NATURE'S LACE--PART 2--Color!

Here are a few more pictures of Nature's Lace! The tiger lilies are the excpetion--not particularly lacey, they are beautiful and we couldn't resist capturing them on film. They are abundant this time of year.

I am trying to cultivate more of the "Liatris," the tall spikey purple flower. I love how it adds to a cottage garden. This picture is the pods of the "Love in A Mist" or Nigella. It freely self seeds and as well as being lovely, it's even beautiful and intricate after the flowers close into seed pods. I usually press several for my pressed flower pictures.

Also pictured are "Milkweed" and "Lady's Mantle." I love the dusty color of the milkweed flowers. As a knitter and spinner, I see nature in "yarn." I know that sounds weird, but I often see flowers or scenes along the roadside (especially in the fall) and think, 'now that would make a beautiful color combination for a knitted sweater or bit of hand-spun, hand-dyed wool! Milkweed always reminds me of a nice hand-knit sweater.

I hope you have enjoyed the flowers and especially the ones that remind me of nature's lace! Blessings, LORI

NATURE'S LACE--Part 1--FINE, FROTHY, FILIGREE

I thought it was high time to post some pictures of what some people consider "lowly" flowers--those roadside beauties that we all "ooh" and "ahhh" at this time of year, but wouldn't consider placing in our gardens--or would we? I wanted to get a picture of "cow parsely" in its glory--but I missed it's bloom time. It is one of my favorite of "nature's laces." I tried planting some this year from seed, but it didn't germinate. Will try that one again since I think it will add the perfect airy fill in that I need this time of year. The dusty millers below are the exception, not roadside flowers, they are a cultivated plant growing right outside our church. Also the mushrooms were ones I saw and insisted Rhiannon take a picture of them.

Being a lacemaker, I really appreciate the frothy whiteness of intricate flowers. One of my very favorites are the white spirea that we enjoy in abundance every spring. If you have read my Chrisitan love story, "The Fields of May," you will remember that the main character, Carrie, is fond of spirea and that flower figures into the story in a unique way. For a good picture of spirea check back on my May posts. There is a picture of me and the girls modeling our new dresses in front of my spirea. There is something about the combination of lace-like white and green that intrigues me. Whether it's fabric, dishes, or whatever, I LOVE IT!

God is the ultimate lacemaker! I might work for months on one project that I think is just the end in lacework, but then I realize that my Creator is the original lacemaker whose creations surpass anything I can do. After all, just look at a Queen Anne flower! So on this post, we feature His handiwork!

Each one of these pictures were taken by my daughter as we took a countryside journey one day last week. I included the mushrooms since their undersides are a complex network of lacy frills, and this is my "white post." I love that picture!

Today it is quite hot and humid here. We had a community church picnic and worship service to attend. It was wonderful, but I didn't want to be moving around too much! I should pick the wild black raspberries that are abundant in our fencerows, but I suspect it's a scorcher out there in the thicket as well as a mosquito haven with all the rain we've had. Maybe the black raspberry jelly will be more scarce around here this winter.....

Have a lovely Sunday and I hope you enjoy the roadside flowers this time of year! Stay tuned for more of Nature's Lace on another post. Blessings, LORI

WORK, WORK, WORK!

AS YOU PROBABLY NOTICED, I HAVE NOT POSTED IN A WHILE!

I have been working so hard lately there's been no time to sneak to the library where I can post pictures faster! The gardens are going ballistic with all this rain. I think the English garden is out of control--and that's sooner than usual! I think it's usually July when I get that feeling that it's beyond my fixing. The vegetable garden is still ok, largely because of the raised beds and small design.

Here is a picture of Sophie and Granny sitting in the barn on Sunday evening. We had the 20-something's group from church here for a really fun event. I suppose Kori or Rhi will beat me to it in posting pictures of the crazy time we had. Sophie is wearing the "Cute Chick" sundress that I made for Emma two years ago. It has a matching hat and an embroidered pocket with a little chick on it. I designed the details, though I used a pattern. I love this outfit and it's great on Sophie with her dark hair and eyes and it's lavender details.

These beautiful hollyhocks--one of my favorite flowers--volunteered right by the barn door this year. I begged Clint to let them bloom before we moved them. It was a very healthy looking plant and some of my hollyhocks are not. They get that 'lace leaf' thing where something eats the leaves completely away. This particular one looked great.

So what have I been doing? Well, lots and lots of garden work and landscaping maintenance. I had to trim the spent flowers off all the meadow sage and dianthus. Did that yesterday and today. I also have been weeding and spreading lime in the English garden. I potted some flowers today that I got from my friend that runs a great little greenhouse business. She is a fan of my books and wanted the newest one, so I dropped one off to her. When I got home I potted all the wonderful plants I got from her into the hanging baskets for the front porch.

This last weekend Kori came over and we spring cleaned Mom's part of the house. Kori organized and wiped down all the cupboards inside and out and washed walls and windows. I helped by cleaning screens and mini-blinds and washing ceiling fans and some walls. I also washed all the curios on top of the kitchen cupboards. I got so inspired that on Monday I washed three windows upstairs and did other miscellaneous cleaning in preparation for company that is coming in a few weeks. With the heat we've been experiencing, I've just been ready to sit down each evening and act like a couch potato!

I've been reading a book about Smith Wigglesworth's life. It has been so inspiring! I love to read about heroes of the faith who've gone on before us. This one is really special to me because Rhiannon and I stayed in the town where he was born and is buried on our trip to England two years ago. When the book mentions details of the area, I can relate! I was encouraged to want the kind of wonderful results in witnessing and seeing miracles that he and his wife had in their lives. If you want to get a glimpe of something inspiring, I encourage you to pick up a book that has life stories of famous Christians and read about what they went through. It will help you to reach to greater depths and heights in your relationship with the Lord. Hebrews lists many of the saints who've gone on before in the "Faith Hall of Fame" in chapter 11. Testimonies are an encouraging thing! Read some today and give some today! Blessings, LORI

"ELEGANCE ON A SHOESTRING"

Welcome to the first annual NCCF Tea
Party--"Elegance on a Shoestring." This year's theme was centered on how to have an elegant time amidst a downturned economy. Our church hosted this fun event last Thursday evening. About 5 ladies from our church hostessed tables, bringing their own dishes, tablecloths, napkins, and decor. It was very, very elegant!

The lovely tea was followed by an "I Got It At A Garage Sale," fashion show. Actually people modeled outfits they got at garage sales, thrift stores, or made themselves. We highlighted Proverbs, chapter 31 and talked about how this virtuous woman clothed herself and her family, yet 'her husband had no need of spoil.' Scripture describes her in ways that help us see that she was obviously very economical and yet elegant. We've heard lots of great comments about doing the tea again next year.

I personally believe that we women need "occasions" to dress up and feel special. It was almost like being a little girl again! And it is good for the little girls among us to have these special occasions too. Our world is constantly challening women and girls to be more aggressive and masculine. Occasions like our little tea party help to promote delicacy and feminity. So few of these events exist anymore for girls to practice social graces. You can see from the pictures that children's tables were included to make the party fun for the little ones. That was my mom's idea and a lady from church made placemats to color on and put crayons on both children's tables. Each little girl received a beautiful miniature china tea pot or cup to take home. Their tables had bowls of animal crackers placed at intervals for them to enjoy and apple juice was served so that they had a "tea alternative" that looked like real tea!

I wish I had gotten a better picture of the cream puff swans. I made them and sat them on a glass dish. Then I sat the dish atop three ice rings to keep them cool. I had frozen the ice rings in bundt pans a few weeks earlier, placing flowers in the water. The ice was a floral sea upon which the birds floated all evening! Take a longing look at some of the other elegant food! We also had a chocolate fountain.

The next few pictures are of the lovely tables. My tables are in the last table picture. Also there is a picture of me modeling my 1970's style prom dress made from 88cent/yard fabric that I found on closeout. The cuffs and sleeves were made from a lace curtain panel that I purchased at a thrift store in Nashville. I estimate the cost of the dress to be less than $20 not counting the pattern. I think I paid a dollar for my shoes, my purse was homemade crochet, and my shawl was a gift from a friend. All the models had lovely outfits that were inexpensive in some way. Our models ranged in age from 5 1/2 mos.--to 80 plus years. Baby Sophia (my youngest granddaughter) was the littlest model of the evening. Her aunt (only about 6, carried her down the aisle!)

It was a great evening celebrating God's goodness to us even amidst harder times. I wish you all could have been there! Blessings, LORI

My Vegetable Garden

Here is a picture of my veggie garden with the herbs in the center. I am loving this garden this year! It's actually fun to work in it considering that I can get it all cleaned up in about 20 minutes! Sorry this picture is blurry.I was standing on a very tall ladder trying to get the whole view!

You can see our field in the background. This year it is in field corn.

As you look at my garden in this picture, the front rows are potatoes and rhubarb, the raised beds are onions, strawberries, green beans, tomatoes, watermelon, radishes and peas. Behind the beds are more potatoes and the two new heavy duty fences. I have cucumbers and hollyhocks back there as well as okra (which is not doing very well). I also have some squash and pole beans against the fence. More flowers that climb were planted there and they are coming up. Just yesterday the hollyhocks began to bloom! Hooray!

Do you like the birdhouse on the pole? The birds spend lots of time in my garden. I love them and their cheery songs. In case you can't see, there are herbs of all kinds planted around the pole. I also have pole beans and morning glories there with a huge rock in the middle. I planted marigolds around the rock.

After I weeded and tilled the garden today I worked on the English garden. As well as that I did alot of cooking, two loads of laundry, and worked on my thrid and fourth books! This was a really busy day!

I hope you enjoyed the visit to my garden. We are currently eating radishes, pea pods, onions, and strawberries from its bounty! Blessings, LORI

MORE GARDEN PICTURES!

Here are a few more pictures of the garden in recent days!




I am keeping busy with weeding, though I never get ahead of it all! Still, things are really pretty right now. I hope you enjoy seeing the flowers.

We have been really busy around here with the care of the lawns and also just the extra activities of summer. Our big ladies' tea party, "Elegance on a Shoestring," will be held next week and that's keeping me hopping. I will be taking lots of dishes and food to the church about next Wednesday!

Ladies were asked to hostess a table, decorate it and invite guests. I will be making tea and we will have a chocolate fountain. We are also having a few special children's tables. The ladies from the church are bringing dishes to pass--light, fancy tea foods were suggested. Then we will go into the sanctuary for the "I got it at a garage sale fashion show." Several ladies, both young and old are planning to model outfits that they purchased from garage sales, thrift stores, or made themselves. The entire evening is designed to be an "economy beating," event, proving we can have fun and be elegant even in an economic downturn. All the food will be donated, costing the church $O. Mabye I'll be able to post some interesting pictures after the big event next Thursday. We even plan to have a clothing, purse, jewelry exchange. Ladies are asked to bring an unwanted item and then feel free to take one in exchange giving everyone a chance to get something new for nothing! Sound like fun? Details next week! Blessings, LORI