In The Kitchen

Yesterday while I was waiting for my friend to arrive (girls day out), I was cleaning up the kitchen a bit.

It feels so much like Fall here already, so I had to display the pretty little pumpkin from my daughter's garden. The light in this photo was a gift from my son-in-law Shon. I picked up the pizza paddle from "The Nomadic Trading Company", here in Punxsutawney, PA. You never know what you're gonna find there. Love that place!

I found this old ladder out behind the garage a few weeks ago. It's not quite safe to use for climbing up any more, but has a new life now as a plant stand in my kitchen.

Girls day out ended up as girls day in. We drove to a beautiful gift shop out in Amish country and it was closed. After making a quick stop at the local bakery we spent the day just hanging out and talking. 

I think time spent with friends is wonderful whether it's out somewhere or in the kitchen having coffee and good conversation. It's just the best therapy for the soul.

Karen

Tansy

I remember reading about folks using tansy to dye wool.

It seemed to me that they could gather it from meadows, growing wild, or alongside the road as they were out driving. I've never seen it in this area, but came across some at an herb farm this past Spring. So, I purchased two of the plants and they are growing among a few other herbs beside my porch.

One has grown tall and is about to bloom, the other has been dug up by our dog so many times that I'm surprised it's even still alive. 

 Jack is such a good boy and I'm pretty sure he thinks that because I dig there, it's okay for him to do the same.

Anyway…there is now a fence there to keep Jack out.

I'm looking forward to seeing the Tansy in full bloom.

Should be any day now.

Karen

Picky Picking

In summers past my husband and I would go to just about every flea market within driving distance and then some on the weekends. It's something that we enjoy doing together and our daughters love the hunt as well. So far this year we've been to only 2, spending most of our weekends gardening and working on projects here at home. We've become pretty picky when picking because we already have too much stuff. We try to only pick those things that we are positive we can use or things that we really love and feel that we can't live without ; ) Like this bird cage stand that we found on Saturday.

It's the perfect stand for the old birdcage that I've had forever.

 It's hand made and has the same look as our light fixtures in the kitchen.

 Although it would make a nice home for a bird, it makes a wonderful plant stand too.

It was one of those things that I knew we would use.

My husband found this chicken which I wasn't sure about at first, but love it now.

My daughter did this lovely chalk art for me.

The chalk board was one of last years flea market finds.

 It all fits together so well.

It feels great to have the kitchen decluttered.

 Simple and sweet.

karen

Hiding In The Gardens

This morning it is sweltering outside already, so it will be a day indoors for me.

I've been enduring the heat and humidity for weeks as I've been outdoors planting and tending the gardens, but it is beginning to make me tired and things are getting quite messy inside.

In the evenings when I can't garden any more I've been doodling. It's something I use to do a lot, but haven't in a while.

Most of my doodles resemble plants I guess. I must have gardens on my mind ; )

Then there are the trees……….

Love this Twisted Baby!

 We've planted 10 trees in the past few days.

There are willows and twisty curvy ones and weepy ones too.

I hope I'm around long enough to see them reach maturity.

These pink leaves are just gorge.

We planted 3 of these.

 The herbs are doing well.

These ones are in the center of the vegetable garden.

The ones around the tub I planted last week and they are taking off already.

My sweet husband came home with this beautiful arbor last week.

I am planning to plant wisteria along the sides.

We will have fresh lettuce from the garden tonight.

And flowers on the table.

I think I will leave the chamomile right where it is beside the daisies.

I just can't stand the thought of cutting it. 

 The rock garden has some interesting plants as well.

Soft short creeping ones 

 and tall sharp ones.

 This popped up out of nowhere and I don't know what it is.

A weed maybe or a remnant of some sort of grass that I planted last year that didn't make it through the winter except for this one lonely sprout?

The mulch is growing it's own interesting fungi from all the rain we've had I suppose.

I'm amazed at how this stuff just shows up over night.

It's been a busy Spring and Summer here so far.

I'm planning to take an evening to visit some of my favorite blogs to see what everyone else has been up to.

As always, thanks for stopping by!!!

karen ann

Growing

Plants 

 Indoors

 And out.

 Even outdoor plants indoors.

And indoor plants outdoors.

Berries from the garden make the best jam.

karen

On Being Artful

As I sat on the deck this morning with my cup of coffee and my copies of "Artful Blogging" and "Where Women Create", I realized I haven't had much time to be artful or creative lately.

The arrival of warm weather has brought with it outdoor activities in addition to the indoor ones that keep piling up. There just aren't enough hours in a day to accomplish all the things I want to do.

 Gardening has taken priority over spinning and other indoor activities.

These beautiful Cone Flowers are the latest addition to my herb and flower garden.

 I've added some potted moss to my indoor plants

as well as a little Patchouli.

The vegetable garden is in and beginning to sprout and I feel relieved knowing that I can take a step back to admire what I've accomplished.

When you think about it gardening IS "Artful".

karen

Breathe

I woke up this morning and the first thing I saw was a note on the kitchen counter that said "Someone left the fridge open all night and there's water all over the floor".

 The first thing I thought was "OMG and WTF...

Why is this my problem???

I'm pretty sure I ate at Taco Bell last night."

Then I went outside,

felt the cool morning breeze,

and walked over to my garden.

That's when I remembered I'm the one who turned  off the fridge door alarm when I was putting the groceries away the day before.

I took a deep breath, came back inside, looked at my vacation in a jar,

and decided...If that's the worse thing that happens today, I'm luckier than most.

Take a breath and have a great day!

karen

Spring

Thinking of Spring....

and fresh green herbs.

karen