Hollyhocks and Roses

My roses are blooming!! Well, one bloom actually!!
We planted three bare-root David Austen Abraham Darby Roses by our arbor this spring, and we now have one gorgeous peachy-pink rose, and four more buds to soon follow!
I planted Hollyhocks last year, but this is the first year I've had Hollyhocks in bloom, and I just love the way they look in front of the picket fence!


These are climbing roses, so our hope is for them to cover the arbor/fence in glorious blooms someday.....
(Please kindly ignore the weeds in all photos!! I've been working inside more than out! :)

Studio Sneaky PeekyOur oldest son, Andrew (the sports fanatic, not the musician :) moved out last weekend. While I will miss him greatly, he only moved about 20 minutes away, so for that I am thankful. AND for the fact that I can now have my studio!
I hope the speed at which I transferred his room didn't make him feel bad! LOL!! (you know I love you, Andrew!! :)
But ~ Oh, am I ever having fun!!!!!! My much-dreamt-of studio at longlast! We immediately painted the walls "Paris Pink", replaced the chandy, etc. More to come as I progress!!

Recently, I had a wonderful surprise in my mailbox. The return address was Australia!! When I opened the envelope, I was absolutely delighted to find all these handmade treasures awaiting inside! My sweet friend Shabby Jules had made these lovelies for me and sent them "just because"!

Look at all the amazing detail!!

Look how she made sure she featured my favorite bluebirds in them.....
I am so touched. Jullie, I appreciate your kind gesture more than I can express.......

How lovely, how thoughtful. How special.

Thank you!!

Edited to Add: They were on tonight!! Did anyone see? Here's some pics I took! :)

Rocky Mountain High (and America's Got Talent)

This is where we stayed in CO ~ look at those gorgeous snowy mountains in the background! These are the boys; we have a new drummer now ~ he is 16, but everyone thinks he looks twelve, much to his dismay!
The photo below is from the biker rally in CO. (Brad is on the right in all these pics) And here they are playing at the resort. We moved the concert outdoors, and it was one of the most relaxing and enjoyable evenings I've had in a long time......

To those of you who follow the boys' music ~~ first of all, THANK YOU, it is much appreciated! Secondly, I wanted to let you know that they probably will be seen on America's Got Talent sometime in July; I will let you know for sure when I find out. We went to Chicago to try out, and, while they were not chosen to compete on the show, lots of footage of them was taken, and we expect to see them on national television again very soon!
Also, I will be offering their CDs and T-shirts in my shoppe soon (my sorely neglected, needs updated shoppe! :)


Here is why you might find typos in my blogging ~~ Peyton likes to be ON the mouse as I type! :)

A Bluebirds & Roses Tea

On our way through Kansas, we were able to stop and visit with Karla ~ she graciously invited us to her beautiful home, and had also invited some other area bloggers for a tea party. The only ones I already *knew* through blogging were Karla and Beth, but it was a pleasure to meet all of these sweet ladies. And, of course, the famous Sugarwings, who is every bit as cute as her photos (though I somehow failed to get a picture of her)!! The little cutie in the photo here is Shawn's daughter.Karla had decorated the table in a bluebirds~and~roses theme in honor of our visit; I was so very touched and surprised!!!!!!!

It looked so beautiful; as does her entire home. I felt like I was stepping into a magazine (Karla has been featured in many issues of our favorite decorating magazines :) Can you imagine being able to tour her home in person? I know I'm blessed!! Also, her unbelievable studio, where she created the most amazing things.......

Everything is so beautifully-organized ~~ even her ironing board looks pretty!!

At the end of our delightful visit, Karla presented us each with one of the bottles she had used to decorate the table ~~ I chose one with pink roses.....

Thank you so much, Karla, for the lovely visit!! I certainly enjoyed it!!

The first night of our journey, we met with my friend Nikki and her sweet family. Nikki wears vintage clothing, including jewelry and shoes, and is so beautiful!! We ate at the Old Spaghetti Factory in St. Louis. The next day, we travelled on through Kansas -- Brad had never been to a Jack in the Box, and had quite the fun time trying to impersonate the various photos of Jack throughout the restaurant.
Good times.
Tomorrow, I'll share about our visit with Karla!!

We're back from Colorado!! And I bought pretties!!
I will have lots to share, but just knew you'd want to see the goodies I bought first!! Look at these beautiful pale pink dishes with a cottage and flowers on them!

Vintage sheet music in pretty pink and green, and some postcards.... a small rose plate, and an enamel BLUEBIRD pin!I simply could not pass up this vintage covered dish, all crackled and aged, and perfect for my cottage kitchen.....

The trip was wonderful ~ I met the lovely ladies Nikki, Karla, Beth, and some other sweet bloggers whom I didn't *know* before. Also had a great time travelling with the always-entertaining Brad.

More pictures to come soon!

My oldest son, Andrew, with his pretty girlfriend Alli. They were going to his friend's wedding.
Mock orange in our side yard.......

This will be my last post for a week or so..... Brad's band is going on tour to Colorado, and I am going along! We've never been there, but have heard how beautiful it is!

The best part is, along the way, I get to visit with two blogging friends ~ Nikki of Scarlett Rose Garden, and Karla of Karla's Cottage! I am waaaaay excited! I'll share lots of pics upon my return!

Birthday prezzies from sweet hubby arrived today ~ two more RA videos to come. So far, I have briefly browsed the book and like it alot, and watched one segment from the DVD and love it!!

Our Lucy Raccoon brought her baby up to the "feeding grounds" (aka beneath the birdfeeder) last night.... Isn't it cute?

The other night she brought FOUR babies up, but of course my battery was dead on my camera that time!

She was not happy to see Mr. Bunny near *her* feeding grounds. He left promptly.

My "Knockout Roses" (from Lowe's) in bloom by the front door.

How does your garden grow? Here are some close-ups of containers I have planted this year.
I love the Macro setting on my new camera!
This is the old cider press that was featured in the "lumber-hiding photo" recently!! :)

Hope you have enjoyed a lovely weekend!