Rose Parade

New Dawn

Gertrude Jekyll

City of York

Abraham Darby

Graham Thomas

Hansa

Ambridge Rose

Rose de Recht

Carefree Sunshine

Aunt Cecelia

William Baffin

Sally Holmes

Cottage Rose

Europeana

Busy, busy, busy! Gardening, sewing, quilting, knitting and crocheting. Also, family picnics, birdwatching, walking and babysitting. Being outside as much as possible. It's really a glorious summer, don't you think? Today, I am dead-heading lots and lots of roses. Feeding them too. Glad I took all these pictures last month because the rose parade is somewhat over. There will be a few rose blooms here and there but nothing like the colorful and fragrant month of June.

Pillowcase Book

I've collected vintage embroidered pillowcases for quite a few years now. I find them at antique shops and thrift stores. I kept them hidden away in my linen closet or sometimes displayed them with my other vintage linens in a little cupboard. A few weeks ago I was shopping at Joann Fabrics and spotted this book, 'Craft Challenge, Dozens of Ways to Repurpose a Pillowcase'. I didn't have a coupon that day but when I went back a couple of days later, it was gone. Thank goodness for Amazon! It's just an absolutely beautiful book full of really pretty and doable projects. If you are a lover of vintage pillowcases this book is a real treasure. All my pillowcases are now washed, ready and waiting to be repurposed!

A Baby Blue Jay Story

Blue Jays were building a nest in the huge oak tree in our yard. The expectant Mom and Dad flew back and forth with materials to build a cozy spot for their babies. We remarked how excited we were to see Blue Jay babies. In all our years of living here we had never seen any. We watched and waited. Finally, we spotted them! One little baby was running all over the yard stretching his wings and having the time of his life. But this little one I took pictures of, well, it was pretty clear, she had problems. One of her wings appeared injured and she wasn't getting anywhere. I, of course, hovered frantically around her. Worried, worried, worried. Mom and Dad Blue Jay kept a very close eye out for their babies screaming and squawking when anyone came close. At one point, as I was leaning down, and observing the little injured baby closely, one of them smacked me on the top of the head. Yes, that was a bit scary! I didn't give up though. Meanwhile, the healthy little one was all over the place. I watched all day. Every time he was in trouble the Mom and Dad screeched very loudly. At dusk, one of the neighborhood stray cats found him. Mom and Dad went ballistic. I screamed and chased the cat but it was too late. I cried. You see, I am very protective of all the little animals in my yard. The next day, it was obvious the injured baby wasn't breathing well. She tried over and over to fly with her injured wing, but just seemed to get weaker and weaker. Later in the evening, she died too. I totally sobbed this time. My husband buried her in the back garden as he does all the little ones that pass away here. Right before nightfall, I looked up into the oak tree and there was Mommy Blue Jay. I told her how sorry I was. My heart was broken for her. I looked up again and she was gone. Sadly, in these past couple days there has been no sign of Mom and Dad Blue Jay. I am afraid they will never come back to my yard after this tragedy. I know this is the way of nature but it doesn't make it any easier. In hindsight, what I should have done was picked her up and taken her to the wildlife center. Next time......maybe, next time.

Pink Grapefruit Quilt

It was a breezy sunny day on my cozy deck today. I, contentedly, sat on my favorite Adirondack chair and started hand-quilting this baby quilt for my new granddaughter who is due in November. The bright rays of sun where shining through the oak and poplar trees and made lovely dancing shadows across the lusciously pink fabrics. I have fallen totally in love with the quilt. I think it is one of the prettiest quilts I have ever made. It reminds me of a tall glass of pink lemonade, mixed with a pink grapefruit, with raspberry jam on the side, and a stick of juicy fruit gum added for good measure. The best part was finding all these lovely fabrics already in my fabric cupboard. Martha Negley leads the way with the most fabric mix, followed by Kaffe Fassett, Amy Butler and Denyse Schmidt. The rest are fat quarters I bought here and there over the last couple of years. All and all, my Pink Grapefruit Quilt is a sensual delight, as I touch each piece of fabric, gaze at its beauty, and lovingly quilt each stitch. It even smells good. Yes....I think I'm in love. Hopefully, it will bring just as much joy to the new little girlie as it does her grammie!

Flowers and Gifts

Nearly Wild Rose

Giveaway win from Nina at Tabiboo.

Giveaway win from Jean at Knitting Garden.

Just a quick post to mention you dear ladies! Thank you so much for your fabulous giveaways. I am really, really pleased. I love the little needlecase you made, Nina, and the Green & Blacks chocolate bar was delicious! And Jean, you know how much I love knitting socks and now I can make three new pairs for next winter! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! These flowers are for both of you. Have a great Sunday!

A Lazy Summer Day

New Dawn Roses

Mock Orange

Mock Orange has a lovely aroma, can you smell it?

Perennial Foxgloves

Biennial Foxgloves

Roses and Catmint

Asiatic Lily

Good Morning! And what a glorious morning it is! I've been sitting at the table on my deck drinking coffee, eating a bagel with strawberry cream cheese, and writing my to-do list. I have a lovely day to myself and I am looking forward to it. I have a hummingbird feeder right above my head where I am sitting and I just got buzzed! A sweet little hummingbird must like the hot pink cat pajamas I am wearing because she came very close to me, hovered, and stared at me as if she was saying...why are you invading my space? My plan today is to make a quilt sandwich. The pink baby quilt will be pinned together and, most likely, I will start hand-quilting it. I need to hoe the weeds that are spreading around all the veggie plants, take a walk, and just catch up on everything I can't do when the girlies are here. The temperature is suppose to hit around 88 degrees so it's a grilling day....pork tenderloin, parmesan potatoes, fresh broccoli and strawberries. Yes....I am really, really looking forward to working, relaxing and just being totally content on this hot lazy summer day.

The Blueberry Scone Disaster

This morning I decided to finally use my birthday present, the Williams-Sonoma scone pan my daughter gifted me with. I found this delicious recipe for Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze at a beautiful blog called PeaceLiving. I gathered all my ingredients together and got busy.

Well, I followed the directions to a tee, or so I thought, and when I turned the batter onto my floured surface, flour and blueberries scattered everywhere! I scraped together the massive disastrous batter and placed some in each of the neatly divided compartments of the scone pan. It was not pretty. I, impatiently, threw them into the oven and began making my lemon glaze.

When the scones were done baking, I turned the scone pan upside down on parchment paper and thought, mmmmm, they don't look too bad. Then, I added the lemon glaze. And you know what? They were absolutely, divinely delicious. Will I make scones again? It's a bit doubtful!

Anyway, for some reason, those blueberries reminded me of my polka dot quilt. I finished sewing the pink baby quilt together and I am waiting for my batting to come in the mail. Meanwhile, I wanted to keep working on my Kaffe dots. Aren't they pretty together?

I guess it's time for me to clean up the mess in my kitchen and then go outside and sit on the deck with another disaster scone and coffee. I have a lot of deadheading to do in the garden today. Coming up in the next week or two I have a few fun things to show you. I won two giveaways, and I have two new craft books I ordered from Amazon that I am really excited about. I made a new crochet bag and there are more roses and garden views to reveal. Oh, and, of course, I will show you the new quilt top in all its pink glory. Have a beautiful Sunday!

Pink Quilt for the New Girlie

I started cutting out the polka dot quilt on Thursday morning but by late afternoon there was a change in the plan. It looks like I will be having a new little grandgirlie in November! That makes three wonderful little girlies to love and cuddle. Well, I adored those polka dots, but I wanted something a bit more pink and feminine for this new baby. On Friday morning I was searching through my fabric cupboard and found all these lovely pinks, oranges, and yellows. I didn't waste any time....I started cutting and sewing immediately! I am totally loving these colors together, too, and I think a coin quilt will show off their prettiness perfectly. I am dreaming about who she will look like, and what a sweet little personality she will have, as I, happily, sew each strip together. My quilt-making takes on a new fascination and delight when I am making it for one of my grandchildren. All I know is.....I love her already!

The Rose Has Many Faces

Henry Hudson

Topaz Jewel

Zepherine Drouhin

Louise Odier

Scentimental

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Fourth of July

Ballerina

I guess you can probably tell, I really LOVE roses. These are just a few blooming right now...but there are so many more. Some of them, I cannot name anymore. Why? Because I have lots and lots of squirrels in my yard, and for some unknown reason, they manage to pull the little metal tags off at the bottom of the rose branches. I, sometimes, find them scattered around the yard or in a pile on my brick patio, but most of the time, they are lost forever. Wish you could get a whiff of the wonderful aromas. They are totally breathtaking. I'll be showing more rosy faces as the summer progresses. Hope you enjoy!

My Sewing Rant

Or....why I don't enjoy sewing clothes for myself.....at all!!!

Remember all these lovely fabrics I bought to make a few summer blouses? Do you remember how excited I was to get started? Well...the first blouse was quite difficult because of the facing, and the size was much too big. The second one was a size smaller and still too big. Well, no way was I going to go pay more money for a smaller pattern. This top made me feel frumpy, dumpy, lumpy, and very, very grumpy! Now I remember why I didn't really enjoy sewing clothes for myself many years ago. I truly don't like following the directions on patterns. I think that's why I started quilting....it is so much easier! So what in the world am I going to do with all these 1.75 yards of beautiful fabrics? And the pretty pink, fresh as a daisy, summery fabric that I fell in love with and purchased, before I finished the first top? Any suggestions? Guess they will be going into the good old fabric cupboard. Did I really name my blog....my sewing serenity?

The Garden Gate is Open

Would you be interested in taking a little garden stroll? This is a picture of my front arbor. In just another few days, it will be transformed....the New Dawn roses are just about ready to bloom.

See that sweet little foxglove hiding among all those roses?

I think foxgloves are quite fascinating, inside and out.

My pretty Ballerina rose is dancing away....Libby said she looks like she is wearing her tutu!

This pure white rose is Henry Hudson.....he smells pretty good, for a boy!

The peonies are blooming in white, pink, and fuchsia, and they are peeking through the fence.

This is a John Cabot rose bush....he only blooms once for me but when he does, he is outstanding!

See my little bistro table and chairs? I like to sit right there, surrounded by roses, and drink my tea.

This is the arbor on the other side of my house. An antique rose called Zepherine Drouhin is blooming, and the New Dawn roses are just beginning to open. Hope you enjoyed your garden stroll. Now, where did I put my cup of tea?

The Girls in My Garden

A sweet little tree peony with her hot pink blouse blowing in the wind.

Nelly Moser clematis looking dainty and sweet in her pink-striped petticoat.

Lavender rhododendron showing off her polka dotted skirt and blooming profusely.

Irises, so lovely, dancing in the sunshine in their purple pant suits.

Did you enjoy my pretty garden girls? Well, there is more to come. The Rose girls, who think they are my favorite flowers, have been showing off in the garden, too. Come back and see next time. **Click on the tree peony (photo 1) and Nelly Moser clematis (photo 3) for a really close-up view of their exquisite beauty. **

Sew and Sow

I have a little summer blouse pattern cut out and ready to sew. I have numerous seed packets of morning glories, cosmos, and zucchini to sow. And I have pretty flowering annuals to plant in garden beds, clay pots, and containers. The big pressing decision of the day is....do I sew or sow? Lulu Rose is here today, so, I have a feeling she will be making the decision for me. There are stories to read, songs to sing, flowers to pick, cookies to bake, cuddles, tickles, and comfy naps to take under a cozy quilt. Maybe, just maybe, there will be time to do it all....we shall see.

Peachy Prettiness

A new color of dishcloths for my little shop....peaches & cream.

A perfect peachy rose blooming in my garden and smelling fresh and sweet.

A delicate peachy bearded iris looking all frilly and girlie.

A brand new peachy ironing board cover purchased from Etsy.

The lovely creator of this peachy ironing board cover......aCherylMatis.

Hope your weekend is filled with happiness and a big dose of prettiness in any color.

Views from the Garden Bench

What have I been doing? Sitting here on my garden bench enjoying the views. Walking around taking pictures of the inside of flowers. Watching all the rose bushes coming into bloom. Listening to the birds singing their songs. Laughing at the squirrels racing up and down the trees. Inhaling all the fresh clean scents of late spring. Sipping a cup of homegrown lemon balm tea. Just enjoying everyday life in my ever-changing garden.