Nite, Nite Garden House

Our sweet garden house remembrance.

A time when sleeping there.

The morning light did delight.

The sounds of nature all around.

But oh that train not far away

did make a noise not quite so pleasant.

It was fun to sleep in the garden house.

Now plants reside there with

potting soil and tools.

I am thankful for these photos

to remind me of a time when it was filled

with the night songs of birds and sleep.

The photos have been shared before,
but I love remembering once upon a time.
Dreaming of a time again when the garden house
is full of love and friends again.

Celebrations!

Sitting here eating my curds and whey, not really; but with my morning tea.

My mind is thinking on a momentous occasion soon coming in my life.

Are there times when you think this can't be me?

It must be my mother-in-law and father-in-law that are celebrating this occasion.

Definitely not my husband and myself.

We certainly couldn't be celebrating a 50th wedding anniversary!

It totally takes me by surprise, it astounds me.

I am having a difficult time wrapping my head around this occasion,

though I have been making plans for the celebration.

Occasions are so important to celebrate and we will be doing just that with our family. 

But still it really can't be my husband and I, can it?

As our grandson says, "whoa!"

The teacup was found several years ago in a gift shop at the Kensington Palace.

My Kitchen

 Normally I don't share alot of my house as I just love sharing nature and tea,

but I have had several requests to share my kitchen.

The first time I stepped into this kitchen I knew I was home.
The morning sunshine is a beautiful greeting each morning.
Guests that come to visit take pause when they step into the kitchen
and just smile.  It just sort of has that effect on people.
It is a happy place.
It is vintage 1950.
The framed apple box labels above the cupboards are mostly from the town I grew up in.

The one above my sink belonged to my apple growing grandfather.

The round shelves at the curved end of the counter use to have vintage glass pieces,

but for now it has books for our grandson.

The poster above the little round table once hung in my uncles apple packing house.

There is more than one teapot and teacup sitting on those shelves

and we do use them often, like every day there is at least one or two teapots on the counter.

The curtains are vintage tablecloths, which I love and collect.

Hope you enjoyed a peek into my kitchen.

We use it so much it was difficult to find a time to photograph it when it wasn't just a bit messy.

Tea in the Garden

The rhodies are now a thing of the past, but roses are in all their glory.

Chocolate roses for a sweet.

Strawberries to delight.

English Breakfast tea served in milk glass.

The teapot always makes me smile with flowers and birds to enchant.

Come sit awhile and take a sip.

The rose scent fills the air.

Tea in the garden on a sunny day delights my soul.

Visit: http://blog.bernideens.com/ for more tea in the garden.

Here is a link to the chocolate cupcake recipe:

http://heartsdelights.blogspot.com/2010/02/chocolate-roses.html

Monday's Quotes

Oh, it's home again, and home again, America for me!

I want a ship that's westward bound to plough the rolling sea,

To the blessed Land of Room Enough beyond the ocean bars,

Where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars.

~Henry van Dyke

photo was taken on Whidby Island and for fun altered by me

Wouldn't you just love to be sitting here today?

A Memorial Weekend Wish

Peace by Amanda Bradley

Peace will come when people live
In friendship, side by side,
And cherish understanding
More than hatred, greed and pride.

Peace will come when people see
All people as the same,
And no one has to live in fear,
In ignorance, or shame.

Peace will come when people
Who are needy can reach out
For shelter, food, or love,
And no one has to do without.

Peace will come when people
Learn to listen and to care
About the rights and dignity
Of people everywhere.


Peace will come when love and trust
And kindness know rebirth,
And on that day all people
Will rejoice in peace on earth.

Searching for a poem to share for Memorial Day I found this.

I felt that PEACE was what we must remember.

A wish for PEACE,

a dream for PEACE,

and to remember those that fought for PEACE.

Happy weekend, dear friends 

photo taken near the Stone House 

The Stone House

I made it!  I arrived here with Delight!

The Stone House is tucked away in Portland's Forest Park.

When my children were young I remember hiking past it,

but it had been a very long time since visiting there.

A few days ago I mentioned it to my "live-in gardener", who likes

walking in the park.

We drove to the other side of the city, parked along the road,

and took a bit of a hike to once again find The Stone House.

Isn't it beautiful with all that moss and ferns growing on it?

I am not sure what it originally was used for, but I just loved the ruggedness of it.

If you had this place, could you live here?

You would be surrounded by amazing trees, a creek just down below,

and lots of visitors stopping by just to gaze at this Stone House.

Just Joey

Just Joey is one of my most favorite roses ever.

Doesn't it just shine in the garden?

After the rains came, the roses just were glorious!

 

And you thought I was just going to show you my Joey.

He is rather camera shy, but I caught him hiding under the quilt.

If you have a rose garden or only want one plant,

I highly recommend Just Joey.

Do you have a favorite rose?
What is it?

Kale in the Garden

Kale in the garden, I really can't believe it myself.

I have never been a veggie person, but somewhere along the line

the following recipe caught my attention and I am enjoying kale in the garden.

Yes, our little veggie garden is quite small.

It was the only place with lots of sun to help it grow.

What a treat it has been to have fresh tomatoes each year,

along with a few other things.  

New this year is kale and fennel, plus leeks too.

There will be a few potatoes, one zucchini plant,

and then among the flowers will be pumpkins and squash.

The marigolds are always planted in the veggie garden as a natural pesticide.

I guess those pesky bugs don't like the fragrance.

So as promised, here is my, thanks to a friend, kale salad recipe:

1 bunch of kale: any kind will do.
1 teaspoon salt
juice of 1 lemon
olive oil (I use equal parts lemon/olive oil)
black pepper to taste
1/4 cup red onion, chopped fine or thin slices
This is the basic recipe, now for the fun:
cheese:  parmesan, ricotta salata, grana padana, or whatever you like.
dried cranberries, toasted walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds

Wash, de-stem and finely chop kale.  Massage salt into the leaves:  this is to
help them begin to soften up a bit.  Whisk together lemon and olive oil to emulsify.
Add pepper and other toppings and toss all together with dressing.
It works very well to make ahead and let sit in refrigerator for 1/2 to 1 hour.
Enjoy!

Monday's Quotes

I am going to try to pay attention to the spring.

I am going to look around at the flowers,

 and look up at the hectic trees.

I am going to close my eyes and listen.

~Ann Lamott

A Fairy Lives Here

Walking along the avenue one day not to long ago,

I happened to spy a fairy garden.

I didn't see any fairies dancing there,

but my heart knew they were tucked safely in hiding.

They were watching.

Their garden was a delight to see.

I think they scampered away, as you can see the pot tipped over.

Would you dance in this garden?

Stroll along with me.

Happy weekend, dear friends!

Hope there is plans to stroll through a garden.

Delight and Beauty

As the summer is soon upon us, my mind is traveling to picnics and tea outdoors.  
This is one of my favorite things.

Upon recently reading Anne of Avonlea, Lucy Maud Montgomery writes:

"I'm going to have the daintiest things possible....things that will match the spring,....

little tarts and lady fingers, and drop cookies frosted with pink and yellow icing,

and buttercup cake.  And we must have sandwiches too, though they-re not very poetical."

"Saturday proved an ideal day for a picnic...a day of breeze and blue,

warm, sunny, with a little rollicking wind blowing across meadow and orchard. Over

every sunlit upland and field was a delicate, flower-starred green."

It's so easy to be happy on a day like this, isn't it?"  Anne said.

"Let's try to make this a really golden day, girls, a day to which we can always

look back with delight."

"We're to seek for beauty and refuse to see anything else."

Somedays when the sun is shining and the flowers are all about,

it is easy to see the delight and beauty.

How do you see the delight and beauty on such days? 
Let's refuse to see anything but beauty today!

Enter with Delight

Enter with Delight~

When I see beautiful entrances the words to this hymn sing in my heart.

"I will enter his gates with Thanksgiving in my heart

I will enter His courts with praise

I will say this is the day that the Lord had made

I will rejoice for he has made me glad"

Do different images bring a song to your heart?

Tea Tasting Treat

Recently a package arrived at my door from a "tea friend".

In it was a very unique Mint Julep Pu-er.

Jo is blending her own teas. 

I loved that I had the opportunity to sample and critique.

The Mint Julep Pu-er intrigued me. 

It was a bourbon scented pu-erh with organic peppermint.

The instructions were to steep then chill over night.

Add rock sugar to the bottom of the cocktail glass

and pour the chilled tea into the glass, then add a sprig of mint.

What a treat of chilled, minty delight.

Definitely worth a special occasion.

Thanks, Jo!  I love tasting your blends.

What blended teas have you had recently that just delighted you?