good-bye, june

Ahh, sweet June we hardly knew you...

Loved your cooler than average temperatures, combined with lots of lovely precipitation.

The garden loved it too. But, spending the first part of the month traveling, cost me dearly. I missed lots of early spring blooms at their peak- lilacs, bridal wreath, viburnums and white peonies.

 I'm just about over it.

Onto July's roses, hydrangeas, astilbe, phlox and daisies.

'Just living is not enough', said the butterfly,

'One must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower'

~Hans Christian Andersen

I'm joining the fun at the following:

Common Ground,  French Country Cottage,  FishTale Cottage,
  At The Picket Fence,  and  My Romantic Home.

how do i love thee...

Let me count the ways...

Your sweet disposition and 'can do' attitude.  Your love of the the beach, the park, and the pool.

Your fashion sense and love of dresses. 

Your love of animals, especially bunnies. The fact that you talk to birds, and expect them to understand you. Your ability to skip and 'gallop off to Mexico'. All day long.

Your prodigious memory and elephantine powers of recollection.

Your love affair with books.

Your desire to own your own farm.

Or, maybe just a garden. That only grows strawberries.

Year round.

Your love and regard for your sisters. Your polite manners, and shyness around strangers.

Your strong desire to help me, no matter what I'm doing.

Where would I be without you?

How is it possible that you're four today?

Happy birthday to our sweet Frances Rose.

Her new Farm set is by PlanToys.

birthday angels

As many of you know, I've been blessed with four daughters. 

Their birthdays fall in May, June, and July.

We've had all kinds of birthday parties over the years... 

 Garden parties, fairy parties, gymnastic parties, cooking parties,

 book themed parties, pool parties and the like...

Some of them were rather exhaustively elaborate. 

 But, the best parties are the simplest.

Where the food is delicious, the company your nearest and dearest, and the birthday girl is thrilled with a homemade coconut cupcake. I'm trying to keep that in mind, as my littlest one has her birthday next week.

What shall we give to the birthday child?

A blessing, a kiss or a golden ring?

A kiss lasts only a second or two,

The ring is lost ere the year is through.

But the blessing of God is a precious thing.

So the blessing of God is the gift we bring.

To the child that is gentle and sweet and mild,

To the dear little, good birthday child!

~Alice Corbin

The vintage Birthday Angels are by Josef. They're the original ones, not the later reproductions. I've one through five, and I admit, I'm sorely tempted by the idea of six through sixteen. Maybe one day, they'll find me.

I'm joining the fun at the following:

 Very Merry Vintage Style and My Romantic Home

betty ford

Last week, I went to Betty Ford.

Not The Betty Ford Center ...

 (and not until they start treating people for diet coke addiction).

But,  The Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, in Vail, Colorado. 

It was absolutely stunning. So much beauty all in one place.

 I loved all of the alpine plantings and the beautiful paths...

I especially loved the fine details and miniature scale of the plants themselves.

My favorite, Spring Snowflake.
Something about the green dot on each petal...

A pretty watercolor rendering of the gardens...

The combination of the clear air with the beautiful blue sky, kills me.
I loved it.

a day for dad

Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father.

~Lydia M. Child

Happy Father's Day to the best Dad, ever...

at least in Maggie, Mary Kate, Gracie, and Frances Rose's opinion.

So patient, loving, and kind.

Sending very happy wishes to Grandpa Tom, 
Pop-Pop, and to all of the wonderful Dads out there.

vintage jackpot

 

Hello, my friends.

We're back from Colorado. We had a wonderful time in the Rocky Mountains. The weather was perfect and we had lots of fun adventures along the 2,500 miles. Mary Kate celebrated her thirteenth birthday. I even had time to check out a few antique stores. Have you ever shopped for antiques in Iowa, Nebraska, or Colorado?

You might want to think about it. The pickings were plentiful and unbelievably reasonable. 

 I believe I might have mentioned my love for vintage linens, especially in blue, red and green? If only I had more room.

But, the pièce de résistance was the vintage doll crib and highchair with sweet decals in the perfect shade of blue. I don't know how often I've looked up Amsco (the manufacturer) on ebay over the years, but shipping was always prohibitive. 

These two were found at separate stores along the way. I think they were meant to be together. Thank heavens, my patient husband went along with my crazy plan. He had to take everything out of our vehicle and rearrange it, to make it work. He did it happily, and in the rain, no less. 

I couldn't pass up a vintage Nippon doll plate. Not when it's banded in the palest pink with two of the sweetest little bluebirds on it...

 Found a set of vintage 1950's dishes, something about the tulips and the color-way spoke to me. Maybe for the playhouse?

Spotted lots of vintage enamelware. Unfortunately, most was in pretty bad shape. But, I found a ginormous roaster, a baking pan, a sweet little pot, and a covered rectangular container. Just the thing for a Fourth of July party.

 It's so good to be home. I'm looking forward to catching up with all of you this weekend.

I'm joining the fun at the following:

Common Ground,  French Country Cottage, Very Merry Vintage Style,

My Romantic Home, and The Charm of Home.

westward bound

Vintage Inspired 1930's Western Hankies, Moda Home

We're off to the Rocky Mountains, with a few stops along the way.

Who doesn't love a good road trip?

See you in a week or two...

'Those roads provided breath-taking views. There's something special about an empty road going on and on and on to the horizon where the sun burns the world away into a dancing, shimmering heat haze that reflects the crystal blue sky, literally blurring the line between heaven and earth.' 

~Dave Gorman, America Unchained

the desk

 Do you have a 'desk of one's own'? Virginia Woolf wrote, A Room of One's Own, an extended essay exploring the need for women to have a room in which to write, in 1929. I don't have the luxury of my own room, but I do have a desk. It's a 'partner desk' found at a yard sale sporting an ignominious shade of yellow with gold highlights. After a quick coat of white paint, oil cloth, and some sparkly knobs, it's much happier. 

I share the desk with my four daughters. They like to stash all of their important papers, folders, and art projects on it. I'm not a fan of that habit. They might have heard a word or two on the subject from me...

For our anniversary, my husband surprised me with a new white iPad 2. That, I can finally call my 'own', at least for a little while. I needed a case for it, beyond the smart cover that Apple sells, so I took a peek at Etsy. I found a sweet case with vintage flair, in strawberry oilcloth.

 The blue typewriter table with the little light on the left, was found at an estate sale. It's such a pretty color, and it works perfectly for the printer and supplies, even if it does lean a little to the right. 

The girls are finishing school this week and then, summer officially begins.

We're kicking it off with a 1,200 mile road trip. Any guesses as to where we're going?

 I'm joining the fun at the following:

   I Love Pretty Little Things,  Common Ground,  

My Romantic Home, The Charm of Home, and French Country Cottage.

Hint, it's state flower is the Rocky Mountain Columbine.