Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Pretty Little Hexagons




 I just finished this little quilt made with 3/4 inch hexagons. It made the perfect summer stitching. I packed up a little box with paper hexagons, fabric, and thread so I could just pick it up and go. I love to do English Paper Piecing!

We just got back from wonderful day of canoeing on the Wildcat Creek. It was grandson Tad's first time and he had so much fun. It reminded me of all the times we took our little guys out on the creek. I will post some pictures if I can ever find the cord for my little camera:)

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

My Herb Garden

With all of the rain we are getting the gardens are growing like crazy. I thought I would give a little tour of our herb garden as it is at it's peak right now.



 I have the garden (sort of) sectioned off into different categories as to use. In the medicinal section are echinecea, monarda, comphey, feverfew, lamb's ear, evening primrose, and valerian. I don't use herbs for healing, but I enjoy reading about how they have been used in the past and current trends.


In the Tea Garden, I have lemon balm, chamomile, anise hyssop, more monarda, catmint, and pineapple sage. I don't even like herb tea (I only drink Constant Comment Green), but I love the look and scents of these traditional tea herbs.


The household garden has herbs used for pests control, such as penneyroyal, rue, and artemesia. I also have some flowers used for drying like statice and rose. Every few years I make several varieties of potpourri.








The largest section is the cooking herbs. And I actually use these! I just love the smell and taste of dill, sage, basil, and all the others that we use every day. I have the perennial herbs on one side and the annual cooking herbs in one of the center beds. This bed above also has some cosmos, nasturtiums, and borage for color.
I just love the look of all of these plants together.


This last bed is full of lavender. Heavenly! Around the outside of the herb garden I have planted several butterfly bushes, roses, chives, and larkspur and bachelor buttons for drying.

As you can imagine, I spend a lot of time here. It is an easy garden to keep weeded, and is a job I enjoy.

"Who bends a knee where violets grow, I hundred secret things shall know" - Rachel Field.

Friday, July 5, 2013

Our Happy 4th





We had friends and family over for a cookout yesterday afternoon. It was too chilly to get in the pool, but we had a great time eating, talking, wandering the yard, playing with Tad, and setting off a few fireworks.  (Eric and his dad really like those bottle rockets!) Afterwards, we went down the road to watch the big fireworks.

I hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend. We're hoping to go canoeing on Sunday if the weather cooperates. (I'm crossing my fingers:)