My Favorite Spot

The master bedroom:

Well, I thought the cute little table I'm working on would be done by now, but since it's not I thought I'd show you some more pics of the house. I'll start with my very own bedroom, and one of my favorite places in it: my "nap spot". It's where I catch my 20 winks in the afternoon, if I'm lucky and can spare the time. Boy, those 20 minutes really rejuvenate me! I remember my mom taking a little break every day, putting cucumber slices on her eyelids (she called them her "beauty treatment"), and her feet up. She would get up and just get going again afterwards, with so much energy. I've never had a ton of energy, but I do find that a little break in the late afternoon helps keep me going, too. Sometimes around 4:00 I feel like I'm just going to fall over from fatigue. UGH. I hate that. So off I go to my little spot, the girls know not to disturb me for a few minutes, and when I'm back upstairs I'm ready to roll again. (Just like my mom, only without the cucumbers. Although, she was really gorgeous, so maybe she had something there! As I get older, I'll take all the beauty help I can get!)

Here it is: my spot!

I love that lamp, it's carved alabaster, rescued from a junk shop.

Lavender candles help me relax


And here's our comfy, tall bed, dressed in summer linens


Nice!

The Berry Bounty

It doesn't get much better than this: my kitchen, fresh berries, sugar and me.

A winning combination!

Berry crisp, and a banana-walnut bread for good measure. (No, we didn't grow the bananas!)

Yup, they were delicious. All gone now.

A Berry Good Morning

I spent this morning in our overgrown garden, out in the side yard, picking a ton of blackberries. I am thrilled that we are able to step outside and get fresh berries while in our pjs, if we so desire. The berry bushes are so wild, I got caught in them a few times and was afraid I would not be able to escape. The thought of someone finding me there, stuck to the bushes , no makeup, sweats on, berry juice running down my chin....it inspired me to do some clever tugging and twitching and twisting until the berries set me free. But I did not leave until I filled my bucket with the sweetest, most delicious berries, still warm from the morning sun.

Nothing stops me in my pursuit of fruit on the vine or in a tree. Ask my family: I'm not the most athletic gal on the block, but if I spy an apple on the highest branch of the tree, I will find a way to get to it. Even if it means climbing up there myself. Which I have done. Of course, getting back down can be tricky. But I haven't lost an apple, or pear, or berry yet! My wonderful Mr. H&H even made me a berry picking stick to help me pull in those elusive long canes with the best fruit on them, the ones that are always just out of reach. Before that, I used an umbrella, the kind with a hooked handle, to do the job. But this works so much better- doesn't get stuck in the vines and doesn't matter if it gets stained with juice, either!

"Just Looking" at the Farmer's Market

Even though I wasn't planning on buying anything since I had just stocked up at the grocery store the day before, everything looked and tasted so delicious that I couldn't walk away empty handed. This is the result of me "just looking". Now, what am I going to do with all of this?

I believe I will be spending some time in my kitchen, cooking up a storm, in the very near future!!

A Harvest's Bounty at the Farmer's Market!

This morning we headed over to check out our town's brand new farmer's market. We are surrounded by agriculture, there are farmer's markets within 10 minutes of us everyday of the week. And finally our little town decided to get in on the act, too. I'm used to going later in the day during the heat of the afternoon, but what a fun way to start the day and the weekend! While Mr. H&H walked our doggie Maggie, the writer and I took a tour of the market to get a lay of the land. It was a cool, clear, breezy sunny morning. It seemed like everyone in town was there, shopping, drinking coffee, tasting delicious samples, and enjoying the music and fresh air. We all were having a great time. The veggies and fruit and flowers were seriously gorgeous, as you can see. Next week I think we'll go earlier and plan on eating our breakfast there. The pastries and breakfast burritos looked delicious!