on the brink of summer ~ lush and green

The beauty and lushness of the Midwest really shines in mid-June. Between lots of sunshine, warm temps and scattered thunderstorms, nature explodes. This past weekend, I went to Ginger Blossom ~ a place that carries fair trade ethnic rugs, furniture, clothing, textiles, crafts and antiques from all around the world. I've featured this business on my blog before, so it might look familiar to some of you. This is a privately-owned business and is on the expansive grounds of the owner. I always enjoy walking around taking photographs  of these peaceful grounds. Little cottages are filled with ethnic goods and the property is filled with gorgeous perennials, flowers and statuary.

This barn is filled to the rafters with furniture and art objects from all over the world.  

I found this beautiful glassware from Mexico in the barn. These glasses are thick and sturdy (I hate flimsy drinking glasses!) and I love the vibrant colors. I only bought two for now; at $6 each I wanted to make sure we really liked them before I bought a complete set. I can always go back and buy more.

Because it was the art and music weekend at Ginger Blossom, a singer with a gorgeous voice serenaded the visitors all day.

This lady, Angie is the main reason I love going to the art and music weekends at Ginger Blossom. She comes to these special weekends to sell different varieties of abergele cheese (which is a specialty cheese from Wisconsin - a tribute to Abergele, North Wales, UK), raw honey, organic maple syrup, handmade soaps, homegrown veggies, homemade healthy dips, and delicious homemade baked goods. I don't eat much cheese, but I cannot resist the garam masala abergele cheese. It's very creamy and rich, with the spicy Indian flavors on the outside of the cheese. One small slice is perfectly satisfying.

Speaking of lush and green, I'll show you a little of what's going on back at my home...

 I'm still working on the patio area. I bought two hanging solar lanterns at IKEA and hung them from the trees that overhang the patio. They're charging right now...I can't wait to see how they look at night! 

Here's the problem on the patio right now. Mulberries. I cannot tell you how much I loathe these things! They fall from our neighbor's tree every year. We had her tree trimmed back a couple of years ago to her property line. Last year, we were relatively berry-free, but this year they've come back with a vengeance. This tree isn't even hanging over the patio again...I guess the growth is just enough where they are managing to find our patio once more. If these things aren't swept up every day, they attract flies and ants. Not to mention you can't walk on the patio without the berries squishing under your shoes!

My basil is prolific right now. I really need to start harvesting it and making some pesto.

When I was at Ginger Blossom, I also bought a red sorrel plant from Angie. She said it was a slow-growing perennial and I thought it was pretty with the red veins in the green leaves. I can harvest the leaves and use them in salads.

One of my favorite perennials that burst into bloom just this past weekend: tickseed. I don't do anything to it except deadhead when the flowers dry up. I never even water or fertilize this plant. Comes back bigger every year and I love it. Great cutting flowers for small vases, too.

I was so worried about my clematis. It wasn't doing well for awhile and all the leaves were drying up. Hubby fertilized it again and it came back to life. You can see the new tendrils growing up the arbor and even new buds on the vines. Hooray!

The tomato plants are growing nicely and have the telltale yellow flowers on them that will soon be fruit.

The Phlox, Butterfly Bush, Purple Coneflower and Black-eyed Susan in the butterfly garden are really taking off, but nothing in bloom yet - except for the columbine in the back. That's always the first to bloom.

Joe Pye Weed is really taking off, too. This was two small plants just a few years ago. By August, it'll be much taller and have beautiful blooms on it, which the bees love. That smaller groundcover next to the Joe Pye Weed is goutweed - a very invasive plant that appeared "out of nowhere" a couple of years ago. At first I thought it was kind of pretty...but when they say it's invasive, that's putting it mildly. I'm always pulling clumps of it out of the ground to keep it away from the other plants. I'm going to have to Google how to get rid of it for good (without using pesticides). 

One spring annual that I'm surprised is still thriving despite several days in the 90's is these little violas. They seem to love being in the birdcage and are starting to grow right through the top! I suppose it's because this birdcage is hanging from a plant hook in an area that's mostly shady.

Talk to you all soon...I'm off now to sweep up mulberries. ;-)

Sharing with At Home with Jemma - Thoughts of Home on Thursday.

what to eat when it's too hot to cook ~ three healthy recipes

 It's not officially summer yet, but the temperature is saying otherwise: in the 90's and humid today and tomorrow. I don't know about you, but when the weather is this hot, I certainly don't feel like eating hot, heavy food. Light and healthy is the way to go. 

A smoothie always hits the spot for breakfast or a snack. One thing I love about smoothies is that they're so versatile. You don't have spinach; use kale. Out of strawberries; use raspberries or blueberries. Need some protein in your smoothie? Add a tablespoon of peanut butter or almond butter. Here's my basic recipe.

In a blender, add the following in this order:

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

1-1/2 cups cold water

1 cup organic frozen fruit (I used a triple berry mix)

1/2 - 1 banana (depending on how thick you like your smoothie)

1 handful organic baby spinach (or kale)

1/2 tablespoon each flaxmeal and hemp seed (you can also add chia seeds)

1 tablespoon organic unsweetened coconut

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Give it a whirl...

Stick a straw in your drink, sit outside in the shade, and enjoy.

Rice bowls are popular these days and I can see why. They're adaptable, easy to make, healthy, and visually appealing. I made this taco bowl the other night and hubby went back for thirds. ;-) OK, maybe I should call this a taco plate because I didn't have a big enough bowl! Starting from the left: romaine, radishes, black olives, scallions, fresh cilantro, halved cherry tomatoes, cooked organic, grass-fed beef with taco seasoning, cooked brown rice. The "sauce" you see on top of the romaine is guacamole (make your own or buy prepared) mixed with a little plain Greek yogurt. So, how do you eat this? Anyway you want! You can be messy and mix it all together, or you can dip your fork into the creamy sauce, then into the veggies and beef and work your way around the plate in random order. There's no correct way to eat a rice bowl! This is a great way to get a lot of veggies into your diet, too. Meat should be the accompaniment, with the veggies being the star of the show. For a vegetarian option - or a no-cook option - substitute black beans for the ground beef.

I'm not a dessert eater and I also don't eat processed sugar anymore, but sometimes in the hot weather I crave ice cream. So, I make my own "nice cream" in the blender! This chocolate recipe definitely hits the spot.

CHOCOLATE PUDDING NICE CREAM

One avocado

A few chunks frozen banana (slice ahead of time and keep in freezer)

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1-2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (according to your taste)

Enough unsweetened almond milk to blend smooth (according to your blender)

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Eat as is, or top with fresh berries or chopped nuts. A friend of mine asked the other day if this tastes like avocado and I told her no - you would never even know this has avocado in it. All the avocado does is make the mixture smooth and creamy.

Here's to your health ~ enjoy the weekend!

Sharing with Art and Sand: Share Your Cup #201 and Rattlebridge Farm: Foodie Friday.

patio daddio and a quick day trip

Tim came home for a quick visit this past weekend and we grilled Friday night. I love this photo I captured of father and son on the patio. They look deep in conversation, though quite relaxed. 

After dinner, we played Rummy. Clementine loves to get up on the table in the middle of the action when we're playing games (yes, I disinfect my table a lot!) but I think our game was a little boring to her.

Back on the patio Saturday morning for coffee (me) and tea (Brian), until...

Brian said, "Let's get the heck out of here" ~ and we went up to Milwaukee and Cedarburg, Wisconsin. It was cool and rainy, but sometimes the road just calls.

We didn't have a lot of time to explore many stores since this wasn't a planned trip and we left a little late, but we did get to eat a late lunch at one of our favorite mexican restaurants in Milwaukee. We walked around the famous Glorioso's Deli, but didn't buy anything. You know you're in Wisconsin when you see bags of cheese curds!

Stopped in an independent coffee shop for a cuppa tea to warm up...love places like this with so much character and charm.

Local artwork is always hanging on the walls. These paintings were incredible.

 We then headed another 20 minutes north to the small, delightful town of Cedarburg. We basically walked up and down the streets just to get some exercise and fresh air; only stopped in a couple of shops to look around. 

I suppose it's no surprise that I stopped to take photos of all the beautiful flowers. Overflowing planters are in front of just about every store.

 This peony really caught my eye because of the delicate hot pink edging in the middle of the flower. So random, yet so perfect.

 How simple and clever is this idea for extra seating on a patio? It's just stacked pallets with cushions on top.

 All too soon, it was time to head back home, but yet I was ready.

Sharing with Cozy Little House Tweak it Tueday.

from dawn to dusk ~ snippets of my day

I've never been a morning person. I'm in a fog for a good 30-45 minutes when I wake up. The first thing I do is make coffee. This morning was absolutely gorgeous...dappled sunshine, blue skies and a cool breeze. I took my coffee outside on the front porch and plopped myself in a chair, relishing the peacefulness of the morning. No lawn mowers going yet and no playful, shrieking neighborhood kids. Just chirping birds and the occasional car going by.

I do not take casual mornings for granted. It's been over 3-1/2 years since I left my paying job and there hasn't been a day since then that I haven't been grateful for where I am now. I know not everyone has the luxury of choosing to staying home, so that's another blessing I count.

I also realize that not everyone wants to stay home either, and that's cool, too. We're all different. I think as long as we're happy where we're at, it's all good. In my case, I've always loved being a homekeeper. And I can tell you this much: most days I work harder at home than I ever did in an office. Though office work was mentally exhausting due to the never-ending piles of paperwork, staring at a computer all day, and being on someone else's timetable.

 Once my morning fog wears off, I am raring to go. I naturally have a ton of energy. Sometimes I get so busy that I have to remind myself to take a break. I tell myself that even in an office, you get a morning and afternoon break, plus an entire hour for lunch! Today, I didn't even sit down to eat lunch until 3:00.

After I got showered and dressed and made my bed (I make my bed every morning - how about you?), I threw in a load of laundry, scooped cat boxes, fed the cats, brushed Zippo, took out the kitchen garbage, and made a pan of roasted potatoes.

Makings of tuna salad came after the potatoes.

I got the dishwasher going, then took off to run errands. I did a big grocery shopping and returned items to Kohls and TJ Maxx. Got home and unloaded the bags from the car, put away all the groceries, transferred the clothes from the washer to the dryer, unloaded the dishwasher, watered the inside plants, cleaned both bathrooms, then finally sat down for some lunch. Got the cat food order from Chewy and got that put away. As you can see, Monkey loves boxes. I'm going to keep this one to make another cat cave...

I saw this simple idea online to stretch a t-shirt over a box, as cats love hiding places. Monkey and Clementine love this smaller box, though Zippo wasn't interested at all. 

He'd rather just crash on a chair.

Back to work...laundry needs folding and putting away.

Cat litter and extras like toilet paper, paper towels and vinegar need to be hauled downstairs to the basement and put on the storage shelves. I go up and down the basement stairs at least 20 times a day. 

 Early evening today was just as beautiful as the morning. I walked around the yard, watering plants and pulling weeds.

 I swept the porch and patio and then sat here and painted my toenails. ;-)

My greens are already wilting with the warmer weather, so I picked the last of them this evening, gently rinsed them, and laid them on a dishcloth to dry.

Did a short yoga practice, washed berries and made a fruit salad, and now...

 I'm writing this blog post while the second load of dishes finishes in the dishwasher. I'll be unloading that and putting the dishes away at 9:30 p.m. And then, finally, my day will be done. Except for giving the cats their last feeding of the day at 10:30. I'll read for a bit, then go to bed. Tired, but fulfilled and grateful.

Sharing with At Home With Jemma ~ Thoughts of Home on Thursday

and Art and Sand ~ Share Your Cup.