I Had to Ask

Apparently, the baby animals were presenting a choral performance for the big animals,

conducted by the llama,

when a gate crasher joined the crowd.

Oh dear.  Concert over.

Summer Garden

I am always surprised at how quickly the garden changes from the blues and violets and vivid greens of spring to the hot colors of summer.  We’ve tended a garden now for fifteen years so I know it’s going to happen sooner rather than later.  And then suddenly we have day lilies and California poppies and coreopsis, but still I miss those cool bloomers.  Summer heat though, brings tomatoes, and basil and cheerful zinnias.

Volunteer cherry tomato plant left to do its own thing.

Sage amongst the irises.

Basil, basil, basil and more basil.  Four plants from one pot.  You know how I feel about buying basil in December!

Neighbor’s peach trees looking good this year.

And a bit of color amidst the green.  So pretty.

I Do Make Things

You are probably wondering, where does the ‘handmade’ come into this blog?   So I shall share a birthday gift we made and gave to a seven year old girl recently.  This is a canvas tote onto which I sewed her initial cut from a vintage pillow case (ah, see, handmade and  vintage), added a piece of old lace, some buttons and a big bow in her favorite color.  So pretty.

Inside were more handmades: a journal, flowery pen, bracelet, hairclips.  And stickers, always stickers.  This bag is the perfect size for going to the library and bringing home your favorite summertime reads.  Or for carrying your journal and pen outside to sit under your favorite tree and write a bit.  Then hang it on your bedpost until you need it next.

Friday’s Dinner

Pork chops, Jicama Slaw (from Everyday Food),  Armenian rice pilaf, bread, sun tea and fresh flowers.

Critters of Magic Kingdom

Hello little lizard.  We won’t tell Snow White you are skittering about behind her.

Wish I had thought to put something next to this guy to scale how huge he was, on the outside of our hotel window thankfully.  It was seriously about three inches long and had a chunk of what looked like wasp’s nest in it’s mouth.  HUGE I tell you.

This critter did not enjoy the bug show at Animal Kingdom but thought the 3-D glasses were cool.

There were some friendly bugs that wouldn’t crawl up your legs at Pixie Hollow.

And these two furry friends who were out way past their bedtime.

Now Everything is Unpacked

Though we’ve been home a couple weeks,  these mouse ear confetti just fell out of the purse I carried everyday at Disney.

This trip was for the littlest girls of the family, hosted by their grandparents.

We stayed at the Bay Lake Tower, the newest Disney resort, right next to Magic Kingdom.

Could almost touch the castle from our balcony, though this was taken the night we went to the park late to watch fireworks and find out just exactly where Tinkerbell flies each evening.  She flew right over our head, waving her wand, and then blink, she was gone.

We found her later, discussing a recipe for pumpkin muffins with Silvermist.

I think the cousins had fun. . .

Someone has already planned her next trip.

Spring into Summer

Long gone are the blues and chartreuse of our springtime garden, given way to the yellows and oranges of summer flowers.  But  I thought I’d share some photos of the lovely little recycled window greenhouse my husband made.  This one is made of six very old windows we saved when we had new windows installed in our home.

Hello little butterfly.  Please, make yourself at home.

I love blue in the garden.   I used to write regularly in a garden journal to track what I planted and when it bloomed.  Each spring I’d make a list of all the blues in bloom at the same time.  On the right day, that list grew pretty long.

Summer garden pics soon.

Our Summer So Far. . .

Oh Hi!  Yes, I have a little blog called PK Handmade filled with bits of the life I live with my lovely daughter, husband and two year old dachshund, in a tiny little house full of  happy memories, stuff I’ve made and collected treasures.  And though I didn’t plan on this blog break, know that a lot of summer living has been happening.

There is a new reader in the house,

who loves popsicles,

and catching tadpoles,

and blowing bubbles that float with the clouds.

She had a birthday,

and ate breakfast with some princesses.

After ballet lessons, and art camp and UNO marathons, she swims.

Ahhhh, summertime when you’re seven!