small town softball excitement!

It's plays like this...

that lead to smiles like this...

for a team that ended the season League Runners-Up!

Last night's game was a jump up & down, cheer 'em on,
knock-your-socks-off competition!

What a season...congrats Sweet Girl to you and your teammates!
(We can hardly wait for Fall Ball to begin!)

retro fun...

We just discovered a little 1950's-style ice cream shop not far from town. Not only was the ice cream terrific, just stepping inside made us smile.

This fellow was at the counter,

while a jukebox was playing jazzy tunes.

The menu had sandwiches with fun names like The Hungry Big Jeff Hamburger, Ethen's Cheese Dog, and Kent's Kitchen Sink.

It was filled with people and laughter...the perfect place to cool off at the end of a hot summer day.

Ahhh, it made me feel one step closer to Mayberry.

midsummer night...

Today, the longest day of the year, is officially Midsummer Day. And while we have a long to-do list of chores and errands,
we'll still take time to celebrate a delightful summertime event filled with whimsy and imagination.

Legend says that only on this one enchanting night, fairies are visible to the human eye...and then, only if a feast is prepared
for them.

So, with that in mind, today we'll be preparing sweet treats and decorating around our fairy garden. Then, after the sun sets,
we'll find a quiet spot, hidden from view, and wait for the fairies to make their arrival.

These are the kinds of old-fashioned traditions we love...
ones that take us away from the fast pace of the modern world and slow us down, if only for a brief while.

happy fathers' day...

We love you!   

berry season...

It's the most wonderful time of the year...


well, for strawberry lovers it is! We'll be enjoying ours with homemade shortcake and real whipped topping. Not that
store-bought doesn't have its place, but for just-picked berries,
there's nothing better than homemade.

If you haven't tried making whipped topping before, it's really quick & easy. Simply pour a pint of heavy whipping cream into a chilled bowl and whisk until the cream thickens; add sugar and vanilla extract to taste. That's it!

Tomorrow we'll have black raspberries for dessert, and the kids want to pick mulberries off the tree. I'm thinking it's time to make Amish Fry Pies. Yum!

lots of rain + sunny days = blooms galore

I love hollyhocks, and this year blossoms of peach, black,
and pink are over 6 feet tall!

The false sunflowers are such a happy, cheery yellow.

Remember when I first found this fountain at a barn sale?

The flowers have filled in so much, you can hardly see it.

The peony bushes were so full of beautiful blooms...

I hated to see them go.

The rain has made sure that this is a very green late spring here in the midwest. And while the grass is growing almost quicker than we can keep it mowed, ahhh...the flowers are loving it!

discoveries in June...

The front doors are open and a gentle breeze from the north drifts in. Through the dappled sunlight of old maple trees,

the chattering of morning songbirds greet us. Off in the distance,

the contented sounds of cattle from the dairy farm can be heard. Ahhh...some country pleasures never change.

I've decided today is a perfect day for cleaning up an old pie safe. I've always wanted a pie safe, but, times being what they are, finding one in the right price range proved to be quite a task. However, one February morning, I happened to stumble on an ad that read, "1890 cherry pie safe...great finish, but has some issues including tin dents."

Curiosity got the best of me and I emailed the seller with a few questions...the price was almost a give-away. I pondered it over, but time, as it has a way of doing, got away from me.

However, the pie safe was always somewhere in the back of my mind. Four months later, I made a call...did the seller still have it? Could I come and see it? Yes to both!

Well, what do you think?

True...it needs a little love, but that's just fine with me. Wouldn't we all have a few dents if we were that old? Today I am rubbing it down with a bit of lemon oil and wondering about its history. What stories would it tell if only it could talk?

school days, school days...

Some things seem to signal that the school year is about over.

Things like the Kindergarten spring play.

Here's Little Man getting ready for

Where the Wild Things Are.

The softball season finds Sweet Girl about to steal base,

and everyone looks forward to the Field Days & Tug-o'-War.

Class parties, picnics, and field trips.

Is it possible, how did the school year fly by so quickly?

A verse from one of my favorite hymns goes like this...

Time flies on wings of lightning, we cannot call it back.

It comes then passes forward, along its onward track.

And if we are not mindful, the chance will fade away,

For life is quick in passing, 'tis as a single day.

Yes indeed, summer is coming.
My plan? To try my hardest to enjoy every day...
to make every-day days special, and special days extraordinary!

giggles...

This is why I always try to have our camera with me...

I just never know what I might capture!

Boredom sets in quickly sometimes...

and it wasn't even that long of a ride.

Hmmm, how's that summer road trip going to be?