Ah Sunflower...

This time of year is NEVER complete without my stopping by the Whitehall Farm. In the rural mid west farms are being bought up quickly and sub divided for various purposes and traditional farms are quickly disappearing. Each year Whitehall Farm dedicates ACRES to the planting of sunflowers. The beauty is absolutely overwhelming. It is not unusual to see MANY photographers there and artists come from all over to set up their easels and paint and sketch this sunny field. ALL are welcome to come and enjoy. Sunflowers, daisies and Black Eyed Susans are my all time favorite flowers. These flowers emanate SUN and CHEER...my day brightened as I walked along the field yesterday.

The first year...

School starts this week. WHAT!?! Yes, this means that it is AUGUST and that somehow June and July are GONE/OVER/FINIS! THIS is the FIRST year...in 13 years that my days will not be chopped in half by a trip to the preschool or Kindergarten to pick up or drop off a half day schooler. (Yes, I KNOW that schooler is not a word but I LIKE IT!)

I am sad to say goodbye
-to the pool
-to our late nights and later mornings
-to our endless cards and board games
-to FREE/NOTHING on the calendar days
-did I say swimming and sunning at the pool?
-spontaneous ice cream runs





I am super excited
-to start on my fall LIST! Oh HOW I love a good list!
-work a few more hours (Christmas is around the corner PEOPLE!)
-have coffee or lunch with my favorite man
-have a TINY bit of peace and QUIET during the day



** Happy Birthday to my NUMBER ONE GUY!!! I love you!

Celebrating 98 YEARS!

We celebrated Nana Boo's 98th birthday with her and it was a grand affair. She loved every minute of all the spoiling and even announced everyone would have to come back the next day which was her "REAL" birthdate! Debbie even got her to put her Happy Birthday crown on!

I think my cousin Debbie and I might have inherited our BIG smiles from Nana!



Some of the great grand kids were along to party and settled down...a TINY bit... for some snapshots.


This is probably as "normal" as they get!


What a blessing it is to have my grandmother with us! She is a gem!
Happy Birthday Nana Boo!

Read one of my ALL TIME favorite posts about Nana Boo entitled: Nana's Hands.

Come with me...

...on a CHARMING little trip to Southern Ohio. We took a little REST & RELAXATION break and disappeared from the daily routine and took a delightful drive through hills and dales to Murphin Ridge. This Bed and Breakfast is most certainly our favorite place to escape for a little time to recharge.

We love their wonderful cabins and Murphin Ridge also provides a lovely inn for those on holiday.

We had PERFECT weather and enjoyed hiking all their trails around the ridge. Wildflowers and gardens were in bloom offering amazing color. They also attract a wide variety of birds with a multitude of feeders...our favorites are the Hummingbirds and Yellow Finches.

Chef Brad uses the Inn's herb and vegetable gardens to create the most amazing meals...they also utilize the meat and produce from nearby Amish farms. We enjoyed a romantic dinner in the original 1828 farm house.

The cool evenings required us to sit outside in the company of a roaring fire after dinner. As if on cue...three kittens played in the flowers nearby. So cute!

We managed to squeeze in a trip to the local Amish Market before having to drive back to reality.

Thanks to Sherry and Darryl McKenney, the Innkeepers, who cover all the details and pampering extra touches that make our stays there perfect! We will be back soon!

ART is everywhere

One of my favorite places to hang out is a small village just a few miles from The Glen. It is known for its eclectic beauty, amazing art, farmer's market, diverse restaurants, lovely shops with hand made jewelry, clothing, pottery and the organic grocery. I had lunch (at the wonderful Peruvian place - mmmmmmm, I had Lomo Saltados) today with three of my favorite ladies and as we strolled the pretty, sunny streets I realized some new art was everywhere...take a look...





Knit Happens!
I personally think it is ADORABLE!

Do nothing

I am faced with a looming date on my calendar. The first day of school. We have three weeks of summer vacation left. I tend to CONTROL and OVER-SCHEDULE our days. I want the kids to be purposeful, stimulated...BUSY. But is that what summer VACATION should be? I oftentimes feel guilty when there is a "nothing-day" on the calendar...but THEN...something amazing happens...

-the kids break out the Bad Mitton set

-cupcakes get made with LOTS of frosting and M & M's on top...they do NOT look PRETTY but they are oh, SO tasty

-the dogs' bath turns into a full-blown sudsy water fight

-shucking corn for dinner brings out all members of the family with the anticipation of eating this seasonal sweet treat

-sitting down in the grass to look at a strange bug turns into an amazing conversation about things important

-reading a familiar, OLD childhood picture book out loud wins the attention of 17 year old down to 7 year old

-eating a popsicle on the porch at 9 a.m. when it is 95 degrees is nothing short of refreshing



What makes a summer vacation? Certainly NOT a tightly wrapped-up schedule. Take a moment, an hour, a day...and DO NOTHING.


~photo compliments of pamsclipart.com

GIVEAWAY! I am sorry I am SO delayed on my book giveaway! Chris from Layers Of Life is the recipient of Denise's new book Twenty Eight and a Half Wishes. Congrats Chris!!

RANDOM at The Glen

The summer is zipping by and regular visits to our local Jersey Dairy is a huge part of our summer memories. Feeding the goats is a MUST after finishing our sweet desserts.

A gorgeous bouquet of Alstroemeria appeared for absolutely NO reason but to bring me pleasure, from a handsome and very romantic man I love.

These creatures were skulking about The Glen and insisted I take their picture. THIS ONLY ENCOURAGES them! I don't think they bite.

This exotic beauty turned TEN this week. She is PURE JOY! Have I said it enough that birthdays are MAGICAL? THEY ARE!!

Black Cherries are in abundance and oh, SO sweet and delicious...they won't be around much longer.

Band rehearsals have begun and that is a true sign that summer is quickly coming to a close. Soon it will be time for football and sweaters.