Creative Chics

This is it. The first vegetable to come out of the garden. A small little booger isn’t it. Well let me tell you the rabbits that flirt around my gardens all day are definitely fat and happy. They keep eating my zucchini and bell pepper plants.  But maybe, just maybe, we’ll at least get some tomatoes. They don’t seem to care much for those.

Although we’ve been absent from the blog, we’ve been super busy lately…with revamping our store, moving a child out of the house, moving another child into a new house and helping repaint several rooms, attended outdoor concerts, and had frequent guests over for BBQ in the backyard. It is summer time folks and we seem to be busy every spare minute we have. I hope you too are enjoying a little family time while it’s nice to be outside.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Father’s Day weekend!!!

Sometimes I have a booger of  a time falling asleep at night. Tonight was one of those. Pounding headache and it hurt to put my head on the pillow. So instead I came and web surfed until the headache meds kicked in. I am especially in love with the Freebird quilt and so want to get that!

So what did I find? Well, since you asked…:)

Color Me Happy (See the whole collection here)

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  RESERVED FOR CHRIS – GY…

  QuiltLover

  $380.00 USD

• 

  Multicolored swirl gems…

  Trencadis

  $13.00 USD

• 

  Oval four fish serving …

  artzfolk

  $36.00 USD

• 

  Freebird Picnic Lap Quilt

  Quiltville

  $200.00 USD

• 

  Set of 3 Vintage LOTUS …

  Swoonshop

  $20.00 USD

Doris is a devoted follower…and lover of the honey bees. She is on a mission to bring awareness to save the bees on this planet. So Doris when I took these photos while in California, I automatically thought of you! Thanks for bringing so much cheer and kindness to this world. You make it a better place to be

LOL, yes it is! It’s summer time and I love those fruity girly summer time cocktails, don’t you? We are having company tonight, 3 other couples, to celebrate one of the couple’s recent engagement. The menu is easy and lets us all sit by the grill and visit while dinner is being cooked.

I whipped up these “cocktail napkins” for us to use while having appetizers and our fruity cocktail drinks Aren’t they fun?

Oh back to the menu, you asked? Well one of my goals was to use some of those herbs I planted in the spring, remember? I have a bumper crop now so I need to use some. We are having:

Appetizers/Drinks:

• Cut vegetables (red pepper, cucumber, carrots) with freshly made dill dip
• Colby Jack cheese and grapes
• Sangria with fresh fruit

Dinner:

• Balsamic glazed grilled salmon
• Fresh fruit kabobs
• Caprese Salad
• Fresh garden salad with lemon basil salad dressing
• Thinly sliced ham wrapped on asparagus spears, grilled

Dessert:

• Chocolate brownies (gluten free)
• Frozen strawberry banana all natural yogurt (I tested it last night and it is SO DELICIOUS!)
• Decaf Green Mountain coffee (the very best I’ve ever found, bar none!)

Wish you all could come join us! It would be so much fun to have everyone visit.

Did everyone enjoy their 3 day weekend? We sure did! But I’m glad the regular work week is here so I can rest and do a little sewing again.

Last week I took this bouquet of peonies, lilac and lamb’s ear to my brother at his work to surprise him. He did such a sweet thing for me and Mom this past week so it was a little thank you for his kindness. I think he was pleasantly surprised when he received them. I love how old fashioned the bouquet looks too.

We spent Saturday mulching our gardens. All day Saturday. My body is so so sore and tired that I’m glad Sunday is a day of rest! Today we will be visiting with friends and having a BBQ; Monday a BBQ with our family. We hope everyone is enjoying their time this holiday weekend with those they love.

Whenever we travel, we usually do a bit of hiking at local nature parks and a bit of bird watching. My husband is an avid (and I do mean AVID) bird watcher. When we vacation he takes his small set of binoculars everywhere. I always hope people don’t think he is a peeping Tom. He really is only looking at birds, not through people’s windows, I promise. There are either in his hands or his pants pocket at all times. This vacation was no exception.

At one point he was hurriedly trying to get them out of his jeans pocket so he could see a bird he’d never seen before. His pants were just tight enough that he was having a bit of trouble getting them out (ok, a lot of trouble but I’m trying to be kind) and getting more frustrated by the moment. Mind you, I like bird watching but it’s not like it is the end all, be all to me. So seeing him struggle and hurry, and the more he hurries the more he struggles, has me laughing so hard that I had to turn my back to him to keep him from seeing how hilarious I thought he was. He finally gets the binoculars free only to have the “rare bird” fly away. Men, they are so strange some times. (PS: I had 15 photos of this hummingbird on my camera when I uploaded photos….15! The brown thrasher below, only 5

I had to laugh at Mom’s post the other day about being boring. If you were a little mouse listening in on our  many phone conversations through the day, you would think we were quite entertaining, perhaps even a tad bit crazy and eccentric too.

School just got out last week so my youngest is now underfoot; although you can hardly be underfoot when you are approaching 6′ tall. He can eat me out of house and home and leaves a trail of dirty dishes everywhere he goes. Welcome summertime!

Then there is my 24 year old who is struggling to become a real grown up. She causes me angst, stomach aches, temper tantrums, and a very sore tongue from biting it so much. She moved back about a year ago…with her 1 year old Boxer dog named Dexter. She is in countdown mode to move out (Mom’s deadline) and I hope I make it to the finish line without hurting anyone.

My oldest boy is doing great in life. A single dad who loves to hang out with his younger brother and totes along his 5 year old daughter Aria. That means they all hang out at my house hoping for Mom’s home cooked meals….a lot. I love it, but it also means a lot of unexpected company at my house.

Our oldest daughter and her husband have just moved across town and now live about 3 miles from us. They are still getting settled in although we were at their house several times this weekend fixing lawn mowers and training her on how to actually use one!

So Mom is right, our life is busy, chaotic, always interrupted for the “more important things” like family. It provides great material for lots of stories and lots of laughs. Boring, never around here. Some days I dream of boring. Seriously I do! (PS: I thought these photos of the cactus and agapanthus were good metaphors for my family life, prickly but beautiful and going in all directions yet still part of one flower.)

I find when Deb is gone I too often struggle with finding something to talk about on our blog that I think you would find interesting.

Unlike Deb, my life is pretty routine, no pets to manage or clean up after or tell stories about.

Kids all grown and the mess in the kitchen is my own.

Laundry only requires a couple of loads a week.

I spend well over 50% of my non-sleeping hours sewing or shopping for fabric.

Me, I am quite content with this new lifestyle as when I wake in the morning I have no schedule, no deadlines, no boss to report to, I eat when I get hungry and too often in between hunger, nap when I am tired.

So I think you could sum me up as saying, “I live a good life” but to most people it would be boring, boring, boring.

Pictures of my accomplishments while Deb was away.

Beautiful napkins that portray Martha’s Vineyard.

Napkins from fabric named for Bar Harbor Maine.

Now in case I have really bored you…Deb is back with lots of pictures from her garden, probably a few stories, and maybe surprises to share …I just know I am glad she is back ….so please drop by again soon and check what she is sharing!!!

Somewhere in time, perhaps even as a very young child, our eye’s begin to see the beauty of nature all around us.  As adults we often get to busy to pause for the refreshment that can be seen in every flower, sunset, little critter or a child.  This Sunday let’s commit once again to “stop and smell the roses.”

Deb’s vacation pictures remind us how beautiful nature is that surrounds us each day if take time to really see.  She is sensitive to what her eyes see and  beautifully captures for all to enjoy.