanted to do something different, something no one else would think of. Well, today is the day although I am a day late and a dollar short...Here's my show....

This is a nest built in the grill of our neighbor. John cleaned the grill out today and very carefully removed the nest and put it in a box and then covered the box with plastic in hopes the mother would come back and the nest would be protected from the rain. When I went over to get this picture, sure enough the mother, a house finch, was sitting on the nest. I will keep watching to see if the eggs hatch. Another teachable moment for this retired teacher. I love it when that happens.

Yesterday I was invited to a bridal shower for a good friend. Everything was absolutely beautiful. I just couldn't resist taking this picture. The cookies were as good as they look. I found out that they came from the BonBonerie...one of Emmy and Cassie's favorite bakeries. (you'll see that name come up in the next blog if you make it back here).

I could not resist a picture of all the different kinds of daffodils that are blooming in our yard. Luke, from next door, held the bouquet for me so I could take the picture..he is very helpful that way. Then I let him take them to his Mom because we can't have those kinds of things in our house now since we found out what all Michael was allergic to. Besides I love sharing.

We love to garden and you can find all kinds of treasures all through our yard and some inside too. This variety of things for the garden decorates our front porch right by the front door. These things have all been given to me by dear friends that know how much I love gardening junk. I think it turned out quite well, don't you?

I titled this one good friend and good smiles. Remember I mentioned that shower for Liz...these are all the ladies that know me inside and out. We have all be through tough times when we were there to hold each other up. We have been through some great times when we laughed so hard we cried. We have shed lots of tears, shared lots of strengthening hugs, written encouraging notes to each other, learned new crafts together, nurtured hundreds of children together and seen God work in wondrous ways together. Maybe we are just a bunch of cracked pots.

Several years ago, I began to teach myself how to quilt. We were providing children in the foster care system with a loving home while the courts figured out what to do about their situations. During that time Mark was working long hours and I needed something to do to keep my mind occupied. I had always marveled at the quilts I had seen. I had been watching HGTV and found a show that would help me along in my quilting journey. Quilting for me became my therapy. These are the quilts that we have left for all that have been made. I love making them but I think I enjoy giving them away even more.

This collection of rocks might be my most precious collection so far. These rocks were gathered by my first and only grandson when he was here last week. Everyday we would walk to the bus stop to pick up Michael, Ellis would gather these rocks and put them in his pocket. When we would get home he would pile them up. And here they still sit. They will probably stay there until Emmy moves her rummage day find to the basement.

Snow, snowmen, snowflakes...anything having to do with snow I love. These are just a few of the snowmen that I have collected over the years. Some of them are so special to me...Joy and I made the big one at church on craft night in WI...we were so proud. Mark brought the one with the inner tube back from a trip in MN. One little one was a gift from a student thousands of years ago. My Mom gave me the biggest one with the hat on. I made the brick snowman for Cassie when she was at Asbury to hold her dorm room open...so many more memories....

Wooden spools of thread that belonged to my Mom and my Nanny. I have a jar of buttons also behind them. And they are all sitting on my grandmother's old Singer machine...the one that made my dresses for school. Emmy and I love going through them and looking at all the different colors.

I guess that is all that I have to share for now. I have a million more things that I could put in the Variety Show but I will spare you...Mother's Day Plates, butter molds, family Bibles, good books, gardening items, bulbs, buckets, ladders, drawings done by children, pirates and pirate ships, .....

Nancy, thanks for the idea. It was fun. I've had an afternoon down memory lane.