Flower Power Car

 

You couldn't help but be anything but happy toddling around in this adorable flowered car.

Hedgehog in A Wooden Bucket

I think Beatrix Potter is responsible for my love of hedgehogs so how could I possibly resist posting this adorable photo?

Morning Sun Rays in The Netherlands

Shower of Light
by Lars Van Goor - A cyclist in the Netherlands

This lovely photo looks nothing like the pea soup foggy mist this morning at the cottage. You can cut the atmosphere with a knife it's so heavy. Looks as if it's an indoor day today.

Window Seat in The Kitchen

Don't you love the look of this window seat near the refrigerator? Every kitchen needs one. I might need a more comfortable pillow arrangement so I could enjoy a cup of coffee and read cookbooks or use my laptop here. Maybe a full cushion on the seat with the pillows for my back while I lean against the side of the cupboard occasionally looking out the window. Nice, isn't it?

The Lone Hydrangea Here At My Cottage

I took this photo of my hydrangea from the balcony looking down to the lower level. A lady let me dig this up from her yard last year because she was moving. It really likes the spot where it's planted because it is so beautiful this year. I don't know the name of this variety but the flowers only bloom on the outer edges. The fluffy centers remain that way. Last year I kept waiting for all the buds to open to no avail. How does your garden grow?

Vegan Baked Guacamole Bean Dip Recipe | Yum

SERVES 8
 ~ From The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone

INGREDIENTS
1 (16-ounce) can refried beans
 (Read the label to make sure there is no lard, an animal fat. Look for the 'fat free' canned refried beans.)
3 large avocados

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 (8-ounce) containers nondairy sour cream
1 packet taco seasoning (Such as Bearitos, but if you are avoiding all white sugar, make your own mix with chili powder, ground cumin, onion powder, hot paprika or cayenne, and salt)

1/2 cup diced mild green chiles, drained

1/2 cup sliced black olives, or more if you like
5 tomatoes, chopped

2 cups shredded vegan Cheddar cheese



STEPS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Spread a layer of refried beans in the bottom of an 8 inch by 8 inch quart glass baking dish. 

Pit and peel the avocados, and place in a bowl. 

Mash the avocados together with the lime juice, and spread on top of the refried beans.
Stir together the sour cream and taco seasoning, and spread over the avocado.

Sprinkle the chiles over the sour cream, and top with a layer of black olives.

Add the tomatoes, and sprinkle with the cheese.

Heat the dip for 15-30 minutes or until heated through and the cheese is a bit melted.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Heavenly Kitchen with Dog on Sofa

Webster would be in dog heaven if he had his very own sofa in the kitchen so he could watch me cook. Every kitchen should have both a sofa and a dog, don't you think? image

The Ultimate Sliding Barn Door

Let's find this place and have our July 4th picnic in front of the Flag Door.

Yellow Stepback Kitchen Love

I love the look and feel of this farmhouse kitchen with the sink area resembling an antique stepback cupboard. via Architectural Digest.

Babington House | Somerset UK

Today is the longest day of the year and the first day of summer. The light here at the cottage around 8pm looks about like it does in this photo of Babington House.

Set in 18 acres in the heart of Somerset, Babington House opened in 1998 for those who wanted to enjoy the countryside but weren’t prepared to compromise on urban luxuries. Be sure to click on the link for more photos of this delightful place.

Happy First Day of Summer.

Magic Shelves

How.Are.These.Shelves.Suspended?

I've dealt with a number of tile men in the past and I know these shelves were added after the tile was in place. But how? Invisible brackets drilled into the tile? What do they look like? I really want to know because I love this look and the old chalkware chickens too.*

Berry Blue Breakfast

You might want to spend some time today looking at lovely photographs by Victoria Pearson. I'm up with the birds this morning wishing I had a transferware bowl of berries to eat but alas there are none in the house. The wild berries here at the cottage haven't ripened yet either. I think I'll make some French toast and eat it outside. See you later after my office meeting and broker open house tours.

Sliding Barn Door for Bathroom

Here is yet another lovely interior sliding barn door to delight and inspire you. 
My other blog posts on interior sliding barn doors.

Farm Family Portraits

“I take the conventions from the fashion world and apply them to the underclass barnyard animal,” Photographer Rob MacInnis told the New York Times.

There are many more photos to see in the NYTimes article. You will definitely want to go the website of photographer Rob Macinnis too. Click on the drawing of the "farm animals" to see more large photos. Then go back and click on the TV screen to watch the fascinating video description of how he worked on this project. It's very long and so interesting...I still haven't finished watching. He said the goats were the easiest subjects and sheep were the hardest. I discovered all of the above via My Modern Met. I'm so glad because I completely missed this writeup back in 2009.

Feeling Crabby?

Have you cracked a crab yet this summer? I love anything served on newspaper, don't you?

Reflected Columns, Rome, Italy

Sometimes there is beauty to be seen while walking with your head down. We are supposed to have a stormy week with lots of puddles. Enjoy the week whatever the weather. 

Eventide

Day is done, gone the sun. 
I had a great weekend. Hope you did too.
Wouldn't this be a great place to end the day?

Can You Hear The Ocean?

 

This looks like a really big shell. I can almost hear the ocean just by looking at the photo. Wish I could hold it up to my ear.

Bookplate for Your Gardening Books

Faux Bois Balcony and Door Surround in France

St Guilhem By Tivan Haghighat ~ Faux Bois (from the French for false wood) refers to the artistic imitation of wood.

Winding Woodland Path Through The Ferns

So lovely, isn't it? via
Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

King of The Cats

Isn't this the sweetest thing ever? Cat lovers everywhere will adore this painting.

Cornhenge

Cornhenge: A strange field of 109 eight foot tall concrete ears of corn -- a quirky and eccentric roadside American landmark in Ohio. I hope there is a corn stand nearby in the summer months. Have you driven past it? Read more about the history via Life at Willow Manor.

Sweet Cottage at Dusk

At the end of a busy day, isn't it great to be home? I can't think of any place I'd rather be.

Let's Walk Down The Garden Path

It's unbelievably beautiful, isn't it? I hope you have a wonderful weekend with time for a little gardening if the weather permits.*

Cargotecture Architecture | Recycled Shipping Containers

You have to read this article if you find this cottage made from shipping containers as attractive as I do. The cost was $59,500. You could really seal it up tight when you were away. This would be the perfect vacation home for me. The interior is stunning.

Cargotecture by HyBrid Architecture: The term cargotecture is used to describe any structure built partially or entirely from recycled cargo containers. The c-series consists of five models ranging in price from $29,500 to $189,500. The home featured at the Sunset show was the c192 nomad which costs $59,500.

Ripples of Gold

Golden Shores by Jim Patterson. A beautiful photo for a dreary Friday morning with no sun at the cottage. It's more like a jungle here after a dark and stormy night. 

Midnight in Paris was a fabulous movie. I give it a 2 thumbs up. The characters were all perfect and the story and direction by Woody Allen did not disappoint. The real star was Paris, the city of lights. Make sure you try to see this one in the theater. You could have heard a pin drop last night. I don't think a single person got up or made a peep. It was perfect.