This is my latest sketch…

Thank you, Cielo, of The House In Roses, for hosting this wonderful garden party extravaganza! 

Welcome to my home!  Please come in…

I have put the kettle on so that we can have tea as we wander through the garden.

…and decorated my kitchen counter with some of the garden’s bounty.

…and put this lovely little bouquet of things from my garden on my kitchen table… the beautiful Tropicana orange/coral rose is front and center, along with yellow coreopsis wildflowers and Gypsy roses.

This is one of the first things to bloom in my yard in spring, along with my white irises… it’s a Lady Banks rose.

Not too long after Lady Banks blooms, the lovely climbing Peace rose (yellow tinged with pink) is soon to follow.

And then there were the fabulous Oak Leaf hydrangeas that simply outdid themselves this year!

The glads are just delightful in peaches and pinks with their ruffled skirts!

Then there’s my rose garden … from front to back there’s Tropicana (coral/orange), Tiffany (pink w/ yellow center), and Gypsy (ruffled red).

White asters…

And is there a more generous plant than a daylily?  They require so little and give so much!

And lastly we have the first gardenia bloom of the season.  These, of course, cannot be left on the bush, but must be brought indoors in order to enjoy the wonderful aroma.

 And one last bouquet from the goodness of my garden…

Thank you so much for touring my garden.  Please come again soon!

I have just discovered a beautiful new blog, My House in Roses, by way of another beautiful blog friend and kindred spirit, A Woman Who Is…  If you haven’t visited either of these, you must do that!  Anyway, Cielo at My House In Roses is hosting a “Show Me Your Garden” party on Saturday, June 21st.  So, I will be participating in that.  Aren’t gardens the most joyful of places?  Click the button below to view all the lovely gardens participating, and be sure to check back here on Saturday for my garden party photos! 

Blessings!

I’ve been doodling again… see if you recognize this spot in EPCOT’s World Showcase.

Stay tuned….

EPCOT’s Norway Pavilion… complete with Stave Church, Viking, and Restaurant Akershus, among other things.

This is a wonderful spot in EPCOT where you will find some very interesting and unique architecture.  The beautiful Stave Church is the centerpiece of the attraction, drawing you in with its height and rich wood design.  You can experience Norwegian cuisine at Restaurant Akershus or get some wonderful pastries from Kringla Bakeri og Cafe.  Its other attractions include the Maelstrom, a water ride where you can experience the sights and sounds of Norway (be sure to watch for trolls!); …

…music from the group SPELMANNS GLEDJE™ dressed in traditional Scandinavian costume playing accordion, recorder-flute, guitar, bass, and fiddle; and the Puffin’s Roost shops through which you can stroll and browse.  (Be sure to notice the beautiful flowers and grass on the rooftop behind the musicians!) 

Blessings!

I just don’t have much red in my home, but here’s a little from my dining room.

I love the red apples and placemats surrounded by gold and crystal.  The mirrored tray and another mirror in the room add sparkle.

Proverbs 25:11 “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

Well, I had a really nice morning here at our local botanical gardens.  I was in search of red, of course, but found a few other things along the way, too.  First, we have red begonias with some very lovely daylilies in the background.

I don’t know what these delicate little trumpet-shaped flowers are, but they are definitely red.

Now I know this hydrangea is not technically red… but it was too close and too gorgeous not to include!

And last, but certainly not least, was what I found upon exiting the gardens…

I think they planned to park next to my car just so that they could be included in “I Saw Red” on my blog… don’t you? 

Blessings!

Red hair.

Last year our local library hosted the most precious tea party for young girls… it was called Tea With Samantha.  Now most of you with young daughters will immediately know who “Samantha” is… and if you don’t let me fill you in.  She is one of the wonderful historical American Girl dolls.  I think these dolls have done more for encouraging young girls to have a love for history than anything in our time.  Each doll’s character has six books written about the life and times of the era in which she lived and also comes with all sorts of clothes and accessories true to the historical period. 

Back to the tea… our daughters were encouraged to bring their American Girl doll to the tea, and it was suggested that they might dress like their doll.   My daughter actually has Felicity, which is the doll who “lived” in 1776 in Williamsburg, Virginia.  This was very special for me in one way, in particular.  You see my daughter had just gotten to the size that she could wear my dress from the Bicentennial Celebration of 1976.  Yes, my mother handmade this dress for me when I was eleven to wear for my hometown Bicentennial Pageant.  And wouldn’t you know that it was a perfect fit for her to wear and look like her doll, Felicity. 

I carefully rolled her hair, put on her mob cap, and tied her velvet sash… tearfully, of course… because it’s not every day you get to see your daughter wear the dress you wore as an eleven year-old.  It was also special for her because she knew that and knew the dress was handmade for her mom by her beloved Nonnie.  I took many pictures, and she was all too happy to oblige for the photo shoot.  She looked a lot like I did at her age… except for one thing… she got the red hair!

Juicy, red tomatoes top this homemade (by wonderful husband) Pizza Margherita.  He found a really and truly –no fail– recipe for quick pizza crust (…think good old Chef Boyardee homemade pizza kits.)  HINT:  Make up dough on parchment paper, cut to the size of the pizza stone, so that it can easily be transeferred onto the stone once the pizza is made. 

Homemade Pizza Margherita

PERFECT PIZZA DOUGH: 
3 cups all-purpose flour (3 - 3 1/2 cups)
1 package Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise Yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup very wram water (125 - 130 degrees)
2 Tbsps olive or vegetable oil

1.  In large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, undissoved yeast and salt.  Stir very warm water and olive oil into dry ingredients.  Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough.  Knead dough on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4 to 6 minutes.  Cover; let rest 10 minutes.

2.  On lightly floured surface, form dough into smooth ball.  (If desired, freeze dough in balls sealed in freezer bag.)  We like our crusts very thin, so we divide dough in half for 2 large pizzas.  Once you have your crust divided, roll onto parchment which was pre-cut to size of pizza stone.  Top with anything you like.** 

3.  Bake each pizza in preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until done.  Time depends on size and thickness of crust and selected toppings; deep dish pizzas can take up to 50 minutes.

**For our Pizza Margherita we used thinly sliced tomatoes placed evenly around crust.  Sprinkle coarse salt, cracked pepper, fresh oregano, fresh thyme, and parmesan cheese over tomatoes.  Lay thinly sliced buffalo mozzarella alternately around tomatoes.  Bake until pizza crust and cheese is golden brown.  Once pizza is out of oven, sprinkle julienned fresh basil over top of pizza.