full weekend

Ever hear anyone say they were glad it was Monday? Probably not, but that's how I'm feeling today. Granted, I have a busy week ahead of me, but I'm almost glad to be back to my regular routine.

I thought Friday was going to be a good day. We had tree trimmers coming out here to trim our neighbor's trees that overhang both sides of our property. I don't want to get into too many specifics because I don't like to dwell on negative crap, but basically our nasty neighbor to our south had a conniption fit and was threatening both me and the tree trimmers. (We had even sent her a certified letter ahead of time, letting her know what was going to be done - back to her property line. And she signed for the letter, so she knew what was coming.) After the tree trimmers left, I went to the police station and talked to an officer about what was going on, though he said it becomes a civil matter. The whole thing was very stressful.

Enough of that...onto a much better day: Saturday. Brian and I decided to "get the hell out of Dodge" and headed to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. 

We spent a few hours walking around, going in and out of shops, and stopping for lunch. It was cool and windy by the lake in the morning (as evidenced by the waves above and my hair below), but the winds calmed down and the sun came out in the afternoon.

If you walk around on the side streets of the shopping district, you'll find most shops are in beautiful old homes, like this one.

This house wasn't a store - it belongs to the historical society - but I love its cottagey charm.

Look at that porch! I told Brian I want a house in the country like this. 

No. Close. Neighbors. ;-)

We found a new shop where the chalkboard sign outside said, "Like a live etsy shop!" Sounded interesting enough to draw us in. Inside, there were a bunch of different consigned booths. Everything from home decor...

to pottery...

to custom jewelry.

We also wandered into a few antique shops, but most of the stuff was over-priced. We weren't surprised - Lake Geneva is an expensive, touristy town.

I loved this old, hand-stitched double quilt. It was in immaculate condition. The shop owner was kind enough to unfold it for me and let me take photos.

It actually wasn't priced too bad - $145. But I have nowhere to put it. Look at that detail on the underside!

The one thing I ended up purchasing was this hand-crocheted runner. I'll show you the whole thing another time. This is just a teaser photo. Isn't it lovely? The shop was running a 15% off Mother's Day deal, so I got a great price on it.

One of our favorite stores in Lake Geneva was this bookstore - The Breadloaf Bookshop. It used to be in a beautiful old white house on a corner across from the lake. We thought it had gone out of business several years ago, as when we were up there one time, the shop was gone. Imagine our delight when we were walking around and spied this door on the side of a used-to-be church building!

It was smaller than the old store, but still interesting to look around. Though we didn't get much of a chance because the shop owner was way too chatty. Perhaps that's why we were the only ones in there! 

I bought a book just to get the shop owner occupied with a transaction instead of nonstop chatter, though I do like supporting independent bookshops. We were then able to make our hasty exit.

When we'd had enough of Lake Geneva, we got in the car and headed a little further north to check out The Elegant Farmer.

Inside the store, we ended up getting some food items and then we checked out the greenhouse. I wasn't ready to purchase annuals just yet, but we did get some herbs for our herb garden, tomato plants and Kentucky pole bean plants.

Sunday was a gorgeous day. My wonderful husband worked out in the yard for eight hours. He dug out more garden space, dug out invasive plants, dug out weeds, trimmed bushes, and planted a peony bush, Bluebells, and the Celadine Poppy and Bishop's Cap plants I got at the native plant sale last week. Tim weeded the herb garden and planted sage, oregano and parsley. Good thing I have my guys - I still can't crouch all the way down nor kneel just yet. (Still healing from meniscus surgery.)

You can see the peony plant in the foreground; then my clematis (which is so healthy and growing like crazy!) and the newly dug garden space. We'll plant the tomatoes and pole beans there.

Brian got the ladder out of the garage and set it up in its usual spot; then I planted basil and dill in pots and put them on the ladder, along with a pot of pansies and the vintage metal carrier that I got at the antique shop last week.

This isn't the complete look with the ladder, but it's a start.

Bishop's Cap...

Celadine Poppy...

We had a pretty little visitor on the patio, too.

Of course, it was also Mother's Day - one of those holidays I have mixed emotions about, especially with the loss of Phil even more apparent. For dinner,  Brian barbequed bratwurst that we had gotten in Wisconsin, plus a grill basket of mixed veggies. This gift was in the card from Tim. Isn't that great? I can't wait to work with him on a header design for my blog.

The one mishap during the day was when I slammed my pinky toe into the leg of a nightstand. I can't tell you how many times I've smashed my toes on furniture, but this time was different...soon after my klutzy encounter, I noticed the toe was really swollen. I iced it, but a few hours later, it started turning purple on the inside and outside of the toe. I have a feeling I fractured it. 

Happy Monday, indeed! 

my heart is full

Is it too early to be posting photos of Christmas decor?

 I think yes, but the local nursery had a wine tasting event on Friday night and the entire place was decorated for Christmas already. I'm not at all in the mood for anything Christmas yet, but I have to admit, the decor was lovely. 

We were gone from early in the morning 'til late at night on Saturday. We met my cousin and a mutual friend at the last farmer's market of the season. Under blue and sunny skies, we walked around talking and laughing, drinking coffee; shared a handmade red mole tamale; sampled cheese, salsas, vinegars and honey; talked to vendors; and admired the bounty of beautiful produce. We came home with leeks, fennel, purple carrots, daikon radishes, fingerling potatoes, fresh parsley, aged balsamic vinegar and a block of gouda cheese. I somehow forgot to pick up some of those gorgeous peppers. We then hit up a couple of antique stores, a few artsy stores, then sat and had tea at Starbucks to rest our tired feet. 

On to fabulous Thai food in Chicago, then walked up and down Broadway taking in the sights and sounds of the city on a beautiful autumn evening. While walking, I spied a Stan's Donuts. I had heard of the place, so curiosity got the best of me. Stepping into the store, I was actually more enamored by the display of KitchenAid mixers than the donuts. ;-) We picked up a few donuts to bring home...and let's put it this way: It's a good thing we don't live close to a Stan's Donuts. That was the most delicious donut I've ever had. And this is coming from someone who's normally not a donut person.

Last stop of the day: Wrigley Field. To say that Brian is still riding a high from the Cubs World Series win is an understatement. It was the day after the Cubs rally (which drew a record five million people!), and the city was still unbelievably crowded. Throngs of people were still gathered at intersections surrounding Wrigley. I didn't dare get out of the car. I took photos out the passenger side window. We drove up and down streets for what seemed liked ages, looking for a parking spot. We finally found a spot on a side street and I stayed in the car while Brian went and took his photos.

Sunday was another sunny, warm day...we have been so lucky! All the neighbors were outside raking, leaf blowing and gutter cleaning; pausing once in awhile to talk to one another. Brian and I ended the evening by taking a walk in the dark, walking hand in hand around the neighborhood until we finally came full circle back at home.

miscellaneous monday ~ let's chat

 Good afternoon from steamy Illinois! It's in the 90's today and will be more of

the same tomorrow. Temps will be falling by this weekend into the 60's and 70's.

I love summer, but I'm pretty tired of the extreme heat and am looking forward

to cooler weather. Most of my outdoor plants are still hanging in there with

all this warmth and sun ~ and the herb garden is bursting! I cut down all my

basil the other day and made a big batch of pesto.

Tiger lilies, which are so prolific in early summer, are now scraggly and wasting

away. My bike looks pretty silly amongst the dead lilies now. Brian will need

to hang it back up in the garage.

 Brian and I usually take a mile walk around the neighborhood after dinner.

I've always loved this neighbor's front yard gardens. I go much more for for

 the cottage look than the perfectly structured, orderly look. The woman who 

lives here is an artist - can you tell?

We walked past another neighbor's house that re-did their front porch.

I not only love the railings, but I'm really impressed with how they incorporated

a couple of planter boxes along the side of the porch. The owner of this house

did all this work himself. Wonder if he's for hire?

Sometimes a girl just needs a little pick-me-up. Something pretty that doesn't

cost much. JC Penney had sent me a $10 coupon for my birthday, so I picked

out this bracelet that was on clearance, plus a pair of earrings (not pictured).

Even better when things are free!

I love to paint my toenails in vivid colors during the sandal wearing months...

this bright green color in a mini bottle made me smile. Cover Girl has a bunch

of new, pretty colors for only $2.99.

I saw a knitted mug cozy on etsy and really wanted one - but I don't knit!

So I posted the etsy picture on my Facebook page and asked who would

like to knit me one - and an acquaintance of mine said she would. 

Isn't it pretty? It keeps your coffee or tea warm longer, too. And feels so

good in your hands.

 Tim's old Honda bit the dust last month. He put so much time and money

into this car, trying to fix everything himself - but in the end, it wasn't enough.

We had no choice but to sell it for parts only. One of Brian's coworkers

bought the car today and came and towed it away. Buh-bye little Honda.

Tim is still carless, so it's a good thing he lives close to school and work.

He walks to both - and he lives in an area where there's a bus system -

so that's always an option.

 Tomorrow is the day we're going to IKEA to get the bookcases for the 

downstairs family room. We decided on.....the WHITE! Thanks for all

who commented on my post about whether to get the white or black 

bookcases. I think the black would be overwhelming and too dark in the

basement, especially with a lot of other black furniture. Someone also 

mentioned seeing a lot of dust on black furniture, and she is right. I'm

constantly having to take a microfiber cloth to the black ladder bookcase

in my living room - it shows so much dust and cat hair.

Here's the bookcase system we've decided on...

 Doubt if this will even hold all my books, though we're also going

to get a shorter piece to go along a smaller wall. And we don't have

a truck, so we'll have to have all this delivered. Hope it doesn't take

long! I'm excited to get my books out of storage and all set up again.

 What's going on in your corner of the world? How's the weather

where you live? Are you done gardening for the season? Have you

bought anything just for yourself lately? Let's chat!