Our amaryllis is blooming! Isn’t it lovely?

We (er, Lee) planted it just after Thanksgiving and today it finally decided to show us its colors.

What a wonderful surprise when we are in the middle of blah winter weather!

Happy birthday to my very own Apatosaurus —

The gentlest of giants!

I love you, Lee!

Father's Day

 Happy Father's Day to my love!

Our kids won the jackpot in life with a father like you!

Of Frogs, Princes and Fathers

One upon a time, in a land far away (well, 90 miles south of Key West, actually), 

there lived a little girl who loved to read – a habit nurtured by her father, a serious book lover and avid reader. 

While she was growing up in the sixties, the Evil Communist Regime was strengthening its yoke on her beautiful country.  Books were becoming scarce, but her father was part of an informal network of neighbors and friends that would lend out books, just like a library.  While the little girl continued to read, there was no opportunity to re-read, one of the true pleasures of reading aficionados, because the books had to be returned right away.

One summer afternoon, however, the father was actually able to buy and present his daughter with a brand new book for her very own collection: “El príncipe rana” – The Frog Prince - which she promptly devoured and reread many times over the coming months until it was in tatters.  

The little girl fell in love with the story, in part because she could relate so much to the princess in the book:  She was a bit lonely, a bit spoiled, definitely daddy’s girl, and had a powerful aversion to frogs.

Then, that very summer, on another sunny afternoon, a frog happened to jump through an open window and got inside the house.  The little girl began screaming, while her mischievous brother tried to catch the frog.

Finally, the father came running, rescued the poor frog, and set it free in the garden.  The little girl never forgot that summer, and her love for her father-champion and for books continued to deepen as the years went by.

That lucky little girl learned more than a few important life lessons that summer.  Among them, the sanctity of all life, including that of an ugly frog, and, because in her young mind, the king in the book got mixed up with her father, both honorable men, she also learned the importance of keeping her word.  Lastly, she learned that under no circumstances whatsoever would she ever eat frog legs.

It was not until much later in life that she finally understood one more lesson from the events of that summer:  Handsome princes come in all shapes and sizes.

In honor of all the wonderful lessons that little girl learned from her father, I’ve prepared a breakfast tray fit for a prince - my Prince, that is.

Featuring FROG Jam!  Have you ever tried it?  It's made from a combination of fruits - Fig, Raspberry, Orange - and Ginger.  Delicious!  It seems the time was just right to crack open that precious jar I'd been saving for a while . . .

I first spotted this lovely tray at More Fun Less Laundry, a blog that has become my primer for beautiful living.  

I looked for it everywhere, because, naturally, it was no longer available, until I finally found it in an obscure website.  

The tray box was a mess, and the tray itself was covered in dust, but I didn't care, I now had my own lily pad tray with frogs, butterflies and flowers!  Perseverance pays.  Oh, I'm going to have such fun with this tray!

A blue and green plaid napkin seemed perfect for both frogs and princes. 

 The leafy napkin ring did, too.

And the tray was brought upstairs to the bedroom, so my children's father could have a grand start to his Father's Day celebration . . .

like the True Prince that he really is.

Happy Father's Day, darling!

Joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.

A proud mama

A special day for our family:  Our son, John, has graduated!

Here we are, celebrating another milestone in our son's life . . .

 Mama standing in the back, thinking that husband is NOT going to photograph her . . .

Miami University tradition decrees that if you step on the school seal you will fail your next exam.  So, here we are . . .

He couldn't wait to get rid of the cap!

We couldn't be prouder!

And, as all good parents have done many times before, we returned home with our backseat filled with our child's "stuff" as he gets ready to move back in for a little bit while he looks for a job.  I look forward to seeing a new chapter in my son's life as he begins to practice adulthood.

Lee on the Grass

This was not the plan.  The plan this summer, after a very hectic 2012, was to kick back, do a little bit of maintenance work, but, for the most part, just relax and enjoy the weather . . . (sigh) . . . the best laid plans of mice and men . . .

Lee bought, what he thought was, weed killer, but the stuff has destroyed our lawn.  Our lawn is currently riddled with patches of dead grass.  Let me put it a different way:  If our lawn was a dog, it would definitely be a dalmatian.  So for the last two months, he has been painstakingly tilling, removing the dead grass and planting grass seed.  He's about half done.

It's been a lot of work, but my husband is the most patient man that walks this Earth.  He is making the tedious job fun!

When Lee and his 6 siblings were growing up, someone was always writing Lee's name on the butter, then blaming him.    It's a running joke within the family, and we now receive notifications by e-mail of new “Lee” sightings.  Clothing, restaurants, gas stations . . . we never know where Lee's name is going to pop up next . . . 

I think he felt the next “Lee” sighting should be closer to home:  He cleared a patch on the lawn, and planted grass seed spelling his name!   Maybe it wasn't his siblings writing on the butter after all . . .

Paeonia lactiflora “Top Brass”

Ivory guard petals are followed by a dense champagne-colored petaloid center, and topped by the most delicate of pinks forming a whorl on the top of this exquisite double peony. 

This is the second of the three peony bushes that my husband, Lee, planted for me in 1989 - the year my son, John, was born.  I usually have to watch them like a hawk to make sure that rain doesn't drag them down and make their delicate petals wilt . . . 

This year, my husband spotted the first ones while he was outside cutting the grass, and brought them in to me with a huge smile on his face - two marvelous gifts to be loved and cherished . . .

I'm joining The Tablescaper for her Seasonal Sundays blog party.

Happy Easter!

My children's schedules continue to be as crazy and unpredictable as ever, so this year we celebrated Easter with an early morning breakfast.  The table was set the night before . . .

First thing first:  My husband/sous chef checking e-mails before heading to the kitchen to prepare breakfast . . .

Some pretty egg-shaped salad plates in soft pastels . . . 

The soft paisley green napkin by Ralph Lauren goes on top . . .

These fun hopping bunny napkin rings appeared in last year's Easter table, too.  Click here to see that post.

I love all the different textures on the table, the homespun squares on the tablecloth . . . the bird's nest chargers . . .

Beautiful tulips . . . Spring is here!!!!!

Then the Easter bunny did his thing and filled the table with candy!

He even brought chocolate umbrellas and hung them from the flower vase . . .

Here are our two “little” boys, who never seem to grow too old for candy . . .

And now, Mama can sit down and have a cup of coffee . . .

And before long, my oldest goes back to college with a batch of cupcakes for his buddies . . .

Happy Easter to my family and friends!  God bless you!  The Lord is Risen!  Alleluia!

Details:

Nest Chargers - Pottery Barn

White dishes, cups and saucers - Traditions by Apilco from Williams-Sonoma

Pastel egg-shaped salad plates - Pottery Barn

White ramekins holding M&Ms - BIA Cordon Bleu, Amazon

Napkins - By Ralph Lauren at HomeGoods

Napkin Rings - Pottery Barn last year

Green water goblets - The Dollar Tree

Tulip-shaped wine glasses - IKEA

Parfait glasses (holding jelly beans) - Bed Bath and Beyond

Flatware - My everyday from Costco

Mini salt and pepper shakers - Crate and Barrel bought eons ago

Lee's 60th birthday!

Here's the birthday guy with four of his six siblings . . . 

Left to right:  Laurie, Rina, Mary Ann, Robert and Lee . . .

Left to right:  Moi, my younger brother, Al, and my half-sister, Carely.  I think this is the only picture that I know of, in which the three of us are together . . .

My sister-in-law, Mary Ann, reminding Lee that humor is the best anti-aging weapon . . .

Happy birthday, darling!

Early Fall Downtown

We are a 15-minute drive from the downtown district . . . Downtown Naperville, that is . . .

Lots of places to eat . . . Some dressy, and some casual enough to just pop in without a lot of planning . . .

Now why didn't I think of these when I went out looking for new Salt and Pepper shakers . . .

Naperville has developed a delightful riverwalk along the west bank of the DuPage River . . . .

Peaceful, beautiful . . .

It may not be the bridges of Madison County, but it has its own charm . . .

It was a nice way to say good bye to summer . . .