Highlights of My Week

I've been Watching:

Call the Midwife & Mr Selfridge on Masterpiece Classic on PBS

Such great shows!

OMG the season finales were so heartwrenching!   Tears for both!
But now they are over with and PBS will be airing Masterpiece Mystery! which I also LOVE to watch.

Poirot, Endeavour, Silk, Law & Order UK

and some new mysteries that I've never seen called The Escape Artist with David Tennant, aka The10th Dr! That should be interesting and also a show called Breathless that looks retro, sultry like Madmen.

Who doesn't Love a mystery?

I've Been Reading: 

Another book in the good mystery series by Ms. Atkinson that takes place in the UK.  I mostly read at bedtime to relax and get sleepy, part of my bedtime ritual.  You do have a bedtime ritual don't you?

I've been drinking:

collecting my inspirational Oprah quotes & trying to earn some Bonus Stars during the Summer Star Dash!

New Nail Polish:

Cute new scented line from Revlon in these adorable bottles.  Have you tried them?  I bought Wintermint for the obvious reason, I ♥ mint green and this one is a very Lovely soft green with blue sparkles, very mermaid and summery + it has a slight mint scent for 1 day.  I feel Like I need to collect some more of these!

 Blooming in My Garden:

 This is a shrub called Mock Orange that has gotten quite big and is covered with these adorable tiny white bell shaped flowers that are lightly sweet scented.

 Little baby peaches that look so fuzzy & cute!  This is the most fruit I've ever seen on this tiny peach tree.  I've been doing a bit of pamepering to it, feeding, mulching, trimming and such.  I even planted a fig tree next to it recently so it has a fruit bearing friend.  It just so happens that this one area of my garden receives the most sun so I'm taking advantage of that.

This interesting plant has many funny names but I've always known it as Jack in the Pulpit.  I have a nice clump of it nestled in with the hellebores next to the pond.  I first saw this unique looking plant when I was child  we found it growing in the woods way way way behind our house when we lived in the country.  Sometimes in the summer we would hike down the dried up creek bed, be gone for hours & hours exploring the fields and woodlands.  Do you remember that, dear sister?

This is Memorial Day weekend, the official kick off to summer and all the flag flying patriotic holidays coming up.  I found my American flag and hoisted it up so it can wave from the veranda again.  I think it looks nice while honoring all the soldiers that fought and died serving our country. Give a jaunty salute!

I'm looking forward to lots of summer parties, graduations, BBQ, get togethers, vacations and family visits.

I Love spending time on the veranda, 

sipping a cold drink, working on my blog...
or reading & waiting to catch a breeze.  If you're lucky it will be sweetly scented by honeysuckle or magnolia blossom which I think has a slight lemony scent.
In the evening, it's a good spot to watch for fireflies or...
                                                                 just sitting watching the world go by.

How are you spending your Memorial Day Weekend?

Thanks for chatting,
XO,
♥ Michelle

Iris are in Bloom!

I have so many favorite flowers and Iris is definitely on that list.

I was fortunate enough to inherit a pretty 2 tone purple iris that was growing in the yard when we bought our old house 20 years ago.  So I have transplanted and divided it up so much it is all over my garden and neighborhood.

Here's a nice photo of a different shade of purple bearded iris that is a deeper richer color with more of a plum.

 

This variety was a gift from another gardener that wanted to rip out all her flowers and only grow veggies!

This sky blue Iris' petals are so pretty.  I Love the way it looks next to that hosta.  There is a lovely yellow Iris that grows in my garden but I can't seem to find a photo.


When  the bearded Irises are just about finished the Siberian Irises start blooming.

The Siberians are so prolific & happy nestled in and around the pond I need to divide them every few years to keep them blooming well. I probably should've turned the pond on before taking this photo!

I'm always on the lookout to collect different colors of Iris so if you have any to trade, email me!!!

Next up to bloom will be the Japanese Iris.  Mine are situated in a spot that has gotten crowded and is rather shady as of late.  I need to dig them up and divide them, too.
Check back later to see what is blooming next in my garden.
xo,
Gardengal ♥

My Mother's Day

The fun started Saturday evening

We traveled Downtown to see the artsy movie, Grand Budapest Hotel at the a/perture. My friend, Christi, drove so as a passenger I could check out the happening scene all down 4th street. There were lots of people out, loads of cool restaurants with crowds dining al fresco. I saw that Mediterranean Cafe that I want to try which is across from Camino Bakery, both of which I follow on Instagram now. 
Are you as obsessed with Instagram as I am?
The movie was packed, silly, funny, British & beautiful!

On Sunday we went to church at St. Leo's again.

It's a beautiful Cathedral with wonderful Gothic architectural details, glorious stained glass windows and statuary, even lovely flowers and a sheep statue decorating the altar.  I feel incredibly pious and closer to God in those surroundings.

Afterwards, I picked lunch at Hong Kong King All YOU Can Eat Chinese Buffet.  We all like it and I hoped it wouldn't be too crowded.  None of the chain restaurants take reservations and I knew we'd be starving!  
No mom wants anything to do with cooking on mothers day, am I right ladies?  
We scarfed down heaps of fried shrimp, beef & broccoli, General Tsao's chicken, crab rangoons, egg rolls and a bunch of honeydew melon chunks.  

After eating all we could, 

we came home for a rest.

I snuggled on the couch for a bit with The Fab Four, aka my pets, reading and digesting.  I kinda felt like I'd surely never would be hungry again!

Later my oldest daughter, Sarah & her husband, Steve came over to visit.  We chatted about things catching up on our plans and recent activities.  We decided to order pizza and enjoyed watching AFV, America's Funniest Videos together, just like old times.

I think this picture of Sarah walking through my garden 

during the golden hour is rather magical.

We took some photos for her blog, lostvestige 

Here's a photo of my Mother's Day Treats:

How Cute is that?

These are all my favorite things.   

I absolutely adore Tea!

I first saw this new tea on Pinterest and pinned it to my board named "Try This!"  http://www.pinterest.com/gardengal3360/
My daughter, clever girl, must have noticed and decided to surprise me, thank you sweetie!!!
I couldn't wait to sniff this tea and brew it up.  The scent is redolent of panettone, the delicious Italian Christmas bread!  Lots of vanilla and a smidge of citrus. It's Divine!

If you'd like to try this tea, too, here's the info:

• World Market exclusive

Our The Republic of Tea Downton Abbey Estate Blend Tea Tin is a must-have when inviting Lady Grantham over for gossip. Classic Earl Grey black tea is blended with bergamot, orange oil and exotic vanilla for a lingering finish, it's sure to add a little more intrigue to any event. Enjoy this robust tea with or without milk. Delicious served hot or as an iced tea.

I thought the description was delightful!


But the best part of all was just hanging out with my favorite people, just talking, spending time together, eating food & laughing. 


One of my fondest most memorable Mother's Day was when Sarah was a toddler. 
Could it have been 1993?  
I hosted a brunch at our home in Ferndale, Michigan inviting my mom, younger sister & brother. I remember we had mimosas to drink with my Favorite Martini & Rossi Asti Spumante with fresh squeezed orange juice.  
It was just so Lovely to sit outside on the deck, enjoy the spring day and relax with my loved ones. It feels so nice to do something sweet for someone you Love, doesn't it?
Just a perfect day.  
That was the year my hubby surprised me with an antique doll nestled in tissue paper & wrapped up in a vintage box.  It was really cool and thoughtful.  I think I had already ordered some jewelry for me!  Let's see, the first year was the huge cz earrings, next was the tennis bracelet... hmm 

Anyway, I hope your Mother's Day was memorable.  What did you do to make it special?
Lovely chatting with you...
Have a cute day ♥
xo,
Michelle

What's Blooming in My Garden

Now that the weather has warmed up and my garden has begun to grow it is a busy time transplanting and taking care of it.  It's satisfying work and flowers make me happy!

After the daffodils are finished the azaleas and dogwood take center stage

Roses and Irises are have been in bloom for the last few weeks

Emily attended the homeschool prom and we took a few photos in our garden before she was off to dance the night away.  She looked so pretty and my garden did too!

This pretty pink azalea is almost as tall as Emily

Here's a close up of her prom hairstyle. She did the braids and pinning all by herself!  Isn't she clever? 

 I spied this sweet clever dove in her nest which she has made in the branches of the climbing rose

This photo shows how massive that climbing rose is.  It's scent is quite wonderful!

Another pretty heirloom climbing rose that grows in my garden is the Zephirine Drouhin pictured here.  It's very fragrant,  thornless and can handle some shade.  I grow a few different types of clematis on this trellis as well as morning glory and moonflowers which will bloom later.  That's a Nelly Moser Clematis with a few blooms nestled in the rose. 

Peonies and daylilies are the next lovely flowers that will be blooming in my garden.  

So watch out for my next garden post soon.

xo,

Michelle

Highlights of my week

Gosh, it's been a super busy few weeks.  I've been working on getting my business cards together to order.  I decided to arrange some of my niftier vintage pieces together and do a photo shoot that would promote the vintage rental aspect of my party planning business.   My daughter helped me with with the formatting using picmonkey, paint & Vistaprint.  Lots of kinks to work out and fiddle with!

I decided not to use this photo for my business card but it will be good to use as an inventory photo.  My next step is posting photos of all the inventory available for rent.

All the daffodils are just about finished blooming now but that just means more pretty things are blooming in my garden.  I miss them though!

I took this photo of my bookcase showcasing all my travel books I've collected.  Paris & San Francisco are definitely on my Dream vacation destinations.

 Emily & I hit the Starbucks after her orthodontist appointment so she could get a huge frappucino.  The iciness helps with the pain of getting her teeth adjusted.  She picked Java chip.  I thought she looked cute!
And the best news is...drums, please!  She might get her braces off in June!!!

Do you like my collage of Easter candies?  

The new Peep flavors were fun & yummy, but my all time fav Easter splurge is the white chocolate rabbit!  

I especially Love getting one after the holiday for half off!!
So what is your favorite holiday splurge?

Happy Easter!

xo
Michelle

Highlights of my week

I've been obsessed with these adorable, white lace edge, metal plant pots from Ikea.  

I bought a bunch of them!  

At Christmas time I filled them with pretty pink or red poinsettias and tied them with red organza ribbon for festive decorations around the house and to give as gifts to friends, as well as teacher gifts.  

When your done with the plant you can fill the pot with pens & pencils, make up brushes & whatnot 

or get a new Springtime plant to fill it.  

Doesn't this pretty hyacinth look lovely and the aroma is divine!  

The Ikea planters come in all kinds of different sizes and recently they came out with a darling light pink pot and I've embedded a link so you can check them out. 

Now really, How cute is that?

Even if spring hasn't quite made it to your neck of the woods yet you can always get a little spring fever by adding a cute flowering plant to your window sill or desk.

I couldn't resist buying these charming posies.

They were only a few dollars each.  The African Violet will be blooming for months!  And even if I do manage to over water it or kill it another way, flowers that last for months for a couple of bucks is so worth it, ya know?  I'll definitely transplant the hyacinth outside into my flower garden.   

Currently...

I've been watching:
Cabin in the Woods, Super 8 & Divergent

All are ridiculously scary/thriller movies that must be accompanied by 

copious amounts of popcorn, soda and Twizzlers!!!!

I've been lamenting:

The shooting of the character,Will Gardner on The Good Wife.  

Were you as shocked as I was? 

I did not see that one coming!  All I could think of was,

"O Captain! My Captain!"

I've been reading:

I recently discovered Kate Atkinson's mysteries by reading a review in Entertainment Weekly or the Costco monthly magazine.  Her stories are based in the UK and seem to follow a few of the same characters, which I like.  I'm enjoying the stories but I must say that the writing, at times, is pretty incredible and just blows me away.  Here's an excerpt from "When Will There be Good News?" by Kate Atkinson.

The only important thing is love

When everything else has gone, love still remains. 

Often, after one of her moments of sadness, Dr. Hunter would give her head a little shake, as if she were trying to get rid of something from it, and smile and say, "And yet we are not downhearted, are we, Reggie?" 

And Reggie would say, "No, indeed we are not, Dr. H."

Is that just beautiful?  It really spoke to me.  And there are a bunch of books in the series to read!
Now, where's my cup of tea?
No better way to relax than a cup of tea and a good book!

Have a good week, readers ♥
Xo,
Michelle

Highlights of my week

Here's what I'm Loving ...

DIY Donut Balloons!

From Kelly at   studiodiy.com

I'm obsessed with maps!  

Some have an interesting old world charm others just ignite my wanderlust with the promise of adventure. This is a really cool way to display them.  

Love the Look!

Space Cat/ Galactic Kittens Neon Leggings from Hot Topic - These are crazy cute!!

 Recently, some friends and I, went to see a local high school production of the musical Chicago.  Not only was it thoroughly entertaining, we were blown away by all the amazing performances from these gorgeous, talented, young students. Live theater is always pretty thrilling.  When the story is told right before your eyes a kind of magic happens that sweeps you up into the drama of the characters and the songs they sing.  I Loved it!

I found the old book while thrifting.  I absolutely Love that surprised, amazing feeling you get sometimes while thrifting when you come across an item that is familiar but you haven't seen or thought about it in ages.  Truly a Blast From the Past!!  When I was an angsty teen, I remember I Loved reading all the Paul Zindel books.  I identified with the characters and gobbled up every word. I could I have forgotten?  

I wonder if I'll still enjoy the story reading it so many years later? 

Tea Time!     

I tried a new tea from Harney & Sons called Green Tea with Coconut.  It comes in the cute tin and I purchased it at Target.  The scent of the silk sachet bags is very nice, flowery and made me like it even before I brewed it.  The taste is even better!  It's very aromatic and scrumptious.  

Anyway, that's what is currently making me happy.

What do you do to make yourself  happy?
Here's to Good Times!!!
Xo,
Michelle