“Lightscape” at the Chicago Botanic Garden

No too much to say, except that we loved both, the arrival of our son, John, for the holidays, and yes, the light show as well.  Enjoy!

And did I mention how much we enjoyed having this guy around?

L'après midi dans le jardin

Summers are so short!  Time to enjoy a little respite in our backyard!

I fell in love with the heart-shaped wrought iron chairs last year . . . the fact that they also swing and that they are red just put me over the edge.  I had to have this set! And then, it went on sale!  Who could resist?

  

For my college graduation, a dear friend gave me a picnic basket that included these charming napkins.  She understood, even before I did, that I always seemed drawn to cute little garden bugs.  When she found this fabric, she made me some napkins.  Aren't they wonderful?

The little herb patch in the backyard has really done well this summer.  Right now it's exploding with thriving plants.  So, I picked a little of this, and a little of that . . . and in no time ended up with a bundle of “herbes fines” in my hand.  And then, the little voice in my head started chanting:  “Cucumber sandwiches . . . cucumber sandwiches . . . ”

I used tarragon, parsley, lemon thyme and chives in the cream cheese spread.  Oh, my . . . this is marvelous . . . I adore cucumber sandwiches!  My idea of heaven includes cucumber sandwiches and a cup of oolong tea every afternoon . . .

I also made some ham tea sandwiches on marbled rye pumpernickel bread for my husband . . . He is not a fan of cucumber sandwiches . . . Alas, nobody is perfect . . . 

I'll be busy pretty soon drying herbs and making pesto, but for now . . .

I'll just sit in my backyard and enjoy a quiet summer tea . . .

A Study In Pink

Delicate, soothing, playful, vibrant, scrumptious, soft, femenine, lovely pink!  I love pink!  Too much pink . . . you think?

“Almost all words do have color and nothing is more pleasant than to utter a pink word and see someone's eyes light up and know it is a pink word for him or her too.”

—Gladys Taber

Author, and columnist for Ladies Home Journal and Family Circle

Happy Mother's Day!

I celebrated my first Mother's Day by having my firstborn, John, baptized, on May 11, 1989.


We were surrounded by loved ones, but especially meaningful to me, my beloved godmother, Mamá Lala, as always, was standing by my side.


My beautiful mother-in-law, Lillian, was also there to witness the event. Good memories of a very happy day.


Wishing you happy Mother's Day memories . . .

No animals were killed in the making of this hat!

These were taken at a work event. I love hats, but, seriously, I don't remember this in my job description . . .

Had I known I was going to get a tiger skin-striped western hat, I would have worn different earrings . . .

I've never owned a western hat, but now, I may just have to consider it . . .

Hats!

Boy, it's been a busy week at work with very little time left over to indulge in picture taking or blogging. I'm feeling a bit deprived.

But, at least, to stay on theme with the POTD challenge, here's a photo of my boys taken in 1999 at the Mexican Pavillion in Epcot, during our trip to Disney World.

No doubt about it - those are some hats . . .

The Baptism

How young we all look!