Coastal Homestead and Low Country Healthy Living Delivery Service: A truly Awesome Service

Today, I cannot wait to tell you of my new interest. Amber at Coastal Homestead has been running a non profit business collecting fresh, organically grown, healthy produce direct from the local farmers and delivers it to her customersLow Country Healthy Living. I recently received a box that I was delivering for her ( okay to my Mom) and was blown away not only by the amount, but mostly by the quality of the produce. I am here to tell you, the quality was much better than any offered in our grocery stores here.

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I checked out her website, ordered my own produce for next week, and proceeded to read a series of articles on her website page.
Amber covers frugality ( another subject I enjoy ) DIY and so many other things as well. If you get a chance check out her website, just don't hate me for the time you will lose to evaporation. I could spend hours on her site.Amber's online farmers market.
Okay, now that I have helped make your day evaporate, I will wish you a Fantastic Friday!

Amber @ coastal homestead I am your fan!

My Heroes Aka Thank you Veterans

Thank you to all who have served in our Military. You have traveled far and wide to keep us safe and protect those and that , that I hold most dear. Most often at the expense of your own comfort, life events and even family time. You have missed birthdays, Christmas's, Anniversaries,  the birth of your children and the funerals of your loved ones. You have missed father daughter dances, and father son fishing tournaments, debutante balls and proms, In some cases you have even missed the weddings of your loved ones  and there are countless other events that were incredibly important to you, yet your duty to God and country came first.. The words Thank You just don't seem adequate but it is the best I can do.
                                                   You are truly my hero!

Some of my favorite heroes:

US Coast Guard
Better Half

US Air Force
DAD

US Navy
Father

US Navy
Brother

US Air Force
Brother

US Air Force
Brother


There are so many others that also have served and are still serving. Relatives and Friends who have answered the call to put others ahead of themselves to make sure that we are safe at home and abroad.
Thank you Veterans for your service and Sacrifice!
You truly are my heroes!

Thursday's Thoughts: I will Survive Said the little Succulent

I love Succulent plants. Maybe it is the fact that they don't seem to want or need to be pampered, or maybe it is the vast array of shapes and colors of foliage, but there is something about these plants that keeps me mesmerized. I will confess to having trouble keeping them alive over the winter, but perhaps I lose them because I expect them to be more independent than they are ready for during the cooler months. I have managed to keep them alive for a little while, but somehow they always succumb. That being said, hardy succulents are a lazy gardeners best friend.
They lend themselves to almost any kind of container

 you can find and the best part is, if they are hardy and planted outside, then all you have to do is look at them when they bloom and enjoy the brightly colored foliage when they are resting. What could possibly be better.... Okay, maybe a new one.

 I cannot wait to try some new designs in my garden this year.

They are even beautiful when you are propagating them, which as you know is 1 of my favorite things to do. If you are pushed for time this spring, or just want to garden the easy way, or just hate being outdoors in the mosquitos territory , try some succulents. You will really be amazed at the vast array of different colors and textures you will find.

Have a great day!

Wednesday's Word : I have a mustard seed and I am not afraid to use it.

Have you ever wondered about the scripture that promises us that we can move mountains? It is Matthew 17:20.  I did wonder, I defined mountains in many different ways in the past.
The events of October, AKA , Hurricane Matthew, Medical issues  and a series of unfortunate events has recently redefined " Mountain" in my world. I am happy to say, that little by little, through lots of prayer and petition, I have been blessed to watch the Lord make my mountain crumble into the sea. All I had to do was pray and then get out of God's way. Then I watched an awesome God make things right again and there is no doubt in my mind that God chipped away at my mountain so that I would see how interconnected everything is and how the fingerprints of God are sometimes very visible.

Now, there will never be a time that I don't say:

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Election Day in America

I normally do not express political opinions here, but I read this the other day and felt the need to share it. This has been a long and brutal election season . I am happy to see it coming to an end and at the same time, I am wondering what  the "Breaking News"  will be when  all is said and done.
that being said, I am simply asking that whomever you vote for, Just please make sure to vote. This election is much too important to sit this one out.

God Bless You!

Summer's Over: Here is a present.

I absolutely adore Fall. I love the cooler temperatures, the disappearance of all humidity, and best of all the crisp clear mornings and the sunrises! October at the beach is the absolute best month ever!

One of my favorite parts of fall though is when the Camellia Sasanqua begin to bloom. Most Sasanqua are fall blooming shrubs. After a long hot humid and often stormy summer at the beach, the show put on by Sasanquas are almost like Mother Nature saying, " it was a hot summer, here is a gift for you to make up for it. There is nothing like it. I love the variety and the foliage, everything about them, but then again, I have never met a plant I didn't like. I have met a few that don't like me, but never 1 that I didn't like. hahaha.

I recently read a great article that talks about camellia sasanqua. You can find it here : Camellia Sasanqua : Cleopatra's Sister. I hope that you will take the time to check it out. In the mean time, My show of fall flowers begins with
Sparkling Burgundy

Sparkling Burgundy is usually the first to begin blooming. I can always count on this one to put on a show in late September/ Early October.

This one is Taylor's Pink Perfection. It is a lighter color than Sparkling Burgundy, but just as gorgeous. It doesn't grow as tall as Sparkling Burgundy either.

This gorgeous White Sasanqua is called Mine No Yuki which means white doves. It too begins the blooming season with a mass of white flowers that are so pretty, it can sometimes hurt your eyes to look at it.  The tips of the edges of these blossoms are sometimes tinged with pink, but it doesn't hold the pink color, it fades almost immediately to a beautiful clear white.

This gorgeous Red Sasanqua is Yuletide. Normally it blooms later in the season, closer to December, but this year it is blooming earlier. We have just been through Hurricane Matthew and I have learned over the years, that after a storm there are a lot of plants that are confused and bloom either earlier or later than usual.

If you are interested in adding these beautiful plants to your garden, check your local garden centers. Most are hardy to zone 7 but not much colder than that.

Alot of these varieties have been cultivated for hundreds of years in Japan and other countries. They came to America along with the immigrants from these countries.

If you are interested in propagating these, here is a link to a post I did a while back, I hope you find it useful :Rooting Sasanquas

Hope you enjoy your fall as much as I am enjoying mine.

If you decide to root these, or just add some to your landscape, leave me a comment and let's compare notes.

Sunday's Psalm

This beautiful Psalm was drawn for me by my favorite artist of all time Campbell Jane. I was going through some tough times and this was a gift for me. I hope it blesses you just as much as it blessed me.

God Bless You.