A roller-coaster Hello as Friday whooshes in!
My day started out quite lovely yesterday. I made an absolutely delish appetizer for my ladies lunch today. Here is a link to the recipe Artichoke
and Bean Crostini, if you're interested.
Lunch was a hoot and the potluck menu divine. Here's our happy little group.
Except for one who is still working full-time, these are all ladies who retired from the firm where I still work on occasion. Isn't it so fun that we worked together for 17 years and became and remain besties? We get together four times a year. One of the gals is a fellow card maker.
~~~
The Nest
When I got home, I went straight to check The Nest. Mama Bird was perched on one of the chains. I swear she look confused. She was just there for a second and then flew away. I took the opportunity to grab the camera and rushed outside while she was gone. I climbed up and peeked in. It was a horrible sight to see the nest was empty. I mean empty as in clean as a whistle.
I'm not entirely Polly Anna (pretty close), but I was hopeful and excited. Mister reminds me that their brains are wee and they'll quickly forget and make a new nest somewhere, but I still feel badly for poor Mama and Daddy Bird, who were being so attentive.
What is SO weird though is that there was otherwise not a hair out of place in the nest or with the basket or on the deck under the basket. The dried moss in these hanging baskets sheds very easily. I'm mystified as to how it was possible for another bird (squirrels are too big and clumsy) to do that kind of carnage and not leave a single fallen bit of moss or leaf? We'll never know.
Now that's this has happened, I realize that I never should have shared The Nest with you until after it had ended happily. Now we're all sad and I'm sorry to be the cause of that, but I had to let you know, of course. I appreciate the enthusiasm and interest you shared with me along the way.
~~~
So that you don't sign off with sadness, I made a card to share, which (besides for fun) is what we do to take our minds off stress or sadness, right? Well, besides eating. Oh, wait, that's a different blog! I headed to the Playhouse, looked up some challenges that were still going on, and I made this:
Below is a close-up so that you can see the stunning glossy patterned paper panel. The little birds, made from the Memory Box "Perched Reedbird" die, are also cut from shiny paper. It's all from my stash so I don't know the manufacturers. The sediment is SU! I made their little bows out of dental floss.
~~~
I'm entering my card in the following challenges (with apologies to the challenge teams for the abbreviated links, but this is getting too long):
A Blog Named Hero ~ my first time here! ~ "Clean and Simple"
CAS on Sundays ~ "Pastel Pretties"
Enjoy your day! No, seriously, enjoy. LITS*!
Thank you so much for stopping by the Playhouse. Special thanks to you if you take the time to leave a comment or join as a follower!
Thank you so much for stopping by the Playhouse. Special thanks to you if you take the time to leave a comment or join as a follower!
*Life Is Too Short!
46 comments:
Good morning Darnell. So sorry about the birdies but that's nature unfortunately. Lovely photo of your lunch ladies- how nice to keep in touch like that. Love the card as well.
Hi Darnell, a roller coaster of a post here! What a wonderful get together you had with your ex "workies". Sad to hear about the baby birds :( but what a wonderful card to end on, tied up with dental floss bows :) !! Cathy x
Oh, Darnell, that is such a sad thing! But, I like how you turned it into a beautiful card and shared it with us!
Clever to use floss!
~~Nicole~~
Lovely photo of the ladies( are you in the pic??). So sorry about the birdies, very sad, we had a similar 'incident'a few years ago.Lovely card though , just love those cute birdies. Have a great weekend :)hugs Viv xx
Oh, Darnell, that is too bad about the nest :( I totally don't accept your apology, btw - I love that you shared the whole thing, even if it ended sadly this time. Those were sweet magical little critters with awesome hairdos!
How cool is that to have such a group? I'm loving that gal's rainbow jacket :) And, dental floss? Very clever! That stuff is STRONG.
Hi Darnell, oh, that's sad about the nest.
I love your card, cute birds and what a great idea to use dental floss for the bows.
Thank you for sharing your fabulous photo. You all look gorgeous!
Sue xx
Oh Darnell, I am so sorry too! How very sad - nature can be so cruel at times. We have to watch the Heron go after little chicks on the pond - so very sad. But, I do love your gorgeous card and what a clever idea to use floss.
I love the pic of you and your besties - really love how yous shoes match your beautiful jacket! Big hugs, Annie xx
I love your pretty bird card darnell - so sweet and pretty:) Sorry to hear about the babies as they were so darn cute - hugs xx
So sorry for the birds-nature is sometimes verry cruel to all.
You made a gorgeous sorry card,
hugs Tamara
Now Iv'e heard everything! Dental loss indeed. Very imaginative ! Might just use that idea Lol . Hugs Mrs a.
Hi there...Sorry to read that the little birdie babies are gone. Nature is so cruel. When I was in the Netherlands my Aunt & I watched (from an upper floor balcony looking over trees) a Herron sitting in her next & trying to protect her eggs from 3 large blackbirds. Her mate seemed to be nowhere. She was screeching and trying to attack them while sitting, but as soon as she moved one of the 3 would try to get into her next or attack her. It went on for hours, I was almost in tears, I so badly wanted another bird to come to her rescue but it didn't happen (only in Disney movies I guess). The next day, the Herron was gone and we assumed so were her eggs. At some point she was going to have to leave the nest for food I would think.
Sorry for the ramble... I love your birdie card and the dental floss is genius! Have a great day, Shirleyx
She was sitting in her nest, not next... geez fumble fingers... xx
So sad to hear about the birds. Your sweet sympathy card to mom and dad bird is gorgeous - "beauty from ashes".
Looks like a fun group of ladies and that's great that y'all all still keep in touch.
SO sad about the baby birds but gues that's just part of the "nature" thing. The birds on your card however are fabulous! Love the shine to them and the dental floss is a fantastic idea!
Lynn
OH NO ~ those poor little babies. I know it's the cycle of nature or is that the circle of life? But it's still SAD. I love the sweet little card you made for mama and papa bird. And thanks for the pretty picture of your friends, looks like a fun bunch ;)
Poor babies - so, so sad! Lovely ladies - so, so special! You're blessed to have such a tightly-knit group of friends. I can only imagine the stories, shenanigans and sheer joy of companionship you share when together. Your card - sweet, charming and thoughtful! Wonderful for the challenges, and wonderful "just because"! Hope you're having a fantastic Friday!
c
Love your card Darnell. That die is one of my favorites and I need to get it out and use it more. Thanks for the inspiration and so sorry to hear about the little baby birdies. :(
Have a wonderful weekend.
Oh that is so sad about the little baby birds. And poor Mama. I think your sweet card is a lovely tribute to these guys - and it's gorgeous. I love the subtle embossing and the softness that the cards exudes! Beautiful!
What a wonderful photo of you and your gals.....love your shoes match your outfit (why would I think otherwise??? lol) and the recipe looks divine. You already know my feeling about the poor little birdies but absolutely love that you've made a card that obviously matched your thoughts. Gorgeous b/p and birds but fantabulous that you made their bows out of dental floss - only you". Beautiful dahlias in the photo....presumably in your "yard"? Mine are only just showing tentative signs of waking up!
Have a wonderful weekend with Mister.
Hugs.
Karen x
So sad about the birdies! Sounds like a cat! I have 3 of them, so I know what they are like!
Your pretty card is perfect!
Isn't it grand when you make friends at work?!! That's the way it is at my office and I just love going in every day!
Sorry about the babies! It's a wonder there are so many birds. Seems like it's hard for them to make it to adulthood. They were so cute! I'm glad you shared them with us. And didn't break a leg getting the pictures! Love this card! Pretty shiny cardstock. I have some of that tucked away. I'd forgotten until I saw these pretty birds.
Love your card....so sad to hear about about the birdies!
Darnell, looks like you and all your besties had a wonderful time from all the smiles! I am so sorry to hear about your backyard birdies, so sad, but what a beautiful card you made in honor of them. Your bird die is just so sweet and makes for a very lovely card.
Yes, I did cry! Can't help it...I'm a terrible baby when it comes to animals. I feel so bad for mommy & daddy bird and I can't help but wonder if they feel loss like we do!
End result is sad but I'm still so glad that you shared the pics with us. Your beautiful cards are a fine tribute to ma & pa for their hard work.
Birdie loss aside, it looks like you gals had a fun time. Going to try your recipe out next week :)
I am so sorry that the baby birds were lost. But I am glad that you were able to channel your emotions into a card-making session. Your card is delicate and lovely.
What a lovely happy picture 'all girls together' as they say. I was so enjoying your posts and pictures of the baby birds, I feel really sad to read they are no more.You have captured the moment so well in your card it is very sweet, love it.
Hope you have a lovely weekend.
Hugs Lottie
Love your card...hate that the nest was violated!!! Not your fault, though. Hugs to you and hopes for a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!
Nooooo! How sad for the mama bird! I have never had that happen with the hummingbirds. One was hanging upside down by one tiny ( foot) .I put a glove on and flipped him back in. I think the bird liked be after that!
Your card is very sweet, is this for the mama and papa bird! I'm sorry but it just made me smile.
Looks like a fun group and so nice that you all get together!
That's so sad about the babies. They are so much fun to watch. Too bad you can't send your sorry card to the mama and daddy birds. (wink)
Lunch with ladies, *sigh*. How fun for you! Next month, it's Jen & me to lunch and Archivers. The circle of life came round for the babies. If it's any consolation, our mama and papa robins are feeding little ones in nest like crazy! The must be growing fast and well. Your card is a sweet tribute, and is quite lovely. Have a great long weekend. Bev
Wonderful bird card and creative use of the dental floss! Thanks for playing along with us at A Blog Named Hero.
Such a pretty card, and such a sad story about the bird's nesting in your plant :( It wasn't your fault - it's the balance of nature unfortunately.
that's a great photo of your chums, and just look at all those happy faces!
Enjoy your holiday weekend!
Oh, I'm so sorry to hear about the real birds :( This is why I stopped watching nature specials on PBS - too depressing. But on a happy note, your little homage to our feathered friends is just perfect!
So sad about the babies...but your card in their honor is beautiful!
Glad you were able to get together with you friends...great pic!
Darnell, it is sad, but truly part of nature. I would suspect another bird raided the nest. My husband and I watched a blue jay family build two years in the same place. We became so involved in watching and photographing them. The first year the mother abandoned the nest. The second year 5 babies survived and flew. This year we bought a video camera so we could do a ustream of the nest. Well guess what...they moved their nest and there is nowhere to set the camera without disturbing the parents...there is always next year. Isn't nature wonderful, exciting and sometimes sad.
Oh,Happy and sad in this post Darnell-so sorry the little babies didn't make it-nature sure can be so very cruel at times :( xx
So glad you had a lovely time with your friends-you can just feel the love and laughter oozing from out of that lovely photograph :)
And a gorgeous card too-love those little birdies-i'm sure Momma bird would approve of your lovely card :)
Have a great weekend Darnell-im glad you approve of my efforts at "tweaking" on my little Blog-i am NOT computer minded and was sooo scared that in the click of a button it would all be gone eeeek !!
Nessa xxxxx
Hello Darnell, I saw your card on the blog of Cas On Sunday and my curiosity was piqued ;) so I paid a visit to your blog. What I saw I liked very much, and I decided to follower to be with you so I'm going to miss. Nothing of all the beauty that you make Until next time, to blogs. Greetings Yolanda B)
Your beautiful card is a loving tribute to the little birdies...I was so taken by the design and your story. Keep your eyes wide open for the next adventure Nature and its Creator have for you!!!
So sad about the little birds, lets hope they come back and soon have little chicks and a happy ending. Love the card, the colours are gorgeous. So glad you had a happy time with your ladies, you look a lovely bunch! xxx
Oh no Darnell, and I left a comment yesterday hoping they would stay safe... i should have read this post first!!! Nature is so cruel but like you say Mum and dad will learn from it and start again :0)
Sweet card and I can see where your inspiration came from :0)
Jenny x
Congrats on your CAS on Sunday win!! (I know it doesn't make up for the empty nest.)
Big congrats, Darnell, on the COS win!
This is such a pretty card! I love the clean lines of it and the sweet little birds you've added! Thanks for joining us at Freshly Made Sketches this week!
Oh so sorry to hear about your birds' loss. Nature can be very cruel... on the other hand, I really loved your MB birds...they were so pretty with the embossing strip you had. TFS
Hi Darnell, I see you've won with this beautiful card at Cas On Sunday, a deserved winner! Congratulations on your first prize. Greetings Yolanda B)
What a sweet card. And, perfectly CAS. Thanks for entering our challenge at A Blog Named Hero! Love your work.
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