to grow a garden

Hero Hubby and I had a major garden fail last summer - that might have something to do with having our second baby... Anyway, our tomatoes rotted before they matured, our beets vanished (a mole, maybe?) and the few snap peas that actually grew looked like they were giving us the finger. Not a good scene. We thought we had done everything right - rich soil, good starter plants, lots of water. But, we got neglectful and. So, this year we are determined to start everything off right and keep up with it! I loved reading this gardening 101 post over at a beautiful mess. I also  love the idea of planting in containers. It makes everything seem much more manageable and I like how creative I can get with choosing the actual containers!

a vermont weekend

Hero Hubby and I took the girls up to Vermont and enjoyed a relaxing, rustic weekend (as relaxing as you can be with a baby and a tot) on a maple syrup farm owned by one our family members. Though we hoped for snow shoeing and sled races, we had rather mild weather and instead delighted in visiting The Vermont Country Store and a strolling down a few of the trails on some 100 acres of beautiful land. A little family bonding around the wood stove, homemade cookies and fresh country air made for an excellent adventure. Oh, yeah... the hour long soak in the whirlpool tub didn't hurt either.

it's the little things

Wondering what to do with all those Veuve Clicquot corks rolling around post [fill-in your celebration here]? As soon as I saw this post I began digging through our junk drawer for some cast away corks (I can never bring myself to throw those away). Air plants are a quirky addition to any space and can easily be ordered online. They are low maintenance (just mist twice a week and keep in bright filtered light). These little babies would make such cute gifts... perhaps a fun little token to hold the place-cards for your Thanksgiving guests?

hello birdie

Earlier this morning I sat down to write a blog post when I heard a thump on the glass door of the breezeway. I got up to investigate. When I opened the door to the chilly, damp morning I found a small woodpecker laying defeated-looking on the threshold. After a little nudge and few strokes of affection on top of its head, the bird hopped down the steps and zipped off into the bright blue sky.

It was a nice moment; seeing something falter and then take flight reminded me of how many times us humans are forced to take a pause from the action in life. Whatever that pause may be (great or small) it's important to allow... and hope that there's someone or some force to give us a little nudge and affection to help us on our way again.

color inspiration: bubblegum pink

The not-so-girly side of bubblegum pink. Isn't it fun to see a color out of context?  Always marked for the frilly, the fruity and the adolescent, this shade of delicious pink takes on an edgier persona while still adding its signature playfulness. 

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splendid summer day

As I sit here listening to the rain pelt the windows and the wind sweep across the house as if it were trying to toss us into the marsh, I am fondly reminiscing of the not-so-distant beach day we enjoyed several weeks ago.  Ah, those wonderfully hot sunny days and long easy stretches into dusk - the stuff of summer.  I hope the fall doesn't sneak up and steal summer away too fast.  Though it might, I am glad I have this photo to remember the summer baby Laela joined our family.

lovely fluffy

 

 

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a lovely thing about summer

 

A lovely thing about summer (perhaps the loveliest) are the visual treats around just about every corner - flowers.  Their colors, blossoms, leaves, shapes, heights... I could prattle on about how charged and vibrant life becomes in the summer when you have flowers abounding in fields, pots and gardens, but I'll let their beauty do the talking.  I have always admired the floral vignettes created with window boxes.  They make storefronts more inviting and soften the exterior walls of houses.  Most of all I love their playfulness, and knowing that they are temporary works of art makes my eyes all the hungrier to spot them.  

images by Marissa B. and via the grumpy gardner and little brown pen