Raspberry Picking with the Little Ones

Last week, Hubby and I met Felicity and the little ones for a hot morning of raspberry picking. Despite the heat, the grandkids were focused and cheerful and great little pickers!

And later, after lunches and naps, they came over for dinner...with vanilla ice cream with raspberries for dessert!

Blueberry Season

It's blueberry season, and earlier this week Colette and I went blueberry picking at one of our favorite organic u-pick farms. They grow their own vegetables, and do u-pick herbs, berries, and flowers.

Their flowers are so breathtaking, but it was the blueberries we came for this day.

We carried our precious cargo home, and made a blueberry cobbler...served hot with vanilla bean ice cream melting into a puddle in a sea of deep blue. Ahhh...summer.

Small Town 4th of July Celebration

I love celebrating the 4th of July in our small, New England town!  The town goes all out to decorate with buntings and flags on the telephone poles.  And individual patriots do their part by sprucing up their homes for the holiday.

The Revere bell in the belfry of the church tolled 10:00, signaling the starting hour for the town parade.

Townspeople gathered around the center of town, for what has been dubbed "one of the best small town parades in the U.S."  And indeed, comparisons to a "slice of Americana" or "a Norman Rockwell-style parade" were words I heard often today.

Let the parade begin!

And then it was over for another year.  Hangers-on swarmed the general store for cool bottles of water, popcorn, or ice cream treats...sitting on the porch steps and chatting with neighbors.  An American tradition at its finest!

Then, for us, it was home for grilled burgers, grilled corn, and more.  And those strawberry shortcakes for dessert! Yum!

Wishing you and yours a fabulous 4th of July!

Summer Game Plan

Am I the only one who doesn't like the term "bucket list"?  There's something sort of sadly morbid about it to me, even if it's something as simple as a seasonal bucket list.  So, in searching about for an alternative word or term for this posting, I wasn't having much success.  Summer Agenda?  Ugh.  Who wants an "agenda" for the summer?  And synonyms for agenda are: schedule, timetable, line-up, to-do list.  Hmm...all quite evoking the opposite of how you want summer to feel.  Then I hit on it - Summer Game Plan!

- SUMMER GAME PLAN - 

A game plan with no pressure to win, but just to savor the moments!

gardening

travel to California for a wedding

host guests several times

go to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston

gelato

hiking

outdoor concerts with picnic dinners

berry picking

homemade ice cream

sewing for the shop for Christmas

fire pit evenings with friends and s'mores

grilling

time in the hammock

4th of July parade

In-n-Out burger while in California

go to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

finish reading "Crime and Punishment"

farmers' markets

Italian sodas

What's on your summer game plan?

Summer Dance in the Country

Last night we hosted a “Summer Dance in the Country”, as our invitation called it.  We billed it as “…outside — under the stars…”, which is a nice way of diverting attention away from the mosquito population (we hoped).  We hired a dance caller for the evening, decorated in a summery, fun way, and invited friends to join us!

All day long it rained.  ALL DAY.  Finally, one hour before people were to arrive, the rain stopped, patches of blue sky could be seen, and we quickly set up outside.  Praises be to God!

We set up a refreshment table outside with a burlap table cover (hiding a folding table) that I whipped up last week and an antique battenburg lace tablecloth.

Pennant banners make everything more festive!

It was Melissa’s first dance!  At first, she took everything very seriously.  Just look at that expression!  But by the end of the evening, she amazed us all by clapping to the music!

Let the dancing begin!

Girls in twirly skirts of any age are priceless!

I love this picture!  Theo is captivated by the dancing…watching just quietly from behind the refreshment table.

The sun set.  The lamps were lit.  Strawberry shortcake was served.

We were so grateful for each and every person who came and made the evening a lovely memory!  Their smiles and laughter brought us so much joy!

Summer Home Atmosphere

This is the third in a series of postings on how I think about the atmosphere of our home in a seasonal manner. If you’d like to read the first posting, Winter Home Atmosphere, click here, or the second posting, Spring Home Atmosphere, click here.

In my mind, each season has an atmosphere all its own, and that atmosphere spills over to: the kitchen, touches of beauty and comfort, and our activities. Here is how I am thinking about this summer:

Summer

Fun. Free Time. Fresh. Food. Green.

The Kitchen:

- berries

-grilling

-corn

-tomatoes

-herbs

-ice cream

-salsa from the garden

-cobblers

-frosty, fruity, and/or sparkling drinks

Touches of Beauty and Comfort:

-air conditioning

-sunflowers on the table and in the windowsill

-cool breezes from open windows

-crisp, cool sheets on balmy summer nights

-did I mention air conditioning?

Activities:

-houseguests

-evenings on the deck

-resting in the hammock

-beach and lake days

-gardening

-preserving all that’s homegrown, fresh, and local

-school planning

-new grandbaby!