APPLESTONE COTTAGE & BLONDIE'S JOURNAL MEET!

Our visit to Galena, Illinois has come and gone.  This is the 4th time we have met up with Cindy and Dan from Applestone Cottage. Once a year for 4 years!   Galena is a nice place to meet because it's a halfway point between our homes.  And it's a great little town with tons of little shops and restaurants set against a backdrop of rolling hills and valleys.  We met up on Saturday afternoon at this restaurant.

Wonderful Italian decor and food!  The Husband and I actually arrived the night before.  After a 5 hour drive and getting stuck in traffic, we checked into our B & B and then went out for a nice dinner.  Afterward we stopped at a little place and listened to some great jazz music.  Then it was back to the inn.  I was a little disappointed in our room.  It was very small but had a large bathroom with a jacuzzi tub.  Alas, no shower.  It is really difficult to wash your hair in a tub under a faucet!  The Husband was really not happy with this at all!

Here's Cindy at the restaurant.  After a year of only blogging and emailing, we picked up the conversation where we left off!  The Husband and Dan are very much alike and get along great. 

After lunch it was time for some serious shopping.  The streets were full of people and even some street musicians. 

We stopped off and on to just soak up the atmosphere and listen to the music.  Why do the Cindy, The Husband and Dan all have their arms folded?!

I fell in love with this wreath but it was a little over priced.  I did find a lot of cool stuff that I will share with you in another post.  Since all we had to do was throw our bags in the car, I didn't hold back shopping!

I have been borrowing my daughter's Vera Bradley overnite bag lately and looked at a few in this shop.  Wow, the prices were steep.  I guess I'll just keep using Abby's!

The shops had a little of everything.  And it was nice to step into them and out of the heat.  Actually, it wasn't that bad...in the mid 80's, I would say. 

This is where all of us stayed, The Queen Anne Guest House.  I am lacking pictures although I had every opportunity to take some.  We were rarely there.  We did join in with the owners and other guests for refreshments late Saturday afternoon.  Anita made the most delicious carrot cake and iced tea.  The guests wanted to know how our little foursome met and we started talking about blogging.  Amazing how in the dark people are about what blogging is, and sometimes it's very hard to explain.  They were laughing over our description of what a "Party" is and tablescaping really blew their minds!

This is the resident kitty and it was as friendly as could be!  Isn't he/she pretty?

We had dinner Saturday evening at One Eleven Main and the food and atmosphere was wonderful.  There was however, a mishap that involved Cindy and a clumsy waitress, but I will let Cindy tell you all about that.  The next morning we met for breakfast downstairs (our rooms were right across from one another) and we were served a fruit parfait, and egg casserole, some kind of streudel cake and juice and coffee.  Then we set off for more shopping!  At about 1:00 we had to say our goodbyes.  We have a whole year to plan on where and when we will meet up next!

Galena is really a pretty town, very close to the Iowa border.  I wish I could have gotten better pictures of the rolling farm fields.  Considering how flat Illinois is, it's like being in another part of the country.  The Husband and I made several stops on the way home; lunch at a little diner, an antique shop where I found some really neat things, a garden nursery where I bought another hanging flower basket, and two stops for more iced tea.  The temps had crept up to the 90's.  We finally made it home by 5:00.  

It was a fantastic weekend, never a dull moment.  I know Cindy and Dan had a much fun as we did.  Now I have a lot of laundry to catch up on and a lot of flowers to water so I have to run.  Hope all of you had a wonderful weekend.  Visit Cindy to read her post on our trip!  See you soon! :-)

A SUMMER WEEKEND

Happy Summer!  Wow, I can't believe it has been over a week since I last posted.  We had a four day weekend at the lake and just got home yesterday.  If I haven't visited you, I promise I will try.  Time is just flying by!  Before I get to the antics up at he lakehouse, I am sharing some pictures of the work I have been doing here.  The patio got a good clean up and I planted flowers for two days straight with the help of Emily.  I have no doubt that when she is married and has a home of her own, it will be beautiful!

The celosia really pops on the table.  I found this little candle holder at Homegoods.  The pots are from Pier 1. 

I found some neat succulents at my garden center and decided I would try my hand at growing a few.  They are very inexpensive and fit perfectly in a pot from Home Depot.  I sound like a talking ad for these places but this was the year I had to really break down and replace a lot of my pots and planters that were beyond chippy!

I know this looks like an eggplant but it is actually a zucchini that I found randomly growing in my herb garden!  I can only assume that a bird dropped a seed.  What an innovative way to plant a garden!  Am I a lucky girl or what!

All work and no play is not the Blondie way!  We took a break and went to one of my favorite places for barbecue Thursday night.

Everything is cooked on a wood stove.  I had the spicy Greek sausage and The Husband had the ribs.  It all comes with pasta salad and Texas toast. 

I love looking at all the memorabilia.  What a nice break.  Have I mentioned that it has been in the 90's all week?  I didn't need an evening in the kitchen after all the yard work!

We loaned the lakehouse to our friends, The Millers for a little vacation of their own.  They had been there several days when we arrived on Friday.  This is 4 year old Ella.  She is just a ray of sunshine.  I love hanging out with her!

All of The Husband's hard work on the beach really paid off as you can see.  Ella had a ball making sandcastles and playing with her little dolls and critters. 

The Husband usually mans the grill alone, but this time he let Snow assist him.  The Miller's have an Italian butcher and get all their meats and cheeses and spices from him.  Snow makes cantaloupe wrapped in prosciutto that is just so refreshing on a hot day.

Corn from the Midwest is the best!!  Have I mentioned that our local farmers grow corn and beans for the Green Giant brand?  Ho Ho Ho!

This is the Miller family; Ella, Snow, Luke and Craig.

And here is the happy couple. They are fun and helpful and just like family. 

Sometimes when I come home from the lake, I feel like a child that has had too much time outdoors and just needs a good long nap!  We took boat rides, swam, rode bikes and ate...a lot!  Oh, summer fun!  Now I have rto recover and get ready for our weekend in Galena, Illinois with Cindy and Dan from Applestone Cottage.  I'll be sharing a lot of pictures next week...this is sure to be a wonderful time.  Until then, stay cool and enjoy this first day of summer.  I will see you soon! :-)

A GARDEN PARTY

Whew!  Did everyone have a scorcher of a weekend like we did?  It was in the 90's and if it weren't for that little breeze, it would have been miserable.  For me, it's just too hard to stay inside when it's sunny and beautiful, so I made myself busy.  The Husband's best friend came up and helped him replenish the beach.  This view overlooks the small bay.  What a job that was, shoveling 4 yards of sand into the water.  I was however, in charge of food and beverages! 

I also got the front porch summertime ready.  It's so peaceful to sit out here with a book and listen to all the action on the lake.  I picked up some plants at the local florist in town and potted a few, these do well without drying out too badly.  I have matching chairs on the other side of the porch, but I need some sort of table between them so I'll wait to show you that side. 

The robin that was previously here finally went away and a new one came and built a different nest...I could tell by the material.  Of course I kept scaring it going in and out!  The Husband thinks I should put a big rock up here to keep them away but I think that's cruel...it's such a perfect place for a nest!

On this side of the porch you can see the wisteria that has gone wild.  I actually had some blooms near the bottom this spring but it is still so young.  It has finally reached the balcony above.  I believe it may just eat the house!

I potted this little basket inside.  It held ivy that I lost over the winter. 

A newly opened rose...

...and daisies that stubbornly won't open!  I want some cut flowers!  I wonder if it is because it is so dry.  I watered everything in sight but we have no sign of rain coming this week.  What's a girl to do?

This is one of my favorite plants.  I have it potted with lobelia.  It will be pretty when it spills over.  

All work but a little play, too.  I made a slab of ribs with an apple whiskey sauce...you have to try it, I think it's made by Bull's Eye.  We sat out late at night and looked at the stars through the trees.  Soon we will be having a lot of company up, so I enjoy this peaceful time.  And we are planning our two week stay next month.  How fast the time goes!

I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend.  I 'm joining Tracie's Garden Party again this week, I met so many nice ladies with beautiful gardens last week.  Visit Fishtail Cottage and see what I mean!  Have a great week! :)

I LOVE FLOWERS!

It was a weekend of gardening at the lake.  The Husband and I worked right up until we came home last night.  I found it to be so cute when he asked if he could plant a few pots.  He is usually my "Master hole digger and weeder", but I obliged!  I bought my plants and flowers here in Illinois.  Although I pay more, the selection is greater.    We went up Friday night so we were ready to work early Saturday morning.

You can see him through the palm trees, taking a break with a cigar!  He did work so hard, cleaned up the beach so we are ready for a the load of new sand next weekend.  Days were in the 70's but it got cold at night and we had the little chimnea cranked up!

I was hoping to have more blooms on the climbing rose, lots of buds though and our daisies are ready to become a mass of flowers any day now.  Aren't they healthy?  The husband sprinkles and waters epsom salts on everything, a tip he learned from our farm center.  I really think it works.

My oregano has taken over the herb garden...

...but I got my tomatoes planted. 

I threw in some lavender as well and see the lambs ear in the back ground?  It's popping up all over and I never planted it!

Remember this stake from last year?  It still makes me giggle every time I look at it!  That's my weird sense of humor!

In this tall cone shaped trellis, I am growing a hyacinth bean plant.  Is anyone familiar with it?  It is supposed to climb and get purple flowers on it.  I'm excited to see what happens.

Some geraniums on the path to the beach.

I was so excited to see some wrens building a nest in my little birdhouse!  They are darling and so fun to watch!

The Husband got his palms repotted last weekend.  This is his favorite place to sit  when he is relaxing. 

I pulled some decorative accessories out of my stash to dress everything up.  The guest house (Summerhouse) is there in the background.  I have yet to get in there and clean it out.  And I still have the front yard and porch to work on.  But I have to say, I got my exercise!  Of course we relaxed, neighbors visited and we cooked out for the first time this summer.  It really was a great weekend.  I'm joining in with Tracie's Garden Party at Fishtail Cottage!  See you soon! :)

SUMMER TABLESCAPE

Hi everyone!  I am finally feeling like myself again after surviving the 95 degree heat over Memorial Day.  It's back to the 60's and I am loving it.   I plan to plant some flowers tomorrow and it's going to be the perfect weather!  As you know, The Husband went up to the lake without me Sunday to Monday night.  He spent a lot of time in the garden re potting the hibiscus trees and our new rose tree.  My climbing rose is blooming like mad and he took pictures of it with his phone.  Sadly, I can't get them to post so I'll take my own pictures this coming weekend to share.  These are some blooms he cut off that were losing petals.  Do you recognize the ugly brown wicker tray now that I have painted it with my Driftwood Gray?  Paint is so addicting!  And growing roses.  Tracie, I hope I qualify for your garden party this week at Fishtail Cottage!

Before I move on to the tablescape, I wanted to share these heirloom tomatoes with you.  Aren't they funky?  I haven't planted my tomatoes yet, but I am going to try some heirloom tomatoes myself.  Tonight we are going to have these babies with some fresh Mozzarella cheese  and basil which is going crazy in my herb garden. 

Okay, I sneaked one into the tablescape!

I have a simple table set this week...it really belongs outside but my patio furniture is still in the shed, so this will have to do. 

I have some simple weedy flowers in a cream pitcher on a burlap runner.

I love these, does anyone have the name for them?

Just the flowers and a candle for the centerpiece.  The napkins are white hemstitch and my silverware is mismatched.

The dinner plate is from Pier 1.  I think it is my favorite of all the dishes I have and that is partly because The Husband and kids picked them out for me for Mother's Day a few years ago.  The salad plates are from Target. 

I love this pattern and wish the dishes at Pier 1 weren't so bold this spring.  I love old fashion flowers.  I am joining Katleen's party, Let's Dish, at Cuisine Kathleen.  Visit and see some beautiful tablescapes and make some new friends! 

I am enjoying this short week.  I thought we had a wedding to go to this weekend, but it's the next so I am anxious to be back at the lake.  Hear it calling me?!  Not much else is new, I am back to the routine now that I am home from vacation.  A lot of reading and working on my herb garden.  Emily is off tomorrow and we have some serious planting to do.  Hopefully The Husband will bring out our umbrella, table and chairs and I can start whiling away my afternoons outdoors!  Heaven! :)  See you soon!