Meet Miss Minerva and I Love Small Towns!

One of my favorite things to do is explore small towns!  Today I spent the day in Culpeper, Virginia, and want to share some pictures of things I saw.  One of my favorite shops was this tea shop and I fell in love with Miss Minerva having her afternoon tea at a sidewalk table.  She was so lifelike and just adorable.  I wanted to bring her home and put her in the garden with "Lily"!

This doll in the window display was the owner's when she was a child. (Sorry the building across the street reflected in the glass).

Clarke Hardware opened in Culpeper in 1909.  I met the couple who owns it today and enjoyed chatting with them.  They have a wonderful website that tells all about the history of the store, the hard-to-find items they carry today, and helpful garden tips.

Downtown was decorated for the holidays and the flowers were beautiful.  I commented several times on how spotless and well maintained the entire town was.

And last, my single purchase for the day was this tin J & P Coats caddy for storing some of my sewing accessories.  It's, of course, a reproduction but it is so cute.

Leesburg, Virginia



A few weeks ago, my friend and took a day trip to Leesburg which is located in northern Virginia. I found this cabinet  for my black toile dishes in one of the many shops there.    It is a perfect fit for the space in my breakfast room!  I love the glass on the sides and the flower carvings.

Shell, don't you love this bunny?



While we were there, we went to Lucketts Store.  I was happy to visit Karen's shop from The Graphics Fairy blog.  Karen is so beautiful and is a fellow "corgi person".  I use graphics from her site on my blog often.

Whimsical Birdhouses

A retired gentleman near where I used to work loves to build birdhouses and his yard is so interesting with all his brightly colored houses.

He calls this his "totem pole" house.

This one is very creative!

I love this church!

This is my favorite!  It's a combination of birdhouses and flower planters.



Singing With the Top Down

Sunday was a very quiet day for me so I decided to start reading Singing with the Top Down by Debrah Williamson.  This was the first book that she wrote that I've read and I like her writing style. The story took place in the 50's and was heartwarming and funny.  It's easy reading and I finished it Sunday night.  On a scale of 1 to 10, I think I'd give it about a 7.

Thanks, Brenda, for sharing this book with me!

New Arrival!

My friend, Kim, at Life At Golden Pines blog has a new Scottish Terrier puppy named Todd.  Isn't he adorable?  Kim does Golden Retriever rescue and is so amazing.  I know this little guy will bring so much joy to everyone at her home (including the goldens).

Todd says, "Hey, wait up, Reggie.   I just want to introduce myself!"

Celebration!

Today I treated my friend who is retiring next week to lunch at our favorite tearoom.  We were celebrating her retirement and the one year anniversary of my retirement.   We were like two little girls, laughing and excitedly planning all the fun things we want to do in the future.  Sharing each new chapter of your life with good friends is such a blessing!

Hanna Visits Her Friends

Hanna and I had an excellent visit with our friends at the assisted living facility yesterday.  Hanna gave  lots of kisses and was her usual sweet self.  After our group visit, we visited our personal friend who lives there and Hanna took a quick nap.  We left when  she went to the dining room for lunch.  Hanna and I stopped for lunch at McDonalds on the way home. She sat in the passenger seat and enjoyed part of my hamburger.  (Don't worry, she only gets "people food" on special occasions).  This little girl is such a joy to me!

Have a great weekend!

Lily is Ready for the 4th!

My garden lady, Lily, has dressed for the 4th of July  and is decorating the garden with tiny flags this afternoon.  She'll be ready for lemonade on the front porch in just a little bit.  All of her clothes came from Goodwill including her jewelry! 

Celebrate the First Day of Summer!

The Murder of Mary Phagan

"Powerful, true-life story of the 1913 murder of a young female factory worker in Atlanta and the  manager tried and convicted of the crime. Jack Lemmon turns in a superior performance as Georgia governor John Slaton, who puts his political career on the line by questioning the verdict. "



Sandy on the left, me on the right.



In the summer of 1987, my friend, my daughter (10) and I were extras in this movie.  It was filmed in a beautiful old section of the city of Richmond called Church Hill.  Our dresses were hot, the shoes hurt our feet, and our scenes were cut, but we had a great time.



Jack Lemmon took naps when not filming.  He was not friendly with the

extras. However, my Amy decided to check him out anyway.



It was amazing to see the dogs riding on the backs of the horses.

My friend is retiring in a couple weeks.  We're considering resuming our movie careers.  (giggle)

Hydrangeas

Two of my hydrangeas are beautiful this year and are full of blooms.  The other two, in a different part of my yard, only have two or three blooms.  It must have something to do with their sun exposure.

Hydrangeas blooming are one of my favorite things about summer!  

                                   

Evelyn Kate Designs

Every night around 10:30, if I'm not engrossed in a great book, I read blogs for an hour or so.  Earlier this week I came across Evelyn Kate Designs.  Ashley offers some great tutorials and really fun printables such as the above recipe card.  Check out this cute blog when you have time.

Williamsburg, VA

I spent the day yesterday shopping in Williamsburg.  I never get tired of going there.  It's only about a 45 minute drive from my house and there's always something new to see.  Shops come and go so quickly in that town.  I don't know if any of you are familiar with the Williamsburg Pottery, but it's almost nonexistent now. I'm not sure what's going on, but it sure looks like they're trying to go out of business.  The pottery has been a favorite  tourist attraction for as long as I can remember.

I found the  cutest outfit for "Lily" (my garden lady) for the 4th of July at the Williamsburg Goodwill.  I can't wait to dress her up in red, white, and blue!   I came home with just a few purchases but  it was fun trip. 


Today is going to be another beautiful day and I plan to put a sealant on my deck.  It will be nice to spend the day in the backyard!

It's Been A Wonderful Day!

Today I hosted with my daughter and her neighbor, a farewell party for friends who are moving at the end of the summer.

I tried the Fresh Strawberry Punch recipe and it was a delicious and everyone loved it.  I don't think I've told you before but I'm pretty well known around these parts for my Cold Oven Pound Cake (I'll post that recipe one day.)  We enjoyed pound cake with the punch, homemade chicken salad, ham biscuits, lemon bars, a fresh vegetable tray and an assortment of fresh fruit.  I used some of my favorite dishes and the table setting turned out so pretty! 

The couple we were honoring received some fantastic gifts and gift cards!  I made her a button bracelet and gave him a corgi mug with a tri-colored face on one side and a corgi butt on the other.  They have two adorable corgis, Abby and Piper.

We sure will miss  them but they'll only be about two hours away.  For me that's a nice day trip and an opportunity to shop some "junk stores" along the way.

Hebrews 13:2

Mr. Murphy Green

Just a few years ago, a close friend lost her mom very quickly to cancer.  My friend was in her 50's and had come back to this area to live with her mom after her dad passed away.  They were very close  and did everything together.

Shortly after the mom's death, a very scruffy, orange tabby tomcat appeared at the front door one day.  There were no pets in the home because the mom really wasn't that fond of animals.  My friend started feeding this cat and he slowly  won over her heart.  He had a very unique personality and was so comical!   She named him Murphy and he even traveled to the beach on vacation with her.  It seemed as if he was there to fill a void and help her through her grieving process.

Mr. Murphy was diagnosed with two serious feline diseases this spring and this week had to be helped to the Rainbow Bridge.

Taken from the Living Bible, Hebrews 13:2 says:  Don't forget to be kind to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it.  I am convinced that this is true about Mr. Murphy and that he stayed long enough to complete his mission.

Someone's Nesting In My Fern...

Miss Vera has decided that she likes to rest in the top of  my asparagus fern on the front porch.  The fern has thorns so I can't imagine why she finds it so comfortable!

I wanted to share this picture of my caladiums a few years back.  I have them in the same planter this year but they don't quite look like this.  Hopefully they will before the summer is over.

Meet My New Garden Lady!

I've been working on this project for a couple weeks.  My friend cut the body form from a piece of wooden board.   I found her cute little dress and jacket  at Goodwill.  They were reduced to half price so her entire outfit only costs $6.   I'll be redressing her for the 4th of July and can't wait to go clothes shopping again.

I haven't offically named her yet, but I'm thinking about "Lily".  What do you think?

Here's What's Blooming This Week!

These pictures were taken in my friend's yard in Germantown, MD.