Vintage Skates

Child vintage double-runner skates. 

What a find! 

Lemon Tree--Update

This is why I save plants from being thrown out!

The Rewards are wonderful!

Lemon Tree Very Pretty

I have a serious weakness for plants. I just can't stand to see them discarded. 

I have certainly bought my share of plants but I "inherit" alot of them. 

 I can't say no! I just can't.

So my latest treasure is a lemon tree with 5 lemons on it! 

Unripe green lemons.. but it's so pretty.

 It has even started to bloom again for me. 

I'm so glad I rescued her...

German Christmas Pyramid

I purchased my pyramid at Marshall Fields while on a "girls day out "
shopping trip to Chicago many many years ago.

This Christmas treasure is my favorite. 
I always look forward to putting it together 
and remembering back to the day I purchased it.

My children always loved to see it put out each year & see it spin around

and now my grandchildren are enjoying it.

Tho not as much as I do!

Christmas Cactus

I have a lovely Christmas Cactus that is  probably over 10 years old. 

It started off as a tiny plant and turned into a monster.

However, it never blooms at Christmas! Only around Halloween and again at Easter!

And only if I put it outside for the summer.....
if not, 
it grudgingly gives me only a few blooms.
What a brat, right?
but what a lovely brat.

Sandhill Cranes

Illinois is a migratory path for Sandhill Cranes and I saw them for the first time this month.

They were in a baseball field of all places on a road I cut down to get home occasionally.

 I have lived here for many many years and just when I think I have seen 

everything there is to see in my neck of the woods I am proved wrong.

I happened to be in the right place at the right time….

Front Porch Gift

Dear Kindle DIL showed up with this a couple weeks ago. What a treat to walk up to my front door everyday and be greeted by something so beautiful and Autumn-ish!

Cast Iron Bench

I was almost home from work one day and I glanced at my neighbors house and she was putting out her trash for the next morning. She had put out this fabulous vintage cast iron bench frame. Needless to say I made a quick turn and staked my claim on it. She was baffled why I wanted it since it was just the frame. 

Really????? 

Dear husband can basically fix, repair spruce up most things. 

And all I needed was wood put on. The bolts were still attached tho he opted for new ones. 

Anyway below is the finished product. 

I painted it, correction he painted it but I picked out the  color, 
which of course is the most important part, right?? 
A wonderful roof tile red.....

Before

Da! Ta 

I love it!

Trader Joe's ~Speculoos Chocolate Bar~

Run to Trader Joe's!

They are near the checkout counters!

You can wait til tomorrow if you really have to......

YUM!

This one belongs to me. 

Notice the crunchy end of the wrapper? 

I must have been holding on too tight!

I have to say I didn't share any of it.......

It's not very big and it's so good....

TRIPLE YUM!!!

Sunrise

This picture made me pause

It took my breath away

It amazed me that friend Susie captured this at the perfect moment

She's an early riser and obviously awake enough to be observant!.

So now I get to share it will all of you.

Unfortunately, what it didn’t do is make me want to get up earlier than I already do. 

I just don’t think I will ever be a “morning person”. 

First Day of Fall

This is it! This is what I wait for!

The first day of Fall

We shiver and trudge thru snow and ice

We shovel and clean off cars

Then it thaws and warms up 

Everything is that beautiful spring green color

Lush and blooming

Then the heat of summer for some is what they wait for all year.

Me...I love Autumn

Cool mornings and warm afternoons then the crisp air in the evenings

Windows open to let all that goodness inside

The fall colors bowl me over and make me stop and stare.....without fail every year.

I'm in total denial that the 3rd sentence is around the corner.

Eleanor The Basset Hound

It's been almost 2 years since we have had a dog and we are elated to have found Eleanor.

She is 7 years old and from Guardian Angels Basset Rescue. 

www.bassetrescue.org

She had a rough start but is doing well now

 thanks to this organization and her foster mom who had her for 7 months.

Eleanor arrived on Saturday! She’s a beautiful and sweet little girl

…. and a bit shy. 

Slowly but surely she is warming up to all of us.

We are so fortunate to have her as part of our family.

Today is a wonderful day

We love her slimy wet ears and all

She was all done for the day

French Connection at Cantigny Park

Last Sunday dear husband and I went to the French Connection Day at Cantigny Park. 

My DIL told me about it and wanted to know if we would go with them

…..well of course……

A day spent with family AND it was about France!

We have been to other venues there and it’s always wonderful to be back in that beautiful park.

We indulged and shared a chocolate crepe

 wandered aimlessly  thru the aisle of vendors. 

the 2 piece band was delightful  

the mime priceless 

and the stilt walker incredible... especially to the tiny grandchildren.

Such a goof ball!!!

The Rose Garden

We sat here and took it all in

There are fountains and a beautiful mansion  and ponds and so much more to see.

Hummingbirds

Dear friend Chris has more hummingbird feeders that I can count.....

well a bit of an exaggeration but you get my drift. 

When I was there last time and enjoying the hummingbirds coming to visit at the end of the day I was talking to her about the new small feeders she had hanging. Being the generous person she is she gave me the two that you see in the pictures.  

The birds found  the feeders (as well a some scary wasps) and I have only been lucky enough to see them several times.

Success!

They love my hibiscus flowers

Zinnias & Mom's Flower Vase

I contemplated using this vase of my mom's  for a long time and as I was looking at my zinnias the light bulb went on in my little brain and 

voila! 

I knew this would be the perfect flower to use and it was interesting 

to build the bouquet in the specified spots. 

I reminds me of all the arrangements she made with it over the years.... 

but it also makes me miss her.

Red Lake Ontario

My son captured this rainbow on his first Canadian fishing trip to Red Lake Ontario.

 A double rainbow shows up for his first time there!

I love that you can see the beginning and the end in this one.

Garden Head Planter

Fiber Optic Grass

+

Corkscrew Grass

Hen & Chicks

Hen & Chicks

+

Vintage chicken feeder

=

 Susie's Garden 2016

1910 (?) Vintage Paris Beaded Dress

About 10+ years ago I went to an Estate Sale with friend Gail and as we walked in both of us saw this vision on loveliness folded in a zip lock bag. Both of us knew instantly what a find it was and that each of us wanted it. Unfortunately she spotted it a nano second before me so it was hers.

 Big sigh here.......however fair is fair

Lo and behold several weeks ago she called me and said that she had started to thin out her collection and needed to get rid of things and knew that she needed to give me "the dress". 

Overwhelmed, shocked, grateful 

yet terrified to take it out of the plastic bag.

After scrubbing the table I gently slid the dress out and painstakingly unfolded this beauty.
It was as I expected it to be....extremely fragile and falling apart in places but exquisite none the less.

How I wish you could see this "live"  up close and personal

Visions of Downton Abbey are floating thru my head!

Gail never took it out of the bag in all those years

Ooh la la

 Beads everywhere!

 Look at the stitching that was done!

Happy Friday and Dandelions

Happy Friday to all

When I was out speed walking so I could get back in my allotted work break time today and saw these sunny flowers. I was reminded that recently Wesley and I were taking a walk and there was a yard that had at least a million dandelions ( gross exaggeration but you never know!) 
"I bet Grampa is sad that he doesn't have all these beautiful flowers in your front yard.

.....Ummmm.....

My response:

"Trust me it would be a whole new level of sadness if we had these flowers in our yard."

I was staring at one very confused little boy!

(Picture scrunched up eyebrows and momentary silence)

Relaxing

"I didn’t get anything accomplished today"

I’m not sure when life segwayed from relaxing to I didn’t get anything accomplished this weekend.

Yes, even when I take a day off to do something I have wanted to do that in no way involves work, I have to say that in the back of my mind I think that I should be home cleaning or weeding  or something that needs to be done.

When my kids were young I was a firm believer that it was priority to spend time with them and worry about all the chores some other time. I had a wonderful time and so did they plus we built memories that they still talk about. We survived without cell phones and cable and so many other things that they have a hard time believing we didn’t have "way back then."

I, for one, am so glad that I adopted that lifestyle 

and I am going to work on letting myself do nothing every so often now too. 

Like reading 

or a marathon re-watch of Downton Abbey 

or baking…..

Or taking a long bath and reading....

and eating what I baked!

I always feel this relaxed after doing any of the above

or perhaps I'm just experiencing a sugar coma....

either way I'm happy!