Summer So Far

Hope you're having a great summer, so far.  Last week, our girl worked at a Summer XP club (half-days) with other teens from our church, so I had a busy week of getting her there & back each day.  Let me tell you... that made the week FLY by!

This week, she is on a high school church youth group discipleship trip to Estes Park, Colorado.  I don't mind telling you that I'm a little jealous.  The pictures that everyone is sharing are incredible.  I'm so excited for the relationships that they will be building, first and foremost with the LORD!

Back here at home, things are moving a little slower, and I'm trying to catch up, and get some things in order. Nothing major -- just stuff that get overlooked, and piles up or gets backlogged!

I recently read (and have heard before) that though this is the most photographed generation, people don't print photos as much as they used to.  Kind of makes me want to go on tour to promote Project Life - LOL. Speaking of which... I am caught up on my scrapbooks through Memorial Day weekend of this year.  So, one of the things that I need to work on is PRINTING photos that bring me up to date, and getting them in the scrapbook.

The other day, I purchased the Project Life "Fine & Dandy" core kit.  On the way home, I happened to think that there was some kind of contest related to this kit.  Later, I looked through the kit to see if I could find any indication, and was happy to see a golden ticket smiling up at me.  It entitles me to a limited edition value kit. What a nice surprise!

As I write this, it's raining.  Again.  Did I mention that it rained the entire week of the first Summer XP?  They worked around it, but still.  At this point, I'm getting kind of anxious for vacation.  I'd like to experience rain in another state, at the very least.  Ha!  How's that for positive thinking?  Seriously though, we always say that even if the weather doesn't cooperate for vacation, we are just happy to have a change of scenery and be in a place that we love.  Storms are always more interesting at the beach anyway!

Well, that's all for now.  Back to work!

Hope it's sunny wherever you are.

Expectations

I am not a high-maintenance, demanding kind of girl.  Ask my hubby, and he may disagree with you on any given day -- but for the most part, I think he knows he's spoiled.

Years ago, while still working full-time in an office setting, I witnessed a co-worker putting in a call to her spouse to ask where her birthday flowers were.  I was young, and unmarried at the time, but still... my thought was, if he's doing it because she TOLD him to, then... what's the point?  Shouldn't it come from his heart... his intentions?  I vowed right then not to be "that" wife when my time came.

Fast forward to now.  On Saturday, my hubby and I spent the day pulling weeds in our garden.  Sitting back to appreciate our work, we decided that rather than spend money on gifts for Mother's Day, Father's Day, and our June birthdays, we would put the cash towards... are you ready?

MULCH.

You heard me.

I am fully aware that sometimes I can be so practical (and okay, CHEAP), that I suck the fun right out of things.  We're not big on FUSS around here.

But MULCH?  Well, we're hoping that it will be the gift that keeps on giving.  Meaning:  we won't have to weed again soon -- or at least, as often.  (Stay with me here.)  This will give us more time to sit back and enjoy our yard.

And actually, there is much to enjoy.  Our garden is filled with beautiful flowers.  I've been posting pictures on Instagram of the flowers we enjoy.  But, what you can't see on Instagram is the weeds.  Because... you know... I am crafty in how I take my pictures.  *wink*  Because of my craftiness, an Instagram-following friend thought I had a wonderful garden.  It kind of made me sad to tell her that was really not the case... anymore -- that we'd gotten a little lazy in our weeding.

I became inspired.  Time to whip the garden back into shape (the way my friend may envision it) so that it really DOES look wonderful... for the big picture!  *wink*  MULCH, my friends, is a part of that plan.

Sometimes changing your expectations about something (in my case, gift-giving & receiving) can open up all new possibilities.

Have you adjusted any of your summer-time expectations recently?  It might make all of the difference in how you enjoy your summer-time experience.

Last year, I adjusted my expectations about what it meant to eat outdoors most summer evenings -- and about what things needed to "look like" in order to pull that off.   You can read about it HERE.

Summer will be here officially in a matter of days.  In the meantime, I'm pretending!

First Bloom ~ Hibiscus

Yesterday was the day.  I sat at the kitchen table eating my breakfast, and I saw it -- the Hibiscus' first bloom!  Looks like there are plenty more where this came from, and I'll try and catch pictures of those too, but couldn't resist showing you this shot!

Have a great weekend!  ~Sally

Summer Reading... A Really Slow Start

These days, I find that I do much of my reading on-line, reading blogs.  It's completely different that the page-turning reading of yesterday (my never-will-I-read-an-ebook daughter just squirmed a little), but it's satisfying in a completely different "give me the answers I need right now" kind of way.

Before our early summer vacation, my daughter read The Fault In Our Stars by John Green.  She went on and on about it, and recommended it to me as a vacation read -- so I took it along to the beach.

It's hard to read about cancer...  [no disrespect to those of you who are dealing with it] and it was doubly-hard for me to read about teenagers with cancer.  I like my reading to be an escape of sorts, so this book wasn't for me.  Several chapters in, I closed it, never to return.  Left my daughter speechless, I think.  Left me without a book at the beach.

~~~~~

NEXT:

My sister-in-law and her family lived in Germany for a short span.  When she arrived home, she discovered that her body would not tolerate anything "wheat" without reactionary hives.  Having some... reactionary issues in recent years, I was interested to hear what she had to say on the subject.  Her thought was that in the U.S., our wheat is processed differently, rendering it inedible to some -- unless with consequences.  That made me sit up and listen.

While we were at the beach this year, I stumbled upon an interesting title in our favorite book store on the island.  Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis.  I know, right?  What a title.  You might say it made me look!  In addition, there is a companion cookbook -- which gave me hope in case this was the road I must travel.

Since then, I have come to the un-scientific conclusion that my issues may be more about SOY.  I'm sure there's a book out there somewhere about that subject matter as well.  So far, I'm just avoiding soy -- which shows up mostly in the form of soy sauce in my favorite dishes.  Of course.  Needless to say, Wheat Belly has been put on the back burner.  It was interesting... but kind of heavy reading.  Glad I borrowed it from the library... and waited on the cookbook.

~~~~~

NEXT:

I wish I could tell you who recommended the next book.  It was a blogger, for sure -- and perhaps one that I visited via the Beauty That Moves "This Week In My Kitchen" blog hop.  The book?  A Homemade Life (stories and recipes from my kitchen table) by Molly Wizenberg, the creator of Orangette (a blog).  At last, an enjoyable summer read.

From the back book-flap:

"...Molly Wizenberg recounts a life with the kitchen at its center.  From her mother's pound cake, a staple of summer picnics during her childhood in Oklahoma, to the eggs she cooked for her father during the weeks before his death, food and memories are intimately entwined..."

~~~~~

My favorite read by far, though, has been our new scrapbooks.  I don't think I realized how much I missed having current scrapbooks that recount all of our family adventures.  Since the first week of July, I have completed just over two years in my Project Life albums.  {I now have two albums.}  I'm not sure, but it's possible that people see me coming, and run the other way for fear I will try to convert them.  LOL.  I'm just sayin'... I am a HAPPY CAMPER!!  By the time winter hits, I will be able to curl up under a blanket with scrapbooks that bring me almost up to the minute!  Yep.  Happy Camper indeed!

What have been your best summer reads this summer?

Flutter By, Butterfly!

The other morning, I stared out the kitchen window at our back yard.  I love our back yard.  I love how over the years it has become enclosed by green.  I won't try to pull the wool over your eyes... there are weeds, and plenty of them.  But, there are also little areas that we've planned out and nurtured -- like the trio of Cleveland Pear trees that we planted strategically so that we couldn't see into our neighbor's yard... long before the trees were tall enough to block anything.  These days, the healthy leaves provide a beautiful screen!

And then there were the butterfly bushes... another trio.  Two white, and one a shade of purple.  I always knew they attracted butterflies to our yard, but I never realized how much -- until this year.  You see, last winter was the last straw for our butterfly bushes.  They made no appearance this year.

... and neither did the butterflies!  I thought about the fact that it was early July, and I hadn't seen one butterfly in our yard this year!  Not one.  I made a mental note that those butterfly bushes had to be replaced.

Hours later, I stood at the same window preparing dinner, and couldn't believe my eyes!  A beautiful butterfly was fluttering around my pot of marigolds.  Marigolds are a humble flower, but one that will always be beautiful to me.  I recall styrofoam cups of marigolds each Mother's Day -- a gift that the church Sunday school department helped us prepare for our moms.  And then, as a young wife and mom, I remember planting marigolds because they were easy, and hearty, and dependable for a new gardener.

I guess I'm a little sentimental about marigolds!

Even today, they do not disappoint.  My hubby planted a big pot of them on our patio, and it was there that this fluttering beauty decided to land for a photo shoot.  I would've dead-headed the flowers for you, but I wasn't sure the butterfly would wait.  I knew you'd understand.  *wink*

Just Showing Off!

By far, the biggest show-off in our garden this year is a $5 mid-summer addition --this Purple Queen Bougainvillea!  Since we just planted it this summer, we didn't necessarily expect any big show of color, so we were really happy when we saw how quickly it adapted and thrived!  This baby can grow to 15' tall if supported. Next year, we will definitely need a trellis, as it will have the entire growing season in this spot, which obviously suits it just fine!

I love the color.  It's not really purple, and not quite fuchsia pink -- but somewhere in between.  The flower petals are veined, much like a leaf, and they are delicate, yet strong.  In fact, I haven't seen any blooms fail yet.

Interestingly enough, we also purchased a Bengal Orange Bougainvillea which has yet to see a flower -- and it's planted a mere two feet away from the purple one!  Go figure.  Though it's very healthy, it hasn't produced a bloom yet, so I'm anticipating a show next summer.

Are you enjoying any garden surprises as we head into fall?

Today's the last day to enter the giveaway HERE.

The winner will be revealed THIS SATURDAY, 9/21.

Time for Some Lemonade! (and a Giveaway!!) [WINNER!]

Well, it's the last week of summer.  I intend to soak in every ray of sunshine and enjoy every drop of lemonade, every flower, every last tomato in the garden-- and that lone Bell pepper that's still hanging in there, too!  It's been a good summer.  With a working son, and a daughter now in public school, I feel like we appreciated this summertime at home perhaps more than any other year.  School is back in session, yes -- but I'm still thinking about all of the memories we made this summer.

Pull up a chair, enjoy a glass of pink lemonade with me, and let me share what else I've got up my sleeve today!

Do you know this girl?

If you spend any time here on this blog, you already know that I love Sasha @Lemonade Makin' Mama... I haven't been able to hide that much.  She is one of my favorite bloggers, and has become a sweet friend as well. I love her decorating style and all of her sweet party ideas!  She is one crafty mama!  My goodness, did you see the white deer head that she recently created?  This girl's got talent!

Speaking of talent, Sasha's Etsy shop is a great outlet for her talents, and that's what our GIVEAWAY is all about today.  After taking a summer break, Sasha is re-opening her shop TODAY, and she'd like to give one of my readers a print from her shop (winner's choice).  Squeal!  I am so excited for you!

To enter to win, check out all of the new prints at Sasha's shop HERE.  Leave a comment on this post, or on my Facebook page HERE, letting me know which print you would choose if you win.  Simple as that.  The giveaway ends Friday, and on Saturday, THIS POST will be updated with the winner's name, so stop back to see if you've won!!!

Also, for those of you who have been waiting for Sasha's Ball Jar Towels to return to the shop, here's a coupon code -->  SALLY10  --> which will be good for 10% off anything in the shop.

[OFFER GOOD: 9/16- 9/23/13]

l

Let's raise our lemonade glasses...
Here's to Summer '13 [*clink], and going out with a bang!

And the winner is:

This giveaway is now CLOSED, but the discount code is good until Monday!

Hanging On By My Fingernails

Today is supposed to be a hot one.  Have I mentioned that it's still summer?  Yep, until September 22 when I will officially give way to fall.  Until then, I am still burning summer fragrances -- though this one might be more like stretching spring...  But you get my meaning.  The real-thing lilacs may be long gone, but the birds are singing like crazy, and we're not closing doors, locking windows, or battening down the hatches just yet.  Not only have I not broken out any fall fragrances yet... I haven't even purchased any.  So there, fall.

Let the lilacs reign supreme until the first day of autumn!

Summer is Winding Down

Whether I like it or not, it's true.  Summer is winding down.  We've had a bumper crop of Roma tomatoes over the past week from our few plants.  The sun is still hot, and the next few days promise warm temps according to the weatherman, so I'm hoping the "greenies" still on the vine will have time to ripen before a fall chill sets in.

I'm hanging on for dear life.  To summer that is.  Not one to pretend, I won't tell you that there is anything that indicates fall in our home.  Not yet.  Unless my computer screen is lit with Pinterest.  I mean, I am taking notes folks!  *wink

In the meantime, it's time to use up the ripe tomatoes.  I took some to Mom & Dad's the other day where Dad was glad to sample one like an apple.  I told him I'm not sure about the texture of these.  I don't believe my hubby has ever chosen Roma's before, and they aren't as enjoyable (to me) to eat as is.  I've read that they are better as a canning/sauce tomato.  Next year, we'll chose differently, I think -- since we don't do canning and homemade sauce around here.

In the meantime, I made some Black Bean Salsa -- one of our favorites.

Are things winding down in your garden?

Drink It In

Oh, drink it in.
The last few days of summer vacation.

Not to be confused with the last few days of SUMMER.
Please.  Let's not rush things.

Life is good.

What's Up? Maters!

Well, it looks like it's any day now for our Roma tomatoes.  Several of them are right on the edge of being fully-ripe.  I can't wait for BLT's with our own tomatoes!

On the other hand, it doesn't look so good for the Bell peppers this year.  I've taken a few pictures of them, and each time I return to find that the tiny pepper has been gobbled up.  The one in the picture below?  Gone.  (Sad face!)  We use a lot of peppers around here, and chili season is almost upon us as well -- so, you know... there's that.  But, it doesn't look like we'll be using our own peppers this year.

I'm blaming the groundhogs that we've seen around here lately.  That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.

What's Up -- and What's for Dinner?

I see great things for our family in the future.
You probably can too, if you look close enough.

For starters, I see Stuffed Peppers and Bacon-Cheese Dreams -- two of my favorites!

These green Bell Pepper and Roma Tomato plants came back from the edge.  We bought them in the very early spring, knowing full well that there were still frosts to come.  And sure enough, one of the late spring frosts zapped them pretty good.  We thought they were goners.  But somehow, they made it back from the edge that we thought they had gone over.

Here they are today.  The pepper is moving along slower than the tomatoes, but seriously?  Who could've known there would be this much green in their future?

Are you growing veggies in your garden this summer?

If so, which ones?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Vee's note card parties are the best.  The ladies that participate are a sweet and responsive community unlike any other blog-partiers that I've ever partied with.  Thank you, ladies... not just for your kind comments about my note card photos, but also for your kind wishes of sunshine & happiness for this weekend's graduation party.

God has assured me that it's all under control!

I'll tell you all about it on Monday.  (As if I could wait any longer.)

A Funny Thing Happened On the Way... to Making Scones!

I've mentioned that I'm not a blueberry fan -- and when I wrote it, I meant it.
My idea of delicious blueberries were the little blueberry nuggets in Jiffy Blueberry Muffins.
NOT the real thing.  There's just something about the texture of the skin that gets to me.

And then...

I was making Blueberry Lemon Oat Scones, and I popped a frozen blueberry into my mouth.

Guess what?  In frozen form, I can get past the texture of the skin, and enjoy the sweet deliciousness.

So, it's official!

I love frozen blueberries!  They are the perfect summertime snack food.

What's Up? 7.15

Black-Eyed Susans and Northern Sea Oats!

Around here, blossoming Black-Eyed Susans come around the time of our son's birthday.  Generally, they are open within a week of his day -- one way or the other.  Also, they sort of mark the half-way point of summer.   Hmmmm, let's just go with the birthday thing.  I'm not ready to think of summer as half-spent quite yet.

One of the things that I love about Black-Eyed Susans is how they unfurl.  Those petals get so twisted up.  It's hard to believe that they won't stay all knarly.

For a while, we really let these flowers take over the long stretch of garden at our back lot line.  You know who loved that?  The goldfinches.  We had a feeder back there amongst the flowers, and it was their happy place. You should've heard them sing!

Since then, we've thinned that area out a lot as we've acquired other plants.  It's been fun to see where the birds and squirrels have seeded the Black-Eyed Susans though!  They show up all over the yard when we KNOW that we haven't planted them there!

Since we started vacationing in The Outer Banks years ago, we've admired the many varieties of seagrasses that grow there.  This variety is called Northern Sea Oats.  We came across it late last year.  It did "okay" last year, but it didn't really thrive.  Actually, I kind of forgot all about it.  It's planted right next to our Oriental Poppies, so it could've really gotten lost in the shuffle.

One day in the early spring, I happened to spot something that (though not very big) looked established and healthy.  I happened to think of the Sea Oats, and left it alone.  Sure enough!  It came back.

I'm anxious to see how it changes when we move into autumn weather, but I'm not wishing the time away -- trust me.  I'm enjoying this beautiful show of green.  It's right outside my kitchen window, and I love to watch it sway in the breeze!

So, how about you?  What's up at your house?

P.S. For those of you who have been praying... the Chicago Team (and our girl) made it home safely Saturday evening!  We are so grateful to God for his watchful eye over this group of kids, and their leaders -- and for the things they were able to accomplish in HIS NAME last week!

Daisy, Daisy

Give me your answer, do.

I shouldn't even admit I know the lyrics to that song.
Hold on a minute.  [Google check.]
It was written in 1892.
Ya'll  KNOW I'm not that old.
Still.  Admitting that I know that song makes me feel old.

Did I ever tell you about the great "shows" that the choir used to put on at the church I attended as a child?  My parents were in the choir.  My sister and I were at most rehearsals, and every concert -- often participating with the junior choir or in family numbers with our parents.  There was a theme for The Show every year.  This is why I know a lot of old songs, including but not limited to Broadway favorites!  [i.e. "I'm My Own Grandpa" -- just sayin'.]

Anywho... back to daisies.

I told you a little bit about my daisies HERE, and I thought I'd follow up.  How are my daisies doing, you ask? {Thank you for asking.}  They're doing great.

They are open, and healthy, and in a great big huge bunch.  But none of you responded with information about dead-heading.  That's okay, I know you're busy.  So, I did another Google search [I know, you're so surprised] and found THIS collection of helpful comments.  Now, I am torn.  To deadhead, or NOT to deadhead?  (I wouldn't mind a few more daisies around the yard!)

To the left of my beautiful daisy plant is another [possible?] daisy plant [in sad shape and not growing] that somehow ended up in the middle of an ant hill.  Nice, huh?  Again, I am torn.  Give the plant up for lost?  Kill the ants?  Move the plant?  [Will that expand said ant hill to another location?] 

I'm pretty sure I know what I'm going to TRY.  Please don't scold me.  The hill is growing and becoming a nuisance!!  I'll keep you posted.