Saturday, August 24, 2013

~Breakfast and Blackberries~

We had a really lovely breakfast this morning.
It's been a summer time tradition in our household to go for a Saturday morning breakfast picnic for several years now, but we usually end up at our neighborhood park. This year however, we headed over to Vancouver Lake (a ten minute drive) and the tranquil quiet of an early morning . . .
I packed some homemade Greek yogurt and homemade granola along with hot coffee and chocolate croissants from Trader Joe's.

Throwing the yogurt and granola in jars to mix later was the simple way to go . . . as was the family picnic basket which is always at the ready with utensils, plates and mugs. We also took a bag for garbage and our trusty, never-go-anywhere-without-it picnic blanket. 

I have to say that blanket is one of the best purchases I ever made . . . it rolls up and has Velcro straps to keep it in place along with a very handy handle. Oh- and it washes well, too- it's hardly faded after seven years of aggressive use! 

At the lake we found a picnic table (covered in bird poop), laid out our blanket turned tablecloth and set out the spread. Then we dug in because by this time we were all quite ravenous! 

Here's the view from our bench . . . all that bright whitish color is the sun reflecting off the water.
It was such a still, silent morning- I absolutely love the quiet! And the other benefit of breakfast picnicking is the fact that you not only beat the crowd, you beat the afternoon heat as well. 

And without said heat, it made the second half of our little outing all the more enjoyable . . . berry picking. Blackberries to be precise.

We had gone picking here a few weeks ago on a hot summer afternoon, and let me tell you- I was not a happy camper. Heat, bugs, people- ugh! But this morning was a completely different story. Hardly a soul in sight, blissful peace and cloudy-cool temperature.

It was so pleasant, and the berries were so plentiful I felt like I could spend the day here.

There were just mounds of them every which-way as we walked the lake path. 

We brought two plastic containers with us and they were full much too quickly. But we kept walking . . . it was such a nice morning.

 And there are other lovelies aside from the blackberries all along the way . . . like pale pink morning glories flowering.

And rose hips from the wild roses that grow amid the blackberry bushes. Aren't they beautiful? They just shout that Fall is around the corner.

We stopped at a lovely, overgrown grove of trees and took it all in.

And the Oldest found a nice large tree branch to get violent with. I think the peaceful quiet of our outing was getting to him. ;)

We ended up going only a bit further . . . seems like everyone but myself was more than ready to head home. I was semi-thinking it was turnaround-time when I spotted this huge wasp nest perched among the trees . . . but it was the two garter snakes in the thicket that sent me screaming and hurrying back down the trail. I believe the men folk enjoyed this part of the morning more than any other.

And so, we now have two nicely filled containers of wild blackberries to enjoy. Freezer jam is on the list but blackberry cobbler is the most anticipated. Oh how I love blackberry cobbler. . . especially since it's our Oldest's specialty. No baking for me tonight! :)
Hope you're having a lovely weekend. If I can convince my personal baker to take on some cobbler baking I may soon have a really fabulous recipe to share!

Cheers!

Saturday, August 17, 2013

~This Summer's Decor~














Birds +sea shells + lots of blue and white + sailboats+ starfish + flowers + feathers + polished silver . . . (and a sun-sleepy kitty) =

~ Summer Time ~

Cheers!

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

~A Polished Professional~






The Youngest has found a new passion: silver polishing. In fact, he's already put his business plan into action- at least on the advertising side. I had to actually convince him to charge for his services. However I get mine done in exchange for some screen time later- it's the 'Friends and Family' Discount. ;)

Cheers!

Friday, August 9, 2013

~Summer in the Kitchen~

You've no idea how much I've been wanting to sit down and write a longer, more detailed post of late . . . how much I'd love for time to slow down a bit and make room for savoring and digesting all that's on my mind. But whatever my intentions may be, my priorities suggest I'll just have to continue to settle for shorter posts. . . at least until school starts again.  

So here is something short and simple to share. . . a corner off of the kitchen, all decked out for summer. Framed beach photograph, bird prints, butterfly garland, seahorse and shell candle holder, teal blues and my favorite little mermaid, bought during a beach vacation years ago. All of it speaks 'summer' to my soul.

And elsewhere in the kitchen, my homemade plate rack continues to display endless beauty to my eyes. If there are two colors that immediately spell out s-u-m-m-e-r, it's blue and white- at least to my mind. Every time I walk by this (300 times a day) my heart pitter-patters with joy. I absolutely adore this color combination against the green.

And if you sneak in closer, you may notice a new addition or two since I last mentioned my love of blue and white plates. The sweet flowered plate smack in the middle of the below photo is the newest acquisition to my collection. For four dollars it could not be resisted!

I also got bold and added some nails to hang some old cups from and I am so pleased with how it all turned out! It's going to be heart-wrenching to change these out when fall comes!

Thanks for coming along for a little decorative tour in my kitchen...
more to follow soon!

Cheers!

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

~Fur-Brothers~


. . . caught in a rare moment of harmony. . . 


Rare for the feline and the human brothers in this household.

May your day be filled with unexpected peace and beauty.
Cheers!

Friday, August 2, 2013

~The INGs of Vacationing~

Peaceful Viewing . . .


Floaty Blowing . . .

We-forgot-a-salad-bowl Improvising . . . 

Lots of Reading . . .

Yellow Ball Bouncing . . .

Propane Cooking . . .

Shivery Kid Towel-Drying . . .

Goofy Kid Sunbathing . . .

Brothers Resting . . .

Secret Sharing . . .

Sun Napping . . .

Cabin Hanging . . .

 More Cabin Hanging . . .

Sunglass Wearing . . .

Tree Climbing . . .

Hotdog Roasting . . .

Swing Jumping . . .

Football Throwing . . .

Evening Walking . . .

Sun Setting . . .

Forest-Fire Smoke Spreading . . .

Good-Bye Camping . . .

Small Town Stopping (and Shopping) . . .

Hairnet Donning . . .

Factory Touring . . .

Homeward Headed and Lots of Driving . . .

Cheers!