~Where the Week Took Me. . . ~

. . . out into the garden . . .

. . . to visit whatever was in bloom.

. . . enjoying my window basket . . . 

. . . and the toilet, too.

. . . out in a new dress on a date with the Husband.

. . . out to The River . . .

. . . with the Oldest for company . . .

. . . and sailboats to watch from afar . . .

. . . and up close . . .

. . . and water to wade through.

. . . out to the Hood River Lavender Festival . . .

. . . to take a lavender wand making class . . .

. . . and laugh and talk non-stop with this beautiful gal.

. . . out to the front porch . . .

. . . where we hung up the lantern . . .

. . . and put out the duck . . .

. . . potted some annuals . . .

. . . and enjoyed the view! 

So where did the past week take you?

~My Thoughtful Spot~

Welcome to my garden!

Over the last few months a new garden corner has slowly been taking shape.

Ground has been cleared.

Some plants removed. Mulching and planting have taken place.

And a path has been added to border it as well.

If you follow the path round the bend, you'll find it . . .

my thoughtful spot.

Please come and have a seat!

It's comfortable here in the morning shade. Still cool and very still.

Can you hear the bird chatter yet?

Take a look to your right and you'll see the view below:

hydrangea in bloom, a carpet of succulents, a dwarf lilac and wispy grasses.

And to your left?

The old birdbath has a new home here.

Look straight ahead and you'll see where the path ends . . . here at the thoughtful spot.

It' time to be still and enjoy the gift of now.

Ahhh. . . .

Of course, there are times the solitude may be broken . . .

actually, I have yet to come out here without the company of someone furry!

I think it's the proximity to the birdbath.

I mean, the kitty bowl.

(And I wonder why I've yet to see a bird bathing here!)

Some people's thoughtful spots are other's drinking fountains I suppose.

“Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits...” 

― A.A. Milne

~Summer Is . . . ~

 a bowl of cherries . . .

cotton-ball-cloud skies . . . 

kitty-carcasses in the heat

red, white and blue pancakes . . .

floppy daisies is an old bottle . . .

summer decorating with whites and blues to cool us down . . .

trips to the lake . . .

and  floaty blowing . . .

hydrangeas on my bedside table . . . 

the potential for fresh squeezed lemon aid . . .

 and bouquets stuffed into beer bottles!

Cheers, Summer!

~This Year's Window Box~

 I finally got around to filling the window box with some annuals.

This year I enlisted 'rescue plants' from Lowe's- nearly all were a dollar a piece. :)

I'm hoping it will all grow into a nice jumble of welcoming color. Keeping this box well watered is always a challenge- just the angle it sits makes getting to the farthest side from the door with any watering device rather tricky. Not to mention this spot gets full-South-facing-plant-burning-sun. Keeping whatever goes in alive is no easy task, let me tell you. But it just isn't summer without it!



Here are last year's flowers. Again- planted in July.

I tend to continue in the same rhythms without even realizing it . . . every July, I finally find time for The Window Box and subsequently, The Porch Cleaning. See the gleaming glass on the door? Freshly cleaned for another year.

 Here are the flowers from 2012 . . .

2011. . .

and back in 2010 . . .

Sadly enough, I don't seem to have taken any pictures of anything prior to 2010, but know for certain that flowers were planted. 
It's fun to be able to look back and see what choices I made for annuals each year. . . were various moods led me. I think that this year's pick are my favorite ones yet, but I do remember 2011's being the only year the flowers held on with vigor for the entire summer. So, we'll see. . .

Which do you like best? Any favorite annuals/color combinations?

~ Bits and Pieces ~

All sorts of summer bits and pieces going on around here . . . 

. . .  patriotic tootsies (my back is still aching from being hunched over painting so long)

. . .  raspberry tarts- the easy way: take a ready made pie crust; cut out shapes with tart tins; fit the shapes into the tins to make mini pies; scoop a spoonful of jam into each; top with a raspberry and bake at 375 until done (about 20 mins); powder sugar is the finishing touch

. . .  enjoying green tea in my 2 dollar thrift store teapot

. . . chasing this monster fur-ball all over the garden- he thinks I'm out there simply for his pounce-and-attack- pleasure. The nice weather we've had has really brought out the wild hair in him.

Working on some big projects that I'll share here soon . . . just need the heat to back off a bit so I can get a little further.

Thanks for stopping by! :)

~ Summer is . . . ~

. . . puttering about in the front room with the door wide open and rain pouring down . . .

enjoying the fresh cool air rushing into the house

sitting on the porch

watching as the butterfly bush sinks heavy to the ground

. . . . laden with wet, foot-long blossoms . . .

~Thrifted Treasure~

Due to the forecast that called for imminent rain today, I had planned a thrift store outing for this afternoon- just me and my boys.

The rain never actually came, but we did stumble on to some treasures . . .

This little plate caught my eye- AND it was half off! 
Isn't it cute all nestled in the serving drawer with my other small platters?

I also found this old brass lamp for only $7.50! It's nice and tall, which I like for reading. 
Now I just need to find the perfect shade to go with it!

 

The last treasure I found this afternoon was this pretty vintage embroidered linen- I'm totally smitten with it!

 Here's some detail. 

 I just love the colors . . . they're such an unusual color combination . . .

And here is the edge . . . isn't it pretty? 
I still haven't quite decided what I'm doing with this- maybe hang it in the mudroom window as an impromptu curtain.

And while I'm on the subject of thrift store finds, do you see the two patterned pillows below? I found them last month while on a date with my husband (yes, he likes thrift stores, too. He gets points for that.)- I was super excited because they were brand new and only 5 bucks a piece. And I LOVE the colors in them!

In fact, they've been my inspiration for decorating this summer.
Slowly, but surely, things are getting moved about, aired out, tidied up and lightened up. I only use what I already have on hand; just shaking things up a bit . . . packing some things away, bringing other things out from other rooms . . . lots of fun! :)

I'll share more when I get a little further.

What treasures have you found lately? I'd love to hear!