Hibiscus

Our hibiscus really took off this summer. Actually it kind of grew wild. A couple of weeks ago Doc B trimmed them so we could bring the pots in for the winter. We stuck some of the trim in a vase thinking it would last only a couple of days or so.

To our surprise it still looks just as fresh as the day we brought them in. Even more to our surprise we have a bloom and it looks like several more to come.

 

 

It looks like they are rooting.

 

Although the plants are looking very tropical, it's not feeling very tropical. We decided it's time to take the chill off.

 

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

~capturing the context of contentment in everyday life~
Linking up with Leila at Like Mother Like Daughter for {pretty, happy, funny, real}



{pretty}
I know why my son and daughter-in-law call her Peach. She's as pretty as a peach and as sweet as one too.

 

{happy}

Our son and his family were here for a few days. Our son is doing an oral surgery residency, so they don't get to come often. We have been there a few times but it has been over a year since they have been here.

Banks and the boys got to do a little squirrel hunting. They didn't seem to mind at all that it isn't deer season yet. They killed 9 and I'll have to say they were delicious!!

We all got to go to mass together :)

An added bonus, our son and daughter-in-law went on a little get away of their own for a couple of days and we got to keep the children! Talk about happy :)

The boys got to have a horseback riding lesson.

 

{sweetest}

 had to add my own to {pretty, happy, sweetest, funny, real} :)

 

 

{funny and happy}

Peach wanted me to hold her alot (the happy part :))

One morning we were going upstairs and when we got to the top I said "Whew" and then she said "Whew." haha

 

{real}

Our time went by all too fast :(

 

Lunch

The ingredients vary,

but salad is always on the menu for lunch at the cottage. We prefer however to refer to our BAS as a Big Awesome Salad. Hopefully with a kombucha to go along with it.

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

~Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life~
Linking up with Leila at Like Mother, Like Daughter for {pretty, happy, funny, real}!

{pretty}

I usually like flowers from the cottage garden or wildflowers. My local grocery store though had these for $2.29! It was a deal I couldn't pass up! They adorned the counter where we eat for well over a week.

{happy}
Our oldest son is doing an oral surgery residency 9 hours from here. So we don't see him and his wife and their sweet littles very often. They will be here next week for a few days!! :) Part of that time our son and daughter-in-law are going on a little get away of their own and I get to be Nana!! I am sooo excited!!!  (pictures to follow :)

{funny}
The girls used to like to slide down the bathtub while I got dressed!

 

{real}

We have a huge hornet nest behind our garage. :/

 

 

Yesterday at the Cottage

~aired a quilt~

~washed a set of dishes I bought over the weekend at an estate sale~

~some dusting~

~and mopping~

~tea time~

~the girls didn't make it to violin practice~ :(

~roasted tomato soup made with homemade chicken broth for dinner with a pot of fresh turnip greens~

 

The Chef

Sister here has turned into quite the cook. During the summer she pretty much managed the kitchen, including chopping with knives and using the stove top and oven. She was able to complete most meals from start to finish.

I missed her help when school started!
Yesterday she didn't have any after school activities and I was glad to have her help back in the kitchen! She helped to make this delicious Chicken Salad with roasted red peppers and asparagus and then stuffed into an avocado cup.

For dessert, she made pumpkin coconut flour chocolate chip cookies. They were soo good!

She's not much on clean up but with help like this, I certainly can't complain!

The Problem Solver

My husband made me this kneeler.

 

 

He calls it the 'problem solver'! :)

It is so peaceful, hard not to be filled with awe and thanksgiving when kneeling at the cottage with a view!

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

~Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life~
Linking up with Leila at Like Mother, Like Daughter for {pretty, happy, funny, real}-

Pretty
Since spring the hummingbirds have kept me busy filling 4 feeders. At times I could see about 20-25 hummers buzzing out my window. A few days I wore a bright pink almost red shirt and was afraid I would get zoomed :)
There are 3 flying around this feeder:

 They also enjoyed the Rose of Sharon

 and the hibiscus.

We read that the males migrate 1st, then the females and lastly the now grownup babies. They have really slowed down now so we are thinking at least the males have left.

Happy

Last week our sailor son became an officer. It was definitely an answer to one of the most prayed for prayers of my mother heart!

The Real part is that he was enlisted for 2 years before that and was deployed to the Persian Gulf on a ship that swept for mines.

 If that isn't real enough, our daughter-in-law started OT school thinking that our son would be back and forth between the Persian Gulf and the states for at least a couple of years giving her time to finish school. Thankfully he's not on the minesweeper anymore but she is halfway through school now and so once again they are apart. One is on the Atlantic coast, the other on the Pacific coast. Boo! Poor things have been apart more than they have been together in their year and 9 months of marriage. Once she finishes school though they will have the sweetest of marriages :) They may, before this is all over, have the record for the most honeymoons ;))

Funny

We throw fruit and veggie scraps in our garden skipping the composting step. We just let it compost right in the garden. Frequently we get plants from the seeds that were randomly tossed in. It's actually exciting to see what comes up that we didn't plan. At first we thought this

was going to be a kabocha winter squash, but it turned out to be a pumpkin.

Rosy Roses

I have been working on a needlepoint chair cover for a few months now. My chair has sorely needed a new cover I am sad to say since I bought it which was probably close to 20 years ago :s

 I guess motherhood has happened in the meantime. The lady I bought the chair from said it was where the cat slept. It was already rotten when I bought it and best I remember quite dusty. I don't seem to have as much time to work on the new cover as I would like. Slowly but surely though I am needlepointing my way through it.
One day I was needlepointing and realized the flowers and colors matched what I was wearing.

Rosy roses, definitely my favorite.

Vintage Fan

I found this fan in a closet at my grandmother's house. I knew right away it was a pinterest-y fan and that my daughter would love it.

 

She was moving from her little dollhouse carriage house into a bigger place in a few months. She said she wanted it but didn't have room for it until she moved. So in the meantime I put it in my bathroom and LOVED it! I always get so hot when I shower and get dressed and this was perfect. I would blow it right on me when drying my hair and sometimes, depending on how hot I was, while putting my make-up on. It was just what I needed :)

So in June this summer she moved to her new place. I sadly asked her if she was ready for the fan I promised her. She was...boo :(

So I kept my promise and gave it to her (I'm actually proud she has my grandmother's fan :). I sure did miss it though especially since it was very much in the heat of the summer here. I searched a few antique stores with no luck of finding another one. My grandmothers was in mint condition and I wanted one just like hers! I continued my search for a couple of months and then Doc B said why don't you just look on E-Bay. (I think he was afraid I might find some other 'have-to-haves' while in antique stores and shopping on E-Bay would keep my shopping limited to just a fan ;)

So I started the search engine and found this:

 

 

It is a little smaller than my grandmothers which actually is perfect for me. I am thrilled with my find and it is taking me right through our upper 90 degree weather!