And the Winner Is...

a pink-bee!! Thank you to every one of you that entered the giveaway! I will post a picture of what I sent (besides the cute bee tea towel) after she receives it. I value each comment left on my blog and it was so hard to not want to send something to each of you. But keep tuned because I hope to try having another giveaway before the summer is over!

Now look at these yummy, yummy strawberries! They are locally grown here in Western Washington and they are the sweetest, juiciest ones I've ever had! Strawberry shortcakes, strawberry smoothies, strawberry pies, strawberry jam.... oh, the possibilities!! I'd love to hear your favorite strawberry dish or recipe!

Wagons

I just couldn't pass up these recent vintage finds. The wagons come in the form of enamel plates! These look so summery or 4th of July. I can't wait to use them for outdoor gatherings this summer! I also love these two red handled biscuit cutters. Notice the one with the swirled handle? I think it has character!

(edited: the biscuit cutters are vintage, NOT sure about the plates)

The Bee's Knees and a Giveaway

The little honey pot/jar I found at Marshalls and just had to get it. I thought it would be fun for the kids, and why not enjoy putting a swirl of honey on our morning toast with something this cute! The little pot is actually quite small. I can easily cup it in the palm of my hand.

I love the print on these tea towels! I actually bought them a few months ago. How could I pass them up? They shouted summer when I laid eyes on them. I bought a most yummy smelling bar of lemon verbena soap and a little faux bird's nest at the same time. As I laid those items on the counter, I thought "Hmmm...these would make a cute gift together" and at that moment the lady who rang me up said, "Are these a gift for someone?" I didn't have anyone in mind, so I just said they were a gift to myself! Now don't you think these are just the Bee's Knees? That little phrase popped into my head and I knew I'd heard it before, but wasn't exactly sure of the meaning or if it really did mean anything. So I looked it up and it means...something excellent or outstanding. Yup, that's this! And now I'm on the lookout for a bee skep for my little side porch. One that's twiggy, maybe from grapevines. When I want one, that's when I can't seem to find them.

I was curled up on the couch this afternoon reading a book when all of a sudden I heard my seven year old son screaming and crying. You mom's out there know when your child sounds like they're hurt. Between the couch (that I was on) and the gate in the picket fence (where he was), I imagined all kinds of injuries. Maybe he'd stepped on a nail, gashed his leg, fallen off the porch and split his head open, etc. I'll risk sounding callous by saying I was quite relieved when I found out he'd been stung on the bottom of his foot by a bee! Poor little guy... I could clearly see the stinger and pulled it out. Then his little sister and I helped him hobble into the house and we poured on the sympathy. We cleaned up his foot, put a little ice pack on it, gave him a tiny dose of medicine to get rid of the sting, washed his tears away with a cool washcloth, and let him recline on the couch with the portable DVD player.

Normally, I'd make him tough it out a bit (he's my drama queen), but he does have quite a fear of being stung after an episode last spring. He was playing with some older cousins and a whole swarm of yellow jackets stung him all over his poor head. I pulled out over 20 stingers that time. So, I don't mind a little drama when it comes to his fear of being stung.

Now that I've made you suffer through my stories, I come to the really good part! A giveaway! I know this isn't a milestone such as a 100th post or a Cottage Charm Giveaway, but I have such wonderful reader's out there who have left me such sweet, thoughtful, kind, encouraging comments that it makes me want to do something in return! So this coming Sunday evening at 6:00 pm, I will draw a name from the comments left on this post. The prize, you ask???? One of those cute bee tea towels above along with a couple of surprise gifts! You do like surprises, don't you? Please don't forget to leave an email address if your name doesn't link to a profile or blog so that I can notify the winner.

Goodnight dear friends, and sweet dreams!

Never Ending

What is it about laundry that makes it feel like you can never get the best of it, get ahead. At least that's the way I feel! That's the one part I look forward to in sending my teenager off to Nana and Papa's for the summer. My laundry load seems to lighten by half. Or maybe that's wishful thinking...

I'd love to have closets full of neatly folded and ironed linens, a beautiful, clean, magazine-like laundry room. Instead of dreaming, I'm going to work really, really hard at keeping on top of it all this summer and beyond! I know it can be done and I'm sure there are plenty of women out there who do it. And I'm going to find some lovely baskets and splurge on some laundry products that will encourage me to keep it up!

Does anyone out there have any tips that would be helpful to me?? Or do you do something to make doing laundry a little more pleasant? If so, please comment! I'd love hearing from you.

I'm off to fold that pile that multiplies like bunnies...

Getting Our Hands Dirty

My daughter and I spent a few hours planting pots today. I decided to go with a red and white theme when choosing plants this morning. Of course that's my favorite color combination! These oblong planters were 50% off so I picked up several. I think they're very cottagey. My husband was a dear and drilled drainage holes for me. It's so rewarding to finish projects like these that make a place feel more "finished".

I picked up these twiggy watering can containers a few years ago on an after-season clearance and am just now doing something with them. I still love them now as much as I did then!