The Trip to the French Market

Before I begin I just have to tell you that I am excited about a new hole in the ceiling. We had an attic fan and a whole house fan installed today. I don't know why we waited this long to take the plunge. I grew up in Dallas, TX and I remember my Dad installing one of these...we did not have central air-conditioning, just 2 window air conditioners, one in the dining room and one in the parents bedroom. Most nights we had the whole house fan running and it kept us totally comfortable. In fact, most nights by 3:00 AM it would get so cool in the house we would turn the fan off. And I am talking Dallas, TX in the summertime. Our new fan is running, I can feel the cool air coming thru the windows and it is glorious.  None of us have ever had allergies (thank God) so keeping the windows open is the preferred method in this household, we have to keep them shut so long in the wintertime that to keep them closed all summer with air-conditioning just feels too confining.  No picture of the hole in the ceiling, just know that there is a big smile on my face.





Saturday morning we headed to the French Market in Wheaton, IL.  The French Market is really just a fancy name for a farmer's market.  Altho they do have more than just produce....jewelry, purses, cosmetics, soaps, bakery products, etc. etc. I was so pleasantly surprised that there was so much fresh produce this early in the summer.

I bought corn, tomatoes, asparagus, and peaches.  The peaches were the best I have had since I bought them here last summer. 

It is hard to resist buying the beautiful flowers that are in abundance.



A nursery from Michigan always has a wonderful display of the latest perennials that are in bloom.

There is even entertainment...this lovely lady had a beautiful voice and drew alot of attention. 

Shoes....of every kind.  I think the girl in the middle probably is wearing the smartest choice, but not with the black socks, definitely not with the black socks.

I laughed when I saw this little cutie's shirt.  I thought it said useless....but I think it was saying "use less" 

There were people laughing.....

People not laughing....looking way too serious for the French Market on a Saturday morning 

There were tall thin people and short not so thin people.....



These girls were just having a great time...they were all friends and all twelve years old...oh to be that young again.  They were all so cute and so willing to have their pictures taken.  I find that most people are just delighted that you want to take their pictures.  Look at the smiles on their faces. 

This young man had just graduated from the Moody Bible Institute college and is returning to his hometown of Cleveland, OH to teach at a christian academy.  He was a happy, happy man.  Again, delighted that I wanted to take his picture. 

We will return again to the French Market, it is a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning.

"Every single day do something that makes your heart sing."  -  Marcia Wieder

Until next time......(comments are always welcome)

A Little of This and a Little of That

At last the heat and humidity broke last night....and today was a very pleasant 80 degrees with a soft breeze.  Perfect for working in the yard, lazing on the porch or really just about anything your heart desires, but please, outside.  Soak up that wonderous sunshine.  I have Sirrius radio in my new car, I have the station set to play the "40's and more".  I know I am showing my age, but that music is just so joyous and I can understand every word, unlike some music of today that is harder than heck to understand.  Today, as I was driving, the song "the best things in life are free" began to play.  The stars at night, the sun that shines, the breezes that blow...some of the best things in life are free, so remember to enjoy those freebies.

Have you ever tasted chocolate cheerios??  They are joyous and it is like having dessert for breakfast....that is a smiley face, but the nose kept drifting.  This may not be free but this week Cheerios are 2 for $5.00 at Walgreens. 

If you have a garden and you don't have Monarda, I strongly encourage you to invest in this wonderous perennial.  There are several colors with which to choose, light pink, dark pink, magenta, and red, tall ones and shorter ones...This flower attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, and ofcourse bees, all things in life that are free to enjoy. 

When you look closely at a daylily they sometimes remind me of aliens.....beautiful, but still aliens.

Liatris (gay feather) looks stunning next to the blue birdbath.  The Liatris was not free nor was the birdbath, but gazing at them is. 

This poor little coneflower never grew petals, I still found it quite beautiful and if you look real close there is an insect (bug) crawling around, probably looking for the petals.  I added a favorite Kim Klassen texture to this, trying to add something to this poor naked cone flower. 

While I was out enjoying the late afternoon, pulling weeds, dead-heading flowers my little neighbor sweetie whizzed by on her bike.  On her way back she stopped and told me she liked the flowers and I asked her if I could take her picture.  Last year she wouldn't come near the camera, this year she is much more agreeable.  She really didn't want to smile because of her missing front teeth, isn't she a cutie with or without teeth?   As I remember, lost teeth are not free....you put them under your pillow and magically money appears.  When I was little it was a dime....when my children were little it was $1.00, I have no idea what teeth go for now. 

"The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the wide world's joy, including you."

Until next time......(comments always welcomed)

More Pink and a Mighty Wind

Do you think I like pink, or do you think I like red, or do you think I just love all colors??  If you answered all, then you would be right, but I do seem to be drawn to lots of pinks and reds.  When I walk into a garden center it literally takes my breath away to be standing in the midst of all those beautiful colors.  I get dizzy. 

This morning I stopped at McDonald's for a tasty strawberry/banana smoothie, oh yum and oh so pink.

Saturday I bought roses and these beautiful berries at the Farmer's Market and they are still adorning our screened porch dining table, and yes, pink.



These beautiful PINK cone flowers look like they belong next to the blue birdbath (I added this to the blue collection of pots) This was my entry to Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday using her new freebie texture, isn't it lovely? 

The soft pink of the daylily with raindrops.   I linked this post to Lisa Gordon's Creative Exchange this week. 

And ofcourse, the pink hydrangeas that are in full bloom now.
This morning Toby jumped in bed and snuggled right up to my face and I knew instantly that we were in for a storm....he is my weather man when it comes to storms.  Sure enough, the winds began to blow and the rain was coming down in torrents.  It lasted about 1/2 hour and when it was over I could see that that was one mighty storm that blew through here. 

The sidewalks and streets were covered with leaves that had been torn off the trees.

At the end of the back entrance into our subdivision I found this tree just snapped right off at the base.  It makes me so sad to see trees that are growing and green just snapped in two.  So you can see by these few photos that it was a mighty wind that blew thru here this morning.  We were blessed again with no damage to our house or property.  The pretty vase of roses withstood all that wind and was still intact when the winds stopped.  Hope you were storm-free.

"It is never too late to be what you might have been."    George Eliot

Until next time......(comments are always welcomed)