little moments

A few little weekend things:  

It seems right now, when time to myself is rarer than ever, I try to find enjoyment in the little moments, the little things...the time I had before and took for granted now is precious and appreciated more than ever...like having a moment to clip some flowers from the garden.  I picked these tiny Violets that had seeded themselves from last summer...the only "vase" little enough I could find to put them in was a tiny glass salt shaker...and a favorite flower that is now blooming, the beautiful blue Delphinium. 

We also took a little (unsuccessful) blueberry-searching, hot hike high above the lake on Saturday.  And on Sunday we had some guests over for brunch.  I served egg bake...my new favorite thing.  Pre-baby I used to make quiche a lot.  Now its egg bakes.  But I love egg bakes and could eat them every single day...with a just few drops of Sriracha on top.  Perfect!

on summer lately...

Black raspberry tart, whip cream on anything we can find to put it on (with the iSi whip cream maker, a delicious birthday gift I got a few months back), new gooseberry plants discovered, garden blueberries starting to ripen, my "garden in the woods" flowers blooming, a profusion of pink flowers (this Stonecrop) that I'm really loving, and a sweet little baby boy hanging out with my garden gnomes...that is a little of my summer, lately.

what summer tastes like...

...fresh basil pesto...Saturday smoothies...and later in the summer, if all goes (grows) well...plums!

I made the first batch of pesto this weekend with basil from the garden and it was wonderful smeared across warm, crusty ciabatta slices.  And I thought, this is what summer tastes like to me.  What does summer taste like to you?  Then, I often make smoothies but they taste even better now with a little bit of my fresh strawberry jam for some sweetness.  Little Bub loooves smoothies too so its a great way to get him to eat yogurt and bananas and whatever else I put in them.  And finally, Hub discovered plums growing on our plum tree that we planted a few years ago.  We're so excited!  :)

fresh flowers

 One thing I love about summer is that I can go out to my garden and pick fresh flowers to bring inside and brighten up little corners of my home.  I have so many really neat, old bud vases to choose from and its fun to feel like a "florist" for just a bit. 
(The only difference this summer is that now I have 1 year old chasing after me, trying to grab my flowers!)

weekend happenings...

 Friday evening:  a walk to the nearby creek to survey some of the flood damage that occurred here earlier in the week.  It was a lovely summer evening!

 Rainy Saturday afternoon:  lunch at one of our favorite places (we realized that we hadn't been there since New Year's Day!)...walking through the wet garden out front after a delicious lunch.

 Sunday morning:  baking Almond Poppyseed muffins...I love to load the tops with slivered almonds and generously sprinkle with sugar.

Sunday evening:  picking Arugula from my garden to make some mini salads to have with pizza.  Yum!

twinflowers

 It was a truly wonderful summer weekend...complete with little Bub's 1st birthday bash, some fun Father's day badminton, late Sunday evening strawberry jam-making, and snapping a few photos of the sweet and dainty Twinflowers (Linnaea) now blooming in my garden.

mini fairy gardens...

 A cluster of some tiny fairy gardens I put together this weekend using 3 lovely painted pots.  The two bird planters were hand-painted by Mum...featuring a Ruby-throated Hummingbird and a Golden Crowned Kinglet...so sweet and dear to me!  I dug up the moss from our woods for the oblong planter and the other two are filled with my ever-expanding Irish Moss that I bought a few summers back. Hopefully the little white flowers it gets later in the summer will bloom here too!  Then I of course had to run to the nursery the next day to find a cute little gnome (not pictured) to add to the fairy mix...no fairies have been spotted yet!

lock tight

Today was a day I wanted to lock tight forever in my memory.To always remember the way the wind blew through the trees, dry leaves rustling and blowing...the flowers turned to soft puffs of white... my little garden sorely neglected this summer, now overrun with leaves... the blue of the sky, the perfect warmth of the sun...the content feeling of my little one riding snug against my belly in the babybjorn, holding his tiny fingers and knowing he was just as content and happy to be outside on this perfect day too... showing him our colorful Maple, just a bit past peak...

to enjoy each day, always remembering each day is a blessing, a gift...realizing anew that I have it so good to be able to enjoy each day, each moment with my little one, beginning to see them different and new through his eyes... I think (hope) I'm getting better at letting things go, taking each day as it comes, and enjoying each moment...because they are so fleeting.

Just a few memories and thoughts from today to lock tight.

waiting and sewing...

This week I've been sewing lots of little things, despite my numb/tingling/painful right hand. I couldn't help myself...I needed to create and help take my mind off of waiting for baby to arrive. This is just one of the little things I made: My first attempt at a hotpad/potholder (or "pothad" as I can't help calling them). I got a bundle of some lovely fabrics recently for my birthday that had just been waiting to be put to use in some form.

And I've been trying to do a bit of gardening too, yet it's getting more difficult to bend down so low. But Hub has been a big help too as I point out where to plant what, what needs to be trimmed back, or sprayed to prevent the deer/bunnies from munching on. Bleeding Hearts...when they were just beginning to bloom, but are much larger now!Tiarella or Foam Flower...with a new little gnome. Anemone...so sweet, this is the first year they've actually thrived in my garden! I love these little purple-ish/blue wildflowers that appear in our woods each Spring...although I still can't identify them! I've searched through all of my wildflower books and even googled "bluebell-like flowers" and still no luck! I'm not sure why but I really would like to know what to call these dainty blue flowers. So the mystery continues...

...as does the waiting!

what is, what's to come...

Marveling today in what is...like my sweet Grape Hyacinths in bloom....a cluster of brilliant white Rock Cress blooming in my garden in the woods. And marveling in what's to come...stems of Wild Currant Berry plants surrounding my garden hold the promise of pretty red tart gems later on....spying a wild Trillium plant, sprouting up at the base of a mossy tree with a flower bud soon to bloom!

shades and thoughts {feeling Fall}

{edges curled...amber Maple leaf}

{my blueberry bushes...now lovely shades of burgundy, bright red, & orange}
{tangle of a Clematis that never bloomed this summer...but is turning a pretty plum purple}{sea of Sedum...my 'Vera Jameson' thriving in the cool weather, the butterflies love it...doesn't this one almost look like it has eyes?}

{lavender Aster...the last of summer's wildflowers}

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Our Maple is beginning to turn. My neighbor plucked an amber-colored leaf from it the other day to show me as she stopped by for a visit. Today, I broke out the space heater. Pulled my gray hood up once or twice. I put the down comforter on the bed last week and stowed away the summer quilt. Spread out the heating blanket on the bed last night. And the knitting frenzy has been in full blown intensity for several weeks now, really whenever my hands are free...another sure sign of the coming cold season. And this activity often coincides with me cozying up near our gas fireplace.

We refuse to turn the heat on just yet. Hub has given me the go-ahead if it is too chilly in the house for me. But for some indiscernible reason we like to wait as long as possible. Like its some sort of odd contest or challenge or something... and September 16th just seems too early. So instead we hold out by using other resources for the time being.
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P.S. Thanks for all your sweet comments regarding my humble curtain. :)