Complete Indulgence

I am not a selfish person...


Sometimes I just need to take a break in the midst of the chaos I call my life....


This evening was one of those times...


No full dinner for the family....a frozen starter and fruit slices for the kids.....







And for me....



A slice of Brie with walnuts and dried yummies, a few crackers and a new found favorite French white table wine.

Served to myself on the back deck, on a cute little antique plate, a beautiful piece of pewter cookware received as a wedding gift and my ultimate favorite....a footed antique jelly glass filled with that wonderful white wine.

OK....back to the reality of life.....

July in a Flash...

July....your passing me by so quickly, I don't know if I have had time to absorb you!! Can we please slow down?? Life is moving so quickly, I can't really remember what was so important about yesterday??

4th of July.... watched a few fireworks with friends. So low key that this day almost blended into the next!

A day trip of adventure and culture..... this was a great day..... a day sent to me from a loving God who knew I needed a break.

My boys with their Great-Grandfather. He is a piece of living history....his (my) family lived here on this waterfront property for over 100 years...seriously! When I was a little girl he used to fill my swimming pool with Minos and soft shell crabs....one of my most vivid childhood memories. I love this man.....

An AWESOME concert....in the words of my 13 year old...

Where will this month take us next???

Flopsy, Mopsy and Peter...you need a new home!!

Let's talk about the garden again....Not only has the garden taken on a life of it's own, it has even taken on NEW LIFE!!! We have found a little family of bunnies in there buried among the squash and zucchini! The first time my husband found the mother...it was really funny, she scared him. He's a city boy...

Then...I found the babies!! Four of them to be exact. I was picking some beans and saw two little eyes looking at me. At first, I thought SNAKE but then I saw the fur..

And yes, they are adorable...but they are EATING MY VEGETABLES!!!! I mean, I don't want to be greedy....but grow your own!! They have made a serious dent in my Butternut squash...and my tomatoes are never going to ripen if those little buggers don't stop eating them off the vine!!

Bree seriously thought that I couldn't pull one of the zucchini's out because the bunny was hanging on....I am supposed to let this girl date in a few years????

So what happens when you express your concerns about Vegetation Depletion by such cute little bunnies?????

Well, first your HUGE - OLD (this is how Lily has started to refer to her daddy) husband decides that he is going to take on the bunnies....

Then, your youngest daughter has a conniption and starts talking in a different language about what is going on....older sister tries to calm the situation...

While also trying to point out the location of hiding bunnies....

Three year olds take on the situation....not good, pretty sure she said some naughty things about her daddy!

Lacrosse sticks, Crab nets and other crazy paraphernalia came into this equation, but never fear...those bunnies showed that big guy who was boss!!

Then today, I found this....I think I understand why they have taken to my garden....

That baby is 14" long and 13" round!!! And I am not talking about the cute little Princess with the garden gloves on!!

Piles of Work

The Piles of work and stuff that crop up in my life seem to take on a life of their own. At times there are the Laundry piles, to be Filed piles, put this in so-and-so's room pile, call this person pile, and the list goes on and on....and on......but lately I have been growing piles of things I love...CREATIONS!!!

This lovely little pile contains a shawl that is almost complete. It just needs the edge finished on it, and the lovely orange there...that is a tube top in the making. A fun little project that involved re-purposing old tshirts, love it!

Some of my projects don't get completed before I move forward to another...I always come back to them, but sometimes I need a change of scenery. I work well this way..or so I tell myself!

And this pile...this pile makes me sooooo excited because that means that my garden is GROWING and feeding my family. It also means that I have some canning and freezing to do...

Nature's Bounty

In a matter of a few short months our garden has gone from a blank plot of dirt and seeds to a Bountiful treasure chest. I have ton's of lettuce, beautiful purple beans that turn green when cooked, squash, zucchini and even potatoes!

Before....

After....

The tomatoes are growing fat and juicy but just haven't turned red yet! Notice the zucchini are starting to come out into the lawn.

And for some reason no matter what other flowers bloom, these are my favorite...every year. They have changed shades a few times, I think I love that surprise just as much.

Now, off to find more recipes for my squash. Time to break out the canning equipment.