Ok … its whup me with a wet noodle time….  Someone gave me an award on July 25th and I seem to have forgotten to mention it somewhere along the way….

Called   Sharing the Love

Excerpt below….. see my name… oh shame ….shame on me….

“IF I AM A FREQUENT VISITOR AT YOUR PLACE, THIS AWARD IS FOR YOU! And when I play catch up, I’m gonna tell you to come pick it up, okay JO, both of you, Mima and Lee…San and David, Jeff and Hadriana, Brenda and Wanda, Cassie and Joan, Pam and Christine, Sophie and Carol, Donna, Lib, Cowgirl and Jamie Dawn, Terri, Abbie and Jeff B. ,Sandy and Sandy and oh yes did I say Wanda? How about Allison? just all of you,”

I was actually going to do a write up on this person anyhow because her blog is chock full of interesting tidbits … she has some of the funniest stories I have ever read….   she gets you laughing about HOW TO CALL THE POLICE WHEN YOU ARE OLD AND CANT MOVE FAST ANYMORE…..   shootouts on trips to England? ….. Cats for President.?… and just neverending all around MAXINE FUN….

I am of course referring to Sand McBride…. http://www.SandiMcBride.blogspot.com  

So at least 50 lashes for me…  just make sure the noodles are al dente first please so it doesn’t hurt too much…. 

Now for those of you who love Faeries….  here is a website with one of the most outstanding and abslolutely stunning mosaic faerie houses you will ever see…… please visit Michelle and be filled with true childlike wonder…… Below are photos of this lovely but there is so much more FANTUBULOUSNESS that Michelle does …… check out her gardens and website…. big WOW factor

Isnt this just the most whimsical …amazing faerie house you hae ever seen?

These pics here dont even show the tremendous detail of it all and I believe she has added a few more neat little things to the house since then and there are a few more pics on her site…

Michelle….  http://www.MosaicQueen.typepad.com  

Ok my friends…. you know how you see those big signs on TV that say… DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!…  well heed my words on this one…DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!  or anywhere else for that matter….

Alas… I havent spoken much about this… a few people know that I have a broken foot that has plagued me and pained me for quite some time now…. I need an operation to correct the matter ( had just seen an orthopedic surgeon Thursday who wants to schedule me for a cat scan and an MRI because this has gone on far too long and is healing improperly) …. which is another story in itself  …….. I will not….. at this time…… bore you with all those details…. however as a result of this… I am unable to wear shoes and the break/fracture is at the bottom of the foot on the ball joint under the big toe….I have over compensated in the way I walk on it and have some problems because of this…. so …the other night ….. I decided I would take a leap down the stairs ….. 

No ….. I didnt literally leap on purpose…. goodness no….

however….. 

What happened was…..  I stepped on the foot…… right on the worst area of the break/fracture as I was going down the stairs about 6:00 am (morning person I am not)  ……….this sent a downright AWFUL….most EXCRUCIATING……. pain….. shooting all the way up my foot and calf to my hip…. so needless to say when that happened… I reacted pulling my leg up …. lost my footing….missed several steps as I came back down on it ….. went sliding on my arse on several steps… then tumbled from the landing down a few other steps… flipping over as I did… sliding across those and basically landed face first on the floor…. Now my guardian angel decided to catch me because I landed that face on a blanket that someone had decided to remove from their car and left in the hallway….. 

Of course I immediately went to the Emergency room and was pretty much x-rayed from head to toe….   I am banged up …  sore ….. didn’t break anything… sore…  

 I did bruise my rib cage and the sternum….

 my muscles…. oh my…. feels  as if I excercised for 24 hours straight…….  but I truly am ok… will take a little while to heal…..  so they have given me some pretty strong pain medication…. I do ask forgiveness if I dont blog for a while….  or if I dont comment for a while…  I do ask that perhaps if you read some rambling silly stuff on your blog that you dont laugh too hard as it could be the medication that made me do it…. yeah  thats a good thing to blame it on….. also… if you notice that someone is lingering on your page or blog for hours…. dont worry it might be me….  I have had this bad habit of falling asleep with the computer in my lap for hours on end…

So …. I have had enough excitement to last me a little while anyhow…

PS… ANY MISPELLINGS…. BLAME IT ON THE MEDS  !! hehe

CIAO FOR NOW

AND

HUGS TO ALL

JO

 Isn’t this a fabulous piece of art?  More on this later… but first…

I love nature…  I love the woods….. the birds… the trees…. little froggies… and all that other wonder that comes with being outdoors and making discoveries…

While doing some tree trimming the other day… I found these two beautiful nests …  what amazes me about them is all the neat little goodies that go into the building of this sweet “home”… even the sense of style …. yes I did say that as you will soon see why…  the thought and technique in making something that will protect their families from the elements as we protect ours …. their shelter,,,,, and…. 

Just as we do…. when we are decorating…  apparently….. these little fellows like a bit of color too….

This is what I found in one of the nests… the other had a paler shade of blue but it fell off somewhere along the way when I went to bring it up to the porch

And we thought people were the only ones who were talented …. inspirational ….. creative ……

Next …. I was doing what I actually said I was going to do last week…cleaning up the workshop…..and imagine my  surprise and excitement when I found this in one of the boxes marked garden…

It takes a while to get a pot to grow moss like this… so needless to say … I was thrilled and I am nurturing it ….. watering it….. cultivating it…  constantly…. how it survived like that for more than two years is beyond me … as it was in storage for one and a half  and then in my workshop for another  …I found it with some unopened potting soil and a few other pots…. someone else had packed this up for me when I moved from FL…   I would like to think that my workshop isnt that wet … perhaps it had started growing in FL and just kept on from there…..

Now on to that Wylde Woman …. that…. I am

This lovely award was given to me by Roxi…. of  Roxi designs…  I must say that I am flattered and humbled by all she said about me…. Roxi is busy working on her shop with several other creative artists and will be unveiling all for us to see soon… she makes lovely jewelry and other creative goodies… can’t wait to see what she is doing as she is quite talented and one of my Bliss Sisters….

I am going to post directly from Roxi’s blog on the rules and regs of this one… which are really easy….. the link to Roxi’s blog is http://www.Roxidesigns.blogspot.com 

“ My friend Debbie O awarded me this beautiful award the other day on her blog! The “Wylde Women Award” and beautiful artwork was created by Tammy Vitale.’

The sole purpose of this award is “To send love and acknowledgment to women who brighten your day, teach you new things and live their lives fully with generosity and joy.”

“I am going to give this award to Jo of Neereandear Creations. She is a very generous and giving person who is always ready to help a friend in need! Jo is also one of my favorite bloggers.”

 If you have someone who you would like to award here are the rules:

Introducing the Wylde Women Award to give to your favorite Wylde Woman blogger.

 Here are the rules:
1. You can give it to one or one hundred or any number inbetween - it’s up to you. Make sure you link to their site in your post.
2. Link back to this blogsite (http://http://www.tammyvitale.com//) (so Tammy can go visit all these wonderful women.
Purpose of the Award:

To send love and acknowledgement to women who brighten your day, teach you new things and live their lives fully with generosity and joy.
I would love to see this travel around the world!

Now I must say …I was fascinated by the art of Tammy Vitale… gifted …inspiring…  very different….  check out her blog for some of her work

So…here is the thing…. my lovely blog friends are all talented …giving ladies…. I wouldn’t call you blog friends if you werent… so I would have to name all of you which would take all day … …. however ….

I am going to award this to two ladies… who inspire me immensely through their courage …. humor …. strength …. and who truly live their lives with generosity and joy ….

Deena …  http://www.Deenasstory.blogspot.com … Not only has she chronicled the story of her battle with breast cancer …. and shown the world that bald is not only beautiful….. it’s downright gorgeous!!…. but she has taught me about bravery ….. and tremendous strength…. and through it all she has a website…  http://Theprimitivegathering.com  and several other blogs which you can find in her profile and is another Bliss Sister… a member of the Bliss Guild

Mimad…  http://www.Mimad.blogspot.com  ….. Mimad is my “soul” friend … she has multiple sclerosis and is confined to bed … she too has taught me of strength and most of all humor… she has never lost it ….  These two ladies are true testatments that its not whats on the outside but the inside that counts… a lesson I believe we often times forget…..

And to two others who have inspired my love of the written word….

Barbara…..  http://www.BarbaraJacksier.blogspot.com  …. which we all know as …..The Book Blog…  Barbara has taught me about ….   words…. not just words in books but also about words of encouragement…. and lots and lots of color….

KJ…. http://www.Eye-dyllic.blogspot.com  …. another one who teaches with words… literally … and all about silver linings… They truly do exsist….

These are just a few  …. some I have mentioned in other posts….. but truly I think that all of my blog friends have taught me something…. about sticking together …. about friendship …. about comraderie….  each has given me a little something of themselves…  each has a story to tell… each is a WYLDE WOMAN

Please feel free to pass this on to the WYLDE WOMEN in your life….. 

CIAO FOR NOW!

JO

First the hair stands on end…. she doesnt move ….but freezes in stone like position… ready to pounce…  watching with baited breath…. she moves towards her target……while it runs in a different direction….thinking it has found the perfect hiding place…..  ever so slowly she makes her move…knowing she… full well…. will protect her mommy from the evil that lurks in the darkness…

Alas … the culprit got away … but PJ puffed herself proudly for defending her turf ….now thats what I call determination

CIAO FOR NOW!!

JO

 ARTE Y PICO AWARD

            The meaning of this award is to acknowledge bloggers who are over the top in art…design… interesting….creative …..talented….. (back to this later)

This is a post about thanking those who have big giving hearts ….. its about the kindness of others…. not only for those who have touched me with their friendship but also about their willingness in helping me by reaching out to another…. so ….its kind of sappy in a way but hey I can be a sentimental old fool sometimes … along with being humbled by a lovely award that I received…

I will first start with this…. I have difficulty when someone sends me a gift in knowing a proper way to thank them…..mainly because I guess on some level … I am surprised that one would think of me in that respect enough to be so generous and wonder what I might have done to deserve something so thoughtful….. however, I know that it should be done …. for the most part … in the form of a hand written note… which I am afraid I am no good at…oh my writing a letter is not my forte hard as I might try…. so…  I would like to acknowledge them….. after this I want to thank some people who when I wrote to them about something very special came through with flying colors…. with kindness for another…. at the time I knew these people well… so if you werent emailed its not for any other reason than I may have just met you through blogging and didnt feel I should ask at that particular time…

And then on to an award…

First to these lovely ladies for the gifts bestowed upon me……

Ruth Welter…. for a lovely ceramic Rose bowl that she made herself… it will find a place of grace sitting on a table soon… http://www.artfulcreations.biz/

Kari and Kijsa….. for my bloglandia plaque that I keep close by to remind me of the wonderful friends I have made through this avenue of writing on the internet.   (don’t tell anyone but it follows me from room to room but thats between us)   … http://www.kariandkijsa.com/  

Gail McCormack….for a beautiful keychain and three beautiful cards all made from prints of her stunning original works  (the cards I plan to frame as they are quite lovely)… one day I shall own an original itself…. http://www.gailmccormack.com/ 

You must check out these sites as they are talented and beautiful ladies…

Next…

When I  was having my give away back in December/January (let me just say that adventure will be a whole post in itself and will be amusing I must say) …. but at that time one of the entries touched my heart deeply and though this person did not win … I enlisted several of my friends to help me in putting a smile on this persons face… I will not go into detail as the story is a sad one but not one of these people hesitated when I asked them to help me and two of them were all the way in Australia…. I cant think of a better way to say thank you….Each sent a special handmade gift that was in turn sent to someone who was going through a very difficult time….. the package had arrived at its destination back in March and I apologize that this is the first time I have said anything publicly but I wanted to wait a bit before I wrote about this… for the sake of the person involved… those who participated will understand and know why…..

In no particular order:

Natasha Burns…  http://www.natashaburns.com/ 

Jenn and Jacqui Hudson who we all know from the Bowerbirds Nest…

Ruth Welter…  http://www.artfulcreations.biz/ 

Dianne Schnidt…. http://www.petticoatjunction.typepad.com/  

Penny Carlson… http://www.lavenderhillstudio.com/ 

Kari and Kijsa… http://www.kariandkijsa.com/  

Your generosity and willingness to help is and will be appreciated by me for years to come

I must also thank these three people ….. I have been going through a very rough period for the past several months and have had a very odd but difficult situation that I have been dealing with and these three people have been my rocks in letting me vent and lending me a tremendous amount of support…

Cat Chambers….. http://www.shabbychiccatsgardencloseups.blogspot.com/  …..Ruth Welter and Gail Mc Cormack…. simply but not enough…. thank you

Now for my award… that was given to me by not one but two very lovely ladies…

Christi …. a fellow Bliss Guild sister whose talent is amazing and who writes some of the best articles I have read … she has two blogs and one will lead to the other…. http://www.Charmandgracecottage.blogspot.com 

Mima… a soul sister…. we are both Scorpios ….  November babies… Mima is someone who has a spirit and strength that amazes me … she is one you cant help but admire …..you will understand why when you read her blog….. she is honest and forthright in writing about her feelings and emotions… she is a doll…. http://www.mimad.blogspot.com  

I am honored….

Now this award has rules… but you have come to the wrong place for that because I dont follow the rules…   they are made to be broken  …. and I break them all the time… it gets me in trouble but that is a part of my free spirit…. cant hold me down to rules… so I pass this award first and foremost back to the ladies who bestowed it upon me and then to all my lovely friends I have met through blogland… you ALL deserve this award

HUGS

AND

CIAO FOR NOW!!!

JO

Wishing all a fabulous fourth…. a time to celebrate our indpendence…and be grateful to those who are defending our right to freedom!!  Enjoy your weekend!!

I will be closing the Tasha Tudor booklet below….Wednesday July 9th so if you have any friends who may be interested. in posting before it goes to the family ……. please let them know..Thanks

CIAO!!

JO

On June 18, 2008 the world lost one who has touched the lives and souls of many many people… Tasha Tudor passed at the age of 92…..you may think you dont know who she is and while you may not recognize her name … you will understand once I mention the book …..Mother Goose…  This was one of over one hundred books that Ms Tudor illustrated…  with fun …whimsical … fascinating drawings…. Her first being Pumpkin Moonshine

Mother Goose …….. a book that has been read to children the world over since they were knee high to a grasshopper… since 1945

Her legacy will live on for those of us who admired her work…. And for those who havent you can visit this website and I know you will recognize …perhaps something from your childhood…..that will make you smile …. and remember …… and know …. she blessed us with her talent…. it was her gift to us 

http://www.Tashatudorandfamily.com

If you are so touched by her please leave a comment here… as I am planning on making it into a booklet to send to her family….. I WILL LEAVE THIS POST UP FOR AT LEAST A WEEK IF NOT LONGER AND WILL WRITE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE WHEN IT IS CLOSED SO THAT THOSE OF US WHO HAVE FELT SHE WAS A PART OF OUR LIVES CAN BE INCLUDED  … ALL COMMENTS WILL BE PRINTED AND SENT TO THE FAMILY… I promise it will be lovely

HUGS

JO

Welcome….   While I dont have a garden per se…. I do have a small lovely outdoor area on my deck which is my garden du jour… at least to me anyway …. so pull up a chair and sit …. relax…. have a cuppa…. tea …coffee ….beverage of choice …. maybe a few  cookies and  enjoy my lovely array of flowers

We will start off with my bird bath … which is in a small patch of area in the back yard…

Since I really dont have one (a yard) …. I decided to take advantage of the small  lovely space so that I could watch the birds bathe and enjoy the coolness of the water…. they do have fun…. but it has been difficult to capture them splashing around as they book for the trees the second they see me with camera in hand…. they sure do have my number by golly….

I love ivy… and in my yard or what I have of a yard it is all over the place… climbing up the trees… all over the ground … and one of my favorite areas of all…. the garden planter below…

Now along with the ivy there may be a little something of interest … and if you look closely you may see a surprise visitor…. keeping cool  and “thinking” he’s cool … hiding in the shade of the leaves

One of the window boxes I hung on the railing of my deck

A little fleur de lis…

This little blue metal planter is one of my favorites…

I have several of these below hanging on the outside walls around the deck

A little bit of art…

Someone gave me this metal planter which I really love and I put some kind of creeping ground cover in it last year… it came back again this year… and I am sure it will drape and look lovelier and fuller as the summer progresses….

My Italian Garden is starting to fill out …. I added some annuals and a few perennials to the boxes.. and may do a bit more to them should I see something that strikes my fancy…

A little night shot….

My little friend here keeps watch over the garden and the deck…  He’s my bud…

View from my kitchen….

And a little side shot…

Can’t have a garden without a few flowers here and there and a surprise or two…

And lets not forget the rose… with all its fascinating colors…

What a knockout!!

What have we here?   A couple of dragon flies going for a carpet ride…

And no garden would be complete without herbs…   we have… Rosemary..

Chives….

Some oregano and thyme….  Love this idea… and yes I painted the design on the chair…. never did get around to putting the finials on the ends though…

More Thyme… and believe it or not… I forgot a picture of my sage… no parsley though

This is actually an iron planter on legs and I just added all kinds of things…. a bit of basil.. dill.. marjoram.. savory… oregano…   and once again… no parsley

A lovely view of the woods from my deck… so serene

And last but not least… no garden would be complete without this little creature to tear it all up…

I hope you enjoyed my tour…I have a lot more to show…   perphaps another day….. I will provide links below to Deenas  blog… she is one to admire … and is such an inspiration…

Since I am  not computer savy I have not figured out how to add the graphics and link for the click for the cure but Deena and many others have it on their side bars…. please click so others may receive a free mamogram if needed… and dont forget to visit all the other gardens… at…

WWW.DEENASSTORY.BLOGSPOT.COM 

Thank You All

CIAO!!

JO

I just wanted to show everyone what a miracle is all about …. someone close to me had an accident tonight ….  photo below…. so as not to compromise anything …. I cropped the picture … but that is the drivers side of the car… this person was amazingly not hurt…. how I dont know…although I dont think they will be feeling too well tomorrow…. this pic does not show the detail of how badly this car is dented in.. the car handle is broken in three pieces and the glass was blown out of the car window….  the back side door is bent open….but its so much worse in detail

So I apologize for not having my garden done as yet…it was a rough night….  I have to help take care of matters… insurance …. car replacement etc..

SO  forgive me for not having my garden pics up… just dont give up on me… please dont give up on me…. I will get there eventually

Stay safe my friends

HUGS TO ALL

CIAO!!

JO

An FYI update on the garden tour…. we have extended it all week to enable those of us who are a bit slow (like me) to get their pics up and enable everyone to have time to go through all the blogs that have signed up

PLEASE CHECK BACK SOON

Now….. in honor of my dad who is no longer with me…who would dance with me by putting  my feet on top of his so I could reach … who would sit me on his knee and sing to me …..and who I miss ….especially when times get tough and you want to run to daddy for a hug and kiss

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!

CIAO!!

JO

Dear Friends… this is a very special post…  my friend Deena who has been going through chemotherapy for cancer and just finished her last one….is having a virtual garden tour for the cure on June 15th…. below is an  excerpt from her blog with an explanation on what to do… I hope you will join me  … she is a beautiful person and this is such a fantabulous way to bring awareness to this great cause

Her link is at the bottom of this post where you will find a lot more information and  for those of you able to add links to your side bar she has provided them on her blog also

Saturday May 31, 2008

Garden Tour Event** BlogLand

I’ve been tossing this idea around all week
I want to host an online Garden Walk
hoping lots of bloggers will join.

I’d like each participants site to have the option
of clicking
to fund mammograms (at the left on my blog) Any donations to the Komen Foundation would have to be made by clicking HERE
I’d also like votes for the favorite garden
& the winning Garden gets a hand made journal from
my hands, with a lovely garden theme.

My dream is to SOMEDAY make this a local
event here in the Peoria Area with nearby gardens participating with the fee for admissions going to the Komen Foundation.

I’m tossing this out for you to get ready for now.
I’m hoping a virtual garden tour date 6/15/2008
so start taking pictures now..so we’ll have a variety of
blooms and greens to share.

Birds, butterflies, toads, bugs, wildlife and garden art
are desired too!

Add your blogspot to the Mr Linky below NOW
and add the banner to the side bar
Tell your BBFF too.

***You will add yourself to MR LINkie TOUR again after you post your tour
pictures on June 15th.
It will need the address to that POST.
I’ll be first on and show you how on June 15th***

I’d love to see
as many as we can join in.

As I work on getting it all ready.

Leave a comment on this blog , if you’ll join me!! PLEASE!!
you can even post pics of a neighbors garden if they
don’t blog.

JOYS

the sun is out
God gave me a focus
feeling a bit better each day
chemo is over for GOOD I pray
the idea of a “Nestle in the Garden ,Tour for the Cure”
the promise each new day brings
roses in bloom
Share your joys with us &
Please pray for all who suffer & are lost