Things I Love - Moss!

images via flickr:
1. Moss worlds, 2. moss hdr, 3. Moss, 4. Oxbow - Mushrooms and moss growing on dead conifer, 5. moss & stone, 6. Leaves and Moss, 7. moss, 8. Moss Terrarium, 9. moss..., 10. Moss covered rocks along a trail leading from La Pont Blanc, 11. Moss on stone in moss, 12. Beautiful moss, 13. Acorn on moss, 14. Up close and personal with moss again ;-), 15. Moss Tree, 16. Field of Moss, 17. Moss in Cascade, 18. Moss, 19. Moss, 20. The Secret Life of Moss

The sight of lush green moss is a delight all year round. It seems like you find it when you least expect it. Walking through the woods, kicking some leaves around, you turn around a tree and there it is. If you go looking for it is often elusive.
I dream of putting my bare feet gently on a bed of moss beside a brisk stream.
Quietly beatiful, moss.

Snow in Summer

The middle of summer is full of air conditioned days eating popsicles and running through sprinklers. It's walking the dogs long after sunset and riding bikes early in the morning. It's renting movies to watch during the hottest part of the afternoon. It's full of fresh tasty food from the garden and catching fireflies. After a time I start noticing fall like recipes of soups and breads. I start thinking about what fall and winter little boy clothes might need to be replaced for the upcoming change of the seasons. I start thinking about the long, cold, winter nights that make us long for a warm south wind. In the middle of summer, winter seems so far away. Like it couldn't even be possible that it wouldn't stay warm like this.

I also stop and take a look at the lush Annabelle Hydrangeas at our front door that in the dead of winter are lonely brown reminders of a summer past. But in the middle of summer they are like big snowballs begging to be thrown high in the air.

Counting with my boys

Little Golden Books have been around since the 1940s.
The were staples of my childhood as they were for so many others. Having my own children has provided me with a great excuse to read them all over again. I've always thought the art work in so many of the books was beautiful. Apparently the art world is acknowledging some of the art as well. Although I doubt I will be able to attend the exhibit I can still share the books with my boys.
The newest Little Golden Book we are enjoying at our house in My First Counting Book by Lilian Moore, pictures by Garth Williams. The baby animals and their surroundings are beautiful and the simple rhymes are fun for both me and the boys. If you haven't read it in a while I highly recommend it!

Things I Love - Red Gingham!

images via flickr
1. Sew Pretty Homestyle Pincushion, 2. CherryCushions, 3. Bonne Maman Jars, 4. a taste of winter, 5. new curtains for the kitchen, 6. Kitchen curtains enjoy a Spring break., 7. Summer morning, 8. The Kitchen Curtain, 9. Kitchen cabinet, 10. nuturing, 11. Lots of jars of buttons and such, 12. Vintage Gingham Fabric, 13. Red Gingham Shirt 3T, 14. gingham, 15. Linen and Gingham, 16. invitation closed, 17. Gingham tablecloths, 18. Red Gingham Interior, 19. Get Gingham, 20. Gingham

It all goes back to childhood doesn't it?

I mean, so many of the things that I love were from fond times during my childhood.

Memories of sights and sounds and smells stay with us for years.

My first real bedroom was in the basement of a little bungalow. My new baby brother had recently taken over my upstairs bedroom so my mom set out to make a wonderful little space for me in what had been a dark and dingy basement room. She made a beautiful red gingham bedspread for my big girl bed and I received a handmade white and red gingham quilt from my Danish great-grandmother.

Although, my little room was probably not like something out of one of today's decorating magazines, in my eyes it was one of the most special rooms of my life.

Although I quickly grew out of my red and white gingham decor, my mom kept my bedspread and of course the quilt.

I think from these memories my eye is drawn to the red and white checks. They always make me smile and seem to perk things up a bit. Perhaps the cheery fabric is in my scandinavian genes somehow, trying to brighten up cloudy days. When I was a expecting my first baby I knew I had to include some red and white gingham somehow. My own mom made the cheery checkered curtains for my little boy's room. Although my husband thought they looked a bit like some Italian tablecloths hanging in the windows, for me they somehow brought it all together, all the way from my great-grandmother from Denmark. I think my son is outgrowing the curtains a bit now, but they have made his room a happy cheery place as I had hoped.

Simple, yet loved.

Red Gingham

Things I Love - Metal Buckets!

Images via flickr

1. bucket load of snow, 2. unbloomed, 3. is, 4. Tulips, 5. too late too, 6. Flower Buckets on the Bloemgracht, 7. flower buckets, 8. Garden, 9. Spring Fever !, 10. Flowers, 11. G A R D E N I N G, 12. Metal buckets..., 13. Maple Buckets, 14. Summer bucket (Sommerspann), 15. metal bucket, 16. Holy Buckets

Maybe it's a strange thing, or an interesting thing, but I've always loved a metal bucket.

Shiny new ones or old ones with obvious wear and tear.

I think they are wonderful year round.

They hold Spring Tulips, Summer Zinnias, Fall grasses and buckets of snow with candles to light the way on a winter night.....

Oh, the possiblities!

They function well full of soapy water when washing a kitchen floor or holding rolled up cloth napkins at a backyard dinner party. They are a good stand-in for a trash can and are good at carrying birdseed when filling feeders. The big ones with lids are great at holding dog food at our house and small ones with handles can also hold lots of legos!

Most have handles so they are easily transportable, but are a bit heavy enough so they don't tip over.

Simple things, Loved things.

Metal Buckets