phloxie moxie

Hello my friends!

Is it Friday already?

Today I thought I would share with you my Phlox Paniculata David patch.

Not only are they pretty to look at, but their scent is lovely, too.

Sort of an intoxicating cross between vanilla and mint.

Phlox couldn't be any easier.

They are disease hardy, drought resistant,

and spread rapidly on strong stems.

Phlox is thought to descend from native wild flowers (P. Paniculata) found in North America that John Bartram gathered and sent to England in the 1730s.

Giving phlox as a gift may come about as either a spontaneous gesture, or one that has been thought long and hard about. Phlox flowers are sometimes given the expression of, “sweet dreams,” and can be plucked from a garden and given at the end of a particularly good date. On the other hand, they represent compatibility, the uniting of souls, and the implied proposal of marriage. In this instance, they are generally given as a shy way of asking for the recipient’s hand in marriage.

FlowerInfo.Org

The only slight problem is deer find them quite as irresistible as I do.

On occasion, I have found them looking as though someone

took scissors to the whole lot of them.

It's either deer, or one of my neighbors.

I'm going with the deer.

Take a peek at I Love Pretty Little Things for more pretties.

home again, home again

We're back from our trip.

It's good to be home.

We had a lovely time.

Lots of swimming in the lake.

Early morning hot chocolate at our favorite coffee shop, The Red Cup.

Lots of crafts, reading, sewing, and laughing on the screened porch.

Eating fresh corn, lake perch, garden vegetables, and tart cherry pie.

Gracie found a four leaf clover.

A few lightning bugs, too.

But only one snake, a big water snake.

They bite, but are supposedly non-venomous.

Swimming alongside my girls.

Eeeek!

Luckily, Bob noticed before the girls did...

He got them out QUICKLY.

Oh yes, he did.

Green Gate Farm

up north

We're heading 'up north' today...

Are you taking any road trips this summer?

sewn with grace

Thank you so much to everyone who entered my give-away. I wish I had copies of the Cath Kidston Dream Home Journal and Kitchen Notes for each and every one of you.

The winner by Violets are Blue random number generator is...

Sewn with Grace

Renee, please contact me at birdieblue@rocketmail.com,

when you have a chance.

tart cherries

One of the things we are most looking forward

to in Door County is the tart cherries.

Is there anything better than fresh cherry pie?

Well, if you add a good vanilla bean ice cream...

and maybe a second piece?

Mary Kate and I stumbled upon some fun

cherry patterned goods the other day.

I picked up a set for each of the girls.

“When I sound the fairy call, gather here in silent meeting,
Chin to knee on the orchard wall, cooled with dew and cherries eating.
Merry, merry, take a cherry, mine are sounder, mine are rounder,
Mine are sweeter for the eater, when the dews fall, and you'll be fairies all.”

~Emily Dickinson

Doesn't it remind you of this wee purse?

Today is the last day to enter our give-away...

totes

Each of my girls has a small tote from Land's End. For every holiday, I try to fill it with some new things. As they get older, it's a little more difficult to surprise them. But, they still want to be surprised.

I make a special trip to Mitsuwa, the Japanese import store. They always have all kinds of unique candy and snacks that the girls love. I'd probably buy things for the graphic anthropomorphic packaging alone. The girls are big fans of Manga, Sodoku, and Japanese craft books, too.

I also hit the regular books store for books I hope they'll like.

Luckily, they love crafts, sewing, beading, painting, book making etc. I like to have things on hand for the inevitable rainy day. When you're vacationing on an island, there's no Target. Only a small grocery store with lots of charm, but not much else.

birch trees and the lake

This is the driveway to the cottage.

Anticipation builds as you head down this long drive...

Jens Jensen couldn't have done it better himself.

(Although this one is all natural, there are a number of landscapes

he designed all over this area as his summer studio/home was located in Ellison Bay).

This is where you'll find me...

with a book and a big glass of Diet Coke

filled with ice and a twist of lemon.

Diet Coke is my one vice. But, I'm working on it.

Do you have a favorite book this summer?

Yesterday, Mary Kate and I went out to find all

kinds of fun things for the girls on the trip.

A tote filled with fun/new things never goes amiss.

We hit the jackpot at JoAnn's Fabric.

I'll have to post some pics.

Have you entered?

the ferry

This time next week we will be on vacation.

A ferry trip is an essential part of our destination.

Something about that 60 minutes...

you take a deep breath and enjoy the lake birds.

You are literally 'north of the tension line'.

I'll share some pics each day of this magical place.

Have you entered my little give-away?

a picnic

Hello, my friends. Friday, at last.

Time for something pretty!

The girls wanted to have a picnic in the garden.

So I pulled together some of our pretty dishes

in a sweet oilcloth lined basket and sent them outside to set the table.

They knew just what to do...

Polka dots and florals,

Cath Kidston does it so well!

I wish you could have joined us,

but maybe I have the next best thing.

I can't believe we have put up 100 posts since February, but we have.

Mary Kate talked me into starting this little blog,

and it's been a lot of fun for all of us.

To share the fun, we are hosting a give-away.

I'd be delighted to send someone...

Cath Kidston's Dream Home Journal and Cath Kidston's Kitchen Notes

CATH KIDSTON DREAM HOME JOURNAL

This home decor organizer and inspirational tool features eight fill-in sections easily adapted to each room of the house, and durable pockets to store swatches and clippings. Each section contains space to dream up the perfect room, create project and shopping lists, floor plans, and keep track of 
measurements.

CATH KIDSTON KITCHEN NOTES

This colorful magnetic notepad set will transform any fridge into a showcase for style. Matching pencil and pencil holder plus two labeled notepads help organize household shopping and menu lists.

To enter simply leave a comment.

If you become or already are 'a follower', mention that for a second chance.

If you grab the button below or post about it on your blog, you get a third chance.

The winner will be chosen randomly on Saturday, July 17.

Thank you friends!

windy city

With lots of family in from out of town,

we headed down to the city yesterday.

We decided to take an architectural boat tour of the

Chicago River and Lake Michigan aboard the Wendella.

While it was informative and fun, the weather was a little too hot.

95 degrees and not breezy at all!

Surprising for the 'Windy City'.

We could have used a San Pellegrino Limonata...

Have your read, The Devil in the White City

by Eric Larson?

It's about Chicago's 1893 World's Fair and how Daniel Burnham developed Chicago's lake front and 'the White City' as the elaborate fair grounds were known. The subplot involves the true story of a killer (I wasn't so interested in that part). Although it's a historical novel, it almost reads as a thriller.

It's interesting how many of the buildings discussed in the book still exist as The Art Institute, The Field Museum and others. In Lake Forest at Ragdale (an artists' retreat/colony), they have Abraham Lincoln's cabin from the same World's Fair.

the garden path

This week in my garden, there are lots of pretty flowers

When I planned my garden out on paper,

I really wanted pretty shades of blue, green, white and a little bit of pink.

Isn't it lovely when things turn out just like you imagined?

Sky blue delphiniums in all of their ruffled glory.

Campanula and lavender, true blue.

The roses aren't red...

Does he love me, or does he not?

Daisies galore.

The hydrangeas will not be ignored, and why would you want to?

If you wander down the garden path with me...

One of the most delightful things about a garden is

the anticipation it provides.

~W.E. Johns, The Passing Show

Have the loveliest fourth of July.

I so appreciate you stopping by, and your sweet comments!

In honor of our 100th post, we're doing a give-away.

Details will follow soon.