A Scrap of Paper

The design on this paper works so perfectly with my heart-shaped shell box, that it is actually difficult to see where the box ends and the paper begins.  Isn't that interesting?  I wouldn't have believed it was possible, if I hadn't seen it myself.  My own little Modern Doily made with one sheet of scrapbook paper.

You know that I love to use scrapbooking paper in vignettes when I decorate (see my Sweet Halloween tablescape here) but the great thing about this post is that the sheet of paper was part of my birthday present from my friend, Angie!  I didn't even choose the paper design and it still works perfectly with some of my treasures.

This is where I will advocate "walking around your house carrying the object you want to incorporate into your design."  I'm sure that quote won't trip off the tongues of the HGTV hosts anytime soon.  But I am serious!  You will never know how something will look (or what it will look good with) until you experiment.  I would never have put some of my shell boxes with this paper if I hadn't seen them near each other.  

The white shell box actually got my attention first.  I realized that the white flowers and dark background would make the little box seem delicate sitting on top of the fabric-like print.  When I added another shell box to try and fill up the empty space, I was shocked at how the colors blended together.  It's gorgeous!

I have this pretty vignette on a black coffee table in between two candlelight white love seats.  It is a delightful conversation piece.  Thanks, Angie!

Rose and Basil Bouquet

The combination of Rose and Basil scent isn't just magic in a candle - the real life inspiration can also make you swoon.  I have been making small flower arrangements combining roses and fresh herbs for years, yet I still get surprised looks when I present the combination in person.  An actual light bulb moment when they look at me as if to say, "Where have I been?"

So many people have big bushy basil plants in a pot outside, yet overlook their potential as a bit of green in a flower arrangement.  I have this arrangement of David Austin "Heritage" roses in a antique teacup (stems inserted into damp floral foam) with 2 sprigs of fresh basil.  It is compact, but powerful - in scent and scope.  

When you walk into the room, this sweet bouquet will get your attention.

Louisville: Wild Eggs

I probably should have some sort of omelet, since we were having Sunday breakfast at a popular place in Louisville called Wild Eggs, but I couldn't do it!  The moment I read lemon curd on the menu, I was a goner.  

I simply had to order "Raspberries and Lemons Oh My!" pancakes. The menu describes them as "Buttermilk cakes, raspberries, lemon curd, raspberry sauce, whipped cream and powdered sugar," while I describe them as heavenly.  What a treat!

If you are ever lucky enough to stay overnight in Louisville, this is the breakfast spot for you!  But plan on going early and putting your name in for a wait, the rest of this charming town agrees with me!

My Birthday!

Today is my birthday and I am having a great day.  It is 78 degrees and sunny, my best friend took me out for lunch and a cupcake and I had this bouquet from the garden on my kitchen counter all week.  Yes, things are just great.

Over the years I have trumpeted celebrating my birthday over the entire month of August (and believe me I still am!) because I think it is important to recognize yourself and celebrate the fact that you are alive.  

If I'm overdoing it, it is so that I might somehow give you (my readers) permission to indulge and spoil yourself too.  A bit like, "If Anne is celebrating all month, I can at least do this (fill in blank) for myself."

Is it working?  I hope so.  Life is a gift, full of trials and tribulations, triumphs and treasures.  When your birthday rolls around, you certainly need some cake and ice cream.  It's my way of being thankful.

Coffee and Croissants by 9 Bean Rows

Nope, it's not an egg yolk...it's an apricot!  It was Fourth of July weekend and we wanted to get out of the house and spend the morning at the farmer's market, but not before some coffee!

The luck was that there were still "9 Bean Rows" apricot pinwheels left at The Pedaling Beans coffeehouse in Lake Leelanau.  Yum yum yum yum yum.  I recently watched a baking show on making croissants from scratch and I can honestly say that it's never gonna happen.  Baking these kind of pastries from scratch is just too labor-intensive for me, so I will leave it to the experts!

All summer long, the 9 Bean Rows bakery drops off fresh croissants on certain days of the week (Weds, Fri, Sat?).  If you want to make sure that you get one, you can call and place your order ahead of time.  When the shipment comes in, they dole out the pastries into the pre-order bags.  That's why I felt lucky that there were some left when we came in on this particular Saturday!  

On other days I have placed an order, and there is something wonderful about walking up to the counter and seeing a bag that says, "Anne Reeves" on it.  It just makes me feel smart...and still pretty lucky.

A hot latte and a fresh apricot pinwheel...this is a moment of delight.

Generosity

For me, this photo represents generosity.  When I was in Louisville, Kentucky staying with friends, we were buzzing down the road a little late for our dinner reservation when I "saw" this quintessential Kentucky moment.  I raised my camera to take a quick shot through the window and my friend's husband said, "Do you want to get a picture of that?"  When my body language said yes, he stopped the car, through it in reverse and backed up to the area where I had first noticed the horses.

I wish I had saved my first shot, the one through the car window, to post here because it was awful and it would show you just how much it meant to me to get a beautiful photo of horses grazing in the Kentucky sunlight, complete with the shadows from a fence.  

Generosity is letting someone have the time they need to do what they do.

Cincinnati's Newport Aquarium...Tom & Chee

I am pretty sure that this is a Moon Jellyfish, which I can understand from the eerie coloring, but I would have named them something like "Dreamscape" or "Illusion."

The jelly fish exhibit at the Newport Aquarium has soft benches in it so that visitors can sit and ponder these transparent wonders.  Classical music piped into the area and Beth and I really didn't want to leave.  It was very relaxing and completely unexpected to be in this lovely space after the hustle bustle of the other areas.  The jelly fish looked positively dreamy.  I wonder if they can hear the music?

After a big morning playing "school field trip," I was ready for a nice lunch.  I found a neat little spot in the outdoor shopping area (just outside the aquarium) called Tom and Chee, which is a temple for tomato soup and grilled cheese lovers.

I had a cup of homemade gazpacho and a half of a tomato/cheddar grilled cheese sandwich.  It was exactly what I was looking for on a hot Summer day.  Fresh, satisfying and fast.  If you are in the Newport on the Levee area of Cincinnati/Newport, this is a great spot to have a casual lunch. 

Eye Contact

Okay, I admit that reptiles rarely make the list of delight...but how could I not photograph this little guy (he's a little bigger than my hand) when he was giving me such great eye contact?

Ha! I knew you would think it was funny when you could see what I saw.  I think the cover of algae (correction: duckweed - thanks, Margaret!) makes him feel protected.  

I was visiting the Newport Aquarium (just over the bridge from Cincinnati, in Kentucky) with my friends and their kids last Friday and it was fun to look through at things through the eyes of a child for a while.

While the kids seemed to love the Shark Walk and Frog Bog the best, I was taken with this little guy.  More to aquatic delights tomorrow and a lunch recommendation just around the corner.

Cookies for 2012 London Olympics

Yet another reason to love the Olympics - theme cookies!  And I am happy to report that they taste as good as they look...I just ate the pink pig (the bakery is located in Cincinnati, which has long been associated with pigs) and I'm about to inhale the British flag.  That's the beauty of cookies; I have to eat them while they are fresh.

Dan and I just spent a glorious weekend with friends at their home in Louisville and when we first arrived, this adorable tray of cookies was in our room to welcome us. So thoughtful!  

With all of the exciting Olympic coverage lately, I wouldn't have been able to resist these beauties either.  Hats off to The BonBonerie for their enthusiastic collection of sweet treats honoring the Summer Olympics, which brings a little delight to the world every 4 years.  

Nothing but Nasturtiums

If I were a florist, I would name this bouquet "Sunshine". The bright orange and yellow nasturtium blooms are simply radiant. However, they are so fragile they would never make it as a shipped bouquet. When you cut a handful of nasturtiums you need to be ready to enjoy them then and there. The blooms are like tissue paper so they don't travel well. But we grow them from seed! I love that nasturtiums bloom all Summer too. I can make this bouquet as often as I want.

Sunlight and a Marimekko place mat made it even prettier. I love this time of year.

Luscious Knit Scarf

I thought that I had already knit all the scarves I could possibly need.  And then I saw the new "Really Big" yarn (colorway: Rainbow) by Bernat when I was shopping at Michael's Craft.  I found myself redefining need and ultimately gave in and bought myself a few skeins to start a new project.

I finished a short chunky scarf (really more of a neck wrap) in 2 sittings while watching the Olympics and it really felt good.  A comfortable spot on the couch, my plastic "walrus teeth" needles (Size 50!) clicking and clacking and an unlimited stream uplifting stories about pride, determination, teamwork and skill. 

One of my favorite Olympic moments was when the family of one of the swimmers was in the stands with their relation to her written on their foreheads in eyeliner: Dad, Mom, Sis.  It was adorable and their love for her was literally written all over their faces.

I am loving Summer and I'm not at all ready for Fall...but look how cute I will look this Winter!  I have a puffy raspberry Winter parka and now I'm all set.

Cake Carrier

"Everything is better with Cake and Frosting."

Amen!  I have been using my tin cake carrier by Glittervillle a lot lately and I realized that I have never shown it to you.

I am not actually carrying my cakes anywhere, but using the cake carrier on my kitchen counter as a device for a big reveal.  Ha!  You'd be surprised how excited people become when they hear that there is a homemade cake inside.  It literally creates anticipation, and who doesn't love that?

My mom and I bought this together a few years ago at a really great party/paper/pink shop in Palm Beach Gardens called Swoozies .  I wanted it so that I could display cakes and she wanted it so that I would make cakes.  Win-win.  I'm really happy that it is still available on the Glitterville website - what a great gift for a girly-girl near you!

Photosynthesis

Have you taken a close look at a sunlit leaf lately?  I have been enjoying some quiet mornings in the garden and I came to my senses and stopped focusing on just the roses.  Look at the fine lines in this rose leaf!  Photosynthesis is happening; I'm sure of it.

Stroopwafel Savior

It is too good to be true.  I have been gifted a box of boxes of Stroopwafels!  That's right, a box of boxes and I am over the moon.

Last Summer I was introduced to this magical caramel waffle cookie when my husband's friend, Greg came to visit and bought us a tin as he passed through Amsterdam.  You can re-read my post about his visit here.

In my enthusiastic, sugar-loving way, I proclaimed in my blog that from now on, anyone passing through Amsterdam has to get me some Stroopwafels.  You have knocked me over with a feather when I received a box in the mail from Greg and found that it contained enough Gouda's Guile Stroopwafels to last me all year! 

I was eating one as I started to write this post and it has disappeared in a flash.  Yum yum yum.  You can see a cookie above warming over a cup of tea.  The heat from the tea makes the cinnamon caramel chewy and fabulous.

Bless you, Greg, for your extraordinary gesture of fun and kindness.  You certainly understand "delight."

Souvenirs from London

My brain and it's wish list is a little eccentric.  My husband and I have been watching the Olympics and cheering each event, but I pointed out to him that very little of the national coverage is about shopping or delightful things in London.  This makes me feel encouraged about the book I am working on, A Delightful Tour of England; it is loaded with shops, sweets and treats in London!
Yes, the tv coverage encourages the audience to eat at an English pub (I recommend The Grenadier) and ride the London Eye, but what about shopping?  What about souvenirs?  You might have guessed that for me, a delightful souvenir from England is made of tin.

I loved these tin replicas of famous china patterns used by the Royal Family, that I bought one of each!  And the beautiful tins of tea, of course, that you can find at Harrod's or Fortnum and Mason.  What a wonderful treasure to bring home from London.  But my still-longed-for souvenir is a Fortnum and Mason tin bicuit box full of cookies...that is also a music box!  Can you stand it?  I loved the tin, the selection of cookies, the fact that it was a music box - the whole this was perfect, but felt too rushed at the moment to actually buy it.  I guess I have to go back!

What would you want as a souvenir from London?  Is it tin?

The Beautiful Beach of Gulf Shores

The perfect image of Summer, don't you think?  We spent a week at steamy Gulf Shores, Alabama for a family reunion and this was my view from my rented beach "headquarters."

Can you see how they have written "Reeves" in chalk on my chaise?  Love that!  My dear friends, Melanie and Jon (remember when I visited them in Birmingham, AL?)  arranged their vacation to coincide with ours and we had a great time visiting with them at moments in between reunion festivities.

On this particular day they had found a section of the shoreline (near the Regatta Condos) with beach stations available for rent - wahoo!  It was hot, hot, hot and I needed this umbrella more than you know.  When Dan and I arrived to meet Melanie and Jon, they had already arranged for our station.  Imagine me here with a cold Diet Coke, because I never left this spot all afternoon.  It was perfect.

As for Gulf Shores in July, I cannot tell a lie.  In the summertime, it is TOO hot for this Michigan girl.  If you are determined to visit this area, be sure to book in the shoulder seasons.  

Pinterest

I have a Pinterest Board that showcases my photos, thoughts and ideas.  Would you like to follow my board? Click https://pinterest.com/AnneHReeves/

Edible Art: Sliced Grapes

In your wildest culinary moment, have you ever sliced a grape?  Me neither, but look at how beautiful it looks in this collage of edible items called lunch.  I was served this mini-masterpiece at the tiny Scandinavian shop called Punzel (near Interlochen, Michigan) last year and I took a good five minutes photographing each part.

Lunches are created one-by-one for a small number of guests each week.  They layer cheeses, edible flowers, Scandinavian breads and fresh fruit to create little vignettes of flavor around the plate.  When I noticed that they had constructed a flower from grape slices and a fresh berry, I had to show you. 

The next time you are making a fruit salad or a lunch plate, slice some grapes.  You too can add a touch of edible art.  

CB2 boasts Modern Flower Arranging

It may well be the best $2.95 I ever spent.  A simple glass beaker vase from CB2, a modern off shoot of the Crate and Barrel store, transforms my china cabinet into a magazine-worthy piece.

The thin glass vase comes complete with a hole in it for threading a bit of ribbon through.  I tied my bit of aqua ribbon into a loop and have it hanging here on the key to the china cabinet.  Who would guess that such a modern vase (it's a test tube!) could look so romantic and sweet?

This bouquet is two hydrangea blossoms from my yard paired with one of my Royal Amethyst roses.  When you have a garden, your best design touches can cost less than a latte. 

Box of Chocolates?

Life is like a box of...lip gloss?  My friend Corinne swooned a little when she found this "box of chocolates" lip gloss by Two's Company and then presented me with these sweet treats just because. 

Each bon bon is nestled in a paper wrapper and has a different chocolate-scented lip gloss inside (just turn it over and lift the lid).  The heady scents make me want to reach for the nearest Hershey bar - no joke!  The flavors include: Chocolate Vanilla Creme, Mocha, Chocolate Caramel and Chocolate Strawberry Creme and I love them all.  It brings back fond memories of a giant tube of Bonnie Bell Lip Smackers lip gloss I had when I was in Junior High - it was Tootsie Roll flavor and I wore it every chance I got. 

I've moved this little set around the house (kitchen counter, office sideboard, front table) and every time I come upon the box it makes me happy.  A little bit of delight in the most unexpected form.   

Family Book Club

Am I sparking your imagination?  I saw this stone arch and a two track road winding into the distance and knew that you had to see it.  It could be the cover of a great book, don't you think? 

When I was at my husband's family reunion, there was a great moment when the kids (boys and girls age 12-18) were clamoring for my attention.  I casually asked them for recommendations of books they thought I should read and the floodgates opened.  I kept track of the title, author, and which child was recommending it on a "notepad" on my iPhone and the more titles I wrote down, the more they seemed to come up with.  It was magic.

A big part of this great family moment was the fact that I valued their opinion.  I was looking them in the eye and giving them the chance to affect me.  They were "pitching" their favorite books, hoping that I would read them and be impacted the way they were.

I proposed a Reunion Book Club (our reunion is every 2 years with family coming from Minnesota, Texas, Utah, Michigan and Virginia) and one of the teen boys suggested that we manage the group on Facebook - I love it!  I promised to transcribe the reading list (to the Reunion Book Club FB page) so that the kids could refer to it to read any books they might have missed.  The kids said they would check the page to see my progress and offer encouragement.  Yowza, I've got a lot of reading to do!  But this was a precious connection and I'll do anything to keep it.  

Would the teens in your family like to have a book club?

Vacation

I miss you!  I am on vacation in Gulf Shores, Alabama and I can't blog!  We have 28 of my husband's relatives sharing a house and the internet at this rental property is patchy at best.  I noticed that I had a connection, so I've jumped on to say Hi.  I will be home and able to post about lots of blog worthy topics starting Monday.  Until then, I hope you can find delight in the Olympics! xo Anne    

Seizing Delight: Marsh Marigolds

A big part of "finding delight in every day life" is recognizing that timing is everything.  So much of the wonder and delight of life is seasonal, so you have to be ready to seize the day and enjoy the moment when it arrives.  

For example, marsh marigolds wait for no man.  They are one of the first wildflowers to bloom in the Spring and when we notice clusters of yellow in the marshy areas near the cottage, my mom and I make tracks.  I am usually only able to go "up north" a few times in the Spring and if I am lucky enough to be there when the marsh marigolds bloom, I'm not going to miss it!  The plants may bloom for a few weeks, but there is only a short window when I am in town to capture it.

We always drive to this shallow stream (between Leland and Northport, Michigan) where my mom first started photographing marsh marigolds in the 1980's.  The plants thrive in this marshy area and the clear shallow stream is the perfect visual foil to the healthy bushy plants.  

I took this photo on May 23, 2009 and it was the last time I was up north for the bloom.  Look at the glorious clusters winding their way up the riverbed.  I am so glad that my mom and I had to the chance to spend a delightful afternoon taking pictures.  

In terms of Spring occasions, it wasn't as romantic as a wedding, or momentous as graduation, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Whenever you flip the calendar page to a new month, write the seasonal items you are looking forward to ("tulips" or "English peas") to remind yourself to get out and enjoy them when they are at their peak.  

Birch Bark

I love the natural beauty of birch bark.  Look at the gorgeous "new" layer of white birch on a tree I found on our property - the old layer of bark was unraveling off of it naturally.

I would never peel bark from a birch tree, but I have had hunting for pieces of bark on the ground.  When I have enough, I plan to piece it together and cover a picture frame or a large matchbox.  It will be a "custom designer touch" that I made myself.

I blogged about an easy chocolate dipped pretzel recipe that mimics birch bark here.  

Stormy Weather

Oooh...can you hear the dramatic movie score that could go along with this photo?  I happened to be in the Leland harbor last summer when a rain storm cropped up at sunset.  The colors are exactly as my camera captured it - vibrant, distinct and eerie.

I love how the rocks of the breakwater look dry and harsh, while the sky looks like something cooked up from a chemistry set.  You can see the hazy streaks of rain water falling from the sky.

With so much of the country experiencing drought, I was happy to see the rain today and thought that showcasing a beautiful storm was appropriate.

Country Living Blue Ribbon Blogger

Country Living magazine is having an event to recognize bloggers.  I've nominated my blog, Moments of Delight and would love if you would chime in and let Country Living magazine know that you enjoy my blog too. Thanks, Anne
http://www.countryliving.com/2012-blue-ribbon-blogger-awards-nominations

Sky High Hollyhocks

Look at the Hollyhocks! - these are the flowers of English cottages and fairy tales.  I had to pinch myself when I visited a friend here in northern Michigan at  a private community called Northport Point and saw hollyhocks growing everywhere.  

Every Spring, I am usually swayed by the deep blue delphinium when I am shopping at the garden center.  Next year I will have to keep my wits about me and remember to buy some hollyhocks for my garden.  I have a beautiful brick wall around my patio and I think hollyhocks would thrive there.  Have you had success growing hollyhocks?

These hollyhocks are sky high!  I am 5'2" and I took this photo aiming up, without a zoom.  How tall are they?  I'd guess that they are 9 feet tall, easy!

I want to remind you of the photograph I took of hollyhocks in England - it is one of my favorites.  I was driving through a small town on the way to Blenheim Palace (Winston Churchill's childhood home) when I saw them and yelled, "Stop the car!" 

Knit Fish

Yesterday I was taking about fish nets, now I'm blogging about knit fish.  There is a tongue twister in there somewhere, I'm sure of it.  


I was wandering through Fishtown in Leland, Michigan and I came upon a split store - half "Tack and Jibe" (wonderful boating life-inspired accessories) and half Fishtown Preservation Society.

In addition to accepting donations to preserve Fishtown, they also sell promotional items that supporters can purchase to declare that Fishtown is important to them.   I saw mugs, shirts, hats, but what caught my eye was a wall display of knit fish ornaments, which I think is genius!  What a charming way for the society gain support.  The shop girl told me that her mother ties a fish on the neck of a wine bottle when she brings wine to a party - I love that!    


I was in a bit of a rush, so I didn't make an impulse buy that day, but I think a school of fish is in my future. 

Leelanau Peninsula: Glass Buoys

I want these!  I was walking through Fishtown in Leland when I noticed this open container of aquamarine glass buoys that hold fishing nets afloat.  You heard me, aquamarine fishnet floats.  They. are. gorgeous.  

I thought that taking a photograph would be enough, but now that I am back at the cottage writing about them, I really want them even more.  I know that they would look beautiful on display in a bowl in my aqua family room.  I think I need to head back to Fishtown...

*Update - I got some and they look beautiful on a plate in my family room.

Pearls in Paradise

Fresh coconut and fresh water pearls - I was in a tropical paradise, no doubt about it.  I have been organizing my photos lately and I realized that I hadn't shown you this gorgeous picture from my trip to Honolulu.  

Corinne and I were exploring the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet and after drinking the coconut water out of this fresh coconut with a straw, the vendor cleaved it open and loosened the flesh so that we could eat it.  A few bites of fresh coconut was enough for me, but look how gorgeous it is held up again a display of pearls!

We bought a strand of the soft pink pearls and had a glorious time making jewelry with them.  Don't you love it?

Leelanau Peninsula: Perfect Tart Cherry Pie

Michigan produces three quarters of the nations tart cherries and this year we have had a devastating crop loss due to an early freeze.  The bright red cherries in the left side of this photograph are tarts and I bought one of the containers to make a fresh cherry pie.  

I was at the farmer's market in Suttons Bay on Saturday and I spoke to the farmer himself and he jokingly said, "That's most of my crop this year."  To hear him talk of it, broke my heart, but that is the business of farming, if Mother Natures throws a curve ball, the farmers have to cope.

I was glad to support him with a purchase (I bought a carton of the dark sweet cherries too) and the tarts made the best cherry pie ever!  

Fabulous Cherry Pie

2 frozen deep dish pie crusts

4 cups washed and pitted tart cherries

3/4 cup white sugar

3 Tablespoons quick tapioca

1 tsp lemon juice

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Open the package of frozen pie crusts and cut the rim off of one of them.  Tip it out of the tin pan and onto a cutting board. Cut the circle of pie crust into long strips with a knife - this will be your lattice.

Mix cherries, sugar, tapioca and lemon juice in a large bowl.  Allow to sit 15-20 minutes.  Stir well and pour into whole frozen pie shell.  Lay the strips of crust across the pie and arrange into a lattice or basket weave pattern.  Pinch dough strips to edge of pie shell to seal the strip.  Brush crust lattice and rim with a beaten egg.  Sprinkle entire top of pie with a little white sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature with creamy vanilla ice cream.  Enjoy!

Match Box Puzzle

I just love this collection of matches I made.  I chose a bunch of different scrapbook papers and glued them to small boxes of matches.  Now they work together as a kind of "artistic puzzle."


I leave them displayed together on a sofa table in the family room and check back periodically to see if they have been rearranged.  As often as not, someone has taken it upon themselves to move the boxes around, changing the arrangement to appeal to them.  I love that!  You wouldn't think that there was a lot of reasoning or placement to a collection of black and white patterns, but there is.  I think it is a bit like a crossword puzzle, finding satisfaction in the solution.


Would you rearrange these boxes if you had the chance?

Stained Glass Glory

I love seeing light stream through a stained glass window.  What is neat about this particular window is that it is housed in the London Garden Museum, which was once the medieval and Victorian church, St. Mary’s at Lambeth.  This is a salvation story you should hear.  If you are intrigued by my nutshell version, you can click the links and delve in further.

The story begins in 1062 when the first incarnation of the church was built of wood on this site near the Thames.  It existed as a church for hundreds of years and then as the area slowly degraded, the church was deemed redundant.  Set for demolition, the building's course veers dramatically when it was rescued in 1976. (You can read through the timeline here.)

In 1976, Rosemary Nicholson arrived at the overgrown church yard looking for the tombs of John Tradescant (c.1570-1638), the man acknowledged to be the first great gardener in British history, and his son of the same name (c.1608-1662).  She found their tombs, but what she also discovered was that the desconsecrated church was boarded and set to be demolished. 

Unwilling to let this piece of British (and gardening) history be lost, Rosemary and her husband, John, set out to save this church building and tombs (with its 950 years of documented British history) by gathering supporters, volunteers and funds to establish the Tradescant Trust in 1977.

This trust was responsible for the restoration and revitalization of the church and currently oversees the building and its grounds.  The trust ended up founding the world's first museum of garden history.  

Go Rosemary! Thank you for your vision and dedication to preserving this fantastic and historic site.  I walked through the garden, poured over the antique garden implements displays inside and bought my share of souvenirs.  I am writing a new book (A Delightful Tour of England) and will send my readers to visit the Museum of Garden History.  I blogged a bit about the inside of the museum here.   

Blue and Yellow Masterpiece

Patience! I am glad I dug down (pardon the pun) and found some patience when I was gardening!  The unidentified plant that was almost pulled "as a weed" produced these beautiful fringed asters!

I had forgotten that I planted a "Blue Stokes" aster in the side garden and I know that it didn't bloom last year, but (Voila!) it is back and blooming in one of my favorite colors.  In this case, I am guilty of forgetting my own "Master Plan."

When I combined a few blooms with an "Endless Summer" hydrangea and some "Graham Thomas" yellow roses, I had my masterpiece.

A Lovely Evening

I had a lovely evening at a new Florentine restaurant in Lake Leelanau, Michigan called Bella Fortuna last Saturday night.  It was a Grand Opening Celebration dinner for the restaurant that benefited the Leelanau Cancer Fund and the place was packed.


It started with prosecco and prosciutto on the patio - doesn't that sound divine?  There were plenty of delicious passed appetizers to start the evening off and my favorite was a minced artichoke spread on crostini.  

The dinner had several courses and you can see my entree above, Pesce Funghi (Walleye with fresh mushrooms) and Bistecca (Char grilled steak with salsa verde) served with Cannellini (Tuscan-style beans with extra virgin olive oil).  It was very satisfying meal and a wine pairing with each course didn't hurt.


I know that many lovely Summer nights will be spent on this patio.  Buon Appetito!  

Happy 4th of July

Nothing says vacation like a slow boat ride.  We always have a flag on the back of the boat, most do, but this time it serves to say "Happy 4th of July!"


I've made 3 of my grandmother's coffee cakes (for this morning and the rest of the week), dip for the fruit, scalloped potatoes (for tonight's ham dinner) and graham cracker ice cream for dessert.  Whoosh!  A big accomplishment and I know that everyone will enjoy it.


Now it is time to relax and enjoy.  I hope you have a wonderful holiday with family and friends.

Recharge Your Battery

Where do you go to recharge your battery?  This view does it for me every time.  I am up at the cottage on Lake Michigan and I am enjoying the quiet.  

The land jutting out on the horizon (on one end of the bay) is called "Whaleback" because it looks like a whale rising out of the water.  It's a classic view in Leelanau County and I love it!   And look at the ripple pattern in the sand at the edge of the shore.  

A day like this is the perfect time to walk the shore looking for petoskey stones.  I am hoping to find a small one that I can make into a pendant for a necklace.  Wouldn't that make a necklace that is both beautiful and interesting?  

Homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

It was the best suggestion yet!  The kids and I had been talking about what flavors of ice cream we should make this week and graham cracker ice cream and cherry pie ice cream were suggested.


We put them on the list and then later, when we were surveying the herb pot, my nephew said we should make Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream and add bits of the fresh herb "Chocolate Mint."  We all loved the idea and it became our first flavor.


This recipe is fabulous because it requires no cooking and no eggs.  Genius!


Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream

Mix 1 (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed milk, 1 (5 oz) can of evaporated milk, 2 cups of whole milk, 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract and about 4 Tablespoons of chopped fresh Chocolate Mint.  Pour into the freezer container of an electric ice cream maker and follow the ice cream maker instructions.  When the ice cream is almost finished (soft serve consistency), add 1/2 of a bag of mini semi sweet chocolate chips.