Summer Cloches

All the cloches except the last one in this post are at my daughter's house. She has great taste and decorates beautifully. Just wanted to show off some of her creativity.

Marty's choche parties are fun. Can't wait to view the other posts linking up.

Garden planning and bird watching

The confederate jasmine is blooming on my arbors and their fragrance is intoxicating. The weather the last two weeks has been extremely pleasant and porch sitting is my favorite thing to do. I daydream and analyze my garden and watch the birds. They are amazing and I have so many questions about their habits. Decided finally to look up some things in my bird books and then pulled out several gardening books.

I have so many gardening books and I spent the afternoon looking at these and more daydreaming. One thing lead to another and I started thinking about the flowers on my grandmother's quilt and surrounding myself with pretty things I was thinking about.

A gardener should keep records and put plans on paper. I have a few times but my plans are mostly in my head. Making pictures and having them to refer to on my computer jogs my memory and my pictures are my records. Love the digital age.

As I have said before if you would read the books you have you would learn so many things.  On days like today I wish for friends sitting here discussing landscaping and  bird habits with me.

Do you spend as much time as I do thinking about what you should do next?

The quilt I am using as a tablecloth was made for me by my grandmother when I was a child. The squares are hand embroidered. When my grandmother did the embroidery and piece work she no longer was able to do quilting. The quilt pieces were in a cedar chest for years. After I married I had someone quilt the coverlet and used it on my daughter's bed for a number of years.

Do any of you remember a newspaper magazine called The Grit? I believe my grandmother ordered the pattern for this quilt top from that magazine. She made my sister the same quilt top with pink and blue squares.

More bird watching but this hummingbird is hard to photograph for a novice photographer like me.

Isn't this the sweetest thing? I couldn't believe I was able to capture it. Are they kissing? Feeding his mate?
 Bird watching and garden planning are fun. My hydrangeas are budding and a few are opening. Gardenias have swollen buds. This has been a fun afternoon to share with you.

Linking to Seasonal Sundays, Inspire me Tuesday and Wow Us Wednesday.

Saturday Breakfast

Spring is in the air

It's a beautiful spring. Weather is so pleasant. Wish it could last forever.

Recognize a blast from the past with these lap trays!

Bridal wreath and azaleas arranged in vintage Ball jar.

Blue and green pottery- Paula Deen. White salad plates- Spode-Mansard. Cutlery- Williams Sonoma. Napkins- AAFES.

Yes, spring is in the air. Hope, you are enjoying it.

Linking to: Let's Dish, Tablescape Thursday, Wow Us Wednesday and Table Top Tuesday.

Taking a break....

Hello everyone. Just wanted to let you know I have so much going on. I am in the process of updating our master bath, lost a friend this week, and several other life issues going on. I love reading posts and commenting but realize I can't do it all right now. I will be back enjoying your posts soon and catching up. Love, Bonnie

Born on Easter Sunday eleven years ago!

Our grandson, Noah, was born on Easter Sunday eleven years ago. We were fortunate to be able to visit them Easter weekend and share his birthday celebration. An amusement park provided go cart rides, bumper cars, putt putt golf, arcade games and more. It was a great time for all.

Noah has brought so much joy to our lives. It was special to watch him enjoy his birthday.

Guests enjoyed all the festivities and were treated to lunch at a Mexican food restuarant afterward. A family dinner and birthday celebration continued at home later that evening.

Easter decorations were festive everywhere at our daughter's home.

We hurried off to church Easter morning but this plate of goodies surprised the children when they sat down to Sunday lunch.  Who wouldn't like a plate of Cadbury chocolate!

I believe these egg slips were bought in the Ukraine when they adopted Sophie.

I wish I had examined them more closely. So little time and so much going on. It is special to record times and events but sometimes a little hard to enjoy the moment as well as record the events.

I always enjoy my daughters vignettes around her home. This was the centerpiece on her dining room table.

We enjoyed a family dinner and birthday meal  Saturday night of lamb chops, pasta, salad and birthday cake. I think I have mentioned on my blog before that our SIL is a master on his Green Egg. One thing my husband and I are sure of is that we will enjoy great food that my daughter and son-in-law cook.

Noah's  birthday cake was a delicious homemade chocolate cake. I missed getting a picture of his cake and him blowing out the candles. Got it just in time to catch them licking the candles. I didn't have the heart to ask for a photo op redo. He requested chocolate cinnamon waffles for breakfast. Some other pics from the food we enjoyed are shown below.

Do you believe me now? Grilled shrimp with mango, peppers, and other goodness served over pasta was delicious.

Happy Birthday weekend, Noah. We had a great time. You light up our lives and we are so proud of you. Grandmama and Grangraddy!

~ Granddaughter Fun ~

Our granddaughter, Sophie came to visit us this week. She and I set a tea table, make Easter cookies and had a tea party. The Wedgewood tea set was our daughter's tea set. The day before we had read The Tale of Petter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter and found exactly four stuffed rabbits from our children that I had saved that we named Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-Tail. We had a real Peter Rabbit all dressed in his blue jacket.

We made cookies several years ago at Christmas but this time she was able to participate more.

She was so eager and excited to do everything. As her grandmother I was happy to let her enjoy each step.

Sophie did a great job decorating her cookies.

She loved the tea and tried it plain and with cream.

The sweetest thing, however, was when I told her that Easter was not all about bunnies and eggs. She said," I know, it is about Jesus and how he bore our sins on the cross. " I love you, Sophie! I had a delightful time! Love, Grandmama

Linking to: Seasonal Sundays, Tabletop Tuesday, Wow Us Wednesday,  Let's Dish  and Tablescape Thursday.