peonies for mom

Peonies....another delayed post, playing catch up!

My mothers favorite flower. These are cut from the same perrenial plant she planted herself over 10 years ago. Each year they come up more beautiful than ever, if only they lasted longer!

This august will be nine years since we lost my mother - she is in my heart and on my mind each and every day. These are for you, Mom. <3 xoxox

housesitting

Another catch up post...

Miss E and I spent the weekend house sitting for my boss. It was a very nice relaxing weekend and we enjoyed the pool, gardens and company of one another!

Taking photos of the grounds reminded me just how much I miss my gardens! The house I shared with my ex-husband was lost in the divorce and I have since longed for my own yard again. Gardening brings me such a sense of calm. Enjoying the fruits of someone else's labor is enjoyable, yet not quite as rewarding...at least not for me!

Take a look at this gorgeous bouquet - it was a birthday gift for my boss. Just stunning! Lucky for me, I got to enjoy it all weekend long. I think I took a million pictures but will spare you and only share a few favorites!

The smell was amazing and the flowers were just perfect! Each time I walked into the kitchen I couldn't help but smile at the beauty of them!

Here are some pictures of some flowers from the grounds as well...perfectly in bloom!

I have a few wip's going as well - I found some really inexpensive acrylic yarn at my local pharmacy and couldn't resist buying some up for a colorful summer project. A simply granny stripe blanket in 14 colors,I decided to remove two of the colors from below.

The other project I was working on in is my starburst granny blanket - I would not have put it aside to start the new one above had it not been for the fact that I realized the rest of my yarn for this project is buried in storage. Oh well...it will have to be finished another time.

I have several other WIP's, like the sock in the background of the above picture, but those will have to wait for another post!

hot air balloon festival

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Well I have not gotten off to a very steady start here, but in my defense - things are a bit unsettled for me lately! I will work on some catch up posts and try to be a little more consistent.

Last month I visited the Quechee Balloon Festival with my sister and nieces. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and the temperature was perfect. I prefer June over any other month. There was a bit of wind causing lots of concern that the balloons would not take flight  - again! Apparently all of the scheduled launches had been cancelled due to windy conditions. Lucky for us, and those that had reserved their spot in a balloon, they achieved lift off, even though it was a couple of hours later then planned!

The field was full of balloons, all laid out in their geometric and colorful glory. We patiently waited for them to start filling...

The once large field was now covered in half filled balloons, waiting to take flight - here is the first one to get off the ground!

It was fairly intense standing so close to them all, my nieces were in complete awe!

Now, a decade or so ago, while I was living in Atlanta, my mother (who passed 9 years ago) and sister came to this very same festival and were able to get tickets to ride in one of the balloons. I was quite jealous at the time! The picture below shows the exact balloon they rode in, with the moon and stars at the top.

Sadly, something went wrong the day of the festival and they overbooked the balloon. My sister was telling me all about how mom was in tears, sobbing uncontrollably, and the event staff felt so badly that they gave her a gift certificate to come back another day along with bottles of wine, a dinner out, etc...

So, they went back another day and got their own private ride in this very balloon. My mother even submitted a photo to a photo contest and was published in a book! I will have to dig that up now that I am thinking of it. 

 The balloons took off one by one... these pictures really do it no justice... they never do!

 A good shot of a good amount of the balloons, there were many more...I can't remember exactly how many.

It was a beautiful day spent with my sister and her girls, my E was away on a vacation with her grandmother on Nantcuket, otherwise she would have been right there with me!