FAVORITE THINGS, AND IT'S OFFICIAL.....I'M ON A BREAK!

Thought I'd share with you a few of my favorite things lately........

First up, and I know this sounds really strange, but this line of home fragrances just rocks my WORLD....in fact, the whole family loves it.........and have you ever heard of a husband loving a room spray?..........



I found the Orleans Home Fragrances (I swear to you I am not a paid spokesperson) when we were down in New Orleans this spring, and I am totally addicted! Their room sprays and soy votive candle fragrances are highly concentrated and last and last and last....pretty important when your house is for sale and you've got these creatures around............

Southern Magnolia is our very favorite...that scent just transports us to a warm, romantic and flower-filled spring day in the deep South.

If you'd like to try out this company's products, you can find them, HERE.

I tell you what....you won't be sorry!

More favorite things? Well, since you've asked so kindly......there's always my daily walks and weeding sessions in our little perennial garden........

Sunrise Coreopsis is just so darned CHEERFUL, no?......

Love the lime green of this new Sedum I just planted....

This Yarrow comes back year after year....the flowers are just starting to hint at the mustard yellow hue they soon shall become....

Lupine, which does so very well here......

Our Barberry plant is just HUGE all of the sudden...seems like just yesterday that I picked this up at the nursery, in a one gallon size pot! Again, love how the lime green just POPS against our barn red home..........

And last, one of six woodsy little planter baskets, soon to be brimming over with delicate white Petunias and Potato Vine....

I have a few gardening tips that I have relied upon for years and years now....

1. I try to focus on the actual leaves of the perennials I choose, over the flowers. Because the foliage is what you're probably going to be looking at for the longest periods over the growing season, so you'd better pick out colors and shapes that you enjoy!

2. This product is a LIFESAVER (or should I say, plant saver, or better yet...$$ saver!), especially if you live in a wooded area like we do, and have deer and/or rabbits. If sprayed religiously, this really, really works (don't mind the smell..it fades after a few hours).........

(Again, I am not a paid spokesperson....just thought you'd like to know about a few products that are really terrific!)

You can find Liquid Fence these days at most hardware/garden stores.

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So I've decided to take a little summer break.....think I've sort of lost some of my blogging MOJO, for the time being, anyways.

Time to really focus on my health, my family and having as much fun as possible this summer!

Also working on lots of sewing projects, in anticipation of opening up my new Etsy store. Don't worry, I'll be sure to announce it here and on Facebook!

For now, enjoy your glorious summer!

lots of love,

Leslie

XXX000

SWEET PAUL'S CAPRESE TARTS AND A COUPLA MY FAVORITE THINGS.....

Yesterday was such a good day for me....first of all, I received these sweet Peonies from my sweet friend, Sarah F....they just make me smile!.........

And if that wasn't enough, my sweet friend Sarah shared her sweet daughter Allison with us last night for supper!

Allison, soon to be a school teacher to some very lucky children,  is such a brave, brave girl...she eats all of my experiments! Here's the young woman herself, fresh off of the boat from Amsterdam/Belgium/Paris, just chock full of travel tales....ah, the lives our daughters lead!.........

My ever-willing recipe guinea pigs:

Are you wondering what concoction I "tortured" them with last night?

Well, it was called Sweet Paul's Caprese Tarts (Sweet Paul is another one of those amazing food blogs).......which involved puff pastry, fresh mozzarella, halved grape tomatoes and fresh basil...........let's just say that the four of us around the dinner table INHALED these beauties........

Very summery, very cheesy and very buttery...MMMMM!!!

You can find the recipe, HERE.

My only changes to the original recipe?

Well, next time I think I would bake the puff pastry for 10 minutes or so by itself, THEN add the cheese and other toppings.

Also, I added some freshly grated Parmesan cheese for extra flavor.

You might also score around the edges of your puff pastry with a knife, which will give your end product a nice little "crust"......

Other than that, the recipe was PERFECTO--hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Have a fabulous weekend....

Leslie

XXX000

BI-RITE CREAMERY'S SMOOTH AND MELLOW CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM, AND HOW WE SPENT OUR SUNDAY.....

A few snippets from a very peaceful Sunday afternoon (quite rainy and cool here in the Northeast)............

I just love the way a cloudy day makes the lime green color of my potato vines just POP!.......

Impatiens love it when it's cool...........

So do our ferns..........

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Rainy days make me want to light a candle and bake and be creative and cozy inside our home....I know that my daughter feels the same way........

I don't know if she was channeling the Waltons or Laura Ingalls Wilder yesterday, but she stayed busy, doing a lot of this:...........

And making a little bit o' this: (homemade blueberry jam---maybe one of these days she'll give her ol' Ma her secret recipe!)........

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I've been spending a lot of time up in my sewing loft lately.....I have acquired QUITE a stash of fabric, and just love seeing where going nuts on my Singer will take me.....just finished these pillows for the little sitting area up there.....

This is where ALL the magic happens.....

I just finished stitching up (some by hand, some by machine) some sweet little black and red decorative pillows....kinda into the whole penny rug design lately....

I'm thinking about starting my own Etsy shop, online. Have you ever heard of Etsy? It's an AMAZING resource for handcrafted gifts and just about everything else in the universe that's made by hand....you can check it out, HERE.......so what do you think? Should I go into business? Or just keep sewing for kicks and giggles?......

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So recently my awesome Berkeley-living Uncle Joe sent me a link to a blog that has NOTHING but ice cream recipes....oh, he knows me so well!

If you desire to acquire diabetes just by LOOKING at a website, you should go HERE.

One of the recipes featured was by Bi-Rite Creamery, out of San Francisco. They are famous, FAMOUS I tell you, for their amazing ice cream.

 Abbie and I just HAD to whip up a batch for a Sunday evening dessert.....This recipe was a little more involved than my standard ice cream creations, but oh my goodness was it ever worth the extra effort (and really, it wasn't THAT much extra effort...just a little bit of egg tempering and straining was all)....hard to believe that THIS:

Would in a few hours turn into THIS:

But it did! Creamy, rich and homemade chocolate ice cream. If you'd like to whip up a batch for your family this summer, you can check out the recipe, HERE.

Thank you, Uncle Joe!!!

TODAY I'M SO THANKFUL THAT:

***Abbie's best friend Allison is coming home from Amsterdam/Paris tomorrow! Can't wait to hear all about your travels darling girl, and have you over for some BBQ!!

***I'm taking off for a two day wine tasting trip with Wink tomorrow morning, bright and early. We're hitting the Southern Tier of New York state and meeting up with our Club Managers of Central New York Association friends for some much needed wining and dining...can't wait to see the whole gang...

***Grad parties are starting up next weekend--I think we are going to at least 4! So much fun....