like

I know a little girl, six years old last week, with red hair and chubby cheeks. We are neighbors. She likes me, and that makes my day.

my kid

I love reading an article about my kid that I didn't know about!
(-oh, I knew about the kid ---just not about the article. Misplaced modifiers can be so amusing!)

Please read it, follow the link to the Uganda 23 website, and consider making a generous donation to a very worthy cause!

a little bit o' pretty.

Here's a little bit of pretty to start your day.

The begonias were a gift from a friend.
the vinatge wooden box was an auction-find.
the cheery table runner was 25 cents at last week's rummage sale up the road.

my busy mind

This radiant girl officially graduated from high school last weekend.

We hosted a little dinner party on the porch in her honor, replete with happy relatives. Then we trotted over to the church for the graduation-shindig. It was a memorable evening.

My favorite part was when #1 Daughter sang John Mayer's "Stop This Train", accompanied by some fantastically plucky guitar playing. Thanks, Jules.

* in the spirit of fun, I will leave my wrong link attached. I attempted to link to the lyrics of the song, but somehow got yesterday's link about cheeseburgers instead. Enjoy.

Speaking of plucky playing, #1 Son was home for the weekend - and would you just look at what he was trying his hand at.

He is so very avant-garde!

-which brings me to mention cupcakes.

Not really a smooth segue, but my mind is always one blip away from mentioning cupcakes these days, especially if they are as moist & delectable as these were.

Oh my. Kitchen-goodness of all kinds! Some of them had peanut-butter frosting.

Speaking of peanut-butter frosting, here is the latest on my garden.

I am going for brussel sprouts this season. I love how Dr. Suess they look when they are ready for harvest!

All kinds of green things are popping up, which reminds me:
I need to go practice the piano.

Forgive the non sequiturs. It's merely a tiny peek into the cogs of my busy mind.

little girl

A little patch of sunshine has been visiting all this week.

Two and a half years old -and already a force of cheer & enthusiasm to be reckoned with.

A people-person without peer, she makes fast friends with everyone who walks in the door.
-and if you know ANYTHING about our house, then you know that's not a small number!


She had toast with Joe. We are certain that she thinks she is the same age as him.

Brown curls, sun-kissed skin, bubbly laugh, perky talk!
What a joy to have her ( and her lovely mama) here!

tall tale

It went from being quite blustery this afternoon to....well, seriously gusty!

Spotting a cushion from an outdoor chair being tossed in the wind, I dashed outside to rescue it when I saw the lids from our garbage cans go flying. I debated whether to first run after them or the cushion.....

Good thing I chose to grab the cushion first because as I grabbed it, I heard a loud crack behind me. Right before my eyes, a large section of this tree split in half and crashed to the ground.

I was about to head over to that very corner of the yard!

Thankfully, although the tree fell directly on top of the garbage cans, I wasn't standing there.
I like this story because it ended well.

Friend #37 told me his near-death story, and it certainly trumped today's falling tree tale. Therefore, I forbid him to tell his story for two weeks. That way, I get to tell my story without being one-upped. Nobody likes to be one-upped.

"I walked on the mooooon...." -Brian Regan

different kinds of beauty

I get happy looking at this & thought I would share the happiness.

I have never had much success growing my own roses, so instead I lugged this antique tin bucket from the loft of the barn and stocked it with other kinds of growing things.

Olive helped me pick these beauties out. She doesn't have a number, but she does have a nickname: Saturday Friend.

And now you know.