The Wearin' o' the Green

I love green...and I wear a LOT of it...this avocado-y shade, in particular.  And since today is St. Patrick's Day...and since it's going to be a sewing/gardening/cooking out in the backyard kind of day...and since I won't be going anywhere that would require wearing any of my lovely green things...I thought I would "wear" them here.  So there.  Now you can't pinch me!


And while we're on the subject...here's a link that my nephew posted on his Facebook page...and I thought I would pass it along.  Let's get it right this year, shall we?


                                        It's Paddy, not Patty.


Happy St. Paddy's Day, my lovelies!

Merry Christmas!

                                                            A Very Merry Christmas
                                                  ...from our house to yours...

A Gardener's Christmas Tree

If you take even a brief look around this blog...you'll soon discover that I'm a gardener.  I never fail to be completely gob-smacked (my favorite British expression) by the miracle of a flower.  I miss my garden in the Winter.  

And so...years ago, I began to collect glass Christmas ornaments with a fruit and flower theme...to bring a little of the garden miracle into our Christmas celebration.  Every year, The Mailman and I head down to the cutest little local tree lot...and select a fresh Michigan-grown Frazier Fir to display my growing collection.  TM (with the patience of a saint) sets it up for me in a five-gallon bucket...anchored with field stones...filled with water...and disguised with a wicker basket.

Tiny white lights...a sheer golden garland...sparkling clear glass icicles and balls...and silk hydrangea blooms form the foundation for my Gardener's Christmas Tree.

My beloved Clothique angel.  I've had her for at least 30 years...and she hasn't aged a bit!

A great big golden treble clef...and three matching eighth-notes...since we LOVE traditional Christmas music.  (I'm talking Vienna Boys' Choir here...NOT Alvin and the Chipmunks!)

A sweet little bird nests inside a mirrored blue ball.  Did you know it's "good luck" to have a bird's nest in your Christmas tree?  I'm not a big believer in luck...but I always give this little bird a prominent position...just in case!

Glittering golden cornucopias filled with fruit. These are the first ornaments I purchased...long before I even had a garden!

Beautiful burgundy-rose pomegranates. 

Blue and lavender pansy blossoms...and green pistachio nuts.  At least that's what I think they are.

Golden pine cones...circa 1990's from Eddie Bauer.  There are also ball ornaments, mushrooms and walnuts in this set...all glass.

A sneaky little squirrel has found his way into the mix.  Probably after my pistachios and walnuts! 

Snowy white amaryllis...a Christmas classic.

Pink Bleeding Heart, from a couple of years ago...my newest addition. 

And at the base...The Holy Family...another treasured Clothique creation from Possible Dreams.  When I purchased these...probably in the late '80's or early '90's...there was also a Shepherd and Wise Men to make a complete Nativity.  But...budget did not permit.  And now...they are nowhere to be found.







This year...I have my eye on some little glass birds...Cardinals, Goldfinches, Chickadees...just like the ones that visit the feeders outside this window.  

And even though we aren't big on Christmas gifting in our family...I think our tree looks a bit "naked" underneath.  So...I'm planning to wrap some empty boxes with a beautiful Hallmark angel-themed gift paper I've been hoarding for years...accented with velvet bows and old sheet music.  If I finish this project (BIG IF), I'll post a picture!

And there you have it...a Gardener's Christmas Tree!  Thank you for allowing me to share it with you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

                                                Got Turkey?

Halloween at Our House

Let me begin by saying that I have mixed feelings about Halloween.  Neither The Mailman nor I grew up with trick-or-treating and costumes and parties and all of that...and we don't have children of our own...so Halloween is not something we "celebrate."  That said, we have some very cute neighborhood kids that think we're pretty cool (imagine that!)...and so I try to make their annual extortion outing a pleasant experience for them and their parents.  Plus...Bonnie and Clyde love all the excitement!

Halloween at our house tends to harvest-themed, with pumpkins and chrysanthemums...and lots of dry leaves scattered about because I'm too lazy to rake them for atmosphere. 

I'm not into scary Jack O'Lanterns, but I do like carved pumpkins...so I usually do something seasonal.  This is a simplified version of a technique I learned from Sunset Magazine years ago.  I hollowed out the pumpkin...cut out three Maple leaf shapes...and pushed them halfway out.  I inserted a string of outdoor mini lights...cut a smallish hole in the back (bottom)...threaded the plug through...and cut another small hole (top) to let the heat escape.  Et Voila!  Adult pumpkin! 

And here's our little Butternut Squash Weenie Dog!  I bought the metal cutouts several years ago...and he's become a Halloween tradition on our porch.

I have a tiered plant stand on the porch that stays out 9 months a year.  In the Fall, I dress up the Summer planting with colorful gourds and these grapevine mini lights that I found a couple of years ago on clearance at Menard's.

Of course, with all the goblins banging on the door, there's not much time to cook.  So...we'll have something simple like these Bratwurst packets.  Simply fill a foil pouch with Bratwurst, sauerkraut, sliced onion, sliced apple and a sprinkling of brown sugar.  Place in a 350 degree oven and bake for 1 1/4 hours.  Easy-peasy!  And you don't need anything else with it...unless...

...it's a pumpkin cookie!  My friend, Kimberly blogged about these yesterday...and I just HAD to try them.  I especially had fun with the icing.  It's drizzled from a fork...which I had never done before.  At first, I tried to be careful and perfect...and it wasn't working...so I just decided to go all Jackson Pollock and I think they look great!  They're fabuloso...so much so that the kids will be getting these instead.  (Guiltily wipes cookie crumbs from face.) 



Now...bring on those little hooligans!  We're ready.  I just hope there isn't too much chocolate left over...know what I'm sayin'?

Independence Day

Today, as we enjoy time with family and friends...as we swim and barbeque...as we delight in fireworks...let us pause to remember exactly what it is that we celebrate.  Our precious and hard-won freedom.  May God bless America...and may America bless God.

A Happy Independence Day to you and yours, my friends!

Happy Fathers' Day!

Wishing you a most Happy Fathers' Day!

It's Official.

Apparently...a little past 11:30 this morning...I became a Senior Citizen.  Now, I can order a Senior meal at my favorite restaurant...if I grocery-shop on Thursdays, I'll get a 5% discount...and gosh, I can hardly WAIT to see what AARP is going to do for me.  

The Mailman...who is 5 years younger than me...thinks all of this is just hilarious.  For the past several weeks, he's taken every opportunity to remind me...and this morning, before work, he took me out for breakfast JUST so he could request the discount.  The joke's on him, though.  You see, for the past 17 years, I've been doing my best to age him...discreetly, of course...and according to my diabolical plan, by the time he retires he'll be 5 years OLDER than me.  BWAH-HA-HA-HA!!!

All kidding aside...when I think of the woman I was 30 years ago, there's NO WAY I would go back.  Apart from a slimmer physique and perkier bewbs, there's not much I miss about being 25.  Today, I have a wonderful man who loves me...a home of my own...work that I enjoy...and a certain level of comfort in my own skin.  And a profound gratitude for all that I've been given.  I had none of that at 25.  And as for the body and the bewbs...well, that's nothing a diet and a good bra won't fix.  Right? 

Happy Easter!

                     Wishing you a most Blessed Easter!