Pretties and random thoughts

 If you didn't know it was October on the calendar, notice the cooler weather,pumpkins all around you might think I was stuck in Spring or Summer by these photos. I had fun the other day finally shooting some of the little things I bought at Brimfield. Sorry for the Easter card too!  I'll save some of the other Holiday ones for another time. Couldn't start with the Christmas cards quite yet. I was lucky and found a booth that sold vintage postcards only. They were a cute old couple that just let me quietly peruse their extensive collection. What fun to read some of the messages on the back. Almost as wonderful as the images on the front. Wish they made them like that now. 

The ribbon you see was from that wonderful booth I showed you here.  I spent more time buying various linens. Too many to show you now. The salvia is from the huge pot I keep . It has to be brought in the greenhouse during the winter. It was immense this year. I dried it out so many times but it still survived. I think it likes a little abuse. By abuse I don't mean I forgot about it for days. It needed 2 gallons of water everyday at least. I have a bouquet in the kitchen by my sink and makes dish washing more enjoyable. You might be surprised but I like doing dishes! Gets the dirt under my nails cleaned! 2 birds with one stone.  

Well I just put in another loaf of ciabatta bread. Out in 30 minutes and then I have to run. I was off eating bread for a week but I just can't do it. I have to have bread in my diet even if I have to cut out something else. Not sure what that will be......there isn't much bad food I eat anymore.

Is there a certain food you can't live without?  

What does bread, dishwashing and my salvia have to do with these vintage finds? Nothing just gives you an idea how my brain works:) 

oh yeah it's Friday I think I will join Deb at VIF

Love Day at Evi’s

One of my favorite days of the Winter Season is the day I come to Evi’s house

to celebrate Valentines Day with my favorite gal pals.

I always look forward to seeing how she's decorated the table.

Paula and I arrived a little late.

We got talking in the car and missed the turn.

Not a big deal but I didn’t have the time to take many photos of the house….

but we all took the time to smell the roses!

and there are still a lot of photos

The perfect shade of blush pink.

The table set with sweet gifts for all of us.

The last time I was here the living room was decked out for Christmas and

now it was ready for Spring.

Evi changes out the pillow on the sofa’s often and are now a soft sage green floral.

Oh yeah, also the curtains are different.

(I just noticed that)

She switches them out with these red and white ones edged with pompoms.

She kept the birch planters on the mantel but

added the green pompom branches.

Aren't they cool?

Bunnies are one of Evi’s favorites.

I have a soft spot for them too.

It’s good to be Queen

and we are the queenettes.

ok maybe Ladies in Waiting.

You may ask what are we waiting for???

Soup of course.

One of my most favorite soups….Cream Leek and Potato,

and Evi doesn’t wimp out on the cream…..she uses the good stuff.

I can diet later.

We then had a wonderful salad with heart of palm

which I dug right into and forgot to photograph.

But I didn’t forget to take a picture of these shrimp kabobs with

papaya, pineapple and zucchini. It was complimented with Jasmine rice and roasted vegetables.

It made a beautifully colorful plate and most importantly

DELICIOUS.

Evi had wanted to try a torte from a

recipe book of famous German chefs given by her niece.

Multi layered cake filled with cherries and edged

 in roasted almonds.

We all went nuts over it.

We all took some dessert home.

George ate it all the next day after he’d already

 eaten breakfast.

Left me a morsel!

said he was helping me diet!

thanks

We were also treated with heart shaped chocolate cakes

with fresh raspberries.

Fantastic

Little chocolate mice made with hersey kisses and fresh cherries.

So clever.

Then the presents came out!

Woo hoo

Evi decoupaged these cute boxes with script paper and filled them

with Toblerone candies.

and beautifully wrapped sweet little notepads.

Laura gave us all a wonderful gift bag with a tin bird and covered

egg cup holder from Pottery Barn.

Don’t you just love Pottery Barn?

Love soft boiled eggs!

Debbie gave us a very needed self therapy notepad

and homemade pink meringues.

I ate them all by the next day : )

is that bad?

George never saw them.

Paula gave us an adorably decorated

tin pot of paperwhites

and hand stitched paper heart tied with ribbon and filled with

homemade caramels from Gather in Ivoryton 

and antique crystals.

So clever!

I hadn’t taken any photos of what I had made for Evi

 until I was there.

It was a kit from Cathy Pendleton.

I’ll share more about it on another post.

Hope you all had as good a Valentines Day as all us girls did.

I feel so lucky to have such good friends in my life.

My only wish is that we could see each other more often.

Don’t worry we all went home to our

Sweeties that night !!!

Hugs

Carole

What’s the date?

Spring seems to go by so quickly. First day of Summer is Tuesday the 21st and soon

all the kiddies will be home, the beaches will be full and the temps will be

hot hot hot!

It’s been a challenging season with the weather and all the rain and winds

we’ve been getting. I think we did manage to have 2 weeks of sunny days in a row.

…… it’s raining and thundering out right now.

The roses have taken a beating but we got a handle on it now and they’re beautiful again.

It’s a good thing I don’t mind cleaning them and George stays on top of the spraying.

I love seeing all the roses that people have in blogland and often wonder how they

feel about all the maintenance.

Topic for another time.

Gee I was going to tell you the name of this rose but it escapes me now and I don’t feel like going outside and getting wet.

Oh wait just remembered.

Ebb tide!

so there you go.

And you thought I knew what I was going to write about.

Nope, just let it happen as it comes…..

I overthink things enough during the day…..

I really don’t want to when I’m blogging.

Is that bad?

I do find myself writing posts in my head while working that never end up being written.

 In my head they sound pretty good.

Some may actually be but many I think are subjects that I never feel comfortable writing about.

Does that happen to you?

You come to your senses and think why I’m I going to write about that???

Everyone will think you’re nuts!

or worse hate you! ok hate is a strong word.

Never want to visit you again

Ok changing subject…..

I have the attention of a gnat sometimes…..

but this next picture is of foliage and you know how much I love me foliage!

I noticed a lot of people doing their pots with just that this year.

work it Mr Bee

I’ve used a lot more succulents this year and had intended on showing you more pots that I had made up but they

sold quickly and never got many pics of them.

This was my crown one with hens and chicks.

Someone asked me if it was a religious thing?

no just something different.

Little Fifi looking so angelic with eyes the color of those hydrangeas.

A few seconds later she was breaking apart that hydrangea

and throwing it at her twin sister. Too cute!

I love when they come by with their parents.

George turns into a little kid again and becomes a human jungle jim.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Hugs,

Carole