Bloomin' Blooms...

Can you believe my front door is behind all of these flowers?  I can't.

I walk outside to the curb, turn around and say, "This is amazing.  Our garden has never looked like this."

Enrique (the gardner extraordinaire) has got the touch.  He tends the garden around the corner from me, and when I got cancer, I realized I probably wouldn't have the time or the energy to devote to my garden anymore.  So we hired him.  Good move, wouldn't you say?  Another bonus of having cancer. 

I just planted a six pack of daisies above the mailbox.  They will soon spill out over the wire basket.  I love overflowing flower baskets.

These roses line the driveway where I park.  I keep a pair of scissors in my car so when I get home, I can immediately clip a few and bring them into the house.  Because if I wait until I get into the house to grab the scissors, I'll say, "Now why did I need these scissors?"  You know that drill.

These are Eden roses (one of my favorites) that I planted about two years ago. I wanted to train them to grow along the picket fence.  And I think they've mastered it!  This time last year, I think there were about seven blossoms.  As of Saturday night, I think there's now about 100!  Enrique apparently knows how to use a bag of fertilizer.

Count all these buds!

This is another view.  I can hardly even see my fence anymore.

Here are a few of the roses clipped and placed into my thrift store finds in the dining room.

And in the downstairs bathroom.

This is one of my favorite vignettes.  I made the "stop and smell His roses" sign a few years back.  I love how the sun and the rain have given it it's chippy look.

Well, I just couldn't resist taking a few photos of the front yard and sharing them with you.  I haven't posted on this blog in awhile as I haven't done much of anything around the house to share with you.   However, I did submit photos of our home to Fifi O'Neil, the author/editor/photographer/stylist, and she'll be coming out in June to shoot our house as well as the homes of two other friends of mine.  That's pretty crazy 'cus we're all in love with her books and the magazines she writes for.  I told her I hope she captures my faith in our home.  Now that's what I want to see in a magazine!

And in case you're wondering about my new treatments, they kind of stink (not very "rosey").  The drug I'm on (Taxol) is appropriately named as it's quite taxing on my body.  I've had high fevers and muscle aches again.  Today was my third treatment (of way too many more to come) and we decided to hydrate my body for four days following each treatment which helped rid my body of the fevers and the pain in the past.  Praying it will do the job again this time.

What fun it was before to have cancer, not feel like it, go through treatment, and have not one side effect.  As my son likes to say, "good times."

  Funny story.  As I was having treatment this morning, the wife of a patient looks over at me after listening to the nurse and I talk.  After the nurse leaves, she says, "I have to ask what kind of cancer you have.  Because you're too young and too pretty to look like you have cancer."  I pointed out all of my wrinkles and my nice, new turkey neck and said, "Well, I think you need to take a closer look at my face and maybe get a new prescription for your glasses."  Here's to hoping that sweet, "blind" woman is there again next week!

Well, these new treatment days aren't filled with running all over town like they used to be, but for now, I'm up for simple things like walking outside and marveling at God's handiwork that is abundantly blooming in my front yard  -- with a little help from Enrique.