A Sweet Little Coffee Break

After a busy day of tidying up,
(How can 2 people, 3 dogs, 2 cats and 1 bird make such a mess?!)

I took a well-deserved break to treat myself. 

My new polka-dot coffee mug was calling my name :)

Isn't it cute? There was only one in that color, 

but I brought it home anyway. 

A little gift, just for me. 

Of course, I had to have something to go with my cuppa! 

These are sugar cookies that I baked for my Ramblin' Man. 

(His favorite - but then again, he says that

about everything I bake! I think it's a ploy...:) 

I took two....

I just found this pretty vintage plate. 

Again- there was only one,
but I thought it was so pretty. 

My Dear Mum taught me that it was important

to reward yourself with a little treat for those endlessly

thankless chores a woman does every day. 

It keeps us from going on strike. 

*Grin*

Fresh flowers are another little treat. 

These bright red carnations cost 

less than a Starbucks! 

They also have no calories, unlike a double mocha latte!

The galvanized bucket and stone birds

were my souvenier's from the 

Northwest Flower and Garden show. 

I sewed some sweet mug mats to go with my new cup. 

One for me, and some extra for guests. 

I find that guests don't use the coasters I set out, 

so I am hoping these might be more enticing. 

I made them out of vintage fabric and rick-rack, 

with thin cotton batting inside.
 I sprayed them with fabric protector, 

and they can also be thrown in the wash. 

I have been changing the decor in my kitchen 

a bit - from blues and greens to red and white. 

I have been finding inexpensive white 

dishware at my local home-goods store,

a piece at a time. 

I have fallen in love with this new color 

scheme. 

I painted this urn to hold my new angel. 

It was originally bronze. 

Just a light coat of  'cream' craft paint,
letting some of the bronze show through, 

gave it a whole new look. 

I tucked some moss around the base of the angel. 

*Sweetness and light*

While I take my break, I like to look through
magazines or books.

Whenever I went to visit my Dear Mum,
(who lived just down the lane from me for 30 years),
we would do this very same thing.

We built our homes 'together' on land
carved out of wilderness.

We would spend endless hours pouring
over decorating books, cookbooks,
and magazines.....dreaming.

She always made me feel welcome
and it was a sweet break from the hardships
of our lives.

We especially loved vintage cookbooks,
and we each had a small collection.

She was an excellent cook, and could
whip up a meal using whatever she had on hand,
without even using a recipe.

Her talent was passed down from her Mother,
Beatrice Euphemie, who raised 8 children
(seven daughters and finally, one son :)
during the depression and WWII.

These are three of my favorites,

I love hand illustrated cookbooks.

This one is especially charming.

'Betty Crocker's Kitchen Gardens',
a year 'round guide to growing and using
herbs and vegetables.
by Mary Mason Campbell,
pictures by Tasha Tudor.

Published in 1971. My Ramblin' Man
and I were dating then.

Oh, the years fly by, don't they?

Look what I found.....
one of his little notes tucked in the pages. <3

Another charming cookbook with sweet illustrations,
'Just a Matter of Thyme'
from the 'Among Friends' collection.
by Shelly Reeves-Smith and Roxie Kelley.
Published 1992

It just makes cooking such a delightful experience!

And of course, the iconic cookbooks
by Susan Branch are always a delight.

This one was published in 1986.

I found these cute paper clips which are perfect
for marking pages.

Oh, yum, these cookies are good!
My grandmother, Bea's recipe.

You can find the recipe Here.

Coffee break is over...time to get back to work.

Hmmmm - what shall I cook for dinner?

Wishing you a lovely week, Dear Friends!
Don't forget to treat yourself!

xoxo

Linking with: Roses of Inspiration

The Northwest Flower and Garden Show - Part III

As we continue the tour of the

 Northwest Flower and Garden Show

at the Seattle Convention Center, 

the first garden we will explore 

is called the 'Steampunk' Garden. 

You can find an explantion 

of the term 'Steampunk', 

 Here

This is a growing movement 

in Seattle (and elsewhere) and has evolved into

a sort of retro-futuristic style

of what the industrial era might 

have envisioned for the future,

using steam powered engines! 

I know......strange......, although

I am sure you have seen this style

in home decorating trends. 

I call it 'Back to the Future'! 

Right away we notice the garden shed

with submarine style portholes in the roof. 

The lighting was tinted, which distorts things

a bit, but we see a flowering viburnum and 

some narissus in the foreground. 

I like the diamond paned windows, 

the arched double doors, 

and the hayrack window planter. 

The scalloped roofing, porthole

windows, and telescoping pergola

add a nautical feel. 

I can see this in a garden by the sea. 

A recycled grinding stone 

adds interest to the retaining wall. 

I like the pink tulips with

the purple hyacinths. 

One of the main features of this garden, 

was the fantastical water fountain. 

This fountain was made of a large musical

instrument (a tuba?), copper tubing, 

and salvaged, miscellaneous junk,

along with many gears, 

wheels and moveable parts,

propelled by the water's path. 

Later, when perusing the vendor booths, 

we found these for sale in many different

configurations and sizes.

The other main feature of this garden was the large

clock, also made with many gears

 and salvaged industrial parts. 

The bright, colorful plantings added 

to the imaginative setting. 

Large slabs of stone anchor this garden 

to the site. 

Of course we can't forget to provide for the fairies! 

The next garden we will explore is  what I call the 'Recycled Garden'. 

Right away we notice the tall spires of crates

that form recycled garden sculpture for housing bees! 

This garden uses lovely shades of rose, lavender, gray and blue

in an informal setting. 

A small rock-lined water feature sits to the left. 

Colorful birdhouses, pots and a reclaimed wood shed

 give this garden charm. 

Nature collages (insect hotels) add artistic creativity

 to the crate bee towers

and front of building. 

There are many delightful details, such as the stone birdhouse, 

the heart on the door, and the informal stone path. 

This garden shed looks very inexpensive to build

and would add character to a country setting. 

A side view showing the pretty gardens

and interesting nature collages (insect and bee hotels). 

We found these for sale at one of the vendor booths. 

Recycled windows provide a backdrop to a bird bath 

nestled among tulips, heather, and lily of the valley. 

Tulips everywhere! So pretty with the grape hyacinth. 

The large ceramic pots and colorful watering cans 

are so bright and cheerful. 

A large driftwood bench nestles among lush plantings. 

Notice the colorful water bottles? 

They are 'keeping it real'. 

The liberal use of dwarf evergreens 

 guarantees this garden would look 

nice year round. 

Having the large stacks of crates would be wonderful 

for spring planting. :) 

Or bee-keeping! 

The last garden we will view today won 'Best in Show' 

for its amazing lunar lighting feature. 

It was difficult to photograph the lunar details, 

but it looked just like the face of the moon

with an owl in flight. 

A rather wild landscape frames this garden with red barberry, evergreens, 

 white birch and woodland plantings, along with rose and white flowers.  

The main feature of this garden was this Scandinavian

garden house. 

The backside of the building was framed with

lovely white flowers. 

I love the traditional Scandinavian detail. 

I hope you enjoyed exploring these beautiful gardens with me! 

xoxo

In the next installment, we will take a look at 

a Shabby Chic Garden, a Picnic Garden, 

and a Woodland Gazebo Garden. 

xoxo

I hope you will join me! 

Five on Friday

Sunrise on Mt. Rainier, illuminating lenticular clouds.

I am taking a break from the Garden Show Series

to participate in a new meme hosted by 

Amy at 'Love Made My Home' 

called, Five on Friday. 

If you would like to join this fun meme, 

click on the link above. 

Today I am posting 5 photos of Mt. Rainier. 

Moon Rise over Mt. Rainier at sunset 

14,411 ft. Mt. Rainier dominates the Cascade Mt. Range
here in Washington State,

and produces its own weather. 

It is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes

in the world due to its large amount of glacial ice.

A potential eruption or lahar could bring down massive 

amounts of mud and rock into populated areas -

with a potential of burying the Puyallup Valley 40 ft. deep.

We are high above, protected by large ridges of mountains,
and not in the path of danger.  

If you would like to learn more about this beautiful, 

but dangerous mountain, you can read about it Here

Dramatic sunrise over the Cascade Range

As a young Mother, my husband and I moved onto raw land

overlooking this view, to build our dream home. 

You can read about our journey Here
and under 'Our Life Together' on my side bar.

Hole in the sky above Mt. Rainier

This was not an easy journey,
but this beautiful view made it worth
the struggle.

Lenticular clouds portend a coming storm

Living here on the edge of the wilderness may be quiet and lonely
in human terms, but there is always something interesting and dramatic
going on in nature.

I live by nature's rythyms and have learned to read her signs.
I have a profound respect for this beautiful place that we call Earth,
and a continued realization of how fragile this planet can be.

It has been my priviledge to live here
despite the hardships,
for I have learned the true
meaning and value of nature's beauty.

xoxo

Linking with: Five on Friday

The Northwest Flower and Garden Show - Part 11

As we continue on our tour of the Garden Show, 

we come upon this unique garden display. 

An outdoor living room! 

Let's take a closer look......

A simple hearth and lounger makes things cozy 

on cool evenings. 

Landscape paintings, chandelier, and floor lamp

bring the indoors out. 

I love the little bulldog! 

The lounger appears to  fold up in the 'off season', 

although with the fireplace and tin roof

panels, this could be used nearly year round. 

Recycled materials were used throughout 

all of the displays. 

The white porch post at the corner of the lounger

and the rusty tin roof panels are two examples.  

The berm around the perimeter was created 

with old logs, large rocks, and recycled

concrete pieces. 

We asked one of the creators of the displays

if the rocks used in the exhibits were real. 

'Oh yes', he said. He told us that they had 

3 days to set up and that cranes, large trucks, 

and other heavy equipment were rolled right in! 

This funky well feature was off to the side. 

I love the white birch, white tulips, 

and pale hellebore together. 

Here you can see the recycled tin roof. 

This structure would be very simple

 and inexpensive to construct. 

Perhaps built onto the side of a shed or garage....

A path of loosely arranged brick pavers

leads to a potting area on the side. 

Bright green moss, hellebore, and dwarf evergreens

make up the plantings here. 

An old stump with mushrooms anchors the corner. 

More dwarf evergreens and white tulips border the path

leading up to the potting area. 

A tiny herb and salad garden. 

A rustic potting bench. 

An interesting construction technique! 

A very inexpensive garden structure. 

A weathered eating area on the other side. 

I love the watering can <3 

I hope you enjoyed this rustic outdoor 'Living Room'

as much as I did, Dear Friends. 

Next time we will explore a 'Steampunk' Garden, 

and a 'Recycled' Garden. 

I hope you will join me!

Today I am linking with; The Enchanting Rose - Roses of Inspiration

xoxo